EDITOR, The Tribune.
I would like to write about a crisis we are and probably will experience sometime in our lives. Something many of us take for granted, that of water availability and purity. There are 37 nations globally who are experiencing extreme water stress today. Seven of these nations are Caribbean. Water Resource Groups estimate that by 2030, if no action is taken, with the projected population and economic growth rates, water demand will out pace globally supply by 40%.
There is a dire situation existing today, effecting every aspect of our lives, but not fully explained to the citizenry for many reasons. The commodity known as natural clean fresh water (H20) may join the dodo bird on a list of rare things. What’s going on here, you may ask.
World droughts have expanded in time and history throughout the world. In Africa the northern deserts expand southward while droughts, lack of rain create massive regional dead zones where man and beast cannot survive. The very shores of North Africa are eroding by 50 meters a day, with the salt waters of the ocean winning the day. South Africa is attempting to drill over 5,000 fresh water sources to supply their citizenry with needed water, finding out that the water table has been depleted due to lack of rain. Wildlife is under siege from both the natural elements as well as the encroachment of humanity. There have been attempts to apply technology to find a solution to this continent’s problems, but desalinisation of the surrounding sea water is far too expensive. A poor continent will continue to ship farther into poverty of its people and natural resources. The United Nations has found many examples of criminality in Africa, where toxic and man-made wastes have been buried in the sands of Africa illegally, and where these toxins have and continue to poison whatever fresh water Africans have. Interpol points its fingers to corrupt corporations and their criminal partners in France, Italy, China and the EU. Since corruption cannot be dealt with by corrupt national organisations these illegal environmental threats continue.
EU has experienced unheard of droughts so extreme that major rivers are drying up revealing Europe’s history and denying Europeans fresh water. Massive forest fires burn presently in Spain, Portugal and southern France, destroying historic forests and many people’s livelihoods. Extreme heat has been with us always, but with a population explosion as Europe has experienced in the past hundred years the demand for mere basics of life such as water has put the EU under great pressure. The very water Europeans drink has been affected by aged pipes, low water sources and the introduction of micro plastics pollution. Is the water Europeans drink safe to consume? Statistics tell us the portion of plastics is well over the accepted levels. The public domain tells Europeans their water is safe, yet control measures throughout the continent to limit drinking this water has increased annually.
Latin and Central America have some of the freshest water supplies in the world, and yet the most threatened. Criminals inject toxic waste into the Amazon, burn both legally and illegally the forests of the Amazon in mass burnings, creating farm land for crop and livestock. The fresh water of Brazil is being depleted, while in Argentina a decades old drought continues to grow. Chile is thinking about selling its waters to its neighbours suffering from drought while attempting to create some form of water conservation system. Many of these nations are too poor to initiate water purification and maintenance programmes.
The Caribbean has prime examples of small nations taking water maintenance seriously. There is a movement within Caribbean governmental organisations to unite their efforts before it is too late to do so. Caribbean nations have been introducing and expanding upon their water supply pipelines, and further water technologies. Social efforts to teach and encourage protection and conservation of their water supply continues. The Caribbean faces a future of water scarcity, demanding creative investments in their conservation methods.
Asia has been badly hit by water depletion and historic droughts bringing about the destruction of its regional farming communities in Afghanistan, China, Mountain Highlands and The Middle East while the climate damages India, Pakistan and other nations with Monsoon like flooding. Pakistan is lacking clean water while 1/3 of its landmass is under water presently. The schizophrenic nature of Climate Change has placed this continent in peril. Lack of or far too much water damages this area’s fresh water system, the population and its environment for a long period of time.
North America has both an abundance of fresh water while certain regions are lacking, and in historic drought situations such as Mexico, California, Arizona and the mid-west. Various attempts to conserve what water they have have failed due to extreme weather patterns annually applied. To further threaten water supply is the historic challenges of aged pipelines, micro plastic pollution and regional governments who let their population down by not investing in new water technologies and distribution methods, from source to home. America has shown a true lack of imagination and planning with regards to its future water and resource needs, failing to invest multi billions of dollars into aged systems that simply do not work. While Lake Mead evaporates, Arizonian citizens fear the loss of their fresh water supply. American corporations and their government have eyes upon Canada’s fresh water supply. Water supply was a speed bump in the Free Trade Conversations of the past, where Canadians attempt to protect their precious water supply and America attempts to trade one commodity off another.
It has become obvious to many that the very way we view our water supply must change. Australian citizens have dealt with a lack of fresh water for decades, putting rain collection systems on each roof, showering and flushing toilets only once during the day, watering lawns sparingly. Waist not-want not. At a time when washing your hands is essential(pandemic), the very thought of managing how long your tap flows, showering instead of bathing, filling your pool, watering your lawn for hours, flushing your toilets often (1.6 gallons, but depending on manufacturer as much as 5-7 gallons). Thinking about the water you drink, its purity and what are you also swallowing along with that water?
How can we collect the water mother nature throws at us in hurricanes, monsoons and floods.
Can safe water be synthetically created?
Can the science of weather creation be developed, where a rain cloud can be introduced to a drought filled area?
How can we clean and purify salt water economically?
Is regional desalinisation an essential service?
How can we maintain natural sources of water such as the Arctic, South Poles?
Can we manipulate water into energy? A dream not yet realised. One can only hope.
The five nations with the largest fresh water supply are Brazil, Russia, USA, Canada and China. All these nations face massive water management challenges of their own, while attempting to assist other nations in need. One can only help oneself before extending their hands out to others in need. Will water become the new world currency of the future? One can live without money, but without water life ends. Some nations are globe-trotting buying up large sources of natural resources, be they mineral or indeed water. Water is becoming a tool of diplomacy and military strategy. Water is going to become the new politic in the near future, wait and see. Or perhaps do not wait, but start conserving your water reserves before it’s too late. National and Regional Governments must make water management, conservation and sourcing a political necessity, a public goal.
Despite its growing scarcity and preciousness to life, ironically water is the most misgoverned, inefficiently allocated and waisted natural resource globally.
STEVEN KASZAB
Bradford, Ontario
September 13, 2022.
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