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Essay Drinking Water Shortage and Water Conservation

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Human beings and ecological systems depend on water for survival (Kenneth). No human, animal or plant can survive for long without this essential commodity. For us humans, water is the driving engine of most of our economic and recreational activities. For instance, we depend on water for the production of energy in industries, transportation and outdoor recreation. Most of us equally depend on water for the provision of amenity and cultural values. Barlow and Clarke state that one cannot simply whisk away the crisis of fresh water we have in the world today (25). For us, fresh water is very essential for direct consumption. A huge majority of plants and animals also depend on fresh water for survival. Experts predict that if we do not …show more content…

The first solution would lie in addressing the amount of water we use for agricultural purposes (McCarthy). In the United States of America, millions of tons of agricultural output are realized courtesy of over-pumping. To address the concern of diverting a lot of water for agricultural use, farmers ought to adopt water conserving agricultural practices. That would include changing certain cropping methods and adopting the use of drip-sprinklers instead of the traditional horse pipes. Some would argue against such a move as being a contributing factor to food shortages. The truth is that it would in fact prevent wastages that are occasioned by surplus production. Most farmers in the U.S. are normally engaged in commercial agriculture. By adhering to apt agricultural practices, they would save the country from producing excess products that would simply be wasted. Water harvesting during rainy seasons would also be a good way to conserve the finite fresh water. This would not only ensure that a lot of water is not wasted in irrigation, but would also result in cost cutting for farmers. In addition to saving on the cost of irrigation water, farmers would not incur a lot of electricity costs that accrue from pumping water from rivers or lakes. For such a solution to be arrived at, the federal government would have to play a central role. It would have to come up with policies and legislations that govern

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