On my travels, I cannot help but notice how the western house and garden are influenced by oriental philosophies. Buddhas of every kind and dancing Shivas decorate lounge rooms, offices and front yards. Health shops are filled with traditional Asian remedies to cure, beautify, to keep us subtle. We have the luxury of the spiritual culture from India, Thailand, Tibet and many countries of Africa, enriching our chaotic yet comfortable western lives. And yet, some of these culturally rich countries are the poorest in the world, suffering basic food and water shortages.

Rivers drying

It is common knowledge that we have fresh water shortages on our blue planet. The same countries that enrich our western lifestyles predominantly suffer these extreme water challenges. The ownership of ‘Water Rights’, along with the radical changes in the water movement on the planet, has decreased access to fresh water. The Murray-Darling River fish crisis in Australia is a perfect example. Up to a million Murray cod have died across a 40-kilometre stretch. It is believed that the water management practices of some upstream areas are the cause. Researchers are stating that much water is being removed from the northern Basin. Irrigators need to reduce their take by 40 per cent. Numerous experts have called fish deaths a preventable catastrophe.

While areas are drying out faster than ever, floods sweep other regions. These factors, along with others, have shaped the lives of 884 million people lacking access to safe water supplies (one in eight people). Of this, 3.6 million people die yearly from water-related diseases; 84% of these deaths are children aged 0 – 14.

Water rights

Western cultures have long had the luxury of an easygoing attitude about the water we use. More often than not, that attitude has led us to unnecessary waste and pollution of our water. When asked, “where does your water come from?” many people reply, “from my tap”. From this tap, the average European uses 200 litres of water per day; Australians and Americans use approximately 340 litres per day, whilst a person from Africa or Asia can use only 10 to 50 litres per day.

The Human Rights Allocation of 50 litres of clean water per day for basic needs of bathing, sanitation, and drinking is about the amount we use to flush our toilets daily. This is one of the worst offenders in the household for wasting precious clean water.

Educating about water

We take for granted the convenience of pushing a button to flush toilets and having litres of drinkable water transport our human manure away. Clean water requires vast amounts of energy to be chemically treated and pumped into our homes; it uses groundwater, which stresses natural habitats in wetlands and rivers. 

How can we synchronize our water usage with our Asian nurturers and African neighbours?

How can we use less water in our daily lives? Apart from the obvious, such as turning off the taps and taking short showers to save water, we need to delve into who we are again. The Sanskrit word kwei means to dwell with, as well as to care for. We are led back to an idea deep in language that we need to learn to live again with care.

The Canadian ecologist, Stan Rowe, suggests that the most self-evident is the realization that we exist in nature and not the “environment” as a part of creation. Without digging deep into a faulty system to discover the source of the language and understanding breakdown, we condemn ourselves to false icons and borrowed cultural traditions.

Permie tip: Learn how to make a water tank using the technique of ferrocement.

Water security for your farm or permaculture garden is important for family and community resilience.