 |
| Figure 1. Photo of a dynamic water resource (WMO) |
Water is very, very essential for humans, for animals, for plants; or simply, for the entire planet. It gives us means for transporting nutrients and energy across all organisms and ecosystems within a wide range of temperatures. For the past decades, there came upon a dilemma of global water scarcity and mismatch between freshwater demand and availability. From the growing population, never-ending standards, expansion of agriculture, they all are the main forces for the rising global demand for water. Yes, perhaps the planet may never run out of aquatic resources, it's important to remember that clean freshwater won't always be available on demand.
Nonetheless, us humans, are completely disregarding this risk as we are currently the biggest cause of water pollution. We dump industrial waste everywhere, excessively use chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers, allow leakage from water tanks, and many, many more. Basically, we are the ones responsible for this global crisis we're facing today. If the quality of our water is actually declining, then why aren't people taking care of it more? Are we just going to let things get out of control and reach the point when we can't even drink safely? I, personally, am willing to do my part to conserve and save this quality of water for the future; and I encourage you, too. Hence, here in this paper, I will provide more knowledge about the current conditions of these life resources and what can we do to preserve them.
 |
| Figure 2. Photo of a child in polluted water (WEforum) |
About 20% of the world’s groundwater, which supplies drinking water to more than half of the world’s population, is already over-exploited. It is likely that more of the world’s aquifers will be over-exploited by 2050. This means that the world is only a few years away from experiencing extreme shortage of water, and in fact, many countries are already facing this crisis. There's just not enough freshwater globally to suffice current demands. Adding up to that is its unequal distribution, leading to severe scarcity in some parts of the world. I'm really, really afraid of what the consequences are going to be if we just let this pass by. Especially in the Philippines, where pollution is widespread, these natural resources are definitely at risk. With the lack of discipline of the population and the incompetence of the government, there's little to no improvement in the situation for years now. You might ask, what exactly is happening to our water resources? How do these affect the population as a whole?
In actuality, out of the 105 million people living in the Philippines, seven million rely on unsafe and unsustainable water sources and 24 million lack access to sufficient sanitation. Looking at how big those numbers are, we can say that there is a severe water crisis happening in the country. Although we are rich in aquatic sources like rivers, lakes, seas, waterfalls, most of them are not taken care of and thus, we are falling short on demands. And even our dams are not managed well, their construction and maintenance are almost often getting delayed joined by the lack of heavy rains in the recent months are also affecting the overall water supply of the country. With all these serious problems arising side by side, you might be intimidated and think that this displeasing future is inevitable. But no, surprisingly, we may be able to prevent the worsening of this situation. And that is if only we work together.
Water conservation is the best option to eradicate this rising demand. As individuals, there are lots of ways we can do to be part of this movement. We can promote water stewardship wherein we lessen its consumption into what is environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial. Considering the minimization of all water use such as flushing, showers, laundry, brushing; if all of us try to use them efficiently in these tasks, a lot of water can be conserved. Also, in our homes and in facilities, we must also propose the development of proper sanitation and water filtration systems. It's one thing to have access to water, and it's another to have access to one that is safe to drink. Promoting good habits and disciplines through education should help, too. Teaching people from all ages on what to do and what to avoid when it comes to water resources will lead far beyond our goals. These little changes we try to make would be a lot of help to our quality of life, and of course our Mother Earth.
Essentially, we should keep in mind that water and sanitation will play a defining role in achieving a sustainable world. From eliminating poverty and hunger to tackling climate change, water is central to tackling our goals. Thus, we must set our priorities to ensure availability and management of clean water to all. Make a difference in every way possible - from the moment you wake until the time you sleep, remember the importance of the water you consumed today. Like from the famous words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see in this world." Do your part. Protect water, save lives.
References:
Future Directions (2020) "Global Water Supply and Demand Trends Point Towards Rising Water Insecurity" https://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/global-water-supply-and-demand-trends-point-towards-rising-water-insecurity/
Water.org (2020) "Philippines' Water and Sanitation Crisis" https://water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/philippines/
Mason, Le Seve, Calow (2017) "Global trends to watch on water and sanitation" https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/11721.pdf
Comments
Post a Comment