Ladies and gentleman, Before I go further with my speech, I would like to read the poem from the ancient mariner’s that cry of agony and despair in Samuel Coleridge’s poem that sound; Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. This poem clearly points to the absolute need of suitable drinking water for survival. The mariner, being the only survivor left on his ship, is desperately lost at sea for months. Having used up all the ship’s store of drinkable water, he laments on his plight; surrounded by water on all sides, but not a drop to drink.
Ladies and gentleman, Water is essential to life. We require water for washing and cooking, cultivating our field, and most important, for drinking. Life becomes impossible on earth without water. Imagine a drought situation: there are no rains; the rivers and lakes have dried up; and all plant-life lay dry and wasted. When we read about the origins of life on earth, we realize at once the importance role water had played in causing living things to come into existence. Water has those unique chemical elements and properties needed to nourish the living cells of living beings.
Dearest comrades, Apart from the fact that water is essential to life, water is also man’s precious resource. Water is a source of energy. Water converted into steam can be used as fuel for driving vehicles fitted with