Written By Atharv Joshi (Grade 5)
Think of what would have happened to us all if we had no water! We would not leave at all. Why? We would never have been born. There would have been no animals, creatures, trees plants either. Like many other planets, earth would have been a huge mass of mud or rocks.
Water called H2O in science, or Adam’s Allegorically, is one of the five basic elements of the universe, without which we cannot survive, called “Panehabhoota” in Hindu concept. These five basic elements are: water, land, air, fire and ether (Aakasha).
Water is everywhere. Largest bodies of water, covering three fourth of the world’s surface are seas or oceans. Flowing like our lifeline across the lands are rivers. Before those rivers join the seas, they provide water to the people living on their banks. Our civilizations began on the banks of the rivers. Water sustains agriculture and verdure on which we depend for survival. Water bodies such as seas, rivers, lakes and tanks etc provide shelter to different species of aquatic life like fish.
Fish, as you all know, serves as food for large number of people in the world. If there is no water, where will we get food to eat?
We get rains to fill up these water bodies. If there are no rains, these water bodies would be empty and then we can not live. Can we?
Countries, particularly in Europe are facing serious drought for want of rains. Forest fires and engulfing vast portions, forcing people to evacuate. But you may have read S.T Coleridge’s famous quote “Water, water everywhere. But not a drop to drink”. It is not enough if have enough water, it must be free from salt. It must also be clean and safe. Unclean and unsafe water brings us diseases and kills us. So let us drink clean and safe water.
Featured Image Courtesy – pwrda.org