Cleaning Up Our Mess for the Better Future

According to Moran (Moran 2008), urban cities have expanded worldwide. In the 1900s, there were 16 cities with more than a million occupants. The number of cities increased to at least 24 by the year 2000, with more than a dozen cities occupying at least 20 million people in each city. According to the author, the urbanization of modern cities resulted in numerous problems, such as excessive pollution, congestion, crime, and wasteful consumerism.

Earth is different from the other seven planets in our solar system due to the fact that it contains water. Because of water, our planet has the ability to sustain life. Without water, life would not exist. Currently, our water supply is facing a great crisis. According to McNeill (McNeill, 2001), urban cities pose a great threat to our water supply. First, urban cities pollute the water supply by dumping wastes into rivers and lakes, leading to the contamination of fresh water sources. Cities like Chicago experience a rapid population growth and such rapid growth threatens the water supply. An increase in population leads to an increase in water usage and water contamination due to the dumping of wastes via sewers into the water supply. As a result, water becomes unsanitary and unsuitable for drinking. Additionally, contaminated water creates waterborne diseases. Second, water pollution is seen in cities that have experienced the industrial revolution. In such cities, factories dump toxic wastes into the water supply. Toxic wastes lead to the death of aquatic animals and, in extreme cases, lead to their extinction. Toxic wastes create inconsumable water and cause sickness to people, plants, and animals that drink it. The third cause of water pollution is eutrophication, which is an increase in phosphorous and nitrogen, due to chemical fertilizer from farm runoff. Eutrophication causes algae to grow rapidly in water. When algae die, their decomposition consumes oxygen, which leads to a decrease of oxygen supply for other aquatic animals. Many of these problems are seen in places such as the Ganges River, India, the Rhine, Great Britain, the Watarase, Japan, and many other areas.
Countries such as Japan have been aware of water pollution and have taken numerous measures to take care of this problem. According to Hayashi (Hayahsi, 1980), the Japanese government enforced numerous laws in order to limit pollution and water contamination. First, the Japanese government enforced the Water Pollution Law to prevent pollution of water in public and private properties and penalizes those who violate the law. Second, The Seto Inland Sea Conservation Law provides a plan for conserving the Seto Inland Sea and reducing discharge into the sea in order to preserve the scenic beauty and fishery resources of the area. Many other laws have been enacted since then and have been proven beneficial to Japan. Japan’s water has been improving ever since the laws were enacted, making it safe for people, plants, and animals to consume.

Water conservation is important and should be acknowledged by our government in order to maintain a clean water supply for future generations. As the world’s population increases, the need for water will also increase. However, our water supply is limited. If we do not take care of our problem today, we will face a water crisis in the future, much like the oil crisis we currently face.

Hayashi, T. (1980). Water Pollution Control in Japan. Journal Water Pollution Control Federation, 52, 3.

Moran, E. F. (2008). Human adaptation. In Urban ecology and urban sustainability (pp 307-324). Boulder, Co: Westview Press.

McNeill, J. R. (2001). Something new under the sun. In The hydrosphere: The history of water use and water pollution (pp. 119-147). New York, N. Y.: Norton paperbacks.