daigai

Well-Known Member
Rivers have been very useful to men in all parts of the earth since very early times. They provide water to slake the thirst of men, to fertilize their lands and to provide a means of communication for the goods that transport from place to place.

Early civilization began on the banks of the great rivers of the world, such as the Nile and the Indus. These rivers provided the water, the people on their banks needed for all their purposes. As people in those early days did not have the transport facilities that we have today, they had to live close to the rivers to transport their goods to places along the rivers and to draw the water that they needed.

Rivers not only provided water for their domestic needs and agricultural purposes but also enabled the people to move from place to place among their banks. Boats or rafts were used to travel from one end of a river to another. In the same way, goods were also transported. With the transport of goods and the contacts of people between different parts of the same river, there were also many cultural exchanges. Thus, rivers helped to spread civilization.

It is true, however, that rivers have also caused much misery and unhappiness to millions of people throughout history. They have caused floods and destroyed lives and property in all parts of the earth. For example, the Hwang Ho in China has been described as “the sorrow of China” because of the destruction that it had caused in the past.

But it should be realized that floods occur once in several years. Therefore, the damage that rivers cause is not so great as the benefits that they confer on humanity. Today, rivers continue to be used not only as a source of water for drinking and fertilizing the lands or as a means of transport but also as a source of electricity which has revolutionized society.

The importance of rivers is therefore not difficult to appreciate.

Talk about the importance of water

Since the beginning of time, water has continued to be an important thing to all living things. Without water nothing could live. We may change our food according to the climate of a place but we may find no substitute for water. Man has always looked for pure fresh water to slake his thirst.

Water not only quenches our thirst but it is also a source of food to us. From the sea we catch large quantities of fish and other creatures. We use water to irrigate our lands to produce crops. Many parts of the world are dry and barren because there is no water there. People in such places lead a very hard life. Even the plants and animals find it a real struggle to survive. They can obtain water only by some means of ingenuity. Water also helps to increase the fertility of the land in several parts of the world. The alluvium that is brought down by rivers is very fertile. Even electricity, which has changed our lives completely, is produced by water-power in many countries.

Further, water is an important means of communication. We use waterways to carry our goods or trade. Water transport is cheaper than land transport and in many remote regions, rivers are the only means of communication. In many countries rivers are used to bring down timber from the hilly regions to the lower regions where the timber mills are. In this way much money is saved.

It is true, however, that water has also caused much destruction to life and property throughout human history. Heavy rainfall, swollen rivers and the angry waves of the sea have killed thousands of people and destroyed homes and crops. Yet, water is indispensable to life, and people everywhere are trying their best to bring water to places where it is scarce, to control its flow in times of floods and to make greater use of it.


Xem thêm:
Nước là thứ quan trọng nhất - Water is important to all living things
 

Các chủ đề có liên quan khác

Top