- 97,000 children under five die due to a lack of proper water, sanitation, and hygiene.
- 2 billion people live in areas with a major lack of water.
- 2.2 billion people lack a proper supply of drinking water, globally.
While it is true that knowledge should be shared as much as one can, there is also a precursor to it.
“There is no wealth like knowledge, and no poverty like ignorance”-
Buddha
I think not even Buddha had an idea of what people could do with knowledge. While hundreds of people can do good with the knowledge you provide them, there are thousands more ready to create a nuisance out of it.
Need or Greed?
The day we discovered that our planet’s three-fourth area was covered by water was the day, we began the journey towards our doomsday. What once seemed to be impossible now seems inevitable.
Like all mothers, Mother Earth has blessed us with everything that we ever needed and would ever need. But, just like any other troublesome kid, we didn’t really bother to take care of those things.
The beauty of forests, waterfalls, deserts, mountains, valleys, and oceans couldn’t seem to fulfill our desires; it wasn’t ecstatic enough. However, what caught our interest were skyscrapers, factories, brick and mortar, houses craving greenery, etc.
I agree that development is important. But is this development for need or greed?
The Blue Dot, is it? Not for long!
Your mother can only save you from one trouble at a time. Give her a ton of ’em and she’s just gonna give up.
Wait a minute. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The damage that came along as a cost for our relentless growth was left unnoticed until karma came biting us in our asses.
While constructing buildings and fascinating higher-than-our-imagination skyscrapers, we decided to put a good face on and dump waste wherever we deemed necessary, regardless of the repercussions. From overflowing landfills to plastic-filled rivers and oceans, today, our once amazingly blue planet is no more the color it was when we first saw it.
We left no stone unturned to pollute these once breathtakingly amazing water bodies. Who’s to say what went into our seemingly brilliant heads that we went on to inhumanely destroy the planet of life!
To be precise, up to 80 percent of the world’s waste is dumped back into the ecosystem without being treated for safety measures. This can kill more people than war could; hell, it would bring humans to the verge of extinction. Not a million years from now, as one might think. We’re driving towards an uninhabitable planet at a pace faster than our ancestors could imagine!
We barely have 100 years left.
Why act now?
If you’re still unsure about why this needs immediate attention, you’ve surely been living under a rock.
Need an eye-opener still?
The drastic rise in water pollution levels has led to a global water crisis. Lack of potable water in the United States is increasing so much so that even the water texture is changing alarmingly.
Researchers claim that Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States, is under the threat of running out of water in the next 5 to 10 years. In fact, it was reported that in July 2019, Lake Mead was at approx. 40% of its full capacity.
Another example is the Mississippi River. It is arguably the most well-known waterway in the United States and, inarguably, the second most polluted one. (The Ohio River is the infamous champ here.)
The river still continues to degrade due to the sewage and agricultural pollutants. The nitrogen-based fertilizer run-off has contaminated 6000-8000 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, creating a ‘dead zone’ as big as Connecticut!
The Ohio River was recorded to receive twice the amount of pollutants than the Mississippi River. A K Steel’s Rockport, Ind. plant is considered to be the culprit behind this, while they blame it on the fertilizer run-offs.
Tennessee River, Houston Ship Channel, and the Pacific Ocean are the following three most contaminated water bodies of the United States that need to be attended to immediately.
With more than 7.5 billion people (estimated to cross the 10 billion mark by 2050) ruining the Earth, the situation is much more critical than it seems.
Global Exploitation
The United States might be at the apex of every industry in the world. However, it doesn’t stand alone when it’s about harming our natural resources.
- Nitrate from fertilizers is the most common contaminant of groundwater around the globe.
- Industries dump approximately 300-400 metric tonnes of waste in water bodies, globally.
- 70 percent of China’s water bodies are polluted, with over half of them being unfit for consumption.
- Millions of people have been poisoned in Bangladesh due to lethal levels of arsenic from groundwater.
- The Ganges River in India is considered to be the most polluted river in the world and is known to contain garbage, dirt, dead animals, and humans.
- Asia is the global leader in the league of contaminated rivers. It has more polluted rivers than any other continent!
It’s time we stopped being greedy chumps and took steps to mend the meadows we’ve destroyed. The images you find when you search for the Earth on Google are old and thus, misleading. It’s high time we stopped hiding behind the notion, “We’re planning for the future.” Because if we don’t, there won’t really be any future to prepare for.
You need to stop depending on your government to save you from an epidemic. Rather, stand up and try to make a change yourself. And if you ever find yourself in doubt, just ask yourself,
If not me, who?
If not now, when?