We need to drink water everyday to survive. Water shortages are already a serious issue around the world today and by 2050 fresh drinking water could be even scarcer. In richer countries we tend to take water for granted - we just turn on the tap - but we might soon need to think more carefully about it. And in many parts of the world collecting water is an essential but time-consuming daily task.

We not only use water for drinking but also for washing, flushing the toilet, growing food - and in the manufacture of just about everything you can think of from clothes to cars to houses. As lifestyles improve around the world, people want more stuff and populations increase, we'll need more and more water. All this puts strain on existing supplies while at the same time climate change is affecting rainfall patterns, leaving some areas short of water. And some fresh water sources are being polluted by industrial and farming chemicals, or by sea water flooding.

In this area you will learn about innovative new techniques and technologies for getting safe drinking water to everyone. You can play the fast paced Future Drink game to discover some of the places we might get more water in 2050. And you can splash around in our virtual pool.

Find out more about water resources and climate change