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We all need Water

We can live without wine and milkshakes but nobody can live without Water. Clean water is essential for our quality of life as well as that of animals and the environment. Water is life

Thousands Have Lived Without Love, Not One Without Water. – W.H.Auden

WE SHOULD ALL CARE

First of all We cannot trust Governments and Corporate Companies to decide what is or what is not safe for us when it comes to clean water.

Years ago we could safely drink water from taps and directly from rivers. Increasingly it is becoming more and more dangerously to do so because of pollution and chemicals.

If we allow Governments and Companies to continue with their disregard for the safety of people, animals and the environment, we will as a result face disaster in the coming years.

Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, the ugly and what we can do to ensure clean water for all.

Water is life – don’t waste it

Water pollution is a world wide problem and therefore something we should all care about. There are different types of water pollution.

SEWERAGE

Sewerage pollution is a huge problem the world over. Lots of raw human waste ends up in our water resources. Some of it is deliberately while other are due to ignorance and some by accident. Treated as well as untreated sewage finally ends up in the water and with it comes bacteria and diseases.

FACTORY WASTE

Factory waste is furthermore another culprit of water pollution. Most countries have strict rules concerning water pollution but many factories probably take short cuts. They do not care about the water contamination they cause. Industrial waste are certainly entirely human made.

OIL AND GAS PIPELINES

The Dakota access Pipeline in the US brought world wide attention to the practice of laying pipes under the water to transfer oil and gas. The underwater pipelines carry huge risks of spillage. Therefore pollution in the water resources of several Native Indian tribes. Despite the tribes efforts to stop the pipelines, it finally became operative in 2016.

The movie Erin Brockovich brought to light the dangers of pipelines and water. It is the true story of how Me. Brockovich was instrumental in bringing to light the ruthlessness of one of these companies.

Water is Life

PLASTIC

There was a time when all types of plastic were seen as the best thing ever. Now we, our animals and water are paying the price. Plastic contaminates and pollutes our oceans and so are killing ocean life.

The problem with plastic is that it does not have an expiry date. Most of it was designed to only be used once, therefore the plastic gets dumped and mostly with disastrous outcomes. It does more harm than good to humans, animals and certainly our water.

Plastic bags finds it’s way into the tummies of mammals , they get entangled in them and so plastic straws and so end up in the noses of sea turtles.

The planet are being swallowed by plastic and we as humans created this disaster and we need to finally put a stop to it.

CHEMICALS

Tap water used to be very safe to drink but is it really? Chemicals are added to tap water in order to kill bacteria. Some of the chemicals added (the ingredients may differ from each country) to tap water are:

Chlorine
Fluorine compounds
Trihalomethanes (THMs)

Salts of:
arsenic,
radium,
aluminum.
Copper,
lead
mercury,
cadmium,
barium,
Hormones,
Nitrates,
Pesticides

The only way to first of all be sure of the content of your local tap water is to test it yourself by using a water test kit. You can also contact your local Municipality (council) and ask for a water quality report.

BOTTLED WATER

Most bottled water companies will tell you that bottled water are the safest and certainly their labels seem very impressive. Chemicals are however also added to bottled water. Maybe bottled water are more convenient but is not necessarily safer to drink.

There have even been instances where bottled water manufacturers were caught out using ordinary tap water. Yes in many instances, bottled water are as a result just glorified tap water.

You can therefore also test your bottled water in the same way as you can test tap water.

NOT IN MY NAME

Water is such an important part of our life that all of us should care and take care of our water resources. Water is not a luxury but a necessity.

THE SOLUTION

The solution to clean water is up to all of us:

1. We must keep our local Municipalities (councils) responsible and regularly ask for water reports.
2. We must test our water ourselves.
3. Boil your water and allow to cool down before using
4. Do not drink your water out of plastic bottles. Rather use stainless steel or glass containers.
5. We should be concerned about water pollution of any kind and act responsible and legal to put an end to it.
6. Support the companies/charities under They care by donating and/or volunteering

THINK ABOUT IT

First of all everything revolves around water.

1. If there were no water humans and also animals would die as a a result because of thirst
2. Without water there would be no oceans and therefore no fish in the sea.
3. We all like coffee, tea and also other drinks, and therefore without water there would be absolutely nothing to drink.
4. Furthermore, if there were no water, we would as a result not be able to clean ourselves.
5. Cooking is certainly another reason we need water for.
6. Above all our bodies are 60% made up of water and therefore our bodies need a constant supply of water to survive
7. Water is also needed to irrigate the land so that the crops can grow
8. If there were no water, the sun would as a result burn everything to death
9. Our Saliva is made up of water and therefore without water, our saliva would certainly dry up.
10. Water above all keeps us hydrated and we can therefore not say that we don’t need water.
11. If our water supply runs out we would almost certainly die within a few days.
12. There are above all just so many reasons that we should care and therefore save water.

THEY CARE

When the Well is Dry, We’ll Know the Worth of Water. – Benjamin Franklin

There are people around the world who are passionate about clean water.

These are just some of the people around the world who take care of our water. If there are anyone you would like to add to the list – please contact me with the details.

• WORLD VISION https://www.worldvision.org/our-work/clean-water “Nearly 1,000 children under age 5 die every day from diarrhea caused by contaminated water, poor sanitation, and therefore improper hygiene. But we believe the global water and sanitation crisis can certainly be solved within our lifetimes. That’s why we’re focused on providing clean water and sanitation to every man, woman, and child in every community we work in, including the most vulnerable populations in the hardest-to-reach places. “

Save the water

• WATER.ORG https://water.org/our-impact/water-crisis/

“Water connects every aspect of life. Access to safe water and sanitation can quickly turn problems into potential – empowering people with time for school and work, and contributing to improved health for women, children, and families around the world. 

Today, 1 in 9 people lack access to safe water and 1 in 3 people lack access to a toilet. We can change this. Let’s work together to make the power of water available to all.”

CHARITY WATER

www.charitywater.org

Clean water is the foundation for healthy & prosperous communities. While our nation has made significant progress since the 1970’s in cleaning up many of our rivers, bays and other vital water resources, we still face significant water quality and quantity challenges. Drinking water sources are threatened by pollution and overconsumption, and some of these threats are made worse by climate change.

We should all care

UNESCO
https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material/06

Comprehensive water education provides the necessary tools to monitor water quality in order to reduce contamination, helps to improve water use by developing greater resources for its reuse and contributes to raising awareness among communities to ensure they play an active part in improving their water management and sanitation.

UNITED NATIONS
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/

Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

GVI

SDG 6 aims to supply all people worldwide with safe and affordable drinking water, access to proper sanitation and hygiene, and improve the water quality by minimizing water pollution by 2030.

UNICEF
https://www.unicef.org/wash/

UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) team works in over 100 countries worldwide to improve water and also sanitation services, as well as basic hygiene practices. Last year, UNICEF’s efforts provided nearly 14 million people with clean water and also over 11 million with basic toilets.

In times of crisis children are particularly vulnerable; UNICEF responds and provides emergency relief to those in need.

ONE DROP
https://www.onedrop.org/en/

One Drop’s projects will soon have improved the living conditions of more than 1.4 million people, in 13 countries.

THINK, You Can’t do anything without water rather Save it.

CONCLUSION

Water is certainly a blessing, a necessity to humans, animals and therefore the planet to survive. It needs to be taken seriously, be protected and even more treated with respect.

REFERENCES – thank you

1. Help save nature https://helpsavenature.com/sewage-water-pollution
2. 50 000 litres of sewage flow into SA rivers by Sipho Kings 21 July 2017 https://mg.co.za/article/2017-07-21-south-africas-shit-has-hit-the-fan
3. Water pollution (UK) https://www.water-pollution.org.uk/sewage-and-wastewater/
4. Dakota access pipeline https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_Access_Pipeline
5. Whatever happened to the Dakota access pipeline by Brigham A Mc Cown 4 June 2018
6. Treaties still matter – the Dakota access pipeline https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/plains-treaties/dapl.cshtml
7. Industrial waste fact sheet https://www.safewater.org/fact-sheets-1/2017/1/23/industrial-waste
8. The 10 worst Industrial causes of water pollution http://all-about-water-filters.com/worst-industrial-causes-of-water-pollution/
9. Water content http://freshlysqueezedwater.org.uk/waterarticle_watercontent.php
10. Why you should never drink bottled water again by Alternet 15 Aug 2016 https://www.ecowatch.com/tap-water-vs-bottled-water-1973932208.html
11. Seven reasons to never drink water again by Christiana Z Peppard https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11193/7-reasons-to-never-drink-bottled-water-again.html
12. Exploring circle Plastics in water – http://www.exploringcircle.com/plastics-in-water
13. When the mermaids cry by Claire Le Guern March 2018 http://plastic-pollution.org/
14. We made plastic by Laura Parker June 2018 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/