Maybe we enjoy the feeling of water falling on our faces and bodies while taking a shower. Perhaps we find it soothing to immerse our bodies in tubs of water after a long day of work. Maybe we find it quite refreshing to rinse our mouths with running water from our hands after brushing our teeth. We seem to have an endless supply of water that, often, we forget that it is actually one of the most essential things in our daily lives. In fact, it so important that despite being an inorganic substance; it is most of the time associated with life (just like soil and air). We use water for drinking, washing our bodies (as mentioned earlier), caring for plants and animals, washing our clothes, cleaning our dining and kitchen utensils, making our glass windows crystal clear, washing our cars, traveling and a whole lot more!

But let us go back to the main issue. Although we’ve been hearing reports of future water shortages (due possibly to what our world’s best scientists claim as Global Warming), perchance in our respective countries or in other nations; we have not done much to conserve this particular necessity. Maybe because we find the idea of losing water as somewhat nonsensical. Perhaps in our minds we think, “How could we lose this necessity when 75% of the earth is covered in water?!”

True. 75% of the earth is covered with water. But approximately 97.6% of this belongs to oceans and saline lakes! If we try drinking several glasses of this, we’ll all probably develop large kidney stones in a short span of time, or worse, die of kidney failure. Only 2.4% of the said 75% is freshwater or classifiable as somewhat safe (of course, water has to be purified, distilled or treated first) for human consumption. So are we to rejoice now?

Not quite. Out of this 2.4% of freshwater, 87% is ice (e.g. Arctic and Antarctic regions, icebergs and glaciers) and snow! So if that’s the case, should we just melt the ice to avoid water shortage? The solution is logical and possible but expensive and dangerous. First, it is expensive. Transferring freshwater from the Arctic, Antarctic and highlands to both urban and rural areas in different countries will require high-class equipment (i.e. accessible and efficient despite the conditions), manpower and transporting vehicles. Second, it is dangerous. Chipping off portions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions (as well as the icebergs) will inevitably cause an increase in the sea level and submerge portions of the continents—possibly including major cities! Furthermore, melting ice sheets in highlands will also cause sudden flow of water into rivers and streams and, consequently, will result to flooding in valleys and in plains. So that’s what to expect if we try to disturb our world’s solid freshwater. Going back to our discussion on water compartments and percentages, we determine by mere subtraction that only 13% of the said 2.4% is liquid freshwater. So are we to finally rejoice now?

Not yet. It is still important to know what originally comprises this small portion of liquid freshwater. 95% of this 13% WAS groundwater. 3% WAS part of lakes, rivers and streams. 2% WAS soil moisture. (Note: Rain is simply the evaporated-then-condensed-then-precipitated form of any of these three.) Notice that the word “WAS” was capitalized in order to show that the numerical values were referring to percentages of the past. The current figures are rather difficult to determine as these three water compartments have been disturbed by many factors (mostly man-made activities) through the years. In order to easily access water for human consumption; some countries (mostly third world nations) have already tapped into their aquifers and have pumped out groundwater while other countries have already diverted water from natural sources such as lakes, rivers and streams. As a result, the new numerical values are expected to be lower than the original percentages as some of the freshwater are in dams, treatment plants, pipelines, homes, groceries and other establishments. Another cause of the decrease in the initial figures is water pollution. From simple acts such as washing clothes to large-scale activities like disposing industrial wastes; some groundwater, natural bodies of water and soil (which contains moisture) have already been heavily contaminated and thus requires expensive treating procedures. So at this point in time, we are unsure of the amount of water that is still available to us (and the future generations).

 Are we starting to feel threatened? Maybe we’ll say YES or maybe we’ll say NO, NOT YET. But should we wait until our lakes, rivers, streams, dams and pipes dry up?  Will it hurt to use pail and dipper in taking a bath? Will it hurt to use a glass to contain water for rinsing our mouths after brushing our teeth? Will it hurt to conserve water for the benefit of our generation and of the next ones? Let me end with this quotation from Oposa (2003).

“If all the water in the world is made equivalent to one gallon, the total volume of fresh water is equivalent to only three drops. Two of the three drops are locked up in glaciers. Only ONE DROP is available as rain and groundwater.”

In conclusion, let us do our share in preserving our water supply so that we do not soon end up fighting over ONE DROP of water.