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#SolutionMonday: 5 ways to cope with water scarcity

water scarcity - cleanbuild

#SolutionMonday: 5 ways to cope with water scarcity

Hello readers,

Welcome to #SolutionMonday on CleanbuildVoices!

Almost every human action comes with a price that is beyond monetary value. In other words, a person’s action leaves a footprint. You hear stuff like carbon footprint, food footprint, water footprint and it goes on and on. Speaking of water, here’s a not-so-fun fact: Some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion experience water scarcity for at least one month of the year.

You may wonder how this can be so, after all, water covers 70% of the earth. Well, only 3% is freshwater, that is, usable. Out of this figure, two-thirds of is frozen in the arctic region unavailable for our use.

What is left for drinking, bathing and other use is precious little. And with climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic thrown in the mix, water scarcity has become a global crisis of epic proportion, particularly in Africa.

So for today’s special, we will be sharing tips that can help you to cope with drought and water scarcity while protecting your households from diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses.

  • Try to conserve water as much as possible: Be mindful of water usage. Do not leave the water running while brushing your teeth or shaving. You could also cut back on the time you spend in the shower. Wait until everyone is done eating in the house before you wash dishes after a meal.
  • Keep yourself informed: Learn about water availability in your area, the process it undergoes to before it is usable. Also, you need to know how your use and waste of water affect everyone and how to save water among other things.
  • Always recycle water: Do you know that you can reuse water? Yes, you could use wastewater for irrigation, landscaping, construction, and flushing toilets. Rather than throw rainwater away, you could bottle it up and place it under the sun for about 8 hours to kill off impurities. Such water is safe for drinking and/or cooking.
  • Speak up at your town hall meetings: If you participate in or attend local civic meetings, you should speak up about the condition of the water supply in your area.
  • Support local/foreign clean water initiatives: Even if you live in an area where there’s access to potable water, you can help those who experience water scarcity or droughts. How? By donating to organizations or initiatives that are providing water for underserved communities.

We need to collectively work to stem the tide of climate change. It is no longer an abstract concept to be overlooked but a gloomy reality that is affecting every life on earth. Remember that there is no ‘Planet B’ in the entire universe; hence the need to take care of this one!

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