Water, water, everywhere…
Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.
(Old English nursery rhyme)
Rain, rain, come back!
(New English nursery rhyme!)
With the hose-pipe ban in the UK my thoughts have recently been focused on water resources and drought. In Bavaria this is not really an issue, since many gardeners have their own well, and underground reservoirs ensure a safe water supply long-term. The reservoir near my hometown in England was, however, fairly low when I visited, and restrictions on watering are now in place in the south and east of the country.
Then I saw a TED Talk the other day which shows, among other things, what has happened to the Aral Sea on the border of Kazakhstan:
“Formerly one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 square kilometres (26,300 sq mi), the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects.” (Wikipedia)
If you are short of time, just look at the photo on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_sea
And if you have a few minutes, watch the whole TED talk here:
Jonathan Foley: The other inconvenient truth
It looks at the whole issue of land and water in agriculture, and it really gets you thinking…
We had a very serious drought here in Georgia a few years ago, and it was very sobering to see the lake levels. There are a lot of things–big and little–that we can do as individuals to conserve water. It’s so important, and I’m glad you used this issue as a subject for your post.
Thanks Robin Jean Marie, I think it really does affect everyone at some point – no matter where we live.
I love TED Talk will watch it soon!
There are so many I want to watch… so little time!
It sounds interesting but I fear very disappointing too as there has probably been much environmental damage. It is better to be educated though to help keep top of mind the little things you can do to save resources. Thank you for this post!
O.K. I watched the video and it was disturbing…so complicated this issue. And it seems like the Monsantos of the world have the upper hand and are constantly fight these kinds of movements. Thank you for the awareness….
Glad you watched it… I think being aware is so important, even if there’s very little we can do to change things.
Es ist eine große Aufgabe die Trinkwasserversorgung sicher zu stellen.
The production of 1 cup of coffee uses 140 Liter water.
I am a heavy coffee-drinker and try to reduce my drinking a little.
That’s a terrible thought. I should follow your example and cut down on my coffee consumption.
Thanks, Herbstbaum!
water water every where water, but no water for drink…
Yes, it may affect us all one day.
Hi Cathy. Terrific post! Thank you for bringing attention to an extremely worrisome problem we all will have to face now and in the future. We all will have to change our ways in how we grow our food and care for our lands and water. I am afraid that It is attention to these nasty facts of life that will save us.
Worrisome is the right word. I think many people, myself included, hope this problem will go away on its own. Awareness is the first step to change, so let’s be optimistic!
So TRUE!