Water is essential for life and therefore should be used wisely and no effort should be spared to ensure this precious commodity is not wasted. Unfortunately, many Guyanese are either not cognisant or could not care less. It is true that Guyana is “The Land of many waters” but still that is not justification for wastage or misuse because the cost of processing and transmitting it in the form of potable water is very high. So it is not “free” as many Guyanese would like to think and believe.
Perhaps some of the facts and figures pertaining to water use and the availability of water and its consequences would help Guyanese to appreciate the real value of water and therefore the imperative to conserve on its use at all times,
Nearly one billion people lack access to safe water and 2.5 billion do not have improved sanitation. The health and economic impacts are staggering.
* 3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease. (
*  43% of water-related deaths are due to diarrhea.
*  84% of water-related deaths are in children ages 0 – 14.
*  98% of water-related deaths occur in the developing world.
*  884 million people, lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people.
*  The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.
*  At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.
Conservation is important for many reasons. Farmers may practice conservation to prevent erosion and to maintain the quality of the soil. City dwellers may be chiefly concerned about air pollution, inadequate parks, and decaying neighbourhoods. Nature lovers appreciate the beauty and other values of wildlife and landscapes. Business executives may promote conservation to help ensure continuous supplies of minerals and other resources on which their industries depend. But in general, conservation is important for two basic reasons: (1) to meet demands for natural resources and (2) to maintain the quality of life.
To meet demands for resources. The demand for natural resources has steadily increased as a result of the growth of the world population and the rise in standards of living in many countries.
While the demand for resources has increased, the supply has not, and some resources are being used up rapidly.
From A.D. 1 to about 1800, the world population quadrupled from about 300 million to 1 billion. But since then, the population has multiplied six times to about 6 billion. Although the rate of growth is slowing, the world is expected to have approximately 11 billion people by 2100. Such a large increase in population will result in even greater demands for natural resources. People will need more land for homes and agriculture. They will require more fuel and fresh water. No one knows how many people the earth can support. But most conservationists believe the rate of population growth must be reduced to keep from depleting many of our natural resources.
The rise in the standard of living in industrialized nations has created further demands for natural resources. Such industrialized nations as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland have high living standards, and they use a disproportionately large share of the world’s natural resources. In addition, less developed countries are working to raise their living standards and are increasing their demands for resources.
The high living standards in the United States and many other nations are supported largely by the growth of industry. Industry uses huge amounts of fuel and other resources, and it depends on continuous supplies of these resources. Unless people practice conservation, shortages of some resources may develop within the next 100 years, the experts say.
In many cases, meeting demands for one resource makes it difficult to conserve another. The same land that is needed to produce food, wood, or fuel is often valued for its wildlife, recreational opportunities, or beautiful scenery. For example, the construction of a dam may provide water to irrigate farmland or to produce electric power. But it may also destroy scenic lands and wildlife habitats.
In this context, Minister of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali, call on members of the public to practice conservation and impose self-restrictions in light of the current El Nino situation is indeed a timely and pertinent one. But the message must be clear that not only in times of drought people should be conserving water, rather it should be a habit and become part of our national culture.
There are too many instances of taps being left on or in some cases pipes simply do not have taps and so water just keep running all the time. For this situation no government or authority can be blamed. The blame has to fall squarely on the shoulders of the consumers and in this regard stern action should be taken. For too long this reckless and irresponsible behaviour has been let off the hook.
On the other hand, those responsible for maintaining the potable water supply system need to respond, in a more timely manner, to incidents of leaks and breakages because they occur with frequency in many communities and when they are reported the response by those responsible is often tardy.
There is absolutely no question about it we definitely need to be a more water conservation conscious people.