Shortage of Clean and Drinking Water - Essay Example

Introduction Shortage of clean and drinking water has been a serious problem that can affect the existence of mankind. People in the modern world have a tendency to pollute water by throwing domestic and industrial wastes directly in the river. Pollution in water is clearly observed in several countries as sourcing of pure and clean drinking water from rivers is impossible in those countries due to high level of pollution. People waste more water than they use for domestic purposes, which results in scarcity of safe water to every place in the world. People in many countries consume water more than their requirement, which is unethical. Undoubtedly drinking water is available in the world in plenty but due to extensive use of water by high class people the lower classes gets affected and they lack to access to safe water. Availability of drinking water is becoming a matter of concern at present circumstances due to these issues. Most importantly, it can become a threat for the future generations. Thesis Statement “Wastage of water should be controlled immediately because it can bring disastrous effects in future”. Historical Background It has been observed by scientists that volume of safe drinking water is decreasing across the globe. In the United States of America, the Colorado River was one of the main sources of water. The water of Colorado River is still supplied in Las Vegas. Due to intense pollution and wastage the flow of water has drastically reduced in Colorado River. The pollution of Ohio River is another challenge in front of the world. According to Charles McMahon, “Improvising waste water treatment through increased regulation is a possible way to decrease the effects of enormous consumption and wastage of water” (McMahon 34). This phenomenon is very common in many countries regarding water recycling in order to overcome shortage of water. In the nineteenth century, water was wasted at a very large scale due to lack of advanced technological processes’ presence. Due to lack of knowledge people used large amount of water and at the same time polluted water at a large scale. When dams were built for production of electricity and controlled flow it was highly appreciated. However the consequences were in front of people very soon. For example the fact of Colorado River was not a very common phenomenon. Colorado River was one of the most important sources of fresh water in the United States. The Grand Canyon was the resident of some early civilizations however because of huge pollution and construction of dam the flow of the water reduced tremendously. This became one of the most important concerns before the country. This example shows the tendency of people towards wastage and polluting water and the effects of the same in the present circumstances. Some countries still continue to waste water without understanding the future consequences. However, the wastage of excessive water has been controlled in many other countries by recycling method so that it can be used for several purposes. Supporting Points Drinking water is an important component and it must be used wisely. The World Health Organization has also recorded many death reports due to consumption of unsafe water. According to analysis done by researchers in 2007, “1.1 billion people lacked access to purified water” (Mulvaney 451). “There are places where a barrel of water is high priced comparing to a barrel of oil. Water is a precious resource (Fournier 140).” Moreover, “Ecosystem has been hampered in nearby areas and water gets polluted at large scale due to oil-fields (Smith 53).” Several observation and studies by researchers have indicated that arsenic concentration in water is greater in these areas than it should be. Pollution of drinking water is a real issue around the world. According to EPA records, the contaminant level is 10 micrograms per liter in the United States. This shows that the contamination level is very high in several parts of United States. The underground water also contains arsenic in certain level which is very dangerous because arsenic diluted with water can lead to several diseases and it can also result in death of people if consumed regularly. EPA has also disclosed that the crops also contain poison due to high nitrate level in ground water that causes diseases. Consumption of vegetable without boiling properly can be dangerous. In the present atmosphere consumption of any kind of open water source is not safe because of the effects of pollution in past. Every year thousands of people suffer from different types of diseases due to lack of access to safe water. As discussed already, a huge amount of people lack to access of safe water for consumption which leads to immergence of several diseases including cholera, diarrhea etc. Some people also lose their life because of drinking contaminated water. In some places due to high pollution in water the source of water has been announced as unfit for drinking in America. Despite of the circumstances tribal people who do-not have proper settlement get affected with the water-borne diseases easily. Hence industries and commercial houses should find alternatives instead of polluting fresh water directly. This would be a positive step to save people from diseases that occur due to lack of safe drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency of united States resolves problems arising from pollution and they maintain high water quality to protect humans’ health and ecosystem’s balance. Scientists have even mentioned that there are enough steps that should be taken to motivate people to stop the misuse of drinking water and not to pollute water bodies like rivers, lakes and ponds. Wastage of water unnecessarily can-not be justified by any means. People die because of lack of proper drinking water which is definitely un-ethical. According to reports published by E.P.A. and W.H.O. many source of water in United States is affected with harmful chemicals and it is resulting in formation of deadly diseases. The organizations have implemented many remedies to reduce the pollution in water. However, the pollution is still at a high stage despite providing remedial solutions. Opposing views According to Katja Hubschen, wastage of water for industrial purpose is not a very big concern because water recycling is a natural as well as an artificial process. Moreover, there is sufficient water for everyone in the world. According to the book named Integrated Water Resources Management as a Governance Challenge for Countries in the Middle East, the companies in the Middle East countries mostly indulge in Oil and Natural Gas production. Hence they give their argument for benefit of their business. The industrialists do not care about the future consequences of water scarcity. Due to high influence of capitalists in the Middle-East countries the production of crude oil and natural gas is done at the optimum level which makes drinking water polluted. Several industrialists, small and medium business entrepreneurs, and several business executives in Middle East countries support the opposing position because they are biased by the business profit maximization aspect. Industries do not take sufficient stands to conserve drinking water due to potential benefits. This is unethical because water should be used properly to benefit everybody with abundance of water. Almost more than half of total population of Middle East countries has to rely on packaged drinking water due to scarcity of natural drinking water that is very expensive. On the other hand, poor people in the countries suffer from lack of access to safe water (Carim 57). The claim does not provide any valid justification against the death of people who die because of lack of safe water. It has been discussed earlier that common people in Arabian countries rely on packaged drinking water due to lack of availability of natural sources of water. Somehow government is overlooking this issue, which is ultimately affecting the purchasing power of the citizens. On the other hand, people of BOP level find it difficult to consume high priced packaged drinking water. Due to lack of purchasing power people might have to drink unsafe water which will become a disaster for the people who reside in these countries. Therefore, it will affect the social and economic growth of the countries in near future. “Production of oil and natural gas is important because of limited availability hence water pollution should be accepted for such important tasks (Mokyr 357).” Since there is lack of agriculture and natural resources in the Middle East countries hence the capitalists do not have many options rather than practicing business operations. Hence they neglect the challenges of limitation of drinking water and support their business culture. Capitalists believe that the export of petroleum and natural gas will provide enough opportunities for their countries to buy water from other countries if required in future. They believe that water is present in abundance in the world and people do-not have to worry for the availability of drinking water as long as water is being recycled. The statement merely shows the ignorance of people towards the disaster in future. Water gets polluted due to presence of nearby oil mines and it has a direct effect on fresh water. It has already been seen that people die because of malnutrition and lack of medicines in some countries if water becomes another issue it would be result in extinction of mankind from the world. “In several cases scientists and researchers have brought forward the impacts of pollution of water in the present world and the consequences that can arise from water-wastage in future” (Hildering 29). With this understanding every individual should implement steps that could reduce the wastage of water. The government of developing countries should take remedial steps to provide drinking water to the reach of every individual. These in-terms will help the countries’ social and economical development. Hence possible steps should be taken to decrease the amount of pollution of safe water. Conclusion Based on the above evidences, it is clear that wastage of drinking water is a negative step towards mankind. The diseases that arise due to consumption of unsafe water are deadly and many people have lost their lives because of these deadly diseases. The reports published by EPA and WHO prove the essential reasons for preservation of safe water and lessening pollution of drinking water. Researchers of E.P.A. have also brought forward much unfortunate news like presence of arsenic and other harmful chemicals in water. Government should act accordingly to minimize these challenges and finding alternate ways to supply drinking water. The people of developing countries suffer from diseases and deaths because of lack of availability of safe water. Due to lack of access of safe water to some people they suffer from diseases and some of them die because of the harmful effects. Pollution in water and wastage of safe water should be reduced to make the life better of the human beings. People need to stand together to overcome the challenges that has developed due to pollution and wastage of drinking water. Fresh and pure water is a precious resource and increase in pollution can lead to end of life on Earth. Hence it can be concluded that wastage of water should be stopped immediately because it can bring disastrous effects in future. Works Cited Carim, Enver. Middle-East Review. New York: World of Information, 2013. Print. Fournier, Dan. The Young Investor. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Print. Hildering, Antoinette. International Law, Sustainable Development and Water Management. New York: Eburon, 2004. Print. McMahon, Charles. Cities and Flooding. New York: Springer, 2012. Print. Mokyr, Joel. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. Mulvaney, Dustin. Green Technology: An A-to-Z-Guide. London: Sage, 2011. Print. Smith, D. David. Ocean Disposal of Barge-delivered Liquid and Solid Wastes from U.S. Coastal Cities. New York: US Solid waste Management Office, 2012. Print. Read More