Water Security is Everyone’s Responsibility

“WE LIVE IN an age of swirling crises—economic crisis, energy crisis, food security crisis. What are the chances of a water crisis in the near future? And are we prepared to make the tough choices?” I wrote these words 12 years ago in Penang Monthly, discussing water security in Penang. After 12 years, the water supply challenge has become even more pressing. No longer can we depend only on the water utility distributor for our water security. Concerted public effort in saving water will buy time for authorities to establish other alternatives.

Only 2.5% of all water on earth is fresh water. Approximately 99.7% of it is trapped in glaciers, in the ground (or aquifer) or is frozen. The remaining 0.3% is found in lakes, rivers and streams on the surface of the planet. However, not all of this accessible fresh water is consumable. It is also not equally distributed throughout the world. Climate change is also making it harder to manage water resources