Farooque Ali<\/p>\n
Water has the potential to determine the rise and fall of nations. Except for the blue planet, water is not present on other planets, but due to the mismanagement of water, several million people are facing many acute problems, including floods, droughts, and the unavailability of potable water. Beyond doubt, water covers three-quarters of the Earth, but the question that arises here is how much of it is suitable for drinking. Only about 3 percent of water is drinkable, which is present in the form of ice caps, glaciers, surface water, and groundwater.
\nTherefore, the management of water holds significant value on the planet. There are various regions in the world that have no drinkable water at all. Besides this, several nations face drought conditions, and a few others face floods. The sustainable use of water has significant importance in water management.
\nIn the South Asian countries, there are many nations who are flood-prone including Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. These third world nations often face major floods in every decade because humans are the main drivers of environmental change, and due to several human activities, global environmental changes become the cause of heavy rainfall, river overflow, cyclones, melting snow, and climate change. South Asian countries suffer flood disasters due to snowmelt and heavy rainfall. Floods mostly destroy local communities in several ways, involving life, livestock, and agriculture, on which their lives depend.
\nFloods themselves are not the problem; rather, it is mismanagement and lack of preparedness that create the problem. Firstly, for the purpose of adapting to flood losses, awareness is the primary means by which several lives and valuable assets can be saved. Secondly, the construction of dams can prove to be a contributing factor in reducing flood losses, for the purpose of water storage, which can be used for irrigation, energy generation, and drinking water after treatment. The importance of dams can be understood through the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, who once said, \u201cDams are the modern temples.\u201d Dams help control floods and provide security in terms of water supply and energy production.
\nDrought is not a new or existential crisis, as it has happened for many decades and even centuries. It mainly caused because of the poor management of water resources and is also influenced by several factors such as climate change, overuse of groundwater, urbanization, and deforestation. Drought leads to food insecurity because agricultural lands are unable to produce crops, and due to the lack of access to food, millions of living organisms, including both native and invasive species, may face death. In this modern world, it is achievable to minimize the impact of drought through impactful water management, as poor management disrupts the hydrological cycle and becomes a prime cause of drought.
\nIn contrast, the human body is made up of about two-thirds water. Even so, nearly half of the global population does not have approach to potable water. Due to that numerous waterborne diseases arise among people, such as cholera, diarrhea, and other infections. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015, including 169 targets designed to tackle global social problems and promoting equality and wellbeing for all people. Among these goals, SDG 6 is related to clean water and sanitation. It comprises eight targets which making sure availability of safe and affordable drinking water, increase water quality and wastewater treatment, encouraging the sustainable use of water resources, and protecting water ecosystems. In spite of these efforts, millions of children under the age of five are still dying due to the lack of safe drinking water.
\nAs a result, the poor management of water resources lies at the heart of natural disasters, including floods and droughts. Both floods and droughts increase the vulnerability of rural communities. Floods destroy the essential assets of rural communities, including agriculture, livestock, infrastructure, and most importantly, human health.
\nDroughts worsen the standard of living of poor communities more difficult and create significant challenges in various dimensions, involving economic losses, drinking water scarcity, and agricultural failure. Droughts also deteriorate the environment through soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and an increased risk of wildfires. Most rural communities use groundwater for drinking purposes without proper treatment, and they are often located near agricultural lands. The excessive use of fertilizers contaminates groundwater with heavy metals, including lead and mercury, both of which are harmful to human health. Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients, but their excessive concentration in water contributes to eutrophication.
\nFurthermore, the conversion of nitrogen into detrimental metabolites makes it more dangerous and can lead to diseases such as blue baby syndrome. Clean water has remained a top concern for every nation throughout history. Problems linked with poor water management can be improved through effective water management measures, social awareness, improved water governance, and proper water resource planning. To sum up, this piece of writing, the words of Thomas Fuller, \u201cWe never know the worth of water till the well is dry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Farooque Ali Water has the potential to determine the rise and fall of nations. Except for the blue planet, water is not present on other planets, but due to the mismanagement of water, several million people are facing many acute problems, including floods, droughts, and the unavailability of potable water. Beyond doubt, water covers three-quarters […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13880],"class_list":["post-552929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-article","tag-farooque-ali"],"yoast_head":"\n