As I was drinking a big glass of water today I couldn’t help but think how grateful I am that I live the United States where water is plentiful. And also that I live in the State I do.
I live in Michigan where we have more lakes than any other state. Yes, even more than Minnesota. And, of course, we are also bordered on three sides by the Great Lakes. We have a lot of water in and around Michigan.
Water is one of those natural resources that’s easy to take for granted.
I don’t.
I probably did at one time but no more. I’ve come to understand through documentaries and other sources that water is very scare in the rest of the world and not just Africa.
We turn on the faucet and there it is-water. We think nothing of taking baths with our water filled to the top, or long showers.
Can you just imagine the wonder a little child from a third world country would feel the first time he took a bath? It would be like Christmas.
Impure water is the cause of many diseases in other parts of the world. Many faith-based organizations have taken up the cause and encourage donations for the procurement of wells.
I’ve taken a stand about the use of water in our home. Showers are timed. I have a timer and I know how to use it! We keep the water stream slow for dishes. The water is not left running when we brush our teeth. The water is not left running, period. The toilet is not flushed every time it is used. There’s a saying I heard: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” That’s our standard. (Just so you know, these standards do not apply to guests.)
We don’t do this because we’re cheap or can’t afford to do otherwise. For me it’s a show of support. It keeps me in touch with the realities that people in other parts of the world deal with every day.
I’m not a saint. When we travel, I do like to take a long, hot bath but even then I’m careful not to overdo. Just because I’m not paying for it doesn’t mean I can take it for granted.
I follow the same standards when I am at someone else’s house as well. Water is not infinite. We act like it is but it isn’t. I
Here’s an article from the British Broadcasting Corporation from June 19, 2012.
Shortages: Water supplies in crisis
By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst
Most countries will have to make do with the water they’ve got, but there are stark disparities
Over the past 40 years the world’s population has doubled. Our use of water has quadrupled. Yet the amount of water on Earth has stayed the same.
Less than 1% of the water on planet blue is for humans to drink.
About 2% is locked up in ice. The rest is for the fish.
Seawater is only good to drink for humans who live near the sea and can afford the cash and the energy to take out the salt.
For most of the population this is not an option.
Desalinated water costs maybe 15 times more than regular water. It burns polluting fossil fuel energy, as solar-powered desalination is in its infancy.
Shortages: Resources running out
No, most places will have to live with the water they’ve got.
Many countries are awash; they’ll be fine. Others are desperately mining fossil H2O that seeped into rocks during the last ice age.
And as underground supplies run dry, water shortage sets in.
Large parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, including the south east of Britain are categorised by the UN as facing water stress or scarcity.
And for all the UN’s recent boast about hitting drinking water targets, experts estimate that maybe three billion people worldwide still lack safe water to drink.
And it might get worse with climate change, although scientists’ projections of future rainfall are notoriously cloudy.
So is it any wonder I’m thankful today for water?
God bless and have a good day.
