World Water Day

I always remember a local person telling me, "Oh, we will never run out of water in Cranbrook."   I did not pursue the statement by asking for clarification but once the question becomes, "Water to drink?" "Clean water?" "Water to power the dams year round?" "Water to put out the fires?" "Water enough for food crops?" there is much more to consider.  We do indeed live in an idyllic place but by ignoring situations such as the California drought and fracking contamination in Alberta, it is not hard to see water issues are all around us. While we may be lucky enough to have clean water coming out of our taps every day, Cranbrook is not without its water issues.  One only has to look at the community's budget to see the large sums of money that must be spent every year to feed our water habit and keep the life sustaining need flowing.  An abundance of water does not mean that water, will continue in the future, to be available to us in the consumable forms most of us take for granted. Capturing it, filtering it and disposing of the contaminated effluent for twelve months a year costs time and money and the system will likely never be perfect and the task will only become more difficult.  

http://time.com/3753332/world-water-day-un-warning/

The World’s Water Supply Could Dip Sharply in 15 Years

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 Alice Park @aliceparkny March 21, 2015.

A warning ahead of World Water Day

Global water resources may soon meet only 60% of the world’s water demands, the United Nations warned in a dire new report.

The World Water Development Report, issued ahead of World Water Day on Sunday, says demand for water around the world will increase by 55% over the next 15 years. With current supplies, that means only 60% of the world’s water needs will be met in 2030.

The reason for the shortfall include climate change, which causes irregular rainfall and dwindling underwater reserves. The results of the shortage could be devastating to agriculture, ecosystems and economies. With less water, health could also be compromised.

New policies that focus on water conservation, and more optimal treatment of wastewater, could alleviate some of the shortfall.

“Unless the balance between demand and finite supplies is restored, the world will face an increasingly severe global water deficit,” the report says.

H2O keeps us all alive.  We in turn must keep clean water alive.