Some scientists have projected that the demand for fresh water will soon outstrip the supply, predicting that about two thirds of the Earth's population will face water shortages by 2025. Millions of people will become "water refugees" as they are forced from their homelands in search of clean fresh water.

However, the lack of potable water isn't only a problem for future generations; it is a problem here and now. In some areas of the world, many children suffer from gastroenteritis or are infected with parasitic roundworms and flagellates due to water shortages and unsanitary drinking water, both resulting from a lack of water purification facilities. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), more than 1.6 million children die each year from causes related to unsanitary drinking water. This figure represents nearly 4,400 child deaths every day--enough to fill 12 jumbo jets. If 12 jets filled with children crashed each and every day, the world would have long ago mobilized to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, the same number of deaths by drinking dirty water has not commanded enough attention yet, and children continue to pay the price for our indifference.

Taiwan, a water-poor and also a water-guzzling island

Taiwan is a subtropical island blessed with abundant rainfall. On average, the country receives 2,511 millimeters (98.86 inches) of rainfall per year, 2.44 times more than the world's average of 730 millimeters (28.74 inches). However, this abundant rainfall is unevenly distributed, geographically and seasonally. The rapid runoff leaves relatively little water--only 18 percent of the annual rainfall--behind dams and reservoirs for future use. Once this water is distributed evenly over its dense population of 23 million, each person would receive about one sixth of the world's average. Despite receiving nearly three times as much rain as the world's average, the United Nations ranks Taiwan 18th on the list of the most water-starved nations in the world.

Taiwan's above-average rainfall has led many of its inhabitants to a subconscious but erroneous belief that water is plentiful and always will be. As a result, many use water without any thought of conservation. On average, each person in Taiwan consumes about 300 liters (80 gallons) of water a day. This far exceeds the 108, 126, and 190 liters (28.53, 33.29, and 50.19 gallons) per person per day for Great Britain, Spain, and Denmark, respectively.

Perhaps one reason why inhabitants of Taiwan use so much water is that it is so inexpensive. On average, water accounts for only one half percent of a household's total expenditures. In contrast, the World Health Organization has pegged a reasonable rate at between 2 and 4 percent. Perhaps Taiwan should stop artificially depressing water prices to levels that are below production costs. Higher water rates would raise the consciousness of water usage and encourage conservation.

From fertile plain to future desert?

The Chiayi-Tainan Plain in southern Taiwan was arid and neared to becoming a desert. Settlers planned and built a comprehensive system of irrigation canals that crisscrossed the land. That system, a labor of love by early settlers and those who followed, steadily transformed the barren land into the fertile agricultural cornucopia that it is today.

However, signs of desertification are beginning to develop due to destructive land use practices and excessive economic development. After half a century of constant use, the dark, rich soil on the Chiayi-Tainan Plain has lost much of its organic nutrients and is gradually turning sandy; it is attributed to two main causes: overuse of chemical fertilizers and gutted irrigation canals. The once intricate and interconnected irrigation channels that crisscrossed the plain are now being cut off by burgeoning new roads and highways. These severed and paralyzed the irrigation system that once worked so well, leaving sections of canals and the arable land surrounding it cut off from their source of water and drying it. It has responded in an unmistakable and most direct way to our thoughtless and destructive land-use practices. If the trend is not reversed, desertification will soon become widespread and irreversible.

Putting back what's taken out

Water, on and under the earth, is a fixed and limited natural resource. It is not increasing along with Earth's exploding population, already at 6.6 billion people. The more people there are, the less water is available to each person. Based on some projections, New Delhi might be the first city to exhaust all of its underground water supply. With a population at 13.8 million people and growing, what happens when the aquifers have been depleted? How well will the poor bear the brunt of the ensuing water scarcity? Can this catastrophe be avoided?

Germany is leading by example when it comes to addressing this looming crisis. In Berlin, thick, colorful pipes can be seen everywhere, hanging over the streets of the city. They intertwine and head off in different directions, stretching far out toward unknown destinations. The pipes contain underground water that has been extracted from construction sites throughout the city. The German government has strictly stipulated that construction contractors must transport all the underground water they extract to designated locations in the city. The collected water is then pumped back into the ground--neutralizing the impact of the initial extractions.

Hamburg is another German city that relies entirely on underground water. As such, it is diligent in its pursuit of the long-term availability of its water. Monitoring stations have been built throughout the city to keep tabs on the water table below. By carefully returning all the underground water that it takes out, Hamburg has managed to maintain the level of its water table even after decades of heavy use. This approach to managing water resources--sustainable, earth-friendly, common sense, and ground water-neutral--has proved its long-term validity. It also shows that even in the technological era of modern life, human beings can live in harmony with nature as they have for eons.

"NEWater"

In August 2002, Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), prime minister of Singapore, proudly drank a bottle of water in front of the press corps. "This is no ordinary water," Goh proclaimed. "I am drinking our own water."

Singapore had been importing half its water from Malaysia since 1961 (the rest was provided by catching rainwater in reservoirs). The water-supply agreement was set to expire in 2011. However, having a country's water lifeline held at the mercy of another country was understandably quite unsettling. Furthermore, the two countries were at an impasse over Malaysia's request for a price increase. Against that backdrop, Singapore set out to find a new and more dependable source of water. The country found it in recycling. The new source of water was given the brand name "NEWater" although it is, in fact, used water. It is derived wholly from post-consumer water put through a series of rigorous high-tech purification processes: filtering, infiltrating, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection. As an example, the NEWater flowing out of a faucet into a drinking glass might have come from water that someone else had used a few days earlier to flush a toilet. This sounds quite repugnant and abominable, but the water is no longer dirty. In fact, it is cleaner than water from Singapore's other sources and it meets all the criteria set forth by the World Health Organization for drinking water. NEWater is perfectly safe and palatable for human consumption.

Prime Minister Goh's public display of confidence in the reclaimed water in 2002 showed that Singapore was one giant step closer toward its long-term goal of water independence. Once all the kinks of the purification technologies are worked out, Singapore can start supplying large quantities of drinking water to its citizens, "closing the loop" on recycling by providing an ample outlet for the recycled water. A new era of water re-utilization is dawning in Singapore, and the nation looks forward to the day when it will finally be able to end its dependence on Malaysia for water. But to ensure widespread acceptance of NEWater, the Singaporean government has to win a kind of psychological warfare. Residents, unable to dissociate the source of water with the purified end result, still have lingering doubts that the purified water is ideally fit for human consumption. The job of the government is to convince people that NEWater, regardless of its source, is unquestionably safe and palatable.

In Taiwan, Lin Zhe-zheng (林哲正) of the Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, has experienced such a daunting challenge firsthand. He knows from his own experience that while difficult, it can be done. He often shares an illuminating anecdote about reclaiming water from abundant waste products. As a graduate student, he often conducted water quality experiments in his laboratory. In the course of one particular experiment, he reclaimed water from a sample of pig dung. After thoroughly purifying the water, he bottled it and gave it to his unsuspecting dorm mates after a hard workout at the gym. The thirsty roommates drank Lin's bottled water without a second thought. Afterwards, Lin asked them how the water tasted. They replied, "Nothing remarkable." As this humorous anecdote proves, it is possible to reclaim and re-use water from even the dirtiest waste water. And, with the advanced processing technologies available today, it is even easier to reclaim water from less dirty "grey water," such as that from kitchen sinks and wash basins. These last two would be the primary sources of waste water for Taiwan's water recycling efforts.

A two-pronged approach: collect more, use less

Water and water-related themes and scenes pervade the popular Taipei Zoo. The 165-hectare (408-acre) zoo attracts more than four million visitors a year. The needs of the animals, the landscaping, and the visitors used to result in water bills of about US$300,000 per year. These huge bills spotlighted the urgent need for water conservation, and in 1998 the zoo launched an ambitious conservation initiative.

Under the auspices of the Water Resources Agency and the technical guidance of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the zoo undertook a campus-wide water-related renovation. Water-saving faucets and toilet tanks replaced outdated models. New systems for collecting and storing rainwater were installed. Education programs were launched to raise awareness, promote water conservation, and disseminate water conservation information. The results of the initiative were dramatic: With comparable visitor counts, water consumption dropped 33%, from 750 tons to 500 tons a month. New large-capacity rainwater capturing and storage systems capture much of the abundant annual rainfall that falls on the zoo. The water is used for flushing toilets, gardening, and filling watering holes. The zoo has also installed similar but smaller storage systems, which it uses as teaching aids for visitors. Fifteen 200-liter systems have been installed on the rooftops of restrooms and gazebos; smaller surfaces collect smaller amounts of rainwater, requiring a smaller storage system. Each "water piggy bank," as the smaller system is fondly called, is adorned with illustrations to demonstrate to zoo patrons a way to capture rainwater and put it into storage for later use. The zoo used to be a major but passive user of water, but it now exemplifies sensible water usage. The concept of water conservation is now an integral part of everything the zoo does. The zoo actively promulgates water conservation messages, conspicuous or subtle, to the huge crowds that visit each day. Water has become a nexus and bonding agent between the zoo and its visitors, as much a lively feature as the animals.

Like the zoo, many other institutions in Taiwan are currently engaged in water conservation efforts. Some of them even process their own waste water for re-use. The Water Resources Agency holds an annual contest to showcase outstanding achievements of individuals and institutions and their water conservation initiatives. The winners get more than a pat on the back. They also receive smaller water bills and the gratification that comes from acting responsibly and making a difference.

Water-saving tips for everyday living

Like the contest winners, individuals can practice water conservation and reap the same benefits.

Water can be safely reused--sometimes many times--without being re-processed. Never let water run down the drain when there may be another use for it, such as watering plants in a garden, or cleaning. In other words, refrain from using water directly from the faucet. Instead, get into the habit of using water indirectly. To do so, first place a clean bucket, washbowl, or a kettle underneath the faucet to catch the water. At this stage, water is at its cleanest and most versatile, ready for "first use" applications such as cooking, tooth brushing, or hand washing. After the first use, some water can be used again for furniture dusting and wiping. "Third use" water might be used for mopping the floor. "Fourth use" might be for watering plants in the garden.

People are creative in how they use several dedicated buckets for the ingenious ways that they have devised to reuse water. Use your imagination. If you can hear the water running, you probably could turn the faucet down a little. Use large containers to catch and store rainwater for later use.

Water conservation practices at Tzu Chi

"Life cannot exist without water," Master Cheng Yen told a group of Tzu Chi commissioners in 1997. "If we do not cherish water now, we are bound to be caught in want of it later. We must live our lives with resource conservation in mind. To help conserve water, I always put a washbowl underneath the faucet before I turn it on. Then I use the water already in the washbowl the next time I wash my hands, followed by a quick rinse in tap water. The water that accumulates in the washbowl throughout the day can be used for other purposes."

One day, a disciple noticed during her routine cleaning of Master Cheng Yen's personal restroom that the lid on the toilet water tank had been set aside. Without too much thought, the disciple replaced the lid and continued cleaning. The disciple found the lid set aside again the next day. As before, the disciple set the lid back atop the toilet tank. After three or four days of this, the disciple became perplexed. She figured that the Master was giving her a hint that the toilet was broken, so she called a plumber to fix it. When Master Cheng Yen saw the plumber, she inquired as to his purpose, and discovered he was there to fix her toilet. The Master replied that the toilet was working perfectly.” The disciple asked, "But if the toilet is working normally, why is the lid to the tank set aside every day?" Master Cheng Yen chuckled. "The toilet wasn't broken. I removed the lid and left it off because I felt it was a pity to use fresh water to flush the toilet. Instead, I use the water that accumulates in the wash basin to fill the tank."

As this anecdote goes to show, being mindful of water and finding creative ways to conserve it can even be a way to perform spiritual cultivation.

Note: Many portions of this article have been excerpted from Nourishing Life--Master Cheng Yen's Wisdom in Cherishing Water, by Pan Xuan, jointly published in 2006 by Still Thoughts Publishing Co. and Yuan-Liou Publishing Co., Ltd.