Magazine Review (I) Jian Da =)

Reader’s Digest 2008 November Issue

Title: The Blue Issue – Solving Asia’s water Crisis

By: Glenn Van Zutphen

Gist of the Article:

Each night when Luki Arifin reaches his home in Rawa Badak, North Jakarta, the first thing he does is turn on his water pump. With no access to clean public water, Luki relies on a backyard well for his family's water needs. His nightly routine isn't just because he insists the water runs faster than during the day, but because he has ''to let the murky water sit for a few hours to let the mud settle to the bottom of the water tank.'' The well water is so contaminated that Luki's family only uses it to wash their clothes and his motorcycle, and to mop the floor. They can spend over $20 a week buying clean water to drink and use for bathing.

Luki is not alone. An estimated 700 million people in Asia do not have access to safe drinking water, according to Professor Tommy Koh, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum Governing Council. Our water woes stem from a combination of inadequate supplies to service an increasing urban population, pollution, poor infrastructure and endemic corruption.

Cities lacking independent water supplies like Singapore, have invested heavily in new technologies to recycle wastewater. Specially made membranes can now take treated used water and clean it so thoroughly that it’s safe for anybody to drink. There are also great strides being made in converting rainwater through desalination.

Reflections:

Water, without it life does not exist. That’s why water has become … THE NEW GREEN! The water cycle has done a great job in recycling this finite supply, but now, increasing demand for water especially in places with limited supplies is putting this cycle under rest. It is prevalent that there are a lot of imbalances between the demand and availability of clean water in many cities. Asia will soon face a water quality management crisis that is unprecedented in human history if this vicious cycle continues.

I think that to effectively curb this water crisis, Asian countries need to increase their water productivity in terms of output. Singapore had effectively moved from water scarcity to security over the past few years with the use of technology. This amazing feat had turned our vulnerability to a strategic asset for us. NEWater plants and the Marina Barrage are good examples for other countries to learn from. Governments should also launch more useful and practical campaigns to educate the public sectors on careful usage of water resources.

Implementing tariffs is another good way to stop people from using too much water. However, having tariffs would mean that the government would have direct control over the utility. This may not be a good thing as corruption is often the core of governance crisis in the water sector.

In conclusion, water is a finite and precious resource. It is vital and essential for us to live so let’s not waste it!