Every Drop Counts

 Water, the most profuse compound in the Earth’s surface, is the lifeblood of the global economy.  It is the building block that binds us together, creating deep and multifaceted interdependencies between companies, communities and natural ecosystems. Water means different things to different people. It has unique physical and chemical properties; you can freeze it, melt it, evaporate it, heat it, and combine it. A person can live without food for more than a month, (yes really) but can live for a few days only without water. 

Mikhail Gorbachev: "Water, not unlike religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to water. People move when there is too little of it; people move when there is too much of it. People move on it. People write and sing and dance and dream about it. People fight over it. And everybody, everywhere and every day, needs it. We need water for drinking, for cooking, for washing, for food, for industry, for energy, for transport, for rituals, for fun, for life. And it is not only we humans who need it; all life is dependent upon water for its very survival"

As a Brand

In the new economic scenario water has elevated to a Brand and different companies are vying with each other to establish a strong niche in the global market. As the Chinese proverb states: Not only can water float a boat, it can also sink it.  There is a tremendous and lucrative growth for bottled water in the global market. All major transnational food companies such as Nestle, Pepsi and Coca‐Cola have developed substantial market shares in the bottled water market. Almost 3000 brands of bottled water are produced in over 115 countries. Most brands have developed an association with a specific location from which the water is sourced, such as Evian and Volvic from the Alps in France. From the success stories of these brands it has been seen that geography increasingly matters as a perceived arbiter of taste, uniqueness and quality when it comes to bottled mineral water.  

The scare resource

Water is becoming a real scarcity as a result of alarming population and consumption rate.  Human factors has a direct influence in the availability of water, including dams or other engineering, population, and consumerism - or our water use on an individual, business, and government levels. Water scarcity risk has genuinely caught the attention globally and in the US in the recent years. There is persistent drought happening in US and the agriculture and energy production have felt the impacts of the drought resulting in massive increase in food prices along with disruptions in energy production.

Repercussion  of Global water shortage

Global studies have revealed that water usage has increased by six times in the past 100 years and will double again by 2050.This is a real havoc creating situation. The water scarcity in developing countries is recognized as one of the most serious political and social issues, meanwhile with an emergent economy, there will be rise in demand for water by industries. This can affect the agricultural sector in a more rampant manner. Local governments worldwide are increasingly distrusted over water allocation.  This may pave the way for unsteadiness in the social fabric, protests and more crime, which may work to scare off foreign direct investment in these countries and the globe will face a serious economic downturn and can lead to the sprouting of a civil war.

Tackle it...  

Desalinization technology can be one possible solution for this. This system is described as filtering salty water through membranes and removing the salt through electro dialysis and reverse osmosis. This procedure has been successfully implemented in 130 nations in North Africa and the Middle East. With this system, these nations are currently producing six billion gallons of usable water a day (Arrandale, 2002).The United States has a total of about 1,200 desalinating plants. Recently, however, the desalinization process has become much more practical for metropolitan areas and reverse-osmosis systems have made momentous progress.

Global implementation of simple recycling and filtration systems would be a relatively easy task that would reap stupendous benefits. Making these global advancements would be a monetarily and environmentally friendly step in the right direction towards the reduction of global water scarcity.

Can we make a difference.  

Yes we can. Here are few tips.

• Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and night, you are saving up to 8 gallons of water!
• Take a shower than filling up a bathtub. A shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons, while a bath tub takes up to 70 gallons! 
• Water the plants in the early morning or late evening when it's cool outside. Because when it's hot and sunny water evaporates before the plants have time to absorb it.
• Use a bucket and sponge instead of a hose while washing your car or bike. A hose might waste 6 gallons per minute if you leave it running, where as using a bucket and sponge only uses a few gallons!