Silal Anwar
by Silal Anwar
Water. The minuscule molecule that all living existence owes a massive debt to. Were it not water, none of us would have existed and the world would a barren wasteland with not a speck of life to be seen. It was in water that the initial primordial soup was conceived leading to the creation of organic molecules that ultimately formed the first of organisms and then all life as we know it. Were it not water, no organic compound would have ever formed as we know it is through the process of hydrolysis and condensation that these molecules form and break. These processes would have been impossible if it were not for the existence of water. However, despite the inconceivable importance of water, we humans unfortunately take it for granted leading to catastrophic consequences due to our misuse of the life giving elixir.
In history, water has built great civilizations and crushed many. Abrahamic religions speak of the tale of Noah and the great flood and how it drowned all existence but that on the ark itself. Greek legends speak of the advanced island civilization of Atlantis and how its hubris led to its descent into the murky depths of the Atlantic Ocean. The cradle of civilization aka Mesopotamia emerged in the middle of two rivers; the Euphrates and the Tigris. The ancient Sumerians owed their development to the existence of these rivers without whom they might have never become one of the leading civilizations of the era. The Indus River Civilization flourished due to its proximity to the Indus and withered when the river changed route. All in all humanity has had an intimate history with water and that is a lesson we should take to the heart. Water cannot be misused and must be managed correctly lest it causes catastrophe.
Today in Pakistan in particular, clean water is no longer considered a renewable resource. Being an agrarian economy, Pakistan is particularly dependent on freshwater for its existence; freshwater that comes from the five tributaries of the Indus and the rich Indus Aquifer beneath our feet. However, with such dependence comes neglect as well. With our lack of infrastructure to harness the rivers to their full potential, we have turned our eyes towards the Indus Aquifer and have bored into the ground to exploit it. This has become a problem because the aquifer has both increasingly become contaminated with arsenic and microorganisms as well as dropped to levels that are alarming. “In Lahore the groundwater table currently varies between 14 to 43 m, and is dropping an average of 0.84 m per year” (Akhtar). The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi face dire water shortage to this day. The indiscriminate pumping of groundwater has lowered the water table to such levels that the cities struggle to meet the water demand of the populace. Moreover, the contamination of this drinking water by coliforms, protozoa and bacterium such as E-Coli in the aquifer is known to cause a plethora of waterborne diseases such as hepatitis and diarrhea. These diseases are known to cause more than 2.5 million deaths per year (Daud et al) in Pakistan which is perhaps a threat much larger than the current pandemic COVID-19 but not as apparent. This highlights the pressing need for measures for a sustainable supply of water in Pakistan.
There have been many proposed methods of combating the clean water shortage including but not limited to: distillation of seawater, sewage treatment plants, the building of small dams, reservoirs and canals to harness more of the potential of the Indus River and its tributaries. However, much of these ideas come with a drawback to them; they are either too expensive, too long term or are unsustainable in a country like Pakistan. However, that does not mean that we should just give up on sustainable and sanitary water. There are cheaper and tried alternatives that have been successful in a number of countries and one of these includes the idea of ‘constructed wetlands'. Natural wetlands are perhaps the waste treatment plants of Mother Nature. The wetlands flora are known to house a rich collection of bacterium that are adept decomposers of waste and other pollutants such as nitrates. Constructed wetlands harness this decomposing potential of nature as a cheaper and environment friendly alternative to massive power extensive sewage plants. Municipal wastewater is entered on one end of the wetlands and through a system of tanks, plants, grills and gravel, it exits as clean water that only needs to be chlorinated in order for safe usage. This is equivalent to water treated by expensive sewage treatment plants which are slow to set up, cost much more to set up and operate. Constructed wetlands might very well be Pakistan’s dream solution to the contamination and depletion of groundwater. Moreover, it is already being used in a number of countries including the United States where the massive Sewanee Wetlands has come into existence and is now a popular park for tourists to marvel at the wonders of nature and how it has been used for the betterment of humanity.
However, despite how great an idea it may seem, an idea remains an idea without the support to bring it to reality. It is the civic duty of every individual to step forward and contribute to the sustainability of water as best they can. Researchers are needed for studying the effectiveness of wetlands in context to specific cities in order to utilize them to their full efficiency, funds are needed to set these facilities up and personnel are needed to run them. Even if someone is unable to help in these regards, there are a number of other ways one could contribute which include raising public awareness, preventing the wastage of water and much more. The simple act of closing the tap while brushing one’s teeth, alone could prove to be a great contribution to the conservation of freshwater. If a person can use a bucket to wash their car instead of the garden hose, they will have done a great deed for humanity. All actions no matter how trivial count, for as ironical as it may sound; ‘drop by drop, a river is formed’. The world has provided for humanity for many millennia and it is time for the prodigal son that is humanity to give back to the world to restore it to its pristine condition as best they can. Water is love, water is life and water can be our doom if we are not careful. Hence let’s all take a stance and strive for a cleaner world, a cleaner Pakistan, a cleaner neighborhood and definitely cleaner water.
Works cited
Akhtar, Malik Muhammad. “Contamination Potential Assessment of Potable Groundwater in Lahore, Pakistan”, Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. June 2014 http://www.pjoes.com/Contamination-Potential-Assessment-of-Potable-r-nGroundwater-in-Lahore-Pakistan,89385,0,2.html
M. K. Daud, Muhammad Nafees, Shafaqat Ali, et al., “Drinking Water Quality Status and Contamination in Pakistan,” BioMed Research International, vol. 2017, Article ID 7908183, 18 pages, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7908183
