Consider the following statements: 1. On the planet Earth, the fresh water available for use amounts to about less than 1% of the total water found. 2. Of the total fresh water found on the planet Earth 95% is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers. Whic

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Q: 103 (IAS/2010)
Consider the following statements:
1. On the planet Earth, the fresh water available for use amounts to about less than 1% of the total water found.
2. Of the total fresh water found on the planet Earth 95% is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

question_subject: 

Geography

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,57,208,57,39,154,15

keywords: 

{'total fresh water': [0, 0, 1, 0], 'total water': [0, 0, 1, 0], 'fresh water': [2, 0, 1, 0], 'polar ice caps': [0, 0, 1, 2], 'glaciers': [4, 0, 0, 0], 'planet earth': [0, 0, 4, 6]}

The correct answer is (1) only.

Explanation: The first statement is true, as only about 2.5% of the planet`s total water is fresh, and of that, less than 1% is available for use as surface water and groundwater. The second statement is incorrect, as although a significant amount of fresh water is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers, it is estimated to be around 68.7% of the total fresh water, not 95%.