{"id":974,"date":"2007-03-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-03-20T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/974\/water-pollution-a-grim-reality\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T17:05:20","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T09:05:20","slug":"water-pollution-a-grim-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/story\/974\/water-pollution-a-grim-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Water pollution, a grim reality?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\tToday\u2019s celebration of World Water Day with the theme \u201cCoping with water scarcity\u201d is a reminder of the need to conserve and protect the world\u2019s fresh water sources, if we are to avert an impending crisis concerning humankind\u2019s most valuable resource.\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n \"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

\n <\/span>
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n Treated wastewater being discharged to public canal from a combined wastewater treatment plant of Navanakorn Industrial Estate.\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Water sustains life. The extremely rich biodiversity of
\nSoutheast Asia is a testament to the abundance of freshwater
\nsystems and high rainfallthat support life. The Mekong River of
\nMainland Southeast Asia, Chao Phraya of Thailand, and the other
\nrivers and lakes of the region are important sources of food, water
\nfor various uses, medicines, energy, minerals, etc. More
\nimportantly, these surface waters as well as the underground
\naquifers provide communities with drinking water.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the development path that countries in Southeast
\nAsia have taken is one that is highly disruptive to the
\nhydrological cycles. Aquifers, which store precious ground water,
\nhave lost their water-holding capacities due to massive
\ndeforestation such as those experienced in Indonesia and the
\nPhilippines. Over-exploitation of water sources for industrial and
\ndomestic purposes has contributed to the rapid depletion of already
\nlimited freshwater resources. These disruptions have severely
\ncompromised the ability of the forests to “catch” and then “shed”
\nthe water into streams, rivers and reservoirs, as well as the
\ncapacity of aquifers to recharge.<\/p>\n

Data from the World Bank shows global per capita renewable
\nfreshwater resource of 7,045 cubic meters per year. Within
\nSoutheast Asia, there is a wide disparity among countries. Lao PDR
\nand Malaysia have the highest per capita renewable freshwater
\nresource per year at 35,049 cubic meters and 26,074 cubic meters,
\nrespectively. Thailand and the Philippines are among the lowest
\nwith 1,907 and 1,854 cubic meters, respectively. Meanwhile,
\nSingapore has no renewable freshwater resource and is importing its
\nwater to meet its demands.<\/p>\n

Thus, water scarcity is an issue that communities and
\ngovernments must face and address in the next few years. Some
\nquarters speculate that the next world war will be fought over
\nwater. Hostilities are starting to erupt not only in water-starved
\nregions in the world but also in areas where abundant freshwater
\nsources have conflicting uses such as in the Mekong River. At a
\nsmaller scale, communities are now battling companies for rights
\nand access to drinking water.<\/p>\n

\n

\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But an equally alarming reality is that water quality has been
\nsteadily declining through the years. Siltation from deforestation,
\nmining and other land conversion activities, saltwater intrusion
\nfrom over-extraction of water from underground aquifers, biological
\npollution from untreated sewage, chemical pollution from industrial
\nand agricultural sources, as well as indiscriminate dumping of
\ngarbage on water bodies, have all contributed to degrading water
\nquality. Pollution has made already scarce water resources even
\nscarcer. According to the Asian Development Bank, one out of three
\nAsians still do not have access to a sustainable source of safe
\ndrinking water and 50% still do not have sanitation services.<\/p>\n

\"Water<\/p>\n

With dirty, polluted water come increasing cases of water borne
\ndiseases as well as other sickness caused by chemical pollution.\u00a0
\nIn 1992, the World Health Organization pegged the number of infant
\ndeaths per year from exposure to contaminated waters at 500,000 in
\nSoutheast Asia, while a study in 1997 by the ADB identified lead
\nfrom industrial sources as the major contaminant in water
\nsources.<\/p>\n

While there have been many efforts to clean up dirty bodies of
\nwater and waterways, and many governments have made attempts to
\nenforce water standards (such as the Philippines’ Clean Water Act,
\nor Thailand’s Pollution Control Act), these can be at best only
\ninterim measures.<\/p>\n

If we are to protect our valuable water resources, changes have
\nto be made in the way we see and treat our environment. The real
\nsolutions to protecting water quality must begin at the sources of
\npollution. One such effective and lasting measure is the
\nimplementation of clean production processes. By eliminating the
\nuse of toxics from the very first steps of production, pollution of
\nwater sources can be effectively prevented.<\/p>\n

Our constant exposure to polluted fresh water sources-clogged,
\nor foul smelling river and lakes, as well as contaminated
\ngroundwater-have made water pollution a given, a reality we have
\nlearned to accept. Thus, we focus on technology meant to ‘clean up’
\npollution rather than prevent it, and draft laws that merely
\nregulate the extent of toxicity in water, rather than prohibit it
\ncompletely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

An equally alarming reality is that water quality has been
\nsteadily declining through the years. Pollution has made already
\nscarce water resources even scarcer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

We must learn to unlearn this ‘reality.’\u00a0 Clean water is the
\ngiven we must protect if we are to ensure that our water will
\ncontinue to sustain life well into the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Get involved!<\/h3>\n

Sign up for the free Greenpeace online activist e-zine. You’ll get our newsletter and occasional alerts about ways you and a million people like you all over the world can take action to ensure a green and peaceful future.<\/a><\/p>\n

Support us!<\/h3>\n

We rely on donations from people like you to keep us going and keep us independent. Your help makes investigations like this possible. Donate today.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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