SDG 14: Life Below Water

If you want to see magic on earth, take a dive and see for yourself the blissful heaven under water. Sadly, the water that connects us all is no longer safe. We are primarily water and we are all sustained by it. Ocean water bodies- their temperature, composition and movement etc. steer the global systems which makes this Earth habitable for us. 

According to WHO around 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their sustenance. However, today we witness the overexploitation of this precious life-giving resource. 

Marine pollution and ocean acidification is majorly a result of human activities. Some measures to contain water pollution include: - 

1. For sustainable future development it is very important to conserve and effectively manage this precious life-giving resource. Besides developing water saving technologies and mark and methods, attempts are also to be made to prevent the pollution. There's a need to encourage watershed development, rainwater harvesting, water recycling and reusing and conjunctive use of water for sustaining water supply.

2. One way of reducing the pollution load on marine waters is by introducing sewage treatment plants. This will reduce the biological oxygen demand of the final product before it is discharged to the receiving waters. Various stages of treatment, such as primary, secondary, or advanced, can be used depending on the quality of affluent to be treated.

3. Polluter pays principle should be adopted so that by looters will be the first people to suffer by way of paying the cost for the pollution. Ultimately, the polluter pays principle should be designed to prevent people from polluting and making them behave in an environmentally reasonable manner.

4. Also, there is enormous scope for replenishing water through recycling. Watershed management can be used for efficient management and conservation of risk of surface and groundwater resources. It involves prevention of runoff and recharge of through percolation tanks, recharge wells, etc. 

5. Social awareness should be generated. Rainwater harvesting helps to capture and store rainwater for various uses. It helps to recharge groundwater aquifers. It is in low cost and eco-friendly technique for preserving every top of water by guiding the rainwater to bore well pits and bells.

Clearly, we cannot take water bodies for granted. It is crucial for the survival and sustainable prosperity of mankind. More over the water environment knows no political boundaries. It is being threatened in all parts of the world. We must address the world's water pollution not only as individual says States and nations, but also as members of a greater worldwide environmental community.