Water, the Elixir of Life   

Auteur : Ramyani Mukherjee

Note :

Enquête : ->

Pays : Inde

Lieu : kolkata

Langue :

Tip, tap! Pitter patter! The drops of rain struck against the glass window pane and slid down the glass like a slithering snake making its way down to the bottom of the window sill where it joined its fellow drops of rain in happy reconciliation. I sat by the window looking at the shimmering drops of rain sliding down the window pane sparkling and glittering like diamond drops and making its way down to the sill. The world outside looked even fresher and greener. It had been very hot since the past few days. Dry Mother Earth had been yearning for at least a single drop of water to quench her thirst. If only it rained!!! Even if a divine being waved its magic wand and caused water to rain down from her wand, it would do… Her wish had been fulfilled. The dark clouds had arrived, showering their heavy content of the divine and thirst-quenching water, and had filled up the rivers and lakes till the brim. The trees looked greener and as I looked out of the window, it seemed to me that the rain had washed away all the sins and sorrows from the earth and purified the earth and had helped Mother Earth acquire a serene and enchanting appearance. What is responsible for the beautification of Mother Earth? Why, it is the rainwater, of course!

Water is a very important factor of our lives. It is an essential natural resource and it is certainly one of those resources which we cannot do without. The earth is a large and beautiful planet and is the only known planet in the solar system to support life. It is said that the earth looks blue from space. This is because of the presence of water on earth in large quantities. The earth consists of blue water, land and dense green forests. The earth is covered three-fourths with sparkling blue water, like a shimmering blue blanket, filling up oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, streams and ponds. Most of the water is present in oceans and seas. Only 20.9% of water on the earth is fresh water- water suitable for consumption, cooking, utility and various other activities. The major source of water is rainwater and rivers largely depend on this particular source of water for irrigation.
Water is known as the ‘Elixir of life’. Water means life. Living beings would perish without water and clearly, there would have been no possibility of life on earth. Moreover we know that early human civilizations blossomed around rivers where there would be sufficient quantities of water to meet the needs of people, like the Indus Valley civilization beside river Indus, Mesopotamia civilization beside Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Water is used for drinking by animals and plants and it is also essential for plants. If a plant is not watered for a few days, it starts drooping and the leaves start becoming dry and they gradually shrivel away. Water is also used for cooking, bathing, washing clothes, for entertainment purposes, cleaning, experiments, and gardening and in a variety of other purposes. Water is also important for agriculture. Water makes the crop plants grow and without it crops and trees would all get dried and then die. Water bodies are also used for navigation and boating. Water bodies like sparkling and shimmering blue lakes, streams and rivers and the gushing and majestic waterfalls revealing their silvery white foams and bubbles, beautify the landscape and also add a heavenly touch to tourist spots.
Water is an abundant natural resource but its availability has become scarce due to its uneven distribution.
Water in oceans and seas is abundant but unfit for our use as this is salty water. A large amount of soluble salts are dissolved in it and hence makes it impossible for consumption and other uses. Only the water in rivers and lakes is fresh water. Although we know that water is very essential four needs and activities and only a very small quantity of fresh water is available on earth, we humans tend to misuse water and pollute it. River water is very useful to us for drinking, bathing etc. However the thoughtless activities of humans lead to the pollution of river water. There are two sources of water pollution:
1) Point source-The industries, factories, power plants and oil wells discharge their untreated sewage and waste directly into the water bodies. However, it is possible to treat these wastes and effluents i.e. convert them into less harmful substances before discharging them into the water.
2) Non point sources- These include run off from fields, lawns, streets and construction sites. These are difficult to regulate and monitor.
People are bathing and washing clothes in rivers and thus a large amount of soaps and synthetic detergents, which are mainly composed of petroleum products, enter the river water. Industries also discharge their untreated wastes and effluents into the rivers. These waste discharges consist mainly of poisonous chemicals and metal particles like lead, arsenic, chlorine and mercury. They also contain poisonous gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, etc. These chemicals and gases mix with water and pose a great threat to aquatic life and harm frogs, fish, aquatic insects and plants living in these rivers and ponds, thus causing great damage to their ecosystem and thereby killing them. The sewage waste in water bodies increase the growth of phytoplanktons which result in the depletion of oxygen dissolved in water. When the phytoplanktons die their decomposition also use up most of the oxygen dissolved in water. This results in the depletion of most of the oxygen in water and increases the growth of algae in water. This is called Eutrophication. Fishes are a rich source of protein and as they perish in polluted water bodies, there is also a decrease in the population of fish. People also dump their garbage and sewage in rivers. Run-off from fields, lawns, construction sites and streets also enter the water bodies and these are difficult to monitor and regulate. Now the same polluted water is also being used for consumption. This polluted water on consumption harms our digestive system and cause many diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice, dysentery in animals and humans, and thus they fall ill. Farmers also spray pesticides, insecticides and germicides on their crops to increase their yield and ensure their health and safeguard them from insects and pests. The chemicals present in the pesticides and insecticides seep through the ground and reach the water table and thus pollute underground water too, thus affecting the water table. Thus through our own thoughtless activities, we are ringing the death knell for us and all other living beings. Do we plan to kill ourselves???
Human activities are not only leading to pollution of water but to its shortage as well…We greatly misuse and waste water, without perceiving that it is a wonder liquid and the only liquid which is a means for our subsistence. We leave taps open while we are bathing or brushing our teeth and also while washing our hands. Thus a lot of water gets wasted and runs down the drain. It is not only fresh water but sea water is getting polluted as well. Industrial wastes and discharge are let out into the seas. Oil spills from tankers also pollute the water and cause serious threat to marine life. There is a shortage of drinking water everywhere. Based on modern research and the present day condition of the earth, it is assumed that there is going to be an increased shortage of water within a few years and it will also be difficult to get pure water. Almost all water bodies on earth will be filled with waste and garbage, plastics and non-biodegradable wastes. These days, forests are being cut to meet the growing needs of man for cultivation, housing and setting up industries, and so there is also a shortage of rain as trees in forests help in maintaining the water cycle and help in bringing rainfall.
We should all conserve water. The problem of water pollution is being looked into these days and governments are taking several steps to control water pollution and overuse of water. In 1974 and 1976 the two acts called the Water (preservation and control of pollution) Act and Water Amendment Act were passed by the Indian Government to minimize water pollution. In industries the sewage and effluents should be treated before discharging them in the rivers and seas for e.g. the end pipe technique. People should also avoid throwing waste and dumping garbage into the water bodies and keep them clean. By proper methods of effluent disposal and proper ways of utilizing water in small quantities we can soon overcome pollution and shortage of water. Several programmes are being organized to create awareness about the importance of water in our life.
Each little drop of water,

Makes up our life, even a half and quarter,
A hundred drops put together, fill up the rivers, lakes and streams,
And make our earth a planet blue, green and our land of dreams.

If we do not change our perception, the earth will soon be barren. The seas will no longer be filled with water, but a stretch of vast barren land, stretching miles after miles with dried up stones and dead fish, plants and octopus and sharks, will be seen all around. There will be no sign of life. There will be dead trees and flowers, run down houses, withered brown leaves which have lost their shade of velvety green which had once imparted beauty to them. Not a trace of the sparkling blue anywhere.
So to prevent this fate
Let us not wait,
But start conserving water
Each and every quarter.
We all have a debt to pay to Mother Earth. We can show our gratitude by conserving and protecting our natural resources, one of them being water, and make the earth a sparkling blue place to live in with traces of green and brown here and there.

I sat by the window looking up at the sky. The rain had stopped. The world looked happy and beautiful with the golden sun peeping out through the clouds revealing her golden magical light to the earth which fell on the wet trees and earth and imparted a golden and shining appearance to them, as if they had been turned to gold by just one kiss of the sunrays, like the golden touch of king Midas. And high up there in the sky, overlooking the green and beautiful earth was the queen of the seven divine colours-the rainbow. The sight of the marvelous rainbow soon spread a smile on my face and my heart was filled with delight, like a ray of sunshine. There stood Queen Rainbow high up in the blue, blue sky with her crown of red on her head. The magical rainbow, which has the power of spreading happiness and leaving others mesmerized by its beauty, was formed, once again with the help of the elixir of life-water- and a blend of sunshine along with that…

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Mots-clés : water, pollution, sources, rain water, elixir, life, oceans, oil spills

Contexte NEOS : Nature et environnement

Thèmes

Nature et environnement

L'eau et les cours d’eau
Les océans
Pollutions