We Have Water!

The earth is full of water! So why are there talks of water scarcity in the future? Where does the danger of having a water drought come from? What is the basis for such a "dooms day" scenario? Here are some basic facts about water on earth;

-326 million trillion gallons

-70% of the planet is covered in ocean

-average depth of the ocean is about 1,000 meters

-only 2% of the earth's water is "fresh", of which 1.6 % is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers

-0.36 % is found in aquifers

-0.036 % is found in lakes and rivers (equal to thousands of trillions of gallons)

-the rest are in the atmosphere and in our bodies (65% water), animals, and plants, and in our refrigerators!

The recent Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) report, which was created by the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC), categorically pointed to global warming as the reason for climate change and mentioned that one of its effects is the scarcity of fresh water in the future. Global warming would result to the melting of glaciers and polar caps which would increase sea water level and therefore invade aquifers which are some of our sources for fresh water. If this happens, the calculated predictions of the scientists of the IPCC would just become a reality.

How about the Philippines? We are composed of thousand of islands. Our land is perfect for agriculture. We have lots of rivers, lakes, brooks, springs, and almost every type of water source. We have mountains which are very important in maintaining the stability of water supply in a place. When hard times concerning water comes, the Philippines maybe one of the few blessed places that is last to be hit hardest. In other words, if and when we experience a drought or water crisis, the rest of the world must be in a worse situation. 

The above should be good news to us. But why is it that bottled water proliferates here? Why are we buying water? With all our resources, we can afford to have fresh drinking water almost for FREE and with a lot more to EXPORT! The water coming out from our faucets are safe for drinking. The filtration and treatment processes the water companies are applying are way above standards. The "tap" water we receive at home are even more safe than many bottled water which we buy at a higher price. Lack of education? Bad experience? Poor advocacy or advertisement? Government should look into this. Unless it profits from the sale of these bottled water.

Lastly, bottled water, which are usually in plastic, is not healthy. maybe it will make us safe from bacteria or viruses, but not on toxins and other serious and long time side effects (sickness) that maybe acquired using plastics.

So, I believe it is opportune to call on our legislators and government officials tom preserve and defend these resources that we have been blessed with. Laguna De Bay, for example, a very good source of fresh water, was threatened sometime ago to be converted to an airport! We are willing to lose a bay for an airport? Also, at present, the said bay has become a big septic tank because of the amount of human wastes put in it. This is beside the fact that lots of illegal and legal fish pens are in that body of water. Undoubtedly, the Laguna De Bay is a potential source of the much needed fresh water. If this is how we are going to treat our resources, then, we might just lose this great advantage that we have.

Let us pray and hope that all of us will come to our right senses. As we say in the eco-community, let us do what we can now, for when it comes, we can not do anything anymore.