WHERE HAS ALL OUR FRESH WATER GONE?

Our Earth has been called the “water planet” because of observations from far out in space. Yes it’s covered 70+% by this liquid, but as you may know most of it is unusable for drinking and crop growing. We seem to be in a spiral of fresh water abuse and are running out of it. Like the coming climate change we seem to be puzzled about how to solve the problem that we alone have created. Crop irrigation accounts for 70% of the world's fresh water use. The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common.

Water conservation refers to reducing use of fresh water, through technological or social methods. The goals of water conservation efforts include: Sustainability, Energy conservation, Habitat conservation. Water conservation programs are typically initiated at the local level, by either municipal water utilities or regional governments. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percent. In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize water leaks. Water-saving technology for the home includes: Low-flow shower heads, Low-flush toilets, Composting toilets and waterless urinals, Wastewater reuse or recycling systems, Having 4-minute showers using an hourglass timer, Waterless car washes. Water saving cachments can also be effective and  management measures include: Recharge pits, which capture rainwater and runoff and use it to recharge ground water supplies. This helps in the formation of ground water wells etc. and eventually reduces soil erosion caused due to running water.

All of these and many unique long term efforts by governments to convert salt water to fresh by a dozen different means should be in process now. But the reality is that they get few sustainable programs currently. Our own south west is drying up; our south east has been in a drought; and the great lakes region has been abused for decades. The answers lie in stimulating our leaders and legislators to take up the cause. Remember, as we said climate change makes everything harder….less and less fresh water makes our lives impossible.