Ron Duncan is deeply concerned about water availability in the world, in
California and in his hometown of Soquel, near
Santa Cruz. It is the most important life and death issue worldwide and in many third world countries, women spend hours each day carrying water jugs – and the water is unsafe and there are no sanitary facilities to prevent disease.
Although the situation in Soquel does not compare to parts of
Africa, the situation is dire. Between 1960 and 2000, the
US water consumption doubled but the amount of available water stayed the same.
In
Haiti, after the earthquake, there was water to drink but no toilets or showers. And cholera broke out as a result.
And in the
US, even where there is plenty of cheap, safe water, people don’t drink enough. In the
US, the average person uses 180 gallons of water a day, mostly in the bathroom and toilet. In recent years, toilet tanks have gotten smaller, which has saved much water. There are also now “two-flush” toilets that use more or less water depending on what is being flushed.
