World Water Day was yesterday:

WATER You cannot live without it!

Sachitra MAHENDRA

“We have always thought big about water. With giant dams and canals, men move rivers, stop oceans, create massive lakes, make deserts green. Some of our feats of water engineering are great successes - such as the polders and dikes of the Netherlands or thousands of years of irrigation along the Nile. They save lives, reclaim land, and enrich whole populations. Some have been disasters, muddying waters that once ran clear, their benefits never outweighing their cost in destruction. Diane Raines Ward, Water Wars,”

- Author unknown

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In simple, water is an essential requirement for any living organism, including the human. Its abundance in some countries contrast with many countries where it is but quite a luxury.

Because of its vast impact on the society, it has become a social subject attracting political attention. Water politics is more known as hydropolitics coined by John Waterbury - the author must have really wanted to bury the part of his name! - with his book called ‘Hydropolitics of the Nile Valley’.

Social crises

The book deals with political conflict linked with the world’s longest river. The abuse of water in many ways lead to social crises like global warming and desertification.

Many countries exist largely dependent on water, and has the tendency to run into crisis if the water availability goes down. This is despite the fact that fresh water is the human right as well as the requirement.

The Middle East is well known to be affected by the dearth of water supplies, mainly because the primary rivers flow through international frontiers.

Statistically the region, which is 5 percent of the world’s population, has only 1 percent of the world’s fresh water supply. They keep on reusing the water.

The areas that needs conservation of drinking water have adapted grey water for latrine purposes.

This kind of water is mainly processed from dishwashers and washing machines.

Many countries however do not necessarily conserve drinking or potable water. The majority of the world’s population drink polluted water, yet they survive dreaded diseases such as diarrhea.

Water privatization

The rivers had and continue to cause disputes among the nations. For instance the Ganges has caused a fight between India and Bangladesh, which was a part of the former sometime back.

This was so even during the Buddha’s time. Water privatization is another major conflict. This stems from poor quality, price increase and ethics of water consumption. Previous governments attempted to privatize water, but did not succeed because of mounting protests.

Abuse of water

It was the same in Bolivia when its privatization schemes were immensely fought against.

Privatization Gurus opine that the process is the only answer to water related crisis such as diseases. But it does not seem to be so in countries such as Philippine where water was privatized with the consultation of World Bank.

Prices have gone up, hence do not reach the poor inviting outbreaks of diseases. The fast decline in water availability signals quite a trouble.

This questions the stability of health and biodiversity essential elements of the globe. Although a UN report stated ‘there is enough water for everyone’ it would not be seem so in the future, with high level abuse of water.

Water used in the production is termed as virtual water, and it becomes virtuous in its religious uses. There are certain terms coined according to the religious rituals. Ablution is a ritual of washing in many major faiths such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Shinto and Judaism.

Christian priests baptize with water and respect Holy Water, because ‘the earth was formed out of water and by water’ as the Bible rules.

Beverages

Fake Buddhist saints are known to have the ability to convert water into sacred water with threads.

In food science, salt and sugar affect the boiling and freezing points of water. A food scientist must understand the nature of water to determine the success of their products. Hardness of water has a dramatic effect in the quality of products such as beverages.

The world has a rich history of human awareness on water.

Etruscans used the knowledge on hydrology and hydraulics in their water management systems. The ancient knowledge evolved into the present set up creating a legal background to this natural element.

The standard formula of human intake of water varies, because the kidneys is flexible for different levels of water.

More water make the kidneys generate more urine. Medical recommendation for travelers in desert, where the water is a luxury, is to drink sparingly, decreasing the intake daily.

Any living being - we repeat - has the natural right and requirement of uninterrupted access for Water. However still most parts of the world deprive their living beings of this rights and requirement.