Essay On Water
‘‘Water is the driving force of nature’’, said the great Leonardo Da Vinci once, and rightly so. Life originated in water, billions of years ago, in the form of unicellular microbes and it is water that sustains all life forms even today. 71% of the planet is covered by water in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and other water bodies, and yet only 2.5% of it is fit for human consumption. We should be more judicious with our water consumption before it is too late.
Water is the lifeline of every living being on this planet. The human body is composed of 60% water. Even the green plants that are the key ingredient of every food web can’t prepare their food without water. Water also is essential in every household. Chores like cooking, cleaning, agriculture, and irrigation practices would become impossible without water. All the industries also need a significant amount of water to keep their functioning in order. Water is used as an effective coolant in various automobiles and engines. Water is also called ‘the universal solvent’ and thus it forms a major constituent of everyday supplies like toothpaste, paint, milk etc. Even the blood running in human veins constitutes water and any little change in its concentration could be life threatening. Therefore, it is wise to say that a world without water cannot exist.
While humans know the importance of water in their everyday lives, we fail to see how our daily habits are affecting the water sources adversely. Industries, all around the globe, discharge their untreated effluents into rivers, which leads to increased toxicity of water bodies. The chemicals can be harmful for the fishes and other aquatic life forms. Not just industries, the household discharge and sewage are also dumped in nearby water bodies. As sewage is rich in organic matter, it leads to an increase in microbial growth in the system, thus decreasing the amount of dissolved oxygen in water. This phenomenon is called ‘eutrophication’ and it proves to be fatal for aquatic plants and animals. Another method in which water pollution directly affects the human population is ‘biomagnification’. This happens when a toxic chemical is consumed by a small fish, which in turn is eaten by a bigger fish. This process continues until the toxicant makes its way to the human food web, when a person eats the toxic fish. This phenomenon is very common and has claimed a lot of human lives.
If we start taking small steps and actions, we can reduce the amount of water pollution and do our planet a great favour. Industries should treat their discharge before releasing them in water bodies. Use of lead-free petroleum in automobiles will reduce the amount of smoke and pollutants in the environment and will significantly lessen the chance of acid rain. One must also practice ‘reusing and recycling’ as much as possible because all the plastic wastes are ultimately dumped in landfills and water bodies.
Some of the methods that we can opt for water conservation includes closing our taps while brushing our teeth, checking for water leakage in our kitchens and bathrooms, reducing the time of our showers and rain water harvesting. Collected rainwater can be put to a number of uses like watering the garden, cleaning of vehicles and even showering if treated with an antiseptic. The Government should also help the farmers in promoting better and more efficient irrigation practices. Farmers should avoid using chemical insecticide and pesticides as they can leach into the groundwater. They should rather opt for natural and eco-friendly manure and insecticides.
While we are aware of the many uses of water, we can also use water as a potent source of energy. The energy produced by water is known as ‘hydro-energy’. The mechanical force of water can be used to rotate turbines which can generate electricity for a power plant. This property of water is used in dams and waterfalls, all around the globe, where water falls from a height. Another method to generate energy from water is by utilising its hydrogen. Since water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, water molecules can be split to extract hydrogen and this in turn could be used to power houses, vehicles, industries and even space missions. Thus, water can be an excellent source of ‘green fuel’ in the future.
While we have water in abundance, we must remember that only very little is available for human use and that is why we must not abuse our powers. The world is already facing a significant water crisis with countries like Turkey, Syria and Iraq fighting for the river rights over the Tigris and Euphrates. Even back home, India and Pakistan are debating over the ownership of the water of river Indus. If we are not careful with our daily water usage and practices, there might come a day when Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s words might come true – “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”
