Water: humanity’s lifeblood
Turkish police sprayed protesters outside the World Water Forum with... water?
Lauren Morello reports for ClimateWire that when it comes to fresh water on Earth, we shouldn’t assume that we can leave the tap on and it will continue to appear. We must respect its presence and use it sparingly. You wouldn’t flush payday loan money down the toilet; don’t waste water.
Water as a precious and finite resource is what has brought government ministers from more than 120 countries to Istanbul, Turkey for the fifth annual World Water Forum. Sanitation, recreation, agriculture and all water’s other uses will be part of the international discussion.
“We are responsible”
Water managers, writes Morello, have depended upon streamflow, rainfall and snowpack to help ensure sufficient water levels. But global climate has impacted old patterns, causing the water cycle to manifest in extreme ways such as extreme drought and excessive floods.
“We are responsible,” Loïc Fauchon, president of the World Water Council. “Responsible for the aggressions perpetrated against water, responsible for the current climate changes which come on top of the global changes, responsible for the tensions which reduce the availability of fresh water masses so indispensable to the survival of humanity.”
Take the lead
Too many countries live beyond their means when it comes to water usage. The United States is unfortunately no exception. Aaron Salzberg, special coordinator for water resources at the State Department, said America “plans to push for more discussion of climate change during the ministerial talks.” It’s high time the United States took the lead instead of crafting sound bites.
“In some places of the world, water falls down for a very short period of time each year,” Salzberg said. “What if you get most of your water over just one to two months? How do you secure enough water for the rest of the year?”
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It’s a fact that over a third of the world’s population is seriously affected by a water and sanitation crisis. The problem is particularly severe in Africa, where 6 out of 10 people do not even have a proper toilet – a factor, according to a World Health Organization report, contributes to “the transfer of bacteria, viruses and parasites found in human excreta which… contaminate water resources, soil and food.”
Aside from that, people waste a lot of water each day. The U.S. probably has the highest rate of water (and energy) waste. There are millions of people who are not as fortunate as we are and it’s obvious that we take many of these things for granted. This has to change before it gets out of hand.
There definitely is a definitive need to head off a looming water shortage before too long. Some island nations have a system of purifiers that can de-salinate sea water and make it good enough for drinking. The alternative is to rig every household with a chemistry set that is able to extract hydrogen and oxygen from various substances, and then make water with them – but distilled water isn’t exactly the greatest for you, as it lacks minerals found in most ground water. And heading off global warming before the ice caps melt (it will happen) wouldn’t be bad while they’re at it.
If you are wasting water you are also wasting power and wasting money as well. We can no longer count on rivers as a source of water or rainfall as they are decreasing too. Water consumption is something which can be reduced by following some very simple tips like taking shorter showers, turning the faucets off while brushing your teeth etc. More tips on how to save water can be found at http://tr.im/sfHn