The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral

crisis, Dante Alighieri. This quote to me - is of the most profound nature, especially for this day
and age where so much seems to be going wrong (which in retrospect is a fallacy in relativism since
the world has always suffered near-constant strife and turmoil, its just that recent innovations in
information dissemination has allowed for instantaneous and wide-reaching reporting of such
incidents and events). In my most humble opinion, I would stress that the unforeseen dark-horse
crisis of our generation will be the impending water global shortages due to unsustainable growth
and irresponsible wastage.
Historically, water has been a flashpoint for conflict throughout the world and if pass
indications are anything to go by, water will continue to be the source of struggles to come. A United
Nations report released back in March 2015 again emphasizes the call for water usage to be made
sustainable as the onset of a water crisis looms. The sobering report points out that if we carry on to
use water in the way that we do now, only 60 percent of the water that we need by 2030 will be
available. Furthermore, it is also noted that about 20 percent of the worlds underground water
reserves are overexploited, at present. This impending disaster can be attributed to three main
factors: exponential population growth, inefficient water infrastructures as well as industrial and
domestic water mismanagement.
Firstly, global population growth will put a strain on our water distribution channels as more
and more people rely on the same channels. Speaking of water distribution infrastructure, 1.2 billion
people live in areas with inadequate water supply. And to touch on water mismanagement, large
amounts of water are used for industrial processes like cooling energy production systems and
cleaning machinery. Besides, in areas of current water availability, water is used liberally in domestic
households without second thought. These actions all lead to an inevitable breakdown in our ability
to provide water to the human race as two-thirds of us face water scarcity by 2025.
In order to solve this problem, we must look at the factors at fault. Realistically, exponential
human population growth is unavoidable but geographically, government policies can influence
external and internal migration patterns and prevent overcrowding of cities already brimming with
people. This can buy time for said cities to rebuilt and expand water delivery infrastructure to cope
with rising population numbers. In that, governments must also develop better infrastructure outside
main cities as well, to provide water access to the rest of the population. Furthermore, governments
should increase research and spending on more efficient methods to purify and deliver safe water.
Only further water innovation can catch up with exponential population growth. In terms of water
wastage, I propose that governments implement quota and rationing for water per household to
discourage wastage as well as utilizing education as the long-term answer to prevent unnecessary
waste.