Water in figures

55,000 litres

of water have been drunk by the average person at the end of their life if they reach the age of around 80 with a daily consumption of 2 litres. The recommended daily intake of water is between 1.5 and 3 litres, depending on factors such as age and height.

426 kilometres

the longest ancient structure for transporting water. The Aqueduct of Valens was built by the Romans to supply water to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). Even though Romans were well ahead of their time in many ways, they are not credited with inventing the aqueduct. The first systems for transporting water were used in ancient Egypt and Greece.

6,000

water utility companies around Germany ensure the quality of our drinking water. Hardly any other country has controls as stringent as Germany. 65% of our drinking water is obtained from groundwater and prepared for consumers with the help of complex processes.

70 percent

of the human body is made of water. That sounds like a lot, but other organisms contain a lot more water. The front-runners are jellyfish – they consist of 99% water. Many of the vegetarian things we eat – including lettuce, tomatoes and mushrooms – contain more than 90% water and help us regulate our water levels.

71 percent

of the Earth's surface is covered by water. However, only 3.5% of that is freshwater. And a large percentage of our freshwater is stored as ice at the poles, in glaciers or in permafrost – only around 0.4% of all the water on Earth can be used by humans, animals and plants.

5,300 litres

of water are used every day by the average person in Germany - the equivalent of 25 full bathtubs. This is calculated based on the »virtual water« that is needed to produce a wide variety of everyday products. On average, 140 litres of water are needed for a cup of coffee, and around 4,000 litres of water go into producing a cotton T-shirt.

1886

was the year in which August Gärtner, also known as »Kanal-August«, began his work at the University of Jena. The student of Robert Koch founded the Chair of Hygiene and Bacteriology, organized an epidemic and hygiene policy for the whole of Thuringia and introduced the first ever hygiene standards for a public water supply system.

148 litres

of bottled water are bought by the average person in Germany every year. This makes mineral water the most popular drink in Germany, ahead of fruit juice and coffee.