A World of Water (but so little to drink)

March 22 was World Water Day. The UN designated this date as such in 1992 to call attention to the critical global shortage of safe drinking water. The theme for this yearīs event was "Shared Water-Shared Opportunity" and focuses on water management and sharing of water resources across boundaries of nations.

Every elementary school kid knows three fourths of the earthīs surface is water, but alas less than one percent is usable potable water. Growing awareness over the shortage of this critical need has made potable water the "new oil" and potential source of conflict among nations.

During a recent interview, Council of Canadians national chair Maude Barlow, also senior adviser on water to the president of the UN General Assembly, disclosed how sources of freshwater are drying up and being fouled around the world and nearly one-third of the world's population is denied the "human right" of potable water.

She linked the practice of selling water as a commodity and the bottled-water industry in particular to the loss of worldwide water resources and the accelerating degradation of the environment, calling it "the twin of the climate change crisis."

Last year, Barlow said 2.2 million people, mostly children, died of water-borne disease.

She said lakes in Australia, India, China, Europe, and Africa, are drying up and being replaced by deserts. At the same time, water systems in North and Central America are also running dry or being degraded to the point of collapse, she said.

Over two and a half billion people around the world do not have access to a toilet and nearly a billion people lack safe drinking water. Ironically, people in urban areas and most of the highly developed countries use potable water to flush their toilets. The daily domestic requirement of this scarce commodity has increased by leaps and bounds over the years. Clothes/dish washer machines, flush toilet systems, shower baths, water hose watering of house plants and car washes are just some of the areas which use water insensitively.

Water-related problems aren't restricted to the developing world. A harmful pesticide, banned by many European countries, remains widely used in the United States, contaminating rivers and streams. An expert estimates California's water supply will run out in 20 years.

As Dr. Bella Monse, one of the global movers of World Handwashing Day, noted: the lack of potable drinking water and basic sanitation in schools alone is a manifestation of its obstacle to progress and development.

In India alone, a total of 165,742 schools do not have a drinking water facility and 466,853 schools have no toilets, according to data collated in 2007-08 by the District Information system for Education (DISE).

Women and children who have to trek inhumanely long distances carrying water for domestic use are hardest hit. Because of the necessity of drinking water in the household, they are prevented from getting an education, earning more or doing something more productive.

This deplorable situation stresses the oft mentioned fact that water should neither be a demand nor need, but a basic human right, like clean air.

At the International Exposition on Water and Sustainable Development held in Zaragoza, Spain last year, Pope Benedict XVI urged the public and private sectors to work together to ensure that all people, especially the poor, have access to clean, potable water.

The Pope stressed that water is a universal and unalienable right for all people. It is an essential and indispensable gift from God for people to care for and use. And its use must take into account the needs of people who live in poverty.

The Pope called for the protection of water through clear international and national policies, and for the use of water to be guided by criteria that uphold solidarity and responsibility to all humans.

He noted how inadequate access to safe drinking water affects the well-being of countless numbers of people and is often the cause of disease, conflicts, poverty and even death.

Not the least, the Pope stressed how water should not be treated as a mere economic commodity. Global water use must be guided by reason and solidarity, creating a balanced synergy between the public and private sectors.

Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives from government for initial investments in water saving technology will help spur the widespread use of water-saving measures, and Congress can prioritize water efficiency projects among those specifically targeted for funding in the forthcoming infrastructure stimulus packages.

But these funds alone canīt do it. The country needs a comprehensive package of solutions like tax incentives for the production and use of efficient appliances, water use efficiency standards for water-intensive products, well-recognized and up-to-date green certification programs that reward efficient practices, and performance targets for water suppliers to reduce the per capita usage across their service areas.

What can the ordinary Juan do to reduce the global water crisis? Wise and prudent limited use of water will do for starters. This emphasis must be carried from this generation to the next for them to realize the impact of water shortage.

Consider not using the toilet as an ash tray or waste basket to flush trash. Every flush, we actually costs us about 12 liters of water. Turning off the tap while brushing our teeth save another 20 litres of water everyday. Fix leaking taps : one drip per second wastes 30 liters of water daily. Wash your cars and bikes with a bucket of water and sponge, instead of a hose which wastes 15 liters of water per minute. Use the shower in the bathroom sparingly: a 4 minute shower uses more than 60 liters of water. Use clothes/dish washer for full loads for optimum utilization.

Governments and international bodies can seek solutions for global water issues but being a bit more sensitive and sensible at the household level counts the most.

30 -