Water is a prerequisite of life

Despite around 70% of the world’s surface being taken up by water, less than 3% of this is fresh water. And only a small fraction of this amount is suitable for human consumption. The world’s water supplies are unevenly distributed. One in every three people around the world lives without access to clean water.

Lappeenranta is situated on the southern shoreline of Finland’s largest lake — Lake Saimaa. The future of Lake Saimaa and its contributories and distributories are important to all of us. We enjoy our access to clean water in many ways and drink the ‘world’s best tap water’.

Over the last decade, we have invested significantly in protecting and improving our waterways. With a broad-based approach built on excellent teamwork, we have worked together to achieve visible results — we have reduced the load placed on our waterways and improved the quality of the water itself.

Did you know that every time someone pees in the lake, they are supplying the algae with 600 g of nutrients?

We must work together to protect our water bodies. Each and every one of us can do something to help.