By Zabih Ullah Khattak (Pakistan)

Water is a life line that cannot be denied for more than a day. Every species including flora and fauna survive by water and live until the supply of water is cut. Despite a vast area containing water, a minimum scale of 1.2% water is suitable for drinking. Water crisis is a looming issue that has induced a sense of worry regarding its decline. Moreover, the water crisis is not new to us but for centuries people across the globe have been facing this stark issue. Lack of fresh water exerts heavy pressure on the lower and lower-middle class who are the eventual victims of this unfortunate crisis. The people who are enduring the water crisis can feel the brunt of it and their severity does not seem to end. Irrespective of the fact that several organizations like WaterAid, Alliance for Water efficiency and The Nature Conservancy etc are working but still water issue become a hard topic when something unusual hits us.

Digging further into the issue, one can observe that nature is not the sole reason for the water crisis but we have a share in reverberating and maintaining the water crisis. According to UNEP, every year 19-23 tons of plastic waste is wasted into the sea which has drastic consequences and pose significant threat to the ecosystem. Furthermore, leading economies are less likely to bother about the environmental crisis posed by their lust for wealth. Nevertheless, those who are not paying attention to the looming issue will ultimately taste the sourness of the fruits which have been sowed by them. Although, there is no firsthand effect on them but it can be assumed that the fire will not confine to a section but will engulf the entire world.

As the Water Resources Institute issued the data of Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt are at risk of running out of water. Moreover, the African region is facing severe drought, lower water level and contamination of water that posed several malnutrition problems and drastic effects on their health.

Water crisis is a global problem and can be addressed through holistic and collective efforts. More importantly, those should pay their utmost attention who are real problem creators and shall engage in a serious debate to reduce the intensity of the water crisis.