2025: World water crisis? - Daily musing about my nature photo
“When the well's dry, we know the worth of water” - Benjamin Franklin,
I go out for wildlife photography practically every weekend. Leaving at around 3 AM for a day of photography in some jungle or wetland. Sometimes I go out at 7 PM and spend the whole night and next day near/in jungles.
On one of such outings a month or two ago, deep inside a jungle which was supposedly infested with bears, I came across this lovely stream in a very serene location!
Photo taken with Nikon D500 and 18-80 kit lens
ISO 100, Aperture F8, Shutter 1/8
I enjoyed the serenity of the place, spent a few quiet moments, soul searching and came back. I came back empty handed that day without any wildlife pictures but with a calm mind.
Now - sometime this week, when I gazed upon those pictures of flowing water, apart from the sense of life and peace, another tense though gnawed at the back of my mind! This post is to share that horrific thought~
A paranoid (or real) thought gripped my mind, based on some references I have been seeing around the world on water crisis.
What if our children and grand-children had no flowing water???
Well, I dug in and read up a lot on the water crisis in the world. I will share a few important updates here.
Good news is that the flowing water and our rivers/seas will not certainly disappear. However the BAD news is that there will definitely be a major crisis on availability of water that can be used by humans for daily needs....
Some facts about global water crisis:
1.8 Billion people in the world will face water scarcity by 2025
2/3 of world population will live under water availability stress by 2025
It takes 12 gallons water per day to sustain one person but most of us consume a lot more! As an example, USA consumes 158 gallons water per person! More than 10 times the needed quantity!!
By 2040, we will not be able to quench the thirst of world population if we continue current energy and power solutions!
Graphical mapping of terrestrial water shortage:
Image Source
What can WE do (as individuals) to avoid water crisis:
The things to do are rather 'common sense" but usually people say that common sense is commonly absent. Therefore, I am going to put forth a select pick of things we can do (based on one's appetite to lower PERCIEVED standards of hygiene! 😀)
- Shower less and buy more perfume!!
- Do we really need to brush our teeth so much? I dont see the Lions and tigers brushing !
- The FLUSHHHHHHH can be modified to FLSH! by placing some voluminous objects like bricks in the flush tank so that less water gets flushed down the drain (literally). Buy cloth clips for our noses or use natural deodorants like planting some flowering plants near the washrooms!
- Select Cacti for the garden rather than water guzzling plants and lawns. Our ancestors did not water their gardens!
Note: Do NOT use Cacti for the step mention above (near washrooms) - results could be THORNY!
Sorry - I did not mean to be frivolous about this serious topic but because of the ridiculous way that I have put forth the above points, some of us may remember them and help the cause! On a serious note, let us all try to keep water usage to 12 gallons a day or as close to it as possible.
Anyway - Here is the other picture which started all these thoughts. Let us hope we can keep such clear clean water, LIFE flowing for generations to come.
Picture taken with Nikon D500, 18-80 kit lens
ISO 100, F8, 1/8 shutter
Moral of the Story
Let us save the earth - do our bit!
This is very lovely: the original photographs you took, the research you made, the content of your article and the idea of putting all these together.
It is wonderful.
Truly, we need to care for our environment.
One mistake, in fact a very big mistake, which many of us make is that we are only concerned about the short term use, short term needs and short term productivity of our actions. We care less about the long term implications and challenges.
And based on this, we make some decisions that are unhealthy and have long term negative results. But we don't care because it serves our urgent need.
If we consider the future and long term goal, we will definitely ask ourselves "What if our children and grandchildren have no flowing water." (Quote from your write-up).
We need to learn to do better!
However, on my own part, I do not feel the solution should be deprivation.
Aristotle, the Great Classical Philospher, would say, "Virtue lies as the mean between excess and deficiency."
In this case, I will not readily recommend the use of perfume over taking ones bath with clean water. Perfume is an artificial "good scent". If one develops "bad scent" by not bathing at all or reducing the water to the barest minimum all in the name of managing water, then that it self is not right I believe. Hence, virtue lies in the middle: don't use water excessively and unnecessarily when bathing, but use only what is needed.
The same can be applied to brushing ones teeth.
This is a wonderful writeup
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for your detailed and interesting comment. I really like the Aristotle quote mentioned by you. It is very apt.
We all need to keep working together to make this world a better place. We definitely need to leave a much better legacy than just money to our children and grandchildren
Indeed
Thank for your follow up comment and vote
I really appreciate
Great photography and message!
Water is life and too many people waste this precious resource. Little thoughtful savings add up. One of my pet peeves are those who leave the tap running on full while brushing their teeth. And men while shaving. Ugh.
@ninahaskin Lol. Funny that you called it out - I too, was guilty of leaving the tap running while brushing and shaving but I have mended my ways long back, now that I am much older and (perhaps) wiser. 😃