Overview
The first hose pipe bans in England of the 21st century are likely to cause debate about the water supply policies adopted by the government and the water companies in recent years.
However, these bans may be much more frequent from now until 2100.
The witnesses of the beginning of the XXI century, with its oil battles, will hardly believe that in a few decades it is much more likely to see the world struggling for a very different product – water.
A fast increase in the population – especially in the urban areas – followed by a continuous aggression towards the environment is leading the world to a crisis of the most needed element for survival.
Despite covering three quarters of the planet, Earth’s drinkable water resources are very limited. Only around 0,08% of the whole amount can be used for human purposes – and a good share of this is being wasted due to environmental damage.
Concerns about water issues are not exclusive to Britain. Most countries are filling their headlines with the subject, for reasons going from the difficulty of supplying clean water through military tensions to controlling the access to water resources.
The basins of several rivers in Africa, like the Nile, Niger and Zambezi – among others - are set to become the sites for such disputes, as water resources are bound to be under stress before 2025.
The issue gets even more complicated because it is not easy to say what is right or wrong, as there are not global rules to establish what each country can or cannot do.
But soon, it seems, there will be plenty of reasons to search for a general agreement as the planet may be entering its ultimate crisis.
