Water is essential for life on Earth, if not in the whole wide Universe.
Its essentialness is even supported by the very built-in sustainable and renewable supply system on planet Earth known as the Hydrological Cycle.
Whilst basically, the total aggregate amount of water on planet Earth has remained unchanged from the Jurassic Age (about 2million years ago), waste water is constantly being “refreshed” and rendered clean and safe even for human consumption by the Hydrological Cycle.
In other words, there is technically no new water on planet Earth today as the same old water is only “refreshed” through the Hydrological Cycle by solar distillation as water on land and sea are evaporated by sunlight to form clouds that fall back to Earth as precipitation: hail stones, snow and rain.
Given that the supply of fresh water on planet Earth is supported by a very robust, sustainable and renewable system that is powered by the free energy of the Sun, mankind ought not suffer from the inadequate supply of clean and safe drinking water.
Empirically, given that only a very small proportion of the Earth’s population rely on direct precipitation (rain, mainly) harvesting as the source of drinking water, but instead on springs, rivers, wells and lakes, the supply of water takes the form of a manufactured or “farmed” commodity rather than a natural renewable and therefore sustainable resource.
Moreover, with the current alarm bells raised over the possibilities or more domains running out of adequate drinking water as a direct consequence of anthropogenic climate change and global warming that delivers less precipitation that will in turn cause rivers, lakes, reservoirs, aquifers and springs to dry up and coupled with increasing air, land and water pollution, the stakes are dire indeed.
However, moving away from the potential of a global reduction in precipitation and assuming that the sum total of rain that will still be delivered by the global Hydrological Cycle, my take is people worldwide will have enough clean and safe water to drink when the globally, humanity in solidarity takes an united shift in paradigm and a change in mindset in the way we view, treat and manage water resources.
The key word in that essential shift in paradigm and change in mindset is:
Decentralization & Personal Empowerment.
In domains where drinking water is supplied, treated by a central system like public utilities board, raw water is rendered clean and safe by basically removing inanimate impurities through flocculation, filtration etc and the sterilization of enterogenic microbes through chlorination, ozonation or ultra-violet sterilization.
Therefore, as far as developed domains are concerned, the supply of clean and safe drinking water is a taken for granted basic facility that the local authorities must deliver or loses it right to be termed a “developed nation”.
However, in other domains where there may not be centralized processed city water, but where reasonably clean or reasonable clear looking water is available by way of rainwater harvesting, well, river, spring or lake, the problem of rendering it safe for drinking from enterogenic microbes still pose a real problem.
The problem of rendering drinking safe from diarrhea casing microbes is especially acute in areas of the world where remoteness from civilization or abject poverty present a challenge to the access to chemicals (like chlorine) and/or energy (to power machines generating ozone and Ultra Violet rays) to treat drinking water.
While it is as if all hope is lost in the bid to provide clean and safe drinking water to all people worldwide, an interesting discovery by Dr. Bob Metcalf, a US microbiologist in deploying a more than a century old heat treatment technique known as “pasteurization” (named after the founder of the system, the French scientist: Louis Pasteur (December 27 1822 September 28, 1895)).
The technique is known as “Solar Water Pasteurization” and as the “Father of Solar Water Pasteurization”, Dr. Metcalf puts it, solar water pasteurization is apparently providential in that in areas of the world that is most needy, poor and wanting of all resources, energy included, it is blessed with plenty of free energy from above: Solar energy.
For more information, please see: http://solarcooking.org/pasteurization/metcalf.htm
In a nutshell, to render drinking water safe from diarrhea causing microbes, water need not be boiled (heated to 100degrees Celsius) but merely heated up to 65degrees Celsius for at least 6 minutes).
Solar energy is not only free and available to all, it is also renewable and therefore sustainable, empowering the individual to take ownership of his own survival needs and not be dependent of a centralized system of charity.
The only thing that prevents these remnant of people to access clean and safe water are the solar thermal energy harvesting devices that can deliver solar heated water up to 65degrees Celsius in all sunny areas of the world, from Equatorial to Temperate climatic countries.
One of the most cost effective and mass produce device that could be deployed immediately and massively in reach and depth of penetration is the Solar Kettle-Thermos Flask (SK-TF) and the SaVeTaO (Solar Vacuum Tube Oven), invented by yours truly, the author of this article, Alex Kee of Malaysia. For more information, please see http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Alex_Kee
The SK-TF and SaVeTaO is novel and revolutionary in that they empower the individual to take control and ownership over the supply of safe drinking water through solar water pasteurization that rely entirely on free solar energy and not on the centralized provision of treated drinking water.
It is only when solar water pasteurization can be successful exploited by the remnants of people all over the world with access to drinkable water that needs treatment against harmful microbes, then only will the whole world’s people have complete access to clean and safe drinking water.
Indeed, there is enough water in the world to satisfy all our needs, but not our greed, because the solution is indeed, literally indeed, “From Above”.
