The Crucial Importance of Fighting the Water Crisis

Throughout the journey of human life, there have been a limited number of components that are needed to maintain survival. These essentials consist of water, nutrition, shelter, and oxygen. Water by far provides the most important component to survival. Each year, the world population expands exponentially; today being over seven billion. Due to overpopulation, human beings have stumbled onto a dilemma. That dilemma is that we are consuming more water that is available on this planet.

The world has become bound by its inventory of water, due to its immense insistence on it. Humans trust water is a resource that is absolutely renewable and eternal, but through many years water supply is becoming awfully scarce. Statistically confirmed there is only 2.5% which is freshwater. Almost all of it is sealed up in ice and in the ground. Only a bit more than 1.2% of all freshwater (which was only 2.5 % of all water) is surface water, which serves most of life's demands (The World's Water). Water, on a daily basis, is depleted through many daily activities such as people exploiting water in their houses, at work and exceedingly through gardening.

The human population must find modern opportunities in discovering or constructing additional fresh, sanitizes water. The global water crisis is a developing dilemma internationally, and can only be solved by altering our behaviors from laziness into exertion. This can all happen through the mindfulness about how one exploits water on a daily basis. Throughout the world, people have learned to depend on the fact that water will be here forever, but after recent news that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages. And ecosystems around the world will suffer even more (Worldwildlif). People now understand that water is not a renewable resource at the moment, and that is why the discussion of the global water crisis needs to happen now. Water scarcity has been a case to ignorance around the world, specifically in underdeveloped and rural areas, where freshwater is not accessible. In many undeveloped countries 'almost 2 million children die each year for want of a glass of clean water and adequate sanitation' (Human Development Report 2006). But currently, water pollution has heightened in industrialized areas, “Many industrial facilities use freshwater to carry away waste from the plant and into rivers, lakes, and oceans” (Waterpollution).

People do not even comprehend that it is affecting everyone everywhere and it is not just one area that needs to fix it. It is everyone who needs to change because even everyday household activities contribute to water pollution. “When it rains, fertilizers from lawns, oil from driveways… are all washed into storm sewers or nearby lakes, rivers and streams -- the same lakes, rivers, and streams we rely on for drinking water supply, boating, swimming, and fishing. Also, improper handling of materials around the house can lead to pollution' (Natural Resource Defense Council).

In the article 'How to Clean up Water' Natural Resource Defense Council further echos the concept that water contamination is constructed by the daily behavior of humans around the world, in both developed and undeveloped territory. Water, as a resource, may seem boundless and abundant, but with the human actions, water has no chance at preservation. If humans continue to be ignorant of the problem, the water crisis will not be a problem but our ultimate demise. The conflict of the water scarcity will endure if human being around the world continues to be selfish; refusing to cooperate, by changing their daily routines.

Even though some people understand the scarcity of water and its exponential surge of need every year, many of the solutions that have been designed have some fallout. People assume that because of the massive oceans that resid in the Earth there is a simple answer, desalination. The concept of desalination, the transformation of ocean water to freshwater, administers a proposition that freshwater is always obtainable. Desalination can be seized as a new technological advance to make sure water will never be limited. 'Reverse osmosis – forcing seawater through a membrane that filters out the salt – is the leading method for seawater desalination in the world today', will be the one thing that will support the water crisis ('Better Desalination Technology Would Help Solve World's Water Shortage'). This Yale News article clarifies that reverse osmosis is the 'next best thing' to form freshwater.

The article thoroughly examines the plan of desalination, and how it will abolish the salt from the ocean water and leave freshwater behind. Reading this article, many may begin to consider that the global water crisis is over-exaggerated, but in reality, desalination is not as favorable to the environment as many believe. Desalination does not help the environment in any way. The salt remaining from the operation of desalination is put right back into the ocean, making the water even more saline. This not only creates problems for humans, and the access of freshwater, but also creates problems for the many marine organisms. In addition to destroying the marine environment, desalination proves to be remarkably expensive aswell.

Lastly, it does not even get rid of the problem. In fact, it makes it worse, in the article 'Water Agencies Debate Desalination' by Kelly Zito, she explains how it is only making water more scarce, '… they insist that using less water - not adding more to the supply - is the cheapest, fastest and most ecologically friendly way to stem the state's water crisis…', the reality is that desalination simply adds to the water crisis because more water is being taken away from oceans. Thus concluding that the best answer to this crisis is the united effort and strong-minded cooperation of the population affected by the loss of water.

For these solutions to work people will essentially have to try to change their habits, but many people are not providing an effort for change. This leads one to believe people just don’t know where to begin. That’s where Valerie came in to try and help society make a few corrections, In the article 'Indoor Water Conservation' by Valerie Strassberg, she presents many solutions dealing with the conservation of water. Water supply has decreased dramatically in this generation because many people wastewater on a daily basis: while taking a shower, brushing their teeth, watering the lawn and even drinking water. While brushing their teeth and taking a shower, many kids and adults tend to just simply leave the water running while standing there doing nothing.

A way to help this is while brushing your teeth, turn the tap off when brushing, and when needed turn the tap on. For showering, people usually run the water before actually entering the shower to make the water warmer, but instead just simply turn the shower on when entering. These little-changed can affect the water supply tremendously, though it may not seem so (Strassberg 1). If someone begins the trend of water conservation, others will follow in their footsteps. All society needs to do is start. These solutions will work if people essentially try to change their habits. The difference will not be evident right away, but with time water will once again be a renewable resource.

Overall, human beings need to provide an effort or an ounce of care at the thought of the water crisis, because without the effort or care all of this will be for nothing. This is not a simple one group needs to change kind of problem. Humanity, that means everyone from everywhere, needs to care and change. To think about their daily routines and how to conserve water to the best of their ability because once freshwater is gone, there is no going back. This is an all of one kind of deal in order to stop the crisis at its heart everyone has to be on board. The problem was simple, it was us who caused the water crisis in the first place. The solution is just as simple, humanity needs to fix it themselves with daily action.