We are living in a world where there is water, water, everywhere. but also a growing imbalance in many regions between the availability of high-quality water (supply) and the consumption in our homes (demand).
Although 75 per cent of the world's surface is covered with this precious liquid, 97 per cent of it is salty or otherwise undrinkable.
Of the remaining three per cent, two thirds is stored in glaciers and ice caps, leaving only one per cent of all the earth's water for humanity's needs. And even tapping into this presents many problems.
Not all water can be collected, and resources are distributed very unevenly around the globe. A fifth of all the freshwater reserves of the planet, for example, are concentrated in South America's Amazon basin.
As a result, already worldwide more than a billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and 4 billion people do not get enough water.
The situation in Europe is fortunately not as bad but water nevertheless remains a valuable resource. There are eight countries that can be considered water-stressed: Germany, England and Wales, Italy, Malta, Belgium, Spain, Bulgaria and Cyprus, representing 46% of Europe's population.
Droughts are already common in south European nations such as Spain, Italy or Greece, and are increasingly being seen in central or northern Europe countries such as in certain regions in the UK. Despite this, water consumption remains high in many western European households.
The water-stress is increasing in magnitude and impact. For example at the October 2007 meeting of the International Water Association (www.iwahq.org), the Flemish Minister-President stated that drinkable water is much scarcer in the region of Flanders than most people expect. Around 2000 litres of drinkable water is available per year for each inhabitant, which is one of the lowest numbers in Europe.
Read on to find out why it is important to save water in Europe, what P&G has done to improve water efficiency and how you can make a difference with the wash.