It has been over a couple of hundreds of years now that we have been listening to it. In primary classes, every kid reads in his science text book that our Blue Planet is considered as the only planet in the whole universe that can support life as it has just the appropriate amount and composition of gases, water, chemical compounds and temperature. It is the abundant water on earth that makes it possible for living organisms to survive here. Even I had read about these life supporting properties of the Earth; but considering the current scenario, I strongly feel that the text books for the next generation will quote, “Earth was once called Blue Planet. It was water, which was present then in copious amounts that played the role of the cradle of life.” I also have strong faith in my fellow friends who keep their taps open while brushing or allow their tanks to overflow, that we will inevitably experience this outrageous condition in a few years and that we will make our kids read this!
Appreciating an advertisement on water conservation by the Government of Delhi, I think we will soon witness days when water will be sold at high rates but in disproportionately scarce amounts in shops called “Water Drops”. Lead has already been taken in this direction. Expensive bottled water available in the market proves this. Studies have proved that though there is not much difference between water available in packed bottles and that distributed by DJB (Delhi Jal Board) through their pipelines, the cost difference between the two is significant. The increased cost is not only due to packaging but also due to the premium attached to the “supposition” of cleanliness of bottled water over the pipelines through which the government supplies drinking water.
Contrary to the common thought that purified water is required mostly for drinking purpose, I would say that water is required for every object that we use. Broadening the view about water used by us in daily life, I would say that we are thirsty because we are hungry! Every single object that we use, from a pen to the clothes we wear, require tremendous amounts of water; amounts which are way beyond our imagination but come out only as shocking statistics. Lets start with food intake of a human being. We need to realize that we not only use drinking water to quench our thirst but also indirectly use 1500 litres of water when we consume 1 kg (kilogram) of grains (wheat, rice, sorghum etc). Similarly, eating 1 kg of mutton means drinking 15,000 litres water while 1 egg requires 100 gallons of water for its production. Even a litre of milk is an output when 100 litres of water is provided as an input. Can you beat that?? Do we in our daily lives ever pay attention to such statistics while enjoying a standard breakfast where 1 pound of bread uses 500 gallons of water? Sacrificing 256 gallons of water results in 1 cotton T- shirt. Amazing! Isn’t it??
We all know that wise use of paper has always been promoted since the risk of deforestation is associated with its conservative use. Here I provide you with another reason that proves paper is important. A newspaper that is read in the morning but dumped by the evening can be neatly compared to 80 litres of water. This data gives us an idea about the complexity of the dynamics of water in our daily lives. Now do we stop eating food or wearing clothes? No! Only judicious use of all the resources can help in sustainable development. Every item that we use is directly or indirectly related to resources that are on the verge of getting exhausted in the near future.
Thus, we see how interdependent environmental issues are and all of them need to be dealt with simultaneously. Talking mainly of water, I have tried to create a perspective so that all of us can compare the gallons of water that might be at stake while we misuse the available resources and daily items. A slight effort and respect for nature today can help in securing a happy future and restore our “ Blue Planet”.
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