Water remains to be one of the most fundamental resources on earth today. Without fresh water to be used in basic activities such as cooking and drinking, life is likely to be unbearable. Regardless of the utility of the above resource, its management has not been critical to most individuals, making clean fresh water scarcity a major issue among different demographics. Polluted ecosystems that directly result in water pollution, floods and other hazards make the 1% water available for use by human beings unsafe for consumption, and as a result, an outbreak of sanitation-related diseases.
Given that 98% of water available on the globe is salty, the 2% remaining hardly satisfies the needs of billions of lives on the globe. The above has made sanitation difficult to come by, especially in developing countries where treatment, as well as storage of drinking water, is made difficult by the infrastructure. In a village called La Horca, in Nicaragua, the primary concern of the locals in 2008 was water supply. With a shortage of water supply, there was deemed to be an outbreak of diseases such as cholera due to the inability of the villagers to keep clean their surrounding with the little water they had. Unless a drilling rig was used to access a new supply of water, the community would have to face the imminent danger that is caused by dirty surroundings (2018).
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The use of water in soft drinks and has worsened the problem of water scarcity. Less than 3% of water in the world is fresh water. Of this, two-thirds is used in soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Barq’s root beer among other soft drinks. This is water that would have rather been utilized in drinking as well as cooking. The water confined in Coca-Cola drinks is unsuitable for drinking and hence, one cannot take such drinks as a water substitute due to chemical and acidic compounds that make up such drinks. Experts assert that if possible, filtration of different Coca-Cola beverages could make fresh water accessible to thousands since even in places where there is no fresh water supply, Coca-Cola drinks are abundant.
Water pollution is another menace to available water resources, a factor that concerns many stakeholders around the world. According to the world water organization, approximately 2.1 billion individuals live without safe drinking water ("World Water Day 22 March – the United Nations", 2018). The challenge has been eminent in the health outcomes of the individuals affected. The problem has extended to cause health-related concerns, making it difficult for those who lobbied for the millennium development goals to achieve significant milestones in terms of making accessible safe drinking water as well as eradicating communicable diseases that are responsible for most deaths in developing countries. Besides pollution of different ecosystems that have made it hard for living organisms to access clean drinking water, the competition for the above resource has also intensified as a result of increased urbanization, industrialization, agriculture-related activities. (UNDP,2006).
HWTS products can be utilized in making water safe for drinking. The above comes in handy in communities where drinking water might be contaminated. Regardless of using such products, in some countries, emergency water has to be sourced overseas. Scarcity is hence a problem even when there are avenues to make available water safe for drinking (UNICEF: World Water Day: Bringing safe water into focus, 2010).
In conclusion, water scarcity is the biggest issue surrounding water today. The increase in manufacturing-related activities, urbanization, and incorporation of clean water in soft drinks, pollution and other ecosystem-related changes that directly affect the quality of water are some of the aspects that have directly resulted in the escalation of the problem related to water. The health of millions of the individuals affected is at risk, primarily due to the issue of sanitation that is impossible without enough clean water.
References
(2018). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/wash/files/9_case_study_NICARAGUA_4web.pdf
UNDP, U. (2006). Human Development Report 2006: Beyond scarcity: power, poverty and the global water crisis. New York , 28 , 440.
UNICEF. (2010). UNICEF: World Water Day: Bringing safe water into focus [Video]. NEW YORK, USA,.
World Water Day 22 March – the United Nations. (2018). Retrieved from http://worldwaterday.org/
