What is Potable Water? And how do we make sure that we have enough?
I will give you a hint or two….our lives depend on it and it runs freely from the tap in first-world nations… any guesses?
Potable water is simply water that is fit for human and animal consumption or better known as drinking water. I would say that plants also prefer clean water in opposition to stagnant or polluted. Water that comes from rivers, lakes, or springs is naturally potable, or it should be; if not, it can be treated to make it safe for drinking and cooking.
As a first-world citizen, I grew up taking water for granted. I turned the tap, and it flowed for as long as I wanted, bathtubs, swimming pools, car washes without a thought… little did I know, across the globe, girls my age were walking 3+ miles per day for the family’s daily water supply. And even then, the water is not typically potable because the countries have not built the infrastructure needed to access the freshwater.
Fast forward 20 years, to when I joined a small group of friends to co-found the non-profit water organization Drop in the Bucket, in Uganda Africa. I am no longer involved in the daily operations of the wonderful non-profit. Still, the knowledge that I gained from that experience has stayed with me and is what guided me into the sustainability industry. Here are some facts that I can’t unknow…
WATER FACTS
71% of Earth’s Surface is water
2.5% of Earth’s water is potable, or drinkable
1% of the 2.5% of potable water is accessible, the rest of it is frozen in glaciers and snowfields
1 in 10 people on the planet do not have access to potable water
4500 children die every day from water-borne illnesses
These facts should scare the shit out of all of us. These problems are not something that just happens over in Africa. These statistics are global, and if your city or state is not yet feeling the pressure of water shortages or contamination… no worries, you will soon. Nevertheless, business as usual with irresponsible manufacturing, industrial agriculture, and the plastic industry contaminating the 1% of drinking water that we have remaining on this entire planet!! WTF man, we are in trouble.
Climate change is having detrimental effects on our potable water supplies. Insane weather patterns are causing floods, droughts, famines, and deadly sanitation situations when a hurricane comes through floods the sewer systems and enters our drinking water.
Melting the glaciers is not a solution to accessing the remaining 1.5% of freshwater. It has been frozen for millions of years, and we probably don’t want to know what is trapped in the ice!
Meanwhile, we, the uber-intelligent species, are still watering desert golf courses at mid-day!!
However, there is some excellent news.. we have everything that we need to change course and obtain a sustainable potable water source for all … and all that we need is the desire to act accordingly.
If you need ideas on how to conserve water at your home, business, and daily life or you want more information about potable water, in general, please send me an email at sara@greenmaya.mx, together we will come up with a plan that works best for your situation. Or maybe you have an awesome project that you would like to share; I would love to learn more. Please send me an email!!
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin (For all my relations) 🙏
Many Blessings,
Sara Renshaw @ The Green Maya Project
P.S. During this time of quarantine, it is more vital than ever that we get our daily dose of nature. Keep your distance from others but step outside, feel the breeze (or the freeze), listen for the birds, smell the air, go for a nature discovery walk if that is possible or sit under a tree with a good book and put your bare feet on the Earth.
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