A famous quote regarding water conservation is “Conserve water, conserve life” – this implies that water is essential to our wellbeing and our livelihood; this inference is backed up by scientific research and the UN as it defines water as a fundamental human need to survive.
Each person on Earth requires around 30 litres of clean and safe water daily; this is used for cooking, drinking and cleanliness. Clean water is necessary for all as unclean, polluted water is detrimental for one’s health: around 1.8 million people a year die from ailments caused by dirty water (eg. cholera).
The UN considers universal access to clean water a basic human right, this is also classified as an essential step towards improving living standards for all (worldwide). Therefore water conservation is not only necessary for current life, but it is also a stepping stone towards a better life for all. Sick students from cholera or diarrhoea miss school and this keeps them in the poverty cycle ensuring their lack of development.
The OECD defines water conservation as the preservation, control and development of water resources, both surface and groundwater, and the prevention of pollution. Singapore works towards these by building dams for hydroelectricity and collection of rainwater in some schools (eg. UWCSEA) to supply water for plumbing. Singapore has developed NEWater which is a PUB entity working towards recycling used water into reclaimed water; this pushes for sustainability as, by 2060, NEWater is expected to meet up to 55% of Singapore’s future water demand. This prevents unnecessary spending for imported water and has been setting the precedent for water recycling since the 1970s.
It's obviously established that water is extremely necessary to our lives and there is a need to conserve it as this preserves the plausibility of humans having a future on Earth. However, even though nearly everyone in the world knows that we have to save water, in the face of climate change and in the face of ignorance: water is running out. We are lacking clean water. Water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource. So what would happen if we continue to ignore the need to preserve water?
Water is a vital resource for humans, animals and plants. Failure to conserve water would, eventually, lead to the diminished supply of adequate and healthy water. Lack of water could then lead to volatile consequences (ie. rising costs, reduced food supplies, health hazards and armed conflict) but we, as humans, have the power to prevent local and global problems by conserving water. Water, especially freshwater resources, is necessary for survival and is in limited supply. If we don't conserve water, what's next? In terms of sustainability and global warming, professionals have stated that there is a point of no going back. Once we pass this point, there is no way to reverse the effects of mankind on the world (eg. fossil fuels, water wastage). Here are some consequences which would be highly imminent once we pass that point where we can't go back even if we conserve excessive amounts of water; however these consequences are still prevalent in our world today due to the constant disregard for water conservation: Decrease of Food Supply: As mentioned above, water is not only required for providing human sustenance, but it is also vital for plants. Water is a critical resource for agriculture and food supply to an extent where plants adapt (gravitropism and root-hair cells) just to obtain more water. The increased urbanisation of countries has syphoned off the water supply for agricultural means, this lack of conservation of water will result in the depletion of water used for food. This will, then, in turn, result in less food available.
Increase in Conflict:
Imagine a world where the supply of water is low, the demand is high and the population requiring water is even higher. Imagine a world where 844 million people don't have access to clean drinking water. That's where we live now; as the world's population continues to grow, so does the demand for clean water. In dry areas (eg. Chile), the water supply will eventually run out or dry periods (droughts) will occur and this will force the migration of the locals. This would increase demand not only for water itself, but also would increase demand for locations with a steady flow of water; therefore the Secretary General of the UN has determined conflicts during periods of drought and scarcity of water inevitable.
Higher Costs:
Unless one has their own, independent supply of fresh water daily – they would have to pay a local municipality or external party to deliver/import fresh water to their homes. As the basic economic principle goes, once there is a higher demand for water and lower supply of it, the price will go up (per unit). This will lead to higher prices of water, reducing living standards for all as this basic human resource would become a product only for the richest. A basic human need would become increasingly scarce and impossible to obtain for lower class citizens.
However, all is not lost as conserving water can pull us out of this inevitable future. We can escape our pathway to reduced food supply, increased conflicts and higher costs for water by playing our part and reducing water wastage on a daily basis!
There are several ways that we can reduce our water wastage. Click here to learn how to save water at home, here to learn how to save water in the bathroom and here to learn how to save water at school.