By Abdul Rahman Mohammed, CEO, Sahara Industry
Where are we going to live, on planet Earth or Mars?
On this World Environment Day, this question is more relevant than ever. “Only One Earth” is precisely the theme of World Environment Day 2022, very thoughtfully selected by the United Nations. It calls for living sustainably and in harmony with nature.
Moreover, 2022 is a very significant year as normalcy is returning to our lives after two years of global disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, frequent and longer periods of induced lockdowns which also gave the much-needed break to planet Earth. It helped reset the planet, giving the environment a chance to recover from the wear and tear of human activity. The infamous polluted air in Delhi was cleaner, the meltdowns of glaciers were halted, rivers and canals became clean due to not receiving the dirty waters from people and industries and one could see the marine life swimming through them. Even the catchphrase “The Earth is healing, we are the virus,” was widely circulated on social media as a meme.
The theme of this year, “Only One Earth”, calls for living sustainably and in harmony with nature.
Water is not only necessary for the survival of living beings, but it is a must for environmental sustainability. We have taken for granted all natural resources including water and the result is now evident in the form of a severe crisis of clean water across nations. India which had an abundance of water available not so long ago is facing a historical crisis with almost half of the population missing access to safe water for drinking. Almost 3 years ago when NitiAyog reported that 600 million people suffering from extreme water stress in the country, the numbers must have increased substantially. If that is not alarming, it was also reported that India is placed at 120th position amongst 122 countries in the water quality index, reason: nearly 70% of freshwater sources being contaminated, and about 200,000 people dying every year due to inadequate access to safe water.
A number of large cities in India are grappling to manage their water supply, suffering from acute scarcity and requiring “immediate action” as growing scarcity will also hit India’s food security. Come 2030, over 40% of India’s population will have no access to drinking water. India holds about 4% of global freshwater for almost 18% of the world population is the largest user of groundwater sources. The Earth needs fresh water to feed people’s needs, preserve ecological balance, help all species to survive, and maintain the synergy of nature.
Sahara Industry, as a conscious decision has adopted modern system and processes that is helpful in the cleaning of unsafe water to make it pure and safe while at the same time not wasting many resources. With high-quality products and excellent service standards, it has the crucial technical expertise and in-depth understanding of the water sector to offer the best integrated and strategic approach to industrial and municipal water and wastewater treatment systems which is aligned with environmental consciousness.
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The World Environment Day this year has further highlighted the issue of survival with #OnlyOneEarth campaign. The time is running out and the deteriorating condition of planet Earth has become an emergency to handle with utmost care and efficiency. Water is an essential element for creating and sustaining life on the planet, but we seems to have forgotten. The campaign by the United Nations reminds us that we only have one planet to live. Mr. Rahman has very clearly emphasized the message across, action-oriented indeed.