The Silent Struggle of Global Water Crisis
Indeed in a world that is rapidly coming together and bracing itself for new technologies and economic growth, there is a new problem that is gradually developing and yet doesn’t seem to catch much of our attention. This crisis, however, is as old as the civilization and as important as the oxygen that we inhale. It is the crisis of something as basic as water the very essence of which is now looking more like a luxury for many than a necessity.
It is the world’s most precious resource, water, which is currently threatened. On all the continents of the world the proportion of supply of clean, safe drinking water is decreasing sharply. Once available in plenty, people now lack it, and thereby we have a war that cannot be contained in one country, one economy, or one culture. This is not an issue that only can be attributed to the hot and dry areas or the third world countries; on the contrary it is an alarm that affects the entire globe, the future of life on this planet as we know it.
As much as the crisis has occurred, the factors leading to the same are multiple and diverse. Climate change taking central stage and modify the foreseen weather conditions and make it possible to have long dry season in some parts of the world while at the same time, there are terrible floods in others. These extremes alter the balance of water on the earth’s surface, and downy the accessibility of fresh water. But climate change is only a part of the story. Grazing, burning, industry and unhealthy agriculture practices and growth have led to deterioration of water quality through polluting what is little available.
In some areas they are questioning the authority, rebellion and fighting, in other areas they are fleeing the world in masses. Former riparian societies’ dwellers are now moving away from the river systems because they have dried up. Millions of people spend hours waiting for water in the urban areas, water reservoirs are drying up and millions of people are buying water in the supermarkets at very high prices. The inequity is stark: As some people take their time to shower under their pipe born water and manicured lawns there are those who barely find water to drink.
Below are some of the implications of this water crisis; New diseases that are associated with water shortage and or poor quality are becoming rampant within vulnerable industries. The young are the most vulnerable population in today’s world, more than ten thousand children die every day due to water-borne diseases. This sector seriously impacts agriculture, which uses about seventy percent of the global water supply; food scarcity and worsening world’s hunger are the prevailing consequences.
However, there is still some good news into this grim picture. Solutions are beginning to be adopted as stakeholders – from governments to global organisations and individuals – start to wake up to the severity of the problem. Two main approaches of improving the availability of water include desalization, rain water harvesting and wastewater reclamation. There are also emerging bottom-up approaches which are championing water conservation and sustainable use of water on the ground.
However, these solutions entail cooperation of everyone. The water problem of the world is not an issue that can be dealt a blow by an individual or a country. It calls for structure changes in policies, upgrade in education systems and actions at international level. It is high time that water security be put on the global agenda, diplomatic and political agendas of states, investment and institutional measures be taken to protect water. However, the recipients cannot sit idly as they expect the authorities to conserve water; they should also do their part by putting into practice habits of saving water.
The problem of water scarcity is a rather invisible challenge, which does not immediately attract people’s attention to it. But it is a struggle that we cannot afford to ignore because the implications are grave and indeed fatal. More, which is water, that is not only a resource, but, in the truest meaning of word, life. While it remains a relatively new problem for the global community to address this issue, the decisions made now are what will define the availability of this most critical of commodities for future generations.
But first and foremost the water crisis is a challenge for the world’s peoples. It questions how one is to engage with the world and other people in the future. Will we give our best in rising to the challenge or will we let this calamity get worse, to an extent that it destroys life on this planet as we know it? The answer is staring at us, in the every droplet of water used, conserved and protected.
A Call to Action: Building a Water-Secure Future
Thus, we are facing a choice which will decide the destiny of our world – the world we live in – the Earth. It is not simply an ecological crisis of the world water supply, but a problem of ethics and justice that challenges the very spirit of the human race’s conscience. Wise thinking therefore requires that the populace awakens to the new reality where water is best described as a limited natural resource.
Rethinking Water Usage
The first preventive measure that can be taken to seek solution of water crisis is to change our attitude towards utilization of water. Like any other country, New Zealanders have a tendency to deem water a matter of course; people shower, brush teeth, water gardens and lawns, and swim in private swimming pools. But this is a dangerous thought process which is in fact rather archaic. And one has to leave behind a ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ mentality and embrace a culture of water scarcity.
Small adjustments in our behavior pattern could cause a lot of difference. Conserving water, plumbing problems being repaired, and using less water-consuming gadgets and taps are solutions that can change much. For example, not using the water tap while brushing teeth, use lesser water in the shower, all these little measures can help save 1000s of liters of water per year. Another example from this sector is that the use of technologies such as drip irrigation in farming and the like helps to save large quantities of water as used in traditional methods.
Innovating for Water Security
Even though it consists the conserve approach, the water crisis can hardly be surmounted without innovativeness. Across the globe, important inventions are coming out for utilizing modern technologies in an efficient way and supply of water.
Desalination is one such innovation which takes the seawater and converts it into potable water. Despite its high costs, better technologies in renewable energy and improving recovery rates make desalination to be favorable in water scarce areas. Likewise, the systems of rain water harvesting where structures are put in place to channel rain water for later use are getting more developed and are widespread especially in the dry seasons.
Another promising area is recycling and reuse of water or wastewater whereby water is use multiple times. In many cities of the world, the water achieved by tertiary treatment is being used for irrigation, industrial uses and even for the supply of drinking water. This approach not only lowers water requirements of freshwater but also effects pollution control as it avoids discharge of polluted water to rivers and oceans.
Policy and Governance: The Role of Leadership
But the wonders of technology cannot resolve the water issue. One notable approach is that policy, and in extension governance, plays a central role in the sustainable and equitable management of water resources. Much as it is the duty of governments to provide legislation to protect water sources from extraction and pollution, they should be at the fore in providing and implementing the respective legislation. It also involves controlling the sectors that contribute to water pollution and making certain that farming does not harm the quality of both the soil and water.
Another instrument that can lead to water conservation and also fairness is the measure of the price of water. When water pricing mirrors the actual costs of water delivery and supply, then it can help to support the consumption of water sparingly as well as yielding revenues for improvements of water delivery systems. But the formulation of these policies has to be done in a way that will not exert too much pressure on the poor.
This is especially so given that the sources of water for water stressed areas are in most cases, found across international borders. The management of water resources that span across international borders entails policy making, bargaining factor and more importantly a common value of sustainable management of water resources. There are cases, including the fact of the cooperation in managing the Nile River, that illustrate how countries can share and conserve water.
A Shared Responsibility: The Role of Individuals
In the end, it is all of us that are to be held accountable for the failure to solve the problem of water scarcity. It is, however, important for governments and industries to do this, but this has to be complemented by people. We have to understand and apply water-saving practices in our everyday lives and this way, we will help in the achievement of sustainable living.
It can entail buying and or investing in goods and services embraced by organizations who give preference to water saving mechanisms and using political influence for the protection of water sources or merely creating awareness of the need to make water safe. The implication of this is the notion that total abstinence from catastrophe may be beyond an individual, but every action counts.
Water scarcity is one of the biggest challenges of the contemporary world that demands an extended and combined effort. It presents the world and its living, governing, and innovating differently and, therefore, poses a challenge to rethink all of this. It requires us to step up from the concept of ‘doing more with less’ to one that is focused on value creation in the long term. And, perhaps, most importantly, it urges us to become active subjects of change and it is not only for us but for the generations to come.
For, the future that is in store for us depends with the decisions that we take in the present, whether we will live in an environment of scarcity or of plenty! Today, people should learn about ways to economize water, promote innovative thinking, cooperate on the international level and make sure that water is still a valuable gift of nature for everybody. The need for action is immediate because the water crisis is not a problem that is forecast for the future – it is here now.