Taking care of water: one of # Water2me’s commitments
Taking care of water is one of the objectives of # Water2me, a United Nations ‘s campaign to raise awareness about the importance of water.
Water Day
The Water Day organized by the United Nations is celebrated every March 22. It is an initiative that seeks to raise awareness about the importance of this essential element for life. Although the surface of our planet has more than 70% of surface covered with water, only a very small percentage is fresh water.
More specifically, reference is made to 0.025% of that total is drinking water, which shows that taking care of it is an important commitment that must be faced as humanity. This covers not only the future, but also the present, as a mismanagement of this resource will result in unequal access to the liquid.
The problem of water scarcity
Water scarcity is one of the most important problems of humanity. This is a major crisis, as it involves a problem of the inappropriate use of the different sources found throughout the planet, one of the causes of which is the lack of awareness about the use of this liquid.
The demand for the different water sources accelerated thanks to the growth of the world population. This means that, per person, in developed countries an average of approximately 300 liters of Water up to date. However, in less developed countries this amount decreases to an average of 100 liters of water per day. Without a doubt, water, although it must satisfy the demand of the population, also generates strong inequalities throughout the planet.
If there are regions that have high concentrations of water, others lack it. For example, by 2025, 26 African countries are expected to have access to this essential resource for life.
Furthermore, not having equitable access to safe drinking water can cause the death of more than 4,500 children per day around the world, especially in the poorest regions.
Therefore, an environmental responsibility must be acquired, knowing that every action has its consequence and we must take care of it. In fact, awareness about saving water should be considered one of the priorities of our day to day.
Access to drinking water
According to the United Nations, some 2,200 million people (28% of the world’s population) do not have an absolute guarantee of access to drinking water directly.
This means that they must obtain what they need to survive through different mechanisms, such as community wells, where thousands of families must travel long distances to fill tanks or buckets.
The fact that people cannot access equitably to this natural resource means that, sometimes, they must prioritize its use. For example, it has been seen that in the most remote tribes of Africa there are many people who decide not to bathe frequently to have water to hydrate.
Although most readers will have access to this natural resource without any effort, just by turning on the tap and paying for the service, the truth is that in all parts of the world this situation is not the same. Although there are regions where there are rivers in good condition and flows where it reaches different populations, there are others where droughts can be a problem.
Appeal to sustainability
This campaign organized by the United Nations seeks appeal to sustainability in the short, medium and long term. While there are efforts by states and businesses to implement measures that can help solve this problem and guarantee access to the entire planet, consumers must take action on their own.
In that sense, some actions that involve a conscious use of this vital liquid should be implemented. Here are some essential ideas that can be put into action:
- Close the tap when not in use . This applies to different daily actions: brushing teeth, showering, washing dishes, etc. Sometimes, we let the liquid run while we do another action, but this is completely harmful, since we can waste many liters.
- Rationalize irrigation , for example, installing drip irrigation.
- Avoid small losses . By that, it refers to all leaky pipes or faucets. They may look like tiny droplets, but accumulated, they can be large amounts of wasted water.
- Use more efficient appliances , such as state-of-the-art washing machines and dishwashers with savings programs.
- Install thermostatic or electronic faucet in kitchen and bathrooms.
- Place aerators or flow reducers in the taps, which achieve great water savings.
Should the majority of the population take these sustainable measures, large changes in water availability , which would allow a more optimistic future to avoid scarcity and inequality.
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