News & Facts
Global Water Shortage
We take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles. And still, today, nearly 1 billion people in the developing world don't have access to it.
Clean, safe drinking water is scarce. It is the foundation of life, a basic human need. Yet today, all around the world, far too many people spend their entire day searching for it. In some places, it is simply dry. Water is hard to find. In others, this most critical need is literally not available.
..............................................................................................................................
Issue due to lack of clean water:
- At any one time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases.
- Over one-third of the world's population has no access to sanitation facilities.
- In developing countries, about 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.
- 1 out of every 4 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to a water-related disease.
- In developing countries, it is common for water collectors, usually women and girls, to have to walk several kilometers every day to fetch water. Once filled, pots and jerry cans weigh as much as 20kg (44lbs).
Types of water scarcity:
Physical Scarcity
Physical water scarcity is what it sounds like. Physical access to water is limited. When the demand outstrips the lands ability to provide the needed water you have physical scarcity. For the most part, dry parts of the world or arid regions are most often associated with physical scarcity. However, there are an increasing number of regions in the world where physical scarcity is a man-made condition. The Colorado river basin in the United States is an excellent example of a seemingly abundant source of water being overused and over managed, leading to very serious physical water scarcity downstream.
Economic Scarcity
Economic water scarcity is by far the most disturbing form of water scarcity because it is almost entirely a lack of compassion and good governance that allows the condition to persist. Economic water scarcity exists when a population does not have the necessary means to utilize an adequate source of water. Economic water scarcity is about a unequal distribution of resources for many reasons, including political and ethnic conflict. Many regions of the world suffers under the effects of this type of water scarcity.
..............................................................................................................................
Hunger relief begins with water:
Relieving hunger has to begin with access to clean water. It may seem simple, but we forget that without water, food is impossible to grow and difficult to preserve and prepare. It takes huge amounts of water to grow food.
Consider the following foods we take for granted...
|
Food | Water Needed to Produce (in litres) |
|---|---|
| 1 Glass of milk | 200 |
| Cup of Coffee | 140 |
| Bag of Chips | 185 |
| Slice of Bread | 40 |
| Egg | 135 |
| Apple | 70 |
| Hamburger | 2,400 !! |
Water is fundamental to relieving hunger in the developing world. Often, areas that experience a lack of water suffer because of poor water management. That is usually an economic issue that can be addressed. We are working on projects that not only provide clean drinking water but also make crop production possible.
................................................................................................................................
Bottled Water: NOT A CLEAR CHOICE
The environmental cost of the massive consumption of bottled water has led some local governments to consider a ban its sale. While this seems an extreme response, the scientific concerns are well-founded, and the facts may surprise you.
Fact #2. Recycling is only feasible in limited circumstances because only PET bottles can be recycled. All other bottles are discarded. Only 1 out of 5 bottles are sent to the recycle bin. Source: SunTimes
Fact #3. U.S. landfills are overflowing with 2 million tons of discarded water bottles alone. Source: idswater.org
Fact #4. It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demand of U.S. water bottle manufacturing. This amount of oil far exceeds the amount needed to power 100,000 for a year, which does not include fossil fuel and emissions costs of green house gases needed to transport the final product to market. Source: SunTimes
Fact #5. It is estimated that actually 3 liters of water is used to package 1 liter of bottled water. Source: ValleyWater.org
An Example:
"In summary, the manufacture and transport of that
one kilogram bottle of Fiji [brand] water consumed..."
- 26.88 kilograms of water (7.1 gallons)
- .849 Kilograms of fossil fuel (one litre or .26 gal) and
- Emitted 562 grams of Greenhouse Gases (1.2 pounds).
Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/pablo_calculate.php
Bottled Water and Climate Change
Dr. Michael Warhurst, Friends of the Earth's senior waste campaigner, said:
"It is another product we do not need. Bottled water companies are wasting resources and exacerbating climate change. Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, and transporting water adds to that. Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article344959.ece
Bottled Water and Manufacturing Cost
"In the United States, bottled water costs between $0.25 and $2 per bottle while tap water costs less than a penny. According to Bottledwaterblues.com, about 90% of manufacturer's costs is from making the bottle, label, and cap."
Environmental criticisms of bottled water at Wikipedia
Bottled Water and Long-Term Environmental Issues
Key environmental issues with bottled water, [says environmentalist David Suzuki] are waste and uncertainty over the long-term health effects created by plastic.
"Buying bottled water is wrong, says Suzuki" - CBC Report