Water Scarcity and Possible Solutions

1100 Words3 Pages

“Water is the lifeblood of this planet. Every time a good is bought or sold there is a virtual exchange of water. Every time we interact with water, we change it, redirect it, or otherwise alter its state. We have never learned how to efficiently manage water.”(Cluckie, 2009) Ian Cluckie, Professor of Hydrology and Water Management, emphasizes the fact that humans can’t survive without water. Although water is a renewable resource that can replenish under hydrological cycles, our intervention has interrupted its natural cycle causing its supply to decrease.(Cluckie, 2009)

The value of water is constantly being compared to diamonds. In Unquenchable, Glennon writes a chapter called “The Diamond-Water Paradox” to argue that water is as valuable as diamonds. We don’t realize its value merely because we don’t pay for the cost.

No matter how advanced our technology is, we are still not capable of generating water. We must utilize the existing water supply more efficiently in order to be sustainable. Many states in the United States believe that they are sustainable. However, polluted water habitats, drained aquifers and rivers, floods, and the salt intrusion show the exact opposite of what we believe.

In this essay I will share my thoughts on our water problems and some possible solutions for those problems.

Water Scarcity in the United States

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 60% of human body is composed of water and 70% of the brain is made up of water. Every day, we need to drink about 2.4 liters of water to replace the water lost in our daily activities. We do have enough water on the earth but we don’t have enough freshwater supply. The earth is covered by 70% of water but only 1% of that is freshwate...

... middle of paper ...

... build social awareness. Currently, we are not paying for the actual cost of water but costs of water distribution and sewer system (Glennon 225). That’s why water is so cheap. The price of water is not substantial enough to make people care about it.

Works Cited

Asano, T., Burton, F., Leverenz, H., Tsuchihashi, R., Tchobanoglous, G. (2007). Water Reuse: Issues, Technologies, and Applications. New York: McGraw-Hill

Cluckie, Ian “Water: A Global Innovation Outlook Report” 2009 Web 25 Nov. 2014

http://www.greenbiz.com/research/report/2009/03/16/water-global-innovation-outlook-report

“ Desalination is not the answer “ 8 May 2012 Web 24 Nov. 2014

http://www.waterwise.org.uk/news.php/29/desalination-is-not-the-answer

Glennon, Robert. Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do About IT.

Washington.Covela.Londin: Island, 2009. Print.

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