The Rising Problem of Water Essay Example for Free

The Rising Problem of Water Essay Although water is â€Å"the commonest molecular compound† (Crystal, 1990) there is a rising problem concerning its purity. We can’t reach for the nearest stream and draw water for a drink the way people did before. Today, water is for sale. Water’s scarcity and depletion, lack of sanitation and pollution, inequalities in distribution, problems caused by dam projects, to extravagant use or mismanagement and even cross-border conflict, etc. (Godrej, 2003) account for the crises that governments are dealing with regards to water. Though water is foundational to life, e.g. part of our physical component, and as experts say it â€Å"occurs in all living organisms† (Crystal, 1990), truth is, the world faces a water crisis. Before pointing to big companies/factories and relegate to them the reason for this crisis, we are all delinquent when it comes to the management and the use of water. When one’s use of water is too much or â€Å"beyond the rate† of normal use, the hydrological cycle is being put in danger (Godrej, 2003). The hydrological cycle is so arranged as to allow for replenishing. When there is overuse, replenishing becomes difficult and depletion and pollution follow. Water like those in oceans and rivers, usually have natural pollutants, but only enough to be purified by the natural hydrological cycle. The main culprit for water pollution is man whose human activities are the causes of localized pollution. â€Å"Heavy metals, oil spills, and bacteria,† (Barnes-Svarney, 1996) are all contaminants which are results of human abuses. References 1. Crystal, David. 1990. Water H2O. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia. Cambridge University Press, p. 1285. 2. Godrej, Dinar. 2003. Crisis and challenge. Precious fluid. New Internationalist magazine, volume 354, pp. 9-12. 3. Barnes-Svarney, Patricia. 1996. The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference, p. 472.