Reclaimed Wastewater for Drinking: Safe but Still a Tough Sell - Essay Example

Article Response Ker Than in the article d ‘Reclaimed Waste water for Drinking: Safe but Still a Tough Sell’ underscores the safety of using reclaimed water for drinking and domestic use, but is quick to report that it is still a challenge to get the public to start using treated water for drinking purposes. He highlights the uphill task of moving people beyond the image they have of turning sewage into drinkable water. I believe that the apprehension in drinking recycled water is because at one point it was in contact with something disgusting and that is always in people’s minds.

Therefore the author emphasizes the need to break the perceived connection between water and its history of sewage. When I was reading this article, I wondered if I would drink treated water myself. I quickly realized the apprehensions I had about drinking recycled water as I thought about the sewage water from which it is prepared. I was shocked to read that many people living in inland communities have been unknowingly using recycled water drawn from downstream wastewater operations for drinking purposes.

The possibility of me having had this water to quench my thirst made me a little uneasy. This article addresses one of the most important global challenges of the 21st century – the global water crisis. Considerable work has been done in the area of water conservation and reducing deforestation. However as the world’s population grows, climate continues to change and the demand for water increases, other solutions need to be developed. Reclaiming water, as presented in the article, is definitely a promising solution that can make a significant impact in addressing the global water shortages.

However, after reading the article, I realized that there are several misconceptions among the general public that are perpetuated because of misinformation and ignorance. The tendency of people (which includes me), to think about the source of the reclaimed water, makes them apprehensive about using it for domestic consumption. However, the article emphasizes the safety of drinking recycled water and makes a good attempt to find solutions to overcome the apprehensions attached to drinking this water.

My only criticism about this article is that the author did not include any anecdotal responses from people who have been using recycled water. Anecdotal responses tend to personalize the whole idea of using recycled water and give the readers an insight into other people’s perspectives and thoughts about the idea. This is especially important to garner public support as the readers realize that others like them have been successfully using recycled water without any issues.In my opinion, using reclaimed water is a good solution to the global water crisis.

However, it does not necessarily have to be used for drinking purposes. The author states that “the reuse of all the wastewater we discharge to the oceans and estuaries would increase the water available to the U.S. municipalities by about 6%” (Than). This is definitely not a big amount and therefore, the authorities should not focus on the uphill task of changing people’s perceptions on drinking waste water but rather use it in other areas like farming. I believe that this will not be too difficult as people do use manure and other fertilizers in the fields.

Therefore it is important not to waste precious time and resources to change people’s perspective in drinking recycled water when we can use it in areas like farming. Works CitedThan, Ker. Reclaimed Waste water for Drinking: Safe but Still a Tough Sell. National Geographic. 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. < http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/2012/01/120131-reclaimed-wastewater-for-drinking/>