Human life, as with all animal and plant life on the planet, is dependent upon water. Not only do we need water to grow our food, generate our power and run our industries, but we need it as a basic part of our daily lives - our bodies need to ingest water every day to continue functioning. Communities and individuals can exist without many things if they have to - they can be deprived of comfort, of shelter, even of food for a period, but they cannot be deprived of water and survive for more than a few days. Because of the intimate relationship between water and life, water is woven into the fabric of all cultures, religions and societies in myriad ways.