Drinking Water Shortage and Water Conservation Essay -- Drinking Water

Human beings and ecological systems depend on water for survival (Kenneth). No human, animal or plant can survive for long without this essential commodity. For us humans, water is the driving engine of most of our economic and recreational activities. For instance, we depend on water for the production of energy in industries, transportation and outdoor recreation. Most of us equally depend on water for the provision of amenity and cultural values. Barlow and Clarke state that one cannot simply whisk away the crisis of fresh water we have in the world today (25). For us, fresh water is very essential for direct consumption. A huge majority of plants and animals also depend on fresh water for survival. Experts predict that if we do not take good care of our water resources, a huge water crisis is in the offing. Since life generally depends on water, it is imperative upon us to adopt solutions that will foster water conservation. Fresh water is a fixed natural resource (Gleick 3). This implies that the supply of fresh water we have in our hydrological cycle cannot go up. According to Barlow and Clarke, almost everything that is being done in the industrialized world has the potential of worsening the already existing fresh water crisis (206). By failing to conserve the water we use, we stand the risk of exhausting all the fresh water we depend on. Studies have already shown that we are quickly running out of fresh water supply world over. This is as a result of dwindling water levels in rivers, lakes and underground aquifers. The consequences of lack of fresh water for consumption are far reaching. For instance, there would be increased cases of waterborne diseases, decreased economic output, reduced agricultural productivity ... ...A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. 3. Print. Jackson, S. Ron. Conserve Water, Drink Wine: Recollections of a Vinous Voyage of Discovery. New York: Routledge, 1997. 34. Print. Kenneth, Frederick. "America's Water Supply: Status and Prospects for the Future." U.S. Global Change Research Information Office. N.p., 11 Nov 2004. Web. 7 Apr 2015. . McCarthy, John. "The Problem of Fresh Water." Stanford University. N.p., 16 Jan. 1996. Web. 7 Apr 2015. . McGovern, Cheryl, and Bastian Robert. "Water Recycling and Reuse: The Environmental Benefits." United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Pacific Southwest, 24 Mar. 2008. Web. 7 Apr 2015. .