Have you ever had to walk for miles just to get clean drinking water, or not even have access to clean drinking water? People around the world, even in North America, do not have access to clean water or are forced to walk very far just to drink water. The main areas where this problem is evident are third world countries, and this is due to lack of money and sanitation (Millions Lack Safe Water). Because of this lack of sanitation, water-borne diseases can grow and infect people who consume it. Clean water is very important for life and in this article I will explain why we need it, what effects it can have on us and what it takes to get clean water. Having clean water for drinking means that the water must have microbial, chemical properties and physical characteristics that meet WHO guidelines or national drinking water quality standards. Approximately 780 million people in the world do not have access to drinking water (Millions Lack Safe Water). More than 3.4 million people die every year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related causes. Almost all deaths, 99%, occur in developing countries. Worldwide, diseases linked to dirty water kill around 1,400 children every day (Clean Drinking Water). There are many organizations raising money to help develop ways or create ways for people to get clean drinking water. However, many people are unaware that this is also a problem in other countries because we take clean water for granted. Water is the most vital part of life. Water is needed by humans, plants and other organisms and to do almost everything. Water allows our bodily functions to function and remove waste from our body. Plants need water to grow, and humans need plants to grow... middle of paper... and everything around us, and what it takes to get clean drinking water. Additionally, I also provided examples of organizations raising funds to help people get clean water. We cannot take clean water for granted, because everything around us, including us, needs clean water to survive and work. I talked about how if we can end the clean water crisis, we can focus on other global problems like world hunger and economic problems. Once we are able to focus on other things, we may be able to work on technology that will allow us to produce more clean drinking water to stockpile for our ever-growing population. In conclusion, clean drinking water and clean water in general are a very vital part of our lives and our world. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for the water, and we need to keep it clean.