Water – Irreplaceable, Reliant, Vital
WATER, the entity which allowed our planet to carry life; emboldening Earth as witnessed today, savoring it; is not merely a resource for satisfying the thirst for our human-centric pursuits but an element that roots the planet with approximately 8.7 million distinct life forms. Much exciting are the disputed study results claiming, that the water isn't native to our planet; affirming it as a boon. Apart from being the very foundation of our planet and essence of life, water architects the lifestyle of each organism on Earth.
In context to the human race, a clean supply of safe and sustainable water fuels our daily lives; From keeping our societies healthy and hydrated to running our cities and growing our economies it is a deep-rooted heritage of our daily lives. Water, the wonder liquid is the main ingredient for our food production and it very acts as a solvent, digesting that same food in our bodies. It also removes the toxins from human bodies as well as cleanses our vicinities. It allows the movement of nutrients in human bodies as well as transports nutrients and rich soil from mountains to the surface. As the human civilizations evolved, they steadily realized the potential of water and many crucial and vital methods for the sustenance of civilizations were invented; chiefly farming and transportation. Earlier human civilizations were set-up near the banks of various water bodies. The discovery of water as a means of transportation gave Homo sapiens the aid to explore the habitats and wield the opportunities offered by this planet. Not soon enough after the discovery of waterways, Humans turned towards water bodies for food, the sea life, and also utilized water as transport means.
With the market expansion, and due to population growth, the manufacturing industries, food processing plants and power production units gravitate to increase their production rate which contaminates the water like never before. Some general industries producing gallons of wastewater are textile, dyeing, petrochemical industry, organic chemicals, iron & steel industries, mines& quarries, food industry, nuclear industry, and electric power plants (Sonune & Ghate, 2004). According to the United Nations, several unprivileged communities across the globe are experiencing a scarcity of a clean supply of water, consequently leading to this - 4.5 billion people don’t have safe access to adequate and equitable sanitation services. Approximately, 2.1 billion people are deprived of containment free water sources, available at all (UNICEF, 2017). Figure 1 represents the worldwide utilization of freshwater.
Figure 1. Representation of freshwater utilization across the world
Dreadful Results Due to Water Contamination:
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Consequently, about 5,25,000 cases of child deaths (below the age of five) are annually reported face due to trivial diseases like diarrhea. (UNICEF, 2015)
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Nearly 40% of the world population is facing water scarcity (WHO)
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90% of the epidemics, diseases, and inevitable natural accidents are due to water (UNISDR)
Threat to the Ecological Balance
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The ecosystem receives back a whopping 80% of untreated wastewater (UNESCO, 2017).
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The two-third of the planet’s transboundary water bodies lacks a cooperative management framework. (SIWI)
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Energy production exhausts approximately 75% of all the industrial water apportion (UNESCO, 2014).