If this does not sound scary and wake us up from our revelry and complacency, wonder what will? Water issues affect everyone – from women going long distances afoot to fetch the precious resource to political tussles over water bodies, from melting ice peaks to the dangerous rise in sea levels. Everything seems to be ‘flowing’ out of our control – carrying us downward.
Across the globe, about 900 million people lack access to clean and pure water – water that they can be assured is disease and industrial waste free. Around 40% people have no access to appropriate sanitation facilities – which has resulted in a nonpareil crisis in public health. Waterborne diseases are on the rise, killing around 4500 children each day – which is more than the combined deaths from tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV-AIDS. Yet, we continue to disregard and ill-treat this precious resource, daily. The truth is that at least one fifth of the entire world’s population reside in areas where water is a horrifyingly scarce, and in other areas people face severe shortage owing to lack of adequate infrastructure.
The focus usually is on saving clean and hygienic water, but what most people seem to ignore is that ‘waste water’ must not be ‘wasted’ either – in fact, this water too can be used for a variety of purposes. It is a resource too, and its sustainable development and safe management is an efficient way of investing in the ecosystem and the health of humankind.
Another aspect that people tend to forget with regard to water usage is the ‘water footprint’ in the food we consume and the clothes we wear. To decrease this ‘footprint’, it is essential for each person to under how much water goes into cooking which food item. A simple example – a piece of beef would take significantly more water to cook than a larger piece of chicken. Research shows that a pair of jeans, on an average, uses about 2900 gallons of water to produce – the equivalent of the amount of water used in 130 normal showers! The idea is to think before using, be wise with our choices, and judicious while using this precious resource.
Wastewater comes from a variety of sources – from homes, storm water, sewers, and industrial, commercial, and agricultural application. The good news is that this so called ‘waste water’ can be recycled and or reused for drinking, recharging aquifers (permeable rock that contain and transmit groundwater), for agricultural purposes, restoring the ecosystems, and many other such uses. For example: people who use dehumidifiers must know that they are top-notch sources of water – irrigate plants and lawns with this water. It is practically sinful to dump water down the drain or in a toilet.
We cannot emphasize enough that the availability and wastage of water is a gigantic problem, and will adversely affect peoples around the globe. Take note of the minor and seemingly little things that could be causing damage, is a slow but sure way to protecting and sustaining our beautiful planet. We don’t want a museum dedicated to water, right?