The Current Solutions To Water Crisis

By Edith N. Davis


Water conservation is very important. Even though the planet is two thirds water in many places on the planet clean, potable water is hard to come by. Not only is this true in many of the world's underdeveloped nations, the industrialized nations have a problem with getting enough clean water as well. Quality is in question in many large cities. This has led many to call for the general population to get more education.

The amount of waste that is infiltrating our water is growing proportionately with the increasing population. The Water World Assessment Program estimates that people worldwide dump 2 million tons of waste into our water each day. At least 70% of industrial wastes are drained into the water in developing nations where they don't yet have anti-pollution precautions and laws in place. Here in the United States, we have a major problem in that agricultural waste products, from such things as fertilizer run-offs and hog confinements, and the wastes we pump into our water are being carried into the lakes, rivers, and oceans. In the 1970s, the United States banned the use of DDT, yet 40 years later, traces of the substance are still being found in our oceans.

California is a state with serious H2O problems. California water districts have long been committed to education. They offer water saving tips, share conservation facts and try to raise awareness. Some communities are even involved in desalination projects in an attempt to increase the local supply. This has become necessary as California's population continues to skyrocket while the shed in most communities is unable to support their current residents.

Water-related diseases accounts for a staggering number of deaths and diseases. One out of every four child deaths in the world is due to a water-related disease. This accounts for 1.4 million child deaths a year, due to diarrheal complication such as cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery, and other water-borne infections. At any given time, half of the world's medical attention is given to patients suffering from water-related diseases. This should not be of any surprise, considering that in developing countries about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.

Without drinking water, a human being can survive for approximately one week . Compare that need to the 'need' for oil, land or physical wealth - all sources for conflict in the 20th and 21st centuries. There are many in our world that do not possess great amounts of these commodities and, while that does make their lives decidedly more difficult, their lives continue and they manage to cope. Yet if the wealthy were denied water for one week, they would be dead or dying, despite their wealth.

Water is life as anyone on this planet knows. For California residents this is a truly frightening thought. As the California water crisis continues to drag on with no end in sight residents have begun to express real concern about the future of their state. If the combination of recycling efforts, water education and increased understanding of the hydrological cycle cannot solve the problem, California's future is bleak.




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