Why we should treasure water and fear it
Water is not only a friend of society, but it is an absolute essential for the continuation of life. Without water, humans, animals and plants cannot survive. Water is even more important to people than food. We can live much longer without food than we can without water.
In the developed countries, we take water very much for granted, although we should regard it as a valued friend. We are used to turning on a tap in our bathroom or kitchen and seeing water flowing from it. We drink water when we are thirsty. we make tea and coffee with it, we use it for cooking and we use it to wash with and to bathe in.
Water also plays a major part in the natural world around us. A very large part of the earth is covered in water. We see water in the seas, rivers, streams and lakes. We also see it in the reservoirs that are the source of our household water supplies.
Unfortunately, not every society is lucky enough to benefit from such a good friend. There are several underdeveloped countries where it does not rain much and which suffer badly from a shortage of water. Of course, this means that there is not enough drinking water for the people and animals. Also, the lack of water can lead to a shortage of food. The crops do not get enough water and they wither and die.
Sometimes it appears that a country has the benefit of water since there are expanses of water all around it. However, water is not always safe to drink. It may contain something that can cause diseases, or it may have been polluted by sewage from factories. Water often has to be treated in some way before it is drinkable and this can be an expensive process. Unfortunately, not all countries can afford to do so. Their inhabitants therefore become ill and die for lack of drinkable water.
Water should be a friend to all. Everyone in all the countries of the world should have the opportunity to enjoy the advantages that a drinkable water supply brings. Governments across the globe should make it their business to help less fortunate countries to achieve such a supply.
Water is a necessity of life and so is an obvious friend to society. However, it can also be an enemy and it can cause loss of lives. Fishermen and sailors, who daily face dangers from the sea, are all too aware of this.
Loss of lives often occurs as a result of flooding, rather than a result of danger from the sea. If there is very heavy rain, rivers can overflow and water can flow over roads and streets and get into houses. Cars can become marooned, and farm and domestic animals can be drowned. People have to be rescued by boats and, sometimes, they also drown. Water does not seem like a friend then.
There are certain areas of the world or certain areas of some countries, where flooding is quite common. People in these areas realize that water can be an enemy and they are used to dealing with this threat. Recently, however, an increasing number of areas are being affected by flooding where this was not common before. Some experts are putting this down to global warming. Sadly, the people in these areas are not used to coping with a threat from water and they have been devastated by it.
Water, thus, plays two important roles in society. It is both a valuable friend and a dangerous enemy.
