Water Competition is Here & It’s Not a Sport

When we think of the words water and competition together we almost always think of a sporting event, but this is not a sport and the losers of this competition face dire consequences.  

A compelling article from Bloomberg News about coal-fired power being adopted in Asia highlights the importance of competition for water resources. 

The article, Asian Water Scarcity Risked as Coal-Fired Power Embraced by Natalie Obiko Pearson, caught my attention with this quote:

“You’re going to have a huge issue with the competition between water, energy and food.”

 -          Vineet Mittal, managing director of Welspun Energy Ltd., the utility unit of Leon Black’s Apollo Global Management LLC-backed Welspun Group (Bloomberg).

 

A competition between water, energy and food? Have we got your attention yet?

 

I’m just a simple citizen who expects to pay for my energy usage, but I do not expect to have to compete for water and food. If corporations are already starting to compete over them, it won’t be long until it reaches the average person. We’re talking about competing for resources for which we do not have an unlimited supply.  

 

Complicating the issues even further is the fact that things like hydraulic fracturing and coal-fired power plants are poisoning the potable water resources that we have. Our polluted waters are polluting the fish and sea life we get from them. Chemicals we use in every-day life are polluting the land we use to grow vegetables and fruit. Sure, the world now has genetically modified food, but who wants to eat it when there is evidence that it is not safe for us?

 

Getting back to Pearson’s article she writes: “Inner Mongolia’s rivers are feeding China’s coal industry, turning grasslands into desert. In India, thousands of farmers have protested diverting water to coal-fired power plants, some committing suicide” (Bloomberg).

 

The world’s water supplies are in absolute danger. While there is no denying that we rely on power to run our lives, I can imagine living without power before I can imagine living without water.

 

I encourage you to read Natalie Obiko Pearson’s important article at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-09/asian-water-scarcity-risked-as-coal-fired-power-embraced.html