The Importance of Water: Supply, Demand, and Solutions

As humans, we should know how important water is to us. It gives us life. Perhaps
though, we take it for granted. Many people dont realize how important water is and the
extremes that many people go to so they can have it.
Though we breathe air and live on land, we still continuously seek out water. Water is
our life source; without it, humans would be dead in 3 days. Other creatures can go much longer
without water, but when it comes down to it, they would also die without it. Perhaps this is why
we constantly feel drawn to the lake or ocean, as it was pointed out in a travel industry report.
About 90% of people traveling for the holidays chose somewhere near a body of water (Angier
D1).
As with vacationers, locals also like to be near the water. People like to build houses
where they have a view of the lake, but they also like to have a lake that has water in it, says
Robinson(Flakus). In Dallas, Texas, most of the water is supplied by local reservoirs. Recently,
the water level has been dropping, which leads to a large strain on the over 1 and half million
Texas locals the reservoirs provide water to. Regulations are being put in place to limit the water
usage, but as the population grows, they need to tap more resources. Theyve used up the cheap
resources, so it is only natural that they now have to move on to the more expensive ones
(Flakus).
Texas faces these problems, but so does a lot of the world. Many people try to solve this
by creating dams and large and expensive projects to get water where they need it, but Larry
Mays, an engineering professor, sees a different solution. He thinks we need to start utilizing
more of the classic solutions, such as aqueducts. Pietro Laureano, an architect, agrees with him.
He has been assisting people in Peru resurrect thousand year old irrigation systems. Different

organizations help with this; Pump Aid helps southern Africa farmers create foot pumps from an
ancient Chinese design. These acts have been paying off. A community in Africa now has a
covered tank for storing their water supply, something they could only dream of before. Its
enough to sustain them for over half their dry season. Perhaps these solutions arent so primitive
after all (Caryl 71).
It is quite apparent how important water is. It sustains our lives. No matter where you
live, your access to water is essential to your survival. As we try to find different ways to get
water, to purify it, and to store it, it is important to consider all of our options. A lot of the time,
new technology can pollute our water, so we should not ignore those who have done this before
us. Clean water is the best water.

Works Cited
Angrier, Natalie. Small, Yes, But Mighty: The Molecule Called Water. New York Times
July 2010: D1. Print
Caryl, Christian. Cool, Clear Water: The Forgotten Virtues of Ancient Water-Supply
Technologies. Newsweek Oct. 2007: 71. Print
Flakus, George. Water Shortage Strains Urban Areas in Western United States.