IT is just so fitting that the world is celebrating World Water Day on Friday, March 22, as we Metro Manila dwellers currently experience a water shortage. And it is probably just as fitting to widen our perspective a bit, in the midst of our personal water-related struggles, and look at the global picture.
According to data from the United Nations, there are about 844 million people in the world who lack access to clean water. India faces its worst-ever water crisis affecting about 600 million people. Cape Town, Michigan, Asia’s megacities, Brazil’s Sao Paulo, Barcelona, California and the rural sub-Saharan Africa have faced, or are still facing, severe water crisis. These are just some of the places on the long list of cities affected by water shortage.
Metro Manila residents can relate. We know how hard it is to
have water rationed, to carry water from the source to our homes, to scrimp on
water for washing and cooking, and to suffer all this in the middle of a
scorching summer. We can’t
downplay the national and global impact of this problem. Access to clean water
is crucial to development: there is better hygiene and sanitation, people are
healthier, children are more likely to go to school, certain types of illness
are avoided, people can grow their crops and nurture their livestock, there is
more food for everyone, and communities become more progressive.
Water management professor Arjen Hoekstra says that water scarcity is mainly brought on by quick growth (high demand) and insufficient preparation. Further, climate-change effects like drought will definitely make matters worse. In the global setting, agriculture represents 80-90 percent of the world’s total water consumption. This is followed by energy production and industry. Home use is only at 3 percent.
Back home, there are various reasons being presented to the people. Some say it is because of El Niño and increased demand for more water, others say it’s a political maneuver related to the construction of Kaliwa Dam. More recently, there are those who claim it’s because MWSS had the bypass valve closed. (The bypass valve splits water from reservoirs between the two concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water.)
Aside from conserving water in our homes, which everyone must do regardless of whether they are being serviced by Maynilad or Manila Water, it is also important for the city to establish more stringent regulations related to industrial processes. Aside from the residential homes, the city’s industries must also put water conservation measures in place and implement these strictly. Furthermore, it would help if we could all support and fund clean water initiatives, usually promoted by nongovernment organizations, international agencies and other active players in the advocacy.