by Subhadeep Dasgupta

Created on: March 12, 2009

Water is the important source for the sustenance of our life. Although, it is found in abundance, only 2.53% of the available water is fresh while the remainder is salt water. Interestingly, 2/3 of this fresh water is stored in glaciers and permanent snow cover. With wide variety of water precipitation due to seasonal changes and geographies across different locations, there has been a perennial scarcity of water. Increasing population and livestock has yielded to further impact on water sustainability.

Water precipitation is the main source of water for human being and natural ecosystem. The per capita use of water is increasing with better lifestyles and growing population. Pollution has increased the contamination of fresh water resources like rivers, lakes and ponds. Near about 2 million tons of waste per day are dumped into the rivers which includes industrial wastes and chemicals, human and agricultural wastes like fertilizers, pesticides and residues. The worst part is with all these factors, river water management has been poor and undermined by the industrialization and fast evolving global economy. The demand of artificially made products processed in factories and industries has increased the production rates leading to further desanitation of river beds. Local authorities have tried to alter the course of rivers through the constructions of dams, reservoirs and wetland reclamation. Rivers are not understood as connected to basic ecosystem.

On 14 January 2008, Daily Times of Pakistan learnt that the Indus River contamination went between 500 to 600 ppm that caused the death of 40 people and hundreds hospitalized in Sind Province, Pakistan. Later on further investigation it was discovered that the local government had released water from the Manchar Lake, one of the biggest shallow water natural lake, causing 200% increase in the water contamination level of Indus River. The reason cited was the fear of the expected torrential rains and floods that could cause destruction in the nearby areas of the province. Earlier the lake was a large natural water reservoir providing drinking water to the arid region. But, later on highly contaminated saline water was poured into it and it became a drainage pass. A similar incident happened in Tennessee, USA after billion gallons of coal ash sludge was spilled out of pond near a massive coal plant, to the Emory and Clinch rivers in eastern Tennessee.

The most important factor to remember is to overcome water crisis, water ecosystem has to be understood and should not be altered. We can blame the politicians, government authorities, scientific laboratories for dumping toxic wastes, industries and profit organizations for the contamination of natural resources like rivers, oceans but finally it sums up to the demand and supply of human needs. We, I believe are to blame for the wastage and pollution of the rivers. Our artificial and better' lifestyle has led to the worsening effects of nature. Our needs for comfort and easier living are costing us the healthy and sustainable use of our natural resources. It leads to another question how eager are we to compromise our easily available comforts to achieve a sustainable and healthy lifestyle for us and our future generations. The day we understand and answer this question we would be able to live in an eco-friendly environment.

Learn more about this author, Subhadeep Dasgupta.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.