Water — what is the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear this word? A simple covalent compound, a basic necessity of life that touches our life every day and makes 55 percent of our bodyweight, the much-needed relief in dehydration, the coolness of the body, the cure of many diseases, and so much else.

Have we ever imagined a day without water? More importantly, have we realised the undeniable significance of it? Just recall the pre-Iftar time, when the lack of water leaves the face lifeless.

Undoubtedly, one of the greatest blessings nature has granted us is itself water. Wealth, health and fame, all follows it. We should recognise the importance of water until it is too late. Or is it?

We often use the phrase; “until it is too late!” especially when a danger is looming ahead. The days when water supply has apparently unlimited and freely accessible are over. That was the past. The future brings more terrifying news. Experts claim that the next world war will revolve around water crisis. But even before an international water crisis, Pakistan will face severe water scarcity. Time is literally flying. We are in 2023, and when it will be 2025, the year when in normal conditions, Pakistan will turn from a ‘water-stressed country’ to a ‘water-scarce country’! Dear readers, this is the 21st century’s reality.

Consider the facts: per capita surface water availability of 5,260 cubic metres per year in 1951 turned into around 1,000 cubic metres in 2016. This is likely to drop further to about 860 cubic metres by 2025! Nearly seven times less water availability than when Pakistan was born! Even now, before we’ve experienced national water scarcity, only 36 percent of the population has access to clean water. My friends, not everyone is as fortunate as you and I are.

It is a general principle that blessings are snatched when they are disregarded and wasted by its users. Something similar happens with — the more you waste it, the more its supply decreases. Have we ever realised how much water we waste everyday unknowingly? The value is not two litres or 20 litres, but 30 gallons every day! (A gallon has 3.985 litres) How much it makes for a year? Or how much water is daily wasted by the entire Pakistani population?

A survey conducted by some international organisations indicates that Pakistan is wasting 30 million acre-foot or ten trillion gallons of water per annum. The statistics are startling. We need to wake up!

Although social media is playing a significant role in raising awareness regarding water wastage, I have listed some routine sources of water wastage prevailing in our homes to remind my readers about this avoidable consumption of water. Every one of us should contribute with an active role in this global issue by reducing water wastage.

Reduce tap time

Do we know how much water is discharged from a tap? On average, it is 2.2 gallons per minute. This means that if we can reduce our tap time daily by only one minute, we will be saving 10 litres of water! This amount of water can fulfil the daily consumption of water of three individuals!

Tap time can be reduced by small actions such as turning down the tap while brushing, and when applying soap to hands and face, in short, being active while in front of the sink so that we can quickly do our cleaning, and so much more.

Use alternatives to tap

As mentioned earlier, the rate of water discharged from a tap is very high. Thus, if we use other sources of water flow, excessive water flow can be prevented. One way can be to use a sprinkle sprout for watering plants rather than a pipe connected to the tap. Similarly, a bucket can be used to wash the car, and we take a bath rather than a shower.

Say no to leakages

If we need to save water as a nation, we need to take strict, yet quick action against any sort of water leakage. One drop of water contains on average, 0.05 ml of water. If a damaged pipe continuously discharges water in form of drops, it may look insignificant water wastage but believe me, it is expelling litres of water every day!

Parents usually are too busy to note such seepages in home but, as children, it is your responsibility to ‘explore’ the leaks and convince your parents to strictly deal with it as soon as they can.

Lower water use

One of the best ways of decreasing water wastage is to actually decrease water use. As we all know, washing clothes, dishes, cars, etc., consume a lot of water, so we should limit these activities, or limit the use of water while doing them. Do them only when required. For example, avoid pre-rinsing dishes and use a cloth to remove the dust from the car rather than washing it very frequently.

Raise awareness

Perhaps the best contribution the youth can make to this crisis is raising awareness of the consequences of water wastage among the people around you. Many people are actually unaware of the problem we are going through. It is our duty to spread the word.

To start off, convince your friends, parents and even grandparents to play their part. Design attractive posters and paste them in your neighbourhood. Make appealing videos and post them on social media sites.

Dear readers, the time is not yet over. We can reverse the consequences before they appear. The strength of teamwork and hard work overweighs the damage previously done to water reserves. Every one of us should play their part, believe me, your part is crucial and essential. You are the brick in the building and without you, this building might collapse!

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 29th, 2023