An Option to Overcome Water Scarcity and Environmental Issues Essay

An Option to Overcome Water Scarcity and Environmental Issues - Essay Example However, â€Å"75 percent† of water derives from Northern parts whereas â€Å"80 percent† demand occurs from Southern and coastal California (2). Thus, it transpires that if the resourcing from Northern part is stopped, Southern California will have a water crisis. The population of California, estimated at â€Å"38 million in January 2008† is predicted to climb up to â€Å"59.5 million by 2050† (2). Therefore, in the future, the demand of water for Southern California will multiply. Thus, there is a need to assess the water requirements as well as finding solutions to resolve problem in areas that face scarcity. Two Faulty Arguments on Wasting Water: Water, though a natural resource that humans get easily and sometimes freely, is a very precious element for attaining progress in all areas including economic development. However, people tend to ignore this fact and do not care to preserve water or use their water resources sparingly. Thus, most people make a faulty assumption that paying water bills bestows on them the right to waste water. This argument is not tenable as there are many people who confront the acute shortage of water and they can perhaps subsist on the droplets that others unnecessarily waste. People think that water is an element that is abundantly available on earth and, therefore, they possess the discretion to use it as much as they want. This contention is not correct as resources, no matter how abundant they may appear, will exhaust through overconsumption. Increasing population is a major concern in all countries across the globe, with increased age expectancy as a result of advanced technologies in healthcare and medicine. Thus, people need to acknowledge the demand of future generations before using water beyond a reasonable limit. Besides, several emerging threats such as climate changes and global warming can cause severe draughts in the future. Thus, people must take into account these factors before pres uming that they can waste water as it is abundantly available at the moment. The Need for Replacing Lawns with Xeriscaped Gardens: Lawns need regular watering, mowing, manicuring and fertilizing for their upkeep and maintenance. Besides, to keep them safe from pests and other insects, they also demand the use of pesticides at frequent intervals. The government or local authorities, on many occasions, impose restrictions on the use of water as a result of drought conditions. On such occasions it becomes extremely difficult for people to maintain their lawns. Thus, the maintenance of lawns entails major concerns both in terms of scarcity as well as wastage of water. Research evidence suggests that a yard size of 25 x 40 consumes up to â€Å"1000 gallons of water† in summers (Ratliff 40). The same research also finds that lawns in the US consume over â€Å"70 million pounds of pesticides† in their tending and some of it â€Å"seeps into groundwater,† posing threat to both humans and wildlife (40). Lawn mowers also cause air pollution. Thus, when one considers the problems entailing from lawn maintenance, it appears that such landscaping, while provides homes an aesthetic appeal, comes with a lot negative impact on human life. Therefore, several environmentalists argue that lawns symbolize â€Å"wasteful disregard for the biosphere† (40). On the other hand, many people support the concept of natural landscaping, which, they believe, has many advantages. Proponents of this concept contend it reduces water wastage as well as the usage of pesticides considerably. Sandra Walk, a landscape architect, never installs turfs and she promotes the use of