“Everyone agrees water is basic for life,” notes veteran journalist Juan L. Mercado. “When cisterns go dry, disease and death rates surge. That ushers in economic decay – and political instability. Water riots can be ugly. And no one has yet invented a substitute for water.”
Dr. Mark Rosegrant, lead author of the global water report and senior research fellow at the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institution, agrees. “Water is not like oil: there is no substitute. If we continue to take it for granted, much of the earth is going to run short of water or food – or both.”
In the past, water was considered an infinite resource. This thinking was exemplified by Adam Smith who pointed out in his classic work – “The Wealth of Nations” – that unlimited supply of fresh water explained why it cost nothing, even though it was vital to all life.
But it’s not the case anymore. “The necessary sense of urgency is lacking,” said the New York-based United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in a statement. “The facts have been staring us in the face for years. While demand increases, the annual available fresh water supply per inhabitant is regularly decreasing and is expected to fall to an average 4,800 cubic meters by the year 2025 against 7,300 cubic meters in 1995.”
“Wars of the next century will be over water,” warned World Bank’s Ismail Serageldin in 1995. Crown Prince Hassan of Joran said the 1967 Six-Day War was caused by tensions over the Jordan River and its tributaries. “It’s simply a question of survival,” said then Israeli Water Commissioner Meir Ben Meir. “Thirst for water is an ignition to violence.”
Filipinos may not resort to violence yet, but the country is already going through a water crisis. “On a macro-level, it appears there is plenty of water, but we are now experiencing problems and, in some instances, some areas (of the country) are suffering from lack of water,” said Elisea Gozon when she was still the environment and natural resources secretary.
In a press statement, Senator Loren Legarda said: “A recent study by the World Resources Institute revealed that the Philippines will likely experience severe water shortage by 2040 due to the combined impact of rapid population growth and climate change. Furthermore, the Philippines ranks 57 out of 167 countries that are highly vulnerable to severe water shortage.”
Water is a limited non-renewable resource, of which a fixed amount exists on the planet: some 1,400 million cubic kilometers, which can be neither increased nor decreased. Most of this, that is, 97.4%, is salt water; another 2% is locked away in ice caps and glaciers. This leaves only 0.6%, or 8.4 cubic kilometers, of which some 8 million cubic kilometers are stored underground.
Put in another way, if all the earth’s water were to fit in a gallon jug (4 liters), the available fresh water would be just over one tablespoon.
Potable water is one of the most important components for a person to live. “A person can survive only three to five days without water, in some cases people have survived for an average of one week,” says thewaterpage.com. “Once the body is deprived of fluids the cells and organs in the body begin to deteriorate. The presence of water in the body could mean the difference between life and death.”
A household of five needs at least 120 liters per day to meet basic needs – for drinking, food preparation, cooking and cleaning up, washing and personal hygiene, laundry, house cleaning, according to Worldwatch.
Outside of domestic uses, water is most critical in food production. “The link between water and food is strong,” says Lester R. Brown, president of Washington, D.C.-based Earth Policy Institute. “We drink, in one form or another, nearly 4 liters of water per day. But the food we consume each day requires at least 2,000 liters to produce, 500 times as much.”
For instance, to raise a ton of rice, a farmer needs a thousand gallons of water, according to the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute. Some studies show that 89% of Filipinos consume rice on a daily basis. “Agriculture is where future water shortages will be most acute,” commented Time’s Michael S. Serrill.
In his book, “Food Revolution,” author John Robbins said that 23 gallons of water is needed to produce one pound of lettuce, 23 gallons for one pound of tomatoes, 24 gallons for one pound of potatoes, 25 gallons for one pound of wheat, 33 gallons for one pound of carrots, and 49 gallons for one pound of apples.
Meat production also consumes a lot of water. Beef, the meat used in most fast food outlets, is by far the most water-intensive of all meats. “The more than 15,000 liters of water used per kilogram is far more than is required by a number of staple foods, such as eggs (3,300 liters per kilogram), milk (1,000 liters), or potatoes (255 liters),” the book said.
In the Philippines, agriculture has the highest demand of all water use (with 85%) while the other sectors – industry and domestic – have a combined demand of only 15%. “With the demand for water growing in all three categories, competition among sectors is intensifying, with agriculture almost always losing,” Brown said.
But “we’re surrounded by a hidden world of water,” argued Stephen Leahy, author of “Your Water Footprint.” “Liters and liters of it are consumed by everything we eat, and everything we use and buy. Cars, furniture, books, dishes, TVs, highways, buildings, jewellery, toys and even electricity would not exist without water. It’s no exaggeration to say that water is far more valuable and useful than oil.”
A water footprint, as Leahy defined it, is the amount of water ‘consumed’ to make, grow or produce something. “I use the word ‘consumed’ to make it clear this is water that can no longer be used for anything else,” Leahy pointed out.
Actually, the Philippines can save water if all Filipinos cooperate to conserve this precious liquid asset. Now take a closer look at that tiny piece of rubber found in the bathroom taps and kitchen faucets. It’s called washer and it is one of a range of low-tech devices with a big part to play in reducing losses of water.
A leaky tap, dripping every second, may seem like a drop in the ocean, but studies have found out that it wastes well over 4 liters a day. Over a month, a seriously leaking tap can lose as much as 10,500 liters.
Showers account for some 20% of a household total in-door water use. Installing low-flow shower-heads has been calculated to save a family of four 80,000 liters of water a year.
Rainwater harvesting is underutilized. Harvested water can be used in many ways – for laundry, flushing, gardening, irrigation and even process water for drinking. Other uses include help mitigate flooding of low lying areas and lessen use of water wells.
“We must remember, and remind others, that one very good way to ensure a supply of water for domestic and other uses is to keep the water sources clean,” says a publication entitled Water and Health. “This means we must not put garbage and other wastes into streams and other waterways. No one should throw papers, cans, plastics and other trash into any possible source of water. Industries should not be allowed to thoughtlessly dump sewage into streams or rivers.” – (To be concluded)
