INFOGRAPHIC: Data show world panorama of the water situation
Wellington Carvalho
Monday | June 02, 2014 | 4:13 PM | Last update: September 22, 2016, 4:07 PM (Brasilia time)
Water is one of the main natural resources that generate life on our planet. That is why the whole of society must pay daily attention to the use of this resource, since the statistics demand our urgent concern. To talk more about this subject, the team of the Good Will Portal interviewed Paulo Lopes Varella Neto, 57, a hydrogeologist and governor of the World Water Council (WWC).
The planet has a lot of water: 1.4 billion km³, according to the United Nations (UN). But considering that "70% of the Earth is covered by salt water (...) we must guarantee the liquid for human supply, producing food, generating energy, navigation, etc. This is the great challenge we have at hand," explained Varella in an exclusive interview. That is because, according to him, "urbanization and the pollution that accompanies it mean that we are acquiring water from further and further away and at ever greater expense. There are seven billion of us today and we shall be nine billion by 2050. The situation, therefore, will tend to become more complicated: we shall need 50% more of this resource by then."
+ Read journalist Paiva Netto’s article "World Water Day"
The UN also points out that almost 1 billion people have insufficient access to water to meet their daily consumption and hygiene needs — to live in a dignified way a person needs 110 liters a day. Unfortunately, "we lose a child every 20 seconds because of water-borne related illnesses," warns Varella. The organization is also projecting that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will have no water whatsoever. For this reason, we must not wait for a possible world crisis to arise in order to change our consumption habits.
"[Our actions] are already affecting today. We have very serious problems. We need to save water and use it within acceptable patterns. (...) If we become conscious of this everything can change. We must stop being observers in this process and become actors. It’s in the way we put out the garbage, how we take a shower and wash our automobiles, and so on and so forth, that we shall be able to truly contribute," warns the Brazilian hydrogeologist.
TEMPLE OF GOOD WILL AND THE PROMOTION OF LIFE
It is worth pointing out the contribution the Temple of Good Will (TGW), the Pyramid of the Blessed Souls and of the Luminous Spirits, makes when it comes to respecting water. The TGW is located in Brazil’s capital and its founder, José de Paiva Netto, had the following awareness-raising message fixed on its walls: "Water is Life. Without it, it becomes impossible to have any type of existence. To pollute it is a crime against humanity."
As a frequent visitor to the Temple of Peace, Paulo Lopes Varella insisted on registering the following words in his interview: "The complex is very pleasant and very welcoming. I go there very often. I walk on the Spiral, I listen to the lofty music, and I really appreciate the environments. I’m a spiritist and I think that we all have the right and opportunity to have other beliefs. What I really believe in is in a Greater Spirituality. What really matters is the Love we have for our fellow beings."
