You don’t know how much you rely on something until it’s not there.
Take water, for instance.
I got up this morning and did what I always do first thing. Then I went to flush the toilet and……… nothing.
Confused, I turned on the bathroom sink faucet. A small trickle.
What? No water? But how will I bathe? Change the water in Rumpy’s bowl?
How will I drink coffee????????
OK, perhaps it’s not quite so dire. After all, I do have my emergency water supply, so I have plenty of water for the gang and for my coffee. And I wasn’t working today anyway, so I can hold off on a bath.
I am inconvenienced, but mildly so. Imagine if I was one of the over one billion people who lack access to water. It’s not something we here in the US often consider. But with drought conditions in parts of the country and water shortages becoming a real issue for many, I may be getting a small taste of things to come.
Will there come a day when the number of toilet flushes I make is regulated? Will there be times I turn the sink faucet on and there’s no water?
Could be. According the the World Wildlife Fund’s website, by 2025 two-thirds of the earth’s human population will likely experience water scarcity. As that happens, the threat to wildlife will be even more dire.
So enjoy that morning flush, my friends, for there may soon come a day when that will no longer be possible.
Dogpaddling Through Life 
We became water conscious before we sold our house by changing over to a water meter. It more than halved our water supply bill.
These days living on the boat we have to manually fill our tank and have calculated that a full tank will last us about a month, though we try not to let it go below half unless we plan to go away. Our loo is of the cassette variety, so only requires a small flush. Our worst extravagance was letting the tap run when we cleaned our teeth, but that has now been rectified and we don’t ‘run’ anything!
We could all learn from your frugality! If only more of us would choose to live that way.
We have water in the house but no outside water for watering our plants today. Maybe it is a sign.
Right. Are you in one of the drought areas of south FL?
We are in the Tampa Bay area. There is no drought hear that I know about.
No, you are probably still water-logged!
It seems there is always too much water in one place and too little in another.
We’re on water restriction in So. Calif. Scary especially with all the fires.
I can imagine!!!! Here we worry about hurricanes and flooding but you have to worry about a lack of water!
This issue would certainly require us to think a little..
Maybe technology would take a huge leap by then to convert the available water sources useful to the inhabitants..
There are those working to desalinate water, though the technology is still too expensive for widespread use. There are also those who are looking at alternative toilets that don’t require water.
Yes.. We indeed need a leap in that front to tackle these issues of widespread concern.. Let’s hope!
Yes that blob of orange in Australia is smack dab where i live..water is gold here..dams are still way down..hardly any rain this Winter and Summer is going to be dangerous…Every drop is precious…recycling and reusing very important..our septic system recycle to gardens that do not have veggies and still it’s bone dry..we are burning off dead scrub before summer and in particular the dreaded hedge wattle..even when alive and green it goes up with no help..nickname petrol bush..we need rain..and we need some serious change to attitudes towards our environment..domino effect..everywhere..
We are all related, and what one does has an impact on the rest of us. If only we as a people valued each other instead of worshiped money and those that exploit the rest of us to get it. I mean, really? Donald Trump is leading in our presidential election polls? All he’s ever done is exploit people! And we want to make him the leader of our country?
We have no better joy here believe me…we are floundering..
I’ve been water conscious since my aunt in Calabasas, California educated me about the scarce resource of water when I was in my early teens. Living in desert Baja California El Norte for the better part of a year 2014-2015 educated me about polluted groundwater and how precious water really is.
I’m in a wet area of east Texas now and despite the plethora of water around me I’m still scandalized by excessive (IMO) water use. We all need to be appreciative of the precious liquid we depend upon for life. I still tend to operate on water scarcity terms most of the time – it is just habit now. Maybe someday that will pay off in more water for someone else to use. I dunno.
Keep up the good educational work!
It blows my mind how we just assume water will always be there when we know there is scarcity in some parts of the world. I guess we just assume it will always be there….. until it isn’t.
The first place I remember living is North Dakota where there were Badlands and burning coal mines. The next place I remember living a southern Idaho where without irrigation there would be nothing but sagebrush desert. It blows my mind to think that other people could think that water is never-ending. Even in Massachusetts which is a pretty water heavy state I remember in I think it was 1997 there was a drought that was so bad that the fish were dying in the Merrimack River. Never assume the water will always be there at least not potable water. 😔
Here in Florida, a state mostly surrounded by water, has parts that are suffering from drought. There is plenty of water, but salt water won’t keep life on this planet.
…but it might cure polio…? (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Big corporations sucking the water out of the water table is causing so much damage. And then…then there is that lunatic from Nestles…who does not believe people have a right to water, but should pay for it.
Many of us already do pay for water use.
Well we sort of do, in our council rates. I have no problem paying for them to be able to get it to my door…but the rest is crap if you ask me.
Years back there was a water shortage in NYC – water not served in restaurants unless requested, limited car washing and watering of lawns, etc. I started to turn the water on and off when I brushed my teeth rather than let it run. Now even though we have water, I still do that. I run the dishwasher only when full and don’t let the water run when I hand wash dishes, and try to save water wherever I can.
One of our doorman was watering down the sidewalk so much so that the landlord saw the water bill shoot up. When they found out, he was not allowed to touch the hose, which I thought was great because I was constantly walking in with wet shoes.
I was infuriated when I walked into the ladies room at the Apple store and saw this three-year old standing at the sink and watching the water flow from the faucet she had turned on. The mother was changing a baby and didn’t bother saying anything. I did and turned off the water. I’m sure that mother would have been the first to complain to the city and landlord about not having water. Grrrrrrrrr.
Instead of trying to annihilate Israel and the Jews, countries should look to Israel for help with desalinisation of water. They have been doing it for years. http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/06/14/413981435/israel-bringing-its-years-of-desalination-experience-to-california
There are also groups looking for ways to take water out of the sewage process. Bill Gates is funding the research.
I’d trust the sea water faster than sewage. Just saying.
Sometimes those life inconveniences put things into proper perspective and make us realize life is not an endless spigot of resources to use up. Thanks for the reminder (but I hope you get water restored quickly). 😉