Global drought
Webster defined drought as a period of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting in a prolonged shortage in its water supply, be it atmospheric, surface, or underground. A drought can last for months, years, or even decades. Today’s world is faced with the fact that many countries around the world have wasted their natural freshwater resources to the point where very critical shortages are already occurring. However, what is surprising is that the Earth provides all living things with abundant amounts of rain and snow to survive. The logistics of transporting fresh water to areas facing severe shortages are hampered by monetary restrictions that always prevent those areas from receiving help due to their water shortage.
Whether from greed, the inhumanity of man or simply ignorance, these are the main reasons why millions of people now face an acute shortage of clean and fresh water. It is very evident to see that the availability of abundant fresh water is the first and foremost requirement for any other project. Without abundant fresh water available, any future development, be it new construction for homes or businesses or for agriculture, will end in failure. What is a major contributor to global water scarcity is due to man’s gluttony for fossil fuel consumption over the past 100 years. Our insistence on relying on fossil fuels has intensified global warming to the point where we are faced with a global catastrophe of epic proportions. This disaster is happening right now in areas of the Middle East and will spread throughout the world if we do not use the technologies that are now available to usher in an era of progress to eliminate the massive consumption of fossil fuel sources. We also have to coordinate global initiatives to end the drought conditions that are already occurring around the world.
In Egypt, due to the lack of sufficient infrastructure to catch rain runoff, the last days of heavy rains and subsequent floods carried tons of earth and other containment into the Nile. The Nile is the main supplier of fresh water to the Nile. all over Egypt and now it has been inundated with crevices and sewage that have forced the closure of virtually all its water treatment centers. This is just a sample of the monumental task of ensuring abundant fresh water for Egypt. The situation is also dire for other countries in the Middle East. The availability of potable fresh water has caused prices to skyrocket to the point that millions still suffer because they cannot afford the rising costs now associated with acquiring fresh water from the entire region.
The United States is also not immune to a lack of clean, fresh water. Flint Michigan is a prime example of man’s carelessness in not providing fresh water to the people of Flint, Michigan. Coastal regions like Florida also have inadequate measures to provide fresh water to the growing population. Due to the vulnerability of the Southeast to tropical storms and hurricanes, the infrastructure in place to catch rain and storm runoff is woefully inadequate. And, whatever it rains, the rain goes directly to the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. Across the United States, people face fresh water shortages, mounting costs, and worse, their water is cut off just because they can’t pay the water bill. With so much emphasis on the recent Dakota Pipeline, where so much media attention is drawn, we should really focus on water transportation rather than oil. Man can live quite well without oil, but he cannot live long without fresh water.
We must remember that before modern times the Incas were able to sustain their culture above the rain line by collecting dew and channeling it into cisterns for later distribution. Historical records indicate the use of water-harvesting fog fences. These traditional methods have generally been completely passive, requiring no external power source other than natural temperatures. And, if ancient Rome can build aqueducts to supply Rome with more than enough fresh water, just think of what man can build today using our available technologies. We have already developed water technologies far superior to those deployed by the Incas. There should be no reason why someone anywhere in the world should suffer from a lack of fresh water available. And yet, wars are continually being fought over water rights. Today, the rising costs associated with a lack of clean water have put humanity on the brink of a catastrophe that, if not addressed immediately, will add to the unfolding of a disaster of epic proportions that will soon explode on a global scale.
Yet it remains the greed of man, whether for corporate profit, political profit, or the power to control populations, the available technologies that would greatly reduce global tensions due to the lack of fresh drinking water available never arrive. the areas that benefit the most. When there are water companies that use free solar power to harness enough fresh water directly from the atmosphere, but deliberately keep the costs of the technology prohibitive, it only further exacerbates water scarcity. It is imperative that in order to defuse a ticking bomb due to a lack of fresh drinking water, these technologies are made available to the areas and countries that are most at risk of suffering from a lack of fresh water. In the end, the water companies will be more profitable and the global suffering of the populations will be alleviated. All because now they will have fresh water available without having to fight for water rights.