March 22, 2013
(World Water Day)
Blue is a colour of life. Our planet, earth, is called the blue planet because from outer space the dominance of water colours it all. Water is a rich resource, the most valuable commodity for sustaining life just second to air. Every living thing has to surrender to its presence. Can we imagine life without it? If it were to vanish, it would be just like a patient in the ICU without an oxygen mask or a man trying to live without an adequate gear in the polar regions of the globe.
This year is christened the Year of Water to make all of us conscious of the grave need to appreciate and love its presence. On earth’s surface, water is found as river, lake, sea, spring etc. Below the earth’s surface too we obtain it as in wells. At times it is the rain water that seeps through the earth, resulting in the water table which benefits us through bore wells. It is also present in the atmosphere as dew, water vapour, cloud, mist and fog. Besides, it is a rich reservoir of salts.
About 80% of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Only a miniscule of it is fresh water, and the rest is sea water or is found locked in polar regions as ice. Water also surrenders itself to be manipulated in a way so as to benefit the most as solid (ice) or gaseous forms (steam) as we meddle with temperature. .
W. Oswald, a chemist, says, “Water is the elixir of life, since it is the liquid that we use in our day to day life to dissolve all substances that we come across.” Yes, it is a life giving source to plants, animals and human beings. Every function of the cell of every living creature requires moisture. Every particle of soil thirsts for its warmth. The industrial sector and agriculture depend solely on water for all processes.
Our human body too, 75% of it, consists of water. Water symbolizes presence of life. In our body it helps us in the transportation of nutrients, removal of wastes and regulation of body temperature.
What a blessing it is to have a phenomenon called water cycle which keeps the water on earth’s surface in perfect balance! How can my friend who is a life-giver be under threat and I am least bothered about having a master plan to save it?
Statistical Proof of its Grandeur and Rule:
In our day-to-day life, millions of generations have lived, thanks to its bounty. Yet it still continues to nourish us. On an average each of us uses 1,734 litres of water a day. It is found that 9% of its usage is in homes, 20% in industry and 71% in agriculture.
Approximately, a person uses water as below:
Brushing of teeth – 2.5 litres (with tap off), 5 litres (with tap on)
Toilet flush – 5 to 20 litres
Shower – 22 litres/min
Washing machine – 120 litres
Bath – 170 litres
Washing car – 200 litres
Watering Garden (1hr) – 600 to 1500 litres
Cooking – 4-5 litres
Drinking – 4-5 litres
Do we need to individually use so much water? What will be the state of it over the earth if most human beings waste water recklessly this way?
Two P’s – A Challenge
Population and Pollution are the two things that are getting crazy among Indians. Pollution is increasing exponentially in urban areas. The present day water needs have grown a lot in cities due to the changing lifestyles and the number of people per sq ft. Most of us depend on local water bodies in villages and local states bodies in cities. Concreting of land has prevented water seepage. Only 3% of rain water remains. Thus there is a decrease in the formation of water tables.
Today there may be more bore wells in Bangalore and other metropolitan cities than TV sets. Today pure water is under threat. Nobody thinks of recharging of bore wells. Water has become a means for waste management. Physical, biological and chemical agents have polluted water. This has disturbed the rhythm of life on land, air and water. Numerous life systems in these sectors have been threatened. Today there are apartments with 500 -1000 or even 2000 families. Imagine the amount of water that one apartment requires. Constructions works are in full swing in major cities to develop IT hubs.
We have created several kinds of waste and have happily classified it – industrial, domestic, household detergents, agricultural. If there is 75% of polluted water, we are able to treat only 25% of it regularly. Meantime another 80% of polluted water is created.
We have so far not considered water as a resourceful friend who shares his life-giving spirit with us. We have assumed it to be an entity that just helps us. Every litre of water saved each day can help in saving water to a small extent individually. We have devised a method to treat water but not to prevent water pollution. If the state governments do not bring in clear regulations and restriction in urban areas, the water crisis will persist even when it is not summer season.
Measures that count?
Lawns in houses and bungalows require huge amount of water for maintenance. Does not our lifestyle need some change of attitude? Rainwater harvesting, avoiding shower bath, avoiding brushing of teeth in running water and avoiding washing vessels in flowing water can save water in our own little way. Several countries like Bermuda and Virgin Islands in US have laws regarding rain water harvesting. More pavements, more malls and buildings only reduce space for water seeping.
Mumbai, is reported to be receiving about 2,000 mm of rainfall annually and this can generate about 8,78,000 million litres of water. According to experts, even if residents just resort to rooftop rainwater harvesting there would be enough water to satisfy everyone’s need.
For instance, Bangalore has about 85 lakh population and an estimated 500 million litres of water is wasted out of 1,500 million litres that is supplied to the city everyday in the form of open pipe lines or damaged ones. It is found that the city uses three times more water than it can recharge. “Seeping of rainwater has decreased to 2% in Bangalore,” says K C Subhash Chandra, Hydrologist, and ground water expert. Most rainwater goes wasted as it gets drained along with sewage water. About 22 lakh people are facing water scarcity in Bangalore. Catch every drop is a NGO which is conscientizing people about conservation of water. Ground water quality too needs to be attended to.
Aditi Mishra gives a few suggestions to listen to the cry of our troubled friend. He has devised simple measures.
Attaching shower head to your tap to wash utensils.
Foot tap sinks are available to prevent wastage. The water flow is controlled using ones foot.
Using of mulch (a layer of dry leaves or wood chips) for water retention in our garden, instead of daily watering.
Using kitchen wash water for our gardens.
Filling drinking water in water bottle, so that you save water required to wash the glass.
Wearing dark coloured clothes. They require less detergent, thereby less water for wash.
Conclusion:
Imagine what would happen if there was no more fresh water around us. Isn’t water a resource that symbolizes selfless generosity for the well-being of nature? Isn’t it teaching us lessons on purity? Does it not give us a chance to cleanse ourselves and other materials daily?
Have we begun to face the hard truth of having to live on salt water? Due to the endless pollution, natural rains seem to have reduced, adversely affecting water returning to the earth as pure drops. Has it not comforted us every day by quenching the thirst of millions for so many centuries? Has it not nourished our lives through and through?
World Water Day on March 22 must be an opportunity and a reminder to reflect on the way we use and misuse water. Let us harvest water. Let’s renew our bond of friendship. Let us save the blueness of our planet. Let us reap fruits of life giving spirit from saving our friend. Let us desire to decrease our hold on nature to let the resource increase.
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