World Water Day 22nd March 2013

Friday, March 22, 2013

World Water Day 22nd March 2013

For many of us , today is like any other day. We get up in the morning , flush the toilet ,brush our teeth ,have a bath , drink coffee , and go to work using our car , turn on the air-conditioner at work as we curse the the increasing summer heat.For many of us life without water is unthinkable. We forget that we are fortunate enough to have access to clean water which allows us to lead a comfortable life .

Today is the 20th anniversary of World Water Day , and all of us need to pause and consider that

•  783 millions the world over do not have safe water and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. 

•  6 to 8 million people die annually from the consequences of disasters and water-related diseases.

This year's theme is " International year of Water Cooperation which was launched at UNESCO Headquarters in Feb 2013. Here Ms Megha Kumar from India, announced her winning slogan , 'Water, water everywhere, only if we share'. How true ... In India , when ever a person comes to your house , the first thing that is served is water ( even without the person asking for it ! ) and the person drinks it even if he /she is not thirsty. Water is even shared with the birds, squirrels and other creature by keeping small bowls of water in the garden. Many houses would keep an earthen pot outside so that even strangers or street vendors can help themselves to the cool water to quench their thrist . In India water was freely shared in the past with anyone who need it .However ,  today water has become a profitable business with the sales of  bottled water soaring along with the summer heat!
Conflicts over water sharing between states , between communities has become the norm all over the world.... and the rich and the powerful are winning this war. 

What can each of us do ? What can we as a family do in our house? 

Some of the most simple ( but profound)  things we can do are

• Stop buying bottled water..... carry your own filtered water ( in stainless steel bottles).  
• Reduce meat consumption .  
  Economic growth and individual wealth are shifting diets from predominantly starch-based to meat and dairy, which require more water. Producing 1 kg of rice, for example, requires ~3,500 L of water where as producing 1 kg of beef  requires early 5 times more water i.e15,000 L ! It is estimated that that this dietary shift is the greatest to impact on water consumption over the last few decades, and is likely to continue well into future.  FAO (Food & Agricultural Organisation)  of UN have stated that........"Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.". Giving up meat is one of the greenest lifestyle changes one can make . Read more about this at http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/environment.html
• Install Water harvesting system / ground water recharging  system in your house and fix any leaks in your houses .  
• Reuse filtered greywater ( used for washing clothes and utensils)  in areas like gardens ,  walkways and  toilets where absolute clean water is not necessary . 

Here are some very inspiring stories about "People who are making a difference" .....common  people like you and me... who are quietly going about doing what they believe is important for conserving water or our planet 


Reap Benefit  is a social enterprise  run by four youngsters –  Kuldeep Dantewadia ,Kamal Raj and Gautam Prakash and Subha Niranjan, who  provide low cost environmental solutions. When a school in Bangalore , faced acute water crisis because of insufficient water supply and leaking old pipelines ,Reap Benefit stepped in and helped solve the crisis by greywater harvesting i.e  Water used for washing utensils was filtered and reused in toilets . In the process children learn't the importance of conserving water . Read more about this in the article "Making Green a habit Reaps Benefits"

Here is a 77 years old gentleman Aabid Surti , a National Award winning author, artist, cartoonist and playwright who for the  past seven years, fixes leaking taps in the houses of Mumbai every Sunday ! He says: “Anyone can launch a water conservation project in his or her area." that doesn’t require much funding or even an office. And most importantly, it puts the power back in our own hands.” Read more about this " modern day angel " at "Saving The Planet, One Drop At A Time"




 For more information 
http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/home/en/
http://www.walkingforwater.eu/
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/catcheverydrop