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Water ,Water Everywhere?
-Ar. Jwalant Dave
The 1995 post apocalyptic sci-fi movie Waterworld begins with a scene that shows the protagonist, The Mariner (portrayed by Kevin Costner) standing on a catamaran like vessel floating in the midst of a vast ocean, as he takes a leak into a triangular shaped plastic cup. He picks the cup up and empties its contents into a crudely assembled contraption that resembles a hand-pump fused to a chemistry experiment and an IV drip. He then proceeds to pump it a few times, as the machine emits mechanical sputtering sounds, and opens an antiquated looking tap at the bottom of the machine to release a tiny stream of water that only half fills a metal cup fixed at its base. Finally he picks up the metal cup and takes a very satisfied drink of the freshly “recycled” water. Although his expression would have one wondering if it wasn’t his favourite single malt scotch that he just took a swig of. Sounds quite gross, or maybe like something one would only ever epect Bear Grylls do, doesn’t it? But it may not be very far from our own reality in the very near future.
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expect Bear Grylls do, doesn’t it? But it may not be very far from our own reality in the very near future. In 2018, the South African city of Cape Town found itself dangerously close to getting the unique distinction of becoming the world’s first major city to have officially run out of fresh water. Water levels in the city’s Western Cape Water Supply System reduced to less than 20% of its total capacity, making the possibility of the Day Zero scenario to appear very very real. The people of Cape Town as well as the authorities, came together in a concerted effort at reduce the amount of water they were using and more importantly, the amount they were wasting, and were eventually successful in averting the Day Zero crisis. And, it is important to note the use of the word averting here, since the crisis was only barely avoided. There remains a very real possibility of it reoccurring if the delicate balance achieved between water consumption and storage gets disturbed. The fragility of this balance,
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1/ DECEMBER 2019
