I would like to express my concern over the lack of care that the people of Taipei show toward water. They use it as if it is a never-ending resource that will perpetually flow. Water is a precious resource that, in the end, is more valuable than anything else on the planet. People care about their gold, their precious stones, their cars, but when it comes down to it, without water all of these so-called riches are meaningless. Water is the most important thing for life, even greater than food. It is crucial that the people of Taipei and Taiwan understand this. We need to create community awareness programs and establish an ideology that conserving water is the proper thing to do.
The average person in Taipei probably uses about 60 liters of water per day for showering, brushing their teeth, drinking, etc. If they do a load of laundry or wash their car, this number goes up to about 100 liters or more. The average person in a Third World country such as Africa has access to only about half a liter of water per day.
If the people in this country and every developed country could understand this dramatic difference perhaps they would think twice before showering for 15 minutes just because it feels nice to have warm water on their bodies. Water is not a never-ending resource and if people keep using it the way they do, they will quickly realize how true this is.
Please, conserve every bit of water and remember those suffering people who struggle every day for just a few drops of this life-giving liquid.
Sean Irving
Taipei
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