"Get
out of the shower!" your little brother shouts as he bangs on the washroom
door. "You've been in there for twenty minutes!"
During
the 20 minutes you spend in the shower, you use up approximately 400 liters of
water (Environment Canada, Quick Facts). The Prophet (peace be upon him)
performed the ghusl, a complete bath, with one saa` of water —
that's just 2.03 liters.
Abu
Ja`far narrated: While I and my father were with Jabir bin `Abdullah, some
people asked him about taking a bath. He replied, "A saa` of water
is sufficient for you." A man said, "A saa` is not sufficient
for me." Jabir said, "A saa` was sufficient for one who had
more hair than you and was better than you [meaning the Prophet]." (Al-Bukhari)
The
Current Picture
You
may ask, "How is that possible? Taking a shower in six cups of water? The
times sure have changed." You're right. Times have changed. The problem of
water scarcity is worse today than during the time of the Prophet. We have come
to passively accept the luxurious North American lifestyle. While the average
Canadian uses 335 liters of water per day, the average sub-Saharan African uses
10-20 liters per day (Environment Canada, "How Do We Use It?"). It may
seem impossible for us in North America to conceive, but in today's world, the
level of conservation practiced by the Prophet has become a necessity.
These
statistics may explain why:
-
Less than one half of one percent of all water on Earth is freshwater suitable
for human use. The rest is seawater or frozen in the polar ice caps (Barlow).
-
1.4 billion people, that is 20 percent of the world's population, lack access to
an adequate supply of clean drinking water (Ward).
-
Global water consumption is doubling every 20 years, at more than twice the rate
of human population growth (Barlow).
-
31 countries currently face water scarcity (Barlow).
-
More than half the world's major rivers are either polluted or drying (Ward).
-
In developing countries, water causes 80 percent of illnesses. Each year three
to four million people die of waterborne diseases (Environment Canada,
Quickfacts).
-
By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will live in conditions of water
shortage and one-third will live in absolute water scarcity (Barlow).
Water
Politics
What
we call man's power over nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men
over other men with nature as its instrument. (C.S. Lewis)
The
problem is not the amount of water. The amount of water on Earth remains
constant — it doesn't increase or decrease — and there is enough to meet
everyone's needs. The problem is unequal access and use.
Different
regions of the world naturally hold different amounts of freshwater. India, for
example, holds 20 percent of the world's population but only 4 percent of its
water (Ward). This natural division of water is easy for governments to overcome
with the right technology. The problem of water scarcity arises when limited
water is coupled with social inequalities and political agendas. Who gets access
to a region's water and how they use it is usually determined by who has power
and money.
Water
is increasingly being privatized by large transnational corporations who own it
and sell it like a commodity. Hungry for profit, these corporations drive the
price of water out of reach of poor people and deliver it to those wealthy
individuals and industries that can pay for it. Only the wealthy who can install
plumbing systems receive subsidized municipal water, leaving the poorest in
developing countries to pay the highest price for water. In Lima, Peru, for
example, poor people pay private vendors up to US$3 per cubic meter for water
that is supplied in buckets and is not even potable. At the same time, the
affluent pay US$0.30 per cubic meter for treated water that pours out of taps in
their homes (Barlow). In India, some households spend 25 percent of their income
on water (Barlow). During droughts, governments often reserve water for the
elite who can pay for it.
Is
there anything you can do to save the Earth's water supply? Have
Your Say
|
|
Industries,
also hungry for profit, require vast amounts of water. It takes 215,000 liters
of water to produce one metric ton of steel (Environment Canada, Quickfacts).
Industries purchase access to a region's water at subsidized rates from the
government. Most of the world's freshwater is naturally stored under the ground.
Industries pump this groundwater faster than it can replenish itself, causing
the land to collapse and thus permanently destroying its ability to store water.
In the Arabian Peninsula, groundwater use is three times as great as recharge.
At current rates of extraction, Saudi Arabia will reach total depletion in 50
years (Barlow). In developing countries, industries dump 75 percent of
their untreated wastes into local water bodies (Barlow). When the environment is
sufficiently damaged and water disappears, industries move elsewhere, leaving a
region's residents in scarcity.
The
politics of power and money also determine which countries can secure water.
Since most rivers and groundwater aquifers cross national boundaries, many
experts believe that future conflicts in the world will likely involve water. In
the early 1970s, Syria and Iraq almost went to war over the waters of the
Euphrates when Syria built a dam at Tabaq, blocking a quarter of the river's
flow to Iraq (Ward). Ten African countries share the waters of the Nile
and each wants a share of the river. To protect its Nile water supply, Egypt in
the past has threatened to use its size, wealth, and power go to war against
Ethiopia, a country where water flows abundantly but millions starve to death
each year (Ward). In 1978, for example, Egypt's then president Anwar Sadat
stated, "any action that would endanger the water of the Blue Nile will be
faced with a firm reaction on the part of Egypt, even if that action should lead
to war" (Kendie).
Where
Do We Fit In?
The
problem of water scarcity is not confined to the developing world. Its roots are
connected to us and the way we live in North America. North Americans are the
worst hoarders of water. While millions go without water, North Americans use
1,280 cubic meters of water per person every year; Europeans use 694; Asians use
535; South Americans use 311; and Africans use 186 (Barlow).
While
North Americans can boast large water supplies — Canada contains one quarter
of the world's freshwater — our extravagant habits won't save us from danger
for long. Water levels in the Great Lakes reached record lows in recent years
(Barlow). The Ogallala groundwater aquifer in the US High Plains is depleted
eight times as fast as nature can replenish it, causing the land to drop at
least a meter each year (Barlow). Americans have dammed, diverted, and polluted
the Colorado River until little or no water reaches its destination at sea
(Barlow).
The
extravagances of our North American lifestyle — lawn sprinklers, frequent car
washes, sprawling golf courses, abundant swimming pools, dripping taps, and
toilets that consume 18 liters of water per flush — fool us into believing we
are safe (Barlow). They help us ignore the world's water crisis or accept it
with a shrug. The principle of "We have so let's use it now and think about
the future later" prevails in most North American minds.
Consider
Las Vegas, a city that receives 3.8 inches of rainfall in an average year —
comparable to dry areas of Saudi Arabia and the Western Sahara. This desert city
sparkles and splashes with the idea that water is limitless. The Hotel Luxor in
Las Vegas boasts five-story waterfalls, shark tanks, a 1.3-million gallon
dolphin pool, and a miniature Nile River with a boat ride. A full-sized pirate
ship sinks again and again into a man-made river that circles the Treasure
Island Hotel. The Hotel Bellagio stands beside an 8-acre artificial lake with
hundreds of fountains spitting 200 feet into the air. The city flaunts colossal
fountains, golf courses, man-made lakes, swimming pools, and even a sailing
club. According to Las Vegas Water Commissioner, Patricia Mulroy, each acre-foot
of "decorative water" in the city generates US$30 million. Hence the
saying, "Water flows uphill to money" (Ward).
How
Do We Respond?
We
live in the world's most technically sophisticated society, yet we are now right
back where we were three thousand years ago, praying for rain. (Garrett Ward)
Every
person on the planet has a right to adequate water.
The
Prophet said, "Muslims have a common share in three (things): grass, water,
and fire." (Abu Dawud)
Jabir
bin 'Abdullah narrated: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
forbade the sale of excess water. (Muslim)
Ideally,
basic water needed for survival should be free, equally available to everyone,
and legally protected from waste and contamination. Current global practices and
policies are obviously unjust.
We
are also responsible for such injustices we see around us, as the Qur'an
outlines:
[Let
there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining
what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain
felicity.] (Aal `Imran 3:104)
Yet,
as individuals we have little control over international water politics and
policies. How then should we respond to the global water crisis? Here are ways
to begin:
-
Don't lose hope. Although the situation looks bleak, don't let it depress
you. The Qur'an tells us that
[Allah
is the Creator of all things, and He is Guardian over all things.] (Az-Zumar
39:62)
You
and I are only responsible for making an effort. Allah takes care of the
results. He knows what's best for us and He is the Most Just, whether that
justice comes in this life or in the next.
-
Be grateful. Allah granted North Americans an abundant supply of fresh,
clean water without any effort from us. Allah asks us in the Qur'an,
[Have
you considered the water which you drink? Is it you that send it down from the
clouds, or are We the senders? If We pleased, We would have made it salty; why
do you not then give thanks?] (Al-Waqi`ah 56:68-70)
[Say:
Have ye thought: If (all) your water were to disappear into the earth, who then
could bring you gushing water?] (Al-Mulk 67:30)
Water
is not simply "there" and it doesn't "fall by itself." As we
read in numerous verses of the Qur'an, Allah "sends down water from the
sky." Allah is the only one who can continue our supply of water and if He
wishes, He can remove it any time.
-
Get involved. Raise awareness among your friends and family. Participate
in efforts, such as letter-writing campaigns to lobby the government over its
international water-related decisions. Join conservation groups in your area
that protect local water resources. Many organizations look for volunteers to
clean up river banks, monitor water quality, or educate school groups.
-
Change your habits. Although we can't always control the actions of
governments, we can control our own use of water. Allah rewards us for every
step we take towards change. Resist the North American habit to overuse and
waste water. The Qur'an tells us:
[And
render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in want, and to the
wayfarer: But squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily
spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord
(himself) ungrateful.] (Al-Israa' 17:26-27)
[Eat
and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters.] (Al-A`raf
7:31)
Just
because we have abundant water, that doesn't mean we should use it. Begin to
fulfill your trust and responsibility towards Allah by conserving the water you
use at home.
Ten
Easy Ways You Can Conserve Water
1.
Don't use your toilet as a wastebasket or flush it unnecessarily. Toilets
consume a quarter of our municipal water supply and use 40 percent more water
than needed (Environment Canada, Quickfacts).
2.
Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth or soap dishes.
3.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the fridge. Don't run your tap for cold
water.
4.
Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full.
5.
Check pipes and faucets for leaks and get them fixed. Many homes lose more water
from leaking taps than they need for cooking and drinking (Environment Canada,
Quickfacts).
6.
Install low-flow shower heads and flow-restrictors on faucets. A 5-minute shower
with a standard shower head uses 100 liters of water while a low-flow
shower head uses 35 liters of water (Environment Canada, Quickfacts).
7.
Water your lawn every third day and water during the cool times of the day.
8.
Sweep patios and sidewalks, don't hose them.
9.
Limit pesticides on your lawn to prevent them from reaching our water supply.
10.
Drive less! It takes approximately 10 liters of water to produce a liter of
gasoline (Environment Canada, Quickfacts).
[He
it is Who hath placed you as viceroys of the earth and hath exalted some of you
in rank above others, that He may try you by (the test of) that which He hath
given you. Lo! Thy Lord is swift in prosecution, and Lo! He verily is Forgiving,
Merciful.] (Al-An`am 6:165)
References
Environment
Canada. "Quickfacts."
Freshwater Website. Accessed 15 Mar. 2006
Environment
Canada. "How
Do We Use It?" Freshwater
Website: Did You Know? (Water – Domestic Use). Accessed 15 Mar. 2006
Kendie,
Daniel. "Egypt and the Hydro-Politics of the Blue Nile River." Northeast
African Studies 6.1-2 (1999): 141-169.
Ward,
Diane R. Water Wars. New York: Riverhead Books, 2002.
**
