Valuing Water
“She is Water, powerful enough to drown you, soft enough to cleanse you,
deep enough to save you.”
This quote by the United Nations Secretary-General reflects the critical importance of water as a need that connects all aspects of human life. People’s well-being and economic development are profoundly linked to the availability and usability of water. “ (Development Advocate, January 31, 2017, Volume 1, Issue 4)
It took some time to reach this point of realization that water is life, and it should be valued and respected accordingly. Water is an excellent blessing for humans, and this special grace distinguishes it from other planets to make Planet Earth livable.
Unfortunately, we as humans could not comprehensively know and understand the value of water in our lives along with the existence of our fellow other natural resources. Our living approach remains ego-centric instead of eco-centric. It was assumed, “the Planet Earth is only for humans to live”.
Water is the driving force for all natural resources on the planet, but it is the victim of human misuse or pollution. As a result, it negatively affects all integral natural components, making the planet habitable. The eco-centric approach facilitates us to understand the equity and equality of sharing the natural resources and giving a chance to all living organisms to survive with human beings. It also enhances the human capacity to live as a steward of natural resources. It leaves these natural resources used for the coming human and the other life forms’ generations.
Water as Natural and Social Asset
Water availability and non-availability have an impact on all walks of life. It has to be dealt with differently; it is essential to involve people in valuing water; only regulations cannot develop a compassionate attitude towards water use, love, and care.
It is an existing asset and cannot be stored or owned like other non-living assets; it changes its shapes and moves from one place to other places (one city to another city or one country to other countries). It is a common observation that water likes to stay longer with the nations or communities; they love, care, and believe it is the greatest blessings of the Creator.
Humans could not value water because of its easy availability from Nature. Generally, it is observed that every human age misuses this great blessing, and as a result, freshwater quantity becomes less and human polluted water quantity increases for the coming generation..