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Fighting global water scarcity Posted on : Mar 4 2008 Permalink 10 comments
Maude Barlow, the author of a new book “Blue Covenant”, and the leader of an international water justice movement has drawn attention to the half-hearted efforts to protect water. Waste and abuse of water could lead to serious consequences that could be at par with those of greenhouse emissions. It is depleting underground water tables, aggravating desertification, and even interrupting the circulation of water around the world. Barlow has argued that people are mining underground water way faster than it can be replenished. Where farmers are using technology to pull water from deep underground, they fail to realize that water took thousands of years to fill aquifers. Barlow is at loggerheads with the point of view shared by financial players, politicians and non-profit workers which suggests that virtual water trade and trading credits generated by not polluting water could be the best bet. According to her, tougher laws placing harsh penalties on polluters and increasing the amount of the world’s urban greenery such as green roofs or forest and meadow zones may be a better approach. In a world increasingly given to urbanizing mores, we are fast losing many of the meadows and green spaces that absorb water, while in coastal megacities, much of the rain water flowing straight into the ocean is evaporating and reaching the atmosphere.
Maude Barlow, the author of a new book “Blue Covenant”, and the leader of an international water justice movement has drawn attention to the half-hearted efforts to protect water. Waste and abuse of water could lead to serious consequences that could be at par with those of greenhouse emissions. It is depleting underground water tables, aggravating desertification, and even interrupting the circulation of water around the world.
Barlow has argued that people are mining underground water way faster than it can be replenished. Where farmers are using technology to pull water from deep underground, they fail to realize that water took thousands of years to fill aquifers.
Barlow is at loggerheads with the point of view shared by financial players, politicians and non-profit workers which suggests that virtual water trade and trading credits generated by not polluting water could be the best bet. According to her, tougher laws placing harsh penalties on polluters and increasing the amount of the world’s urban greenery such as green roofs or forest and meadow zones may be a better approach. In a world increasingly given to urbanizing mores, we are fast losing many of the meadows and green spaces that absorb water, while in coastal megacities, much of the rain water flowing straight into the ocean is evaporating and reaching the atmosphere.
Defying nature, mocking its bounty, disrupting natural systems like the hydrological cycle could only land us here. Is it any wonder that we've reached this pathetic stage?
It is not hard to imagine a time when even bottled water will become less affordable and further down the line, will be sourced directly from the clouds using technology, while lesser mortals will collapse.
we are an NGO raising funds for environmental friendly projects, and we love this book. i think for the first time an effort has been made to gush the water from our dripping taps into our study. so next time, before making a splash in 'holi' or douging ourselves with a bucket of water after a game of cricket, we should be coughing up some more ideas on water conservation unless we want to be looking at a date when the world dies of thirst (disaster movies anyone?), and we welcome anyone who'd like to contribute ideas on saving water and we'll figure out a way to knock the proper doors.
when i was 5, we had water flowing from a hand pump at the backyard, our kitchen garden had its own tube well supply, and the lawns and the lush green undergrowth around our house use to soak up the rain and sun with equal ardour. when i was 15, the kitchen garden died. when i was 20, there was a huge flood in my birthtown and when i was 21, there was a drought. i'm 30 now, and i pay for drinking water.
What we are seeing is the flip side of ruthless competition, economic globalistaion, government mismanagement all over the world. The world is drying out faster than we can imagine and a lot of people don't know where to begin making up for the loss.
Reading this makes me think what we have brought on ourselves...water is a fundamental right, while some institutions are trying to wrest control!
Most importantly, a high awareness level and thoughtful action is expected of each citizen.
Things will come to such a pass, it never crossed our minds. But still so few realise it!
yes,stricter rules and harsher penalties,even shock tactics like in Singapore,would work better than trading credits.
Barlow has sane ideas about how to protect water.Kudos to her efforts and her determination!
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