Demand for Water Officially Exceeds Supply
Water conservation is a tough subject. While millions of people across the globe don’t have access to safe drinking water, many millions more who are responsible for wasting so much of this precious resource balk at price increases or attempts to ration it because water is a ‘human right’.
But now, the need to find a solution is greater than ever. A new report on the world’s water scarcity, commissioned by water-dependent businesses, confirms that demand for water already exceeds supply, and the ‘water gap’ between the haves and have-nots is getting bigger every day.
The good news, according to GreenBiz.com, is that we can deal with this problem if governments and business focus on reducing demand. The biggest obstacle is just getting people to realize how valuable water really is.
From GreenBiz.com:
Mack and Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the chairman of Nestle, who joined in the news conference by phone, both questioned whether the idea of water as a “human right” is useful way to frame the conversation. (Nestle, it must be noted, is the leading U.S. seller of bottled water through such local brands as Deer Park and Arrowhead, and as such it has come under considerable fire.)
Brabeck-Letmathe said people have a right to water for their basic needs — perhaps 25 liters a day. But he argued that adequate pricing of water will be needed to curb waste. “It’s not a human right to wash your car, to fill up your swimming pool, to water your golf course,” he said.
Some countries are smart about pricing. In South Africa, according to Brabeck-Letmathe, residential users are given a monthly allocation of “free” or subsidized water — presumably enough for drinking, cooking, bathing and sanitation — and then charged a premium for usage beyond that.
By contrast, the McKinsey executives and others said that free or subsidized electricity in rural India contributes to water shortages there because farmers have no reason not to pump as much water as they can out of the ground.
Every single human being on this planet needs water to live – and that’s why so many people are extremely wary about the idea of raising prices to decrease demand. However, that’s also why it’s so unfair that while Westerners in particular waste water like there’s no tomorrow, others are dying of thirst.
The business side of this issue is complicated – read more of the details at GreenBiz.com. But, let this be a reminder to the water-priveleged that water conservation can save lives. Wondering what more you can do to cut consumption in your own home? Check out these 100 tips.
Link GreenBiz.com
Photo credit: CharityWater.org
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- O.N.E. Water, An Eco Alternative to Bottled Water
- Southwest Must Face Harsh Water Shortage Realities
- Water Wars Already Starting in India
This entry was posted on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under Consciousness, Green Living, Health, Science, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
