Sustainable Living Guide Contributions, Part Three of Four: Sustaining our Water Resources
VIRTUAL WATER
The process that a product goes through before it is consumed involves the utilization of water. Virtual water can, therefore, be defined as the amount of water that is used in the production of a good. It is the hidden flow of water as the commodity is traded from one point to another (Hoekstra & Hung, 2002). The concept of virtual water is inspired by the thought that as products, including services, are exchanged from one place to another, so is water. The actual volume of the water is influenced by the agricultural practice involved and climatic factors.
Virtual water is a term for indirect water consumption and including the water used in cooking and bathing. According to research findings by UNESCO, the average volume of water consumed by a non-vegetarian is 5000 liters per day (Hoekstra, 2019). The rate of water consumption by a vegetarian, on the other hand, is 2700 liters per day (Hoekstra, 2019). Using this concept, we can assert that when a country exports a product, it also exports its water supply; hence, countries export and import water supply every day.
A significant fraction of the public is ignorant of the volume of water consumed daily. It is, therefore, easy to wastewater, and this puts the public in an unlikely position to achieve sustainability. We will, therefore, develop an effective sensitization program through which we will educate people about the relevance of virtual. Through the program, we will also teach them in the effective strategies of utilizing water economically. The program will be such that it will target populations, particularly at the production stage in rural areas. Part of the program will also target urban communities through social made platforms where we shall create awareness to notify the public about environmental sustainability and how it relates to virtual water.