World Food Day was celebrated once again on October 16. This year’s theme was ‘Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’. The theme aims to highlight the critical role of water for life on Earth, and water as the foundation of our food. This is an increasingly important issue as rapid population growth, economic development, urbanisation, and climate change threaten water availability.
Water security can be defined as “the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of and acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.”
If we drink water from certain sources without first treating it extensively, beyond simply boiling it to kill harmful microbes, will it still make us sick? Can we use it to nourish our crops? Can we use it to cook our food? When we eat foodstuff, especially of the aquatic variety, are we ingesting harmful chemicals, trace metals, and microplastics?
Seventy-one percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, 96.5 percent of which is contained in the Earth’s oceans. This means that the vast majority of Earth’s surface water isn’t suitable for drinking or agriculture without treatment, but this doesn’t mean that this water is useless to us. The global fishing market is estimated to be valued at approximately US $670 million. There evidently is a considerable dependence on our oceans for food. Additionally, the global agriculture market, which is heavily dependent on water, is estimated to be valued at approximately $13 billion USD.
Here in Antigua and Barbuda, the main challenge we face is a consistent water supply. With the increase in water demand, and climate change significantly affecting the availability of ground and surface water, we must rely on desalination/reverse osmosis plants in order to provide safe water to the public. However, due to the large energy consumption required for producing safe water from seawater, this process is very expensive.
So what practices can we do here in Antigua and Barbuda to help conserve our water and improve food security?
- Refrain from illegal dumping – Water polluted by illegal dumping seeps into freshwater bodies and into the ocean, allowing pollutants to find their way into our food.
- Reduce your water usage – Don’t waste water – Use water saving techniques in order to conserve water. Simple techniques including purchasing a low flush toilet, using only water efficient shower heads, and timing your showers are great avenues for reducing your water use. Not only will this increase the amount of safe water available, but this will also save money on your water bills.
- Reuse your water – Find ways to collect and reuse water instead of always using fresh water. This can mean watering plants with washing up water instead of using fresh water, installing a water butt to the drainpipe and collecting the wastewater.
- Saving water – Ensure that you save water by fixing leaky taps or sealing leaking spouting or water collection containers.
- Plant trees – Trees allow for the water table to regenerate and reduce the loss of water from evaporation. Engage in planting trees in your backyard or in parks or green spaces.
- Get the government’s support – Write letters and speak to your elected representatives on the importance of introducing renewable energy to power desalination and reverse osmosis plants, and to clean and improve national waterways and catchments for surface water.
If we all work together in Antigua and Barbuda, we can make a significant difference and truly contribute to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of our water resources.