“If the war of the twentieth century was for oil, it will be for water in the next century” says former World Bank vice-president Ismail Cera Geldin. Accepting this fact can be a little bit difficult for anyone but soon they will realize the danger and hazard engulfing the mankind. The struggle and effort to overcome the scarcity of water and its resources will begin soon. The water resources of the world are fast getting dried up. The small rivers between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have dried up. Now they are in the form of small lakes. The important rivers in the Middle Eastern and African countries have receded in their flow. The rivers in India have become death-rivers due to the excessive dumping of toxic and chemical wastes into them. Due to the excessive pumping of underground water, the water level has receded to an alarming ratio.
The borders of many nations are determined by the rivers and lakes. This indicates that the right to these water resources should be shared by each country. But the alarming scarcity of water might lead the bordering nations to make efforts to get hold of these resources. This will in turn lead to communal clashes and ultimately to wars and battles. The Tigris-Euphrates runs between Turkey, Iran and Syria. The huge dams built in Turkey for power and irrigation purposes have caused conflicts and arguments among the Syrians. Middle East which is facing acute water shortage is witnessing the building up of heated arguments between Israel and its neighbouring countries on the issue of the Jordan River.
In the midst of these problems and issues corporate and multi-national companies have gone forward in making the water a commodity of trade which brings in huge profits. Today we can see many companies and brands such as Kinley, Aquafina, Prime, Bailey, Bisleri etc. selling bottled drinking water. These companies exhaust the available water resources for their trade purposes and thus create more and severe water shortage related problems.
The above mentioned human crisis needs our keen attention and care. Solution to this crisis must be sought out before it is too late. First and foremost man’s attitude towards the water resources should change. The water on the earth is the property of the whole mankind. One must realise that it is his responsibility to serve his fellow-beings drinking water when he finds it difficult to find some. He must not exploit this situation in order to make profit. This attitude of service to mankind should be sowed in every individual. Besides that he must realize that God is the sole owner of all the resources in the world and they must be utilized according to his will and order.
The water on the earth is not confined to any particular region. Instead rainfall occurs evenly across the globe. Water is made available to every creature on land and water. If anyone tries to utilize more than his allotted share it is bound to create imbalances in nature.
The governments of each country should take initiatives for the distribution of drinking water throughout their countries. The government bodies must take up the task of creating awareness regarding the storage of water and proper use of it.
The new generation needs to be made aware seriously regarding this issue for they are the ones who are going to suffer in the coming centuries. Schools and colleges must give due importance in this matter. As mentioned before the attitude of man towards the resources of the world and its utilization determines the solution of this dangerous crisis engulfing humanity.