Where is all the Water?

Where is all the water? In bottles!

Where is all the water?
Dry River Bed

When I was a lad

Growing up in the ’80s, we had no mountainous stacks of aqua, bottled in plastic, sitting in the supermarket. Or sat looking through the glass of vending machines. Although, if you were posh, you might drink Perrier.

If we wanted to hydrate while out playing, we had to wait till we got home to have a refreshing glass of unfiltered water straight from the tap. Whether we had been exploring unknown territories on our bikes or being adventurous, climbing trees or playing football if the whole gang were together, we had to go home for a drink – unless someone had a can of Coke or Fanta, we might share.

Where is all the water?

Water

We take water from the earth and store it in reservoirs. It then gets piped to our homes for use.

We have a system that works — fresh Adams Ale to every house and workplace for drinking, cooking and washing. On occasion, the lake levels may get low, and people must reduce their usage. But it then rains, and stores are replenished. And we can continue to turn the taps in our homes.

Where is all the water?
Somewhere in this cycle, we use water.

Bottles in an abundance

But somewhere, we disturb the cycle. We take lifesaving liquid early in its journey and put it in plastic. Then put it in storage, on a shelf, in a shop. I’m sure it must be in a warehouse, waiting for distribution beforehand.

Now every shop, minimarket, and petrol station in the developed world has refreshing wetness in bottles. This cannot be a good thing!

Many people who lack safe drinking water worldwide suffer daily because of drought. Although recently on the news, there have been massive floods in Pakistan. Now they have too much water. The cycle is messed up!

Where is all the water?
Too much water is stored in plastic.

So why?

Single-use plastic is a big problem that is choking the planet. The squeezy, easy-to-produce – possibly in China – bottles are a product of Polyethylene Terephthalate. I’m no chemist, but with a bit of reading, I find that this chemical is widely used in packaging and even clothes. In 2016 56 million tonnes of the stuff were produced – BY MAN!

Running low

Rivers, lakes, reservoirs and ponds are running low around the world. Shipping lanes are disrupted, and forgotten statues and warning signs are in view as river levels are extremely low. Hose pipe bans are coming into use for some.

As a paraplegic with open bladder drainage, I drink a lot and need my tap to constantly offer a lifesaving gift. If my tap stopped offering this jewel: I’m not sure what I would do.

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