Water
by Ralph Waldo Emerson 19th Century poet
The water understands
Civilization well;
It wets my foot, but prettily,
It chills my life, but wittily,
It is not disconcerted,
It is not broken-hearted:
Well used, it decketh joy,
Adorneth, doubleth joy:
Ill used, it will destroy,
In perfect time and measure
With a face of golden pleasure
Elegantly destroy.
Water shortages may be caused by climate change, such as altered weather patterns including droughts or floods, increased pollution, and increased human demand and overuse of water. A global survey of sustainability experts found that water shortages will shift public perception of the value of water, prompting governments and business to view clean water not as a product to exploit but as a valuable resource. What we need to see is water resilience – in order to protect public health. This is the capacity of our water system to be prepared for shocks and stresses, and to be able to adapt and respond to them.
This is a bank holiday weekend. The weather is and has been incredible!! It has been a really long spell of dry weather since the mid-March COVID-19 lockdown. Met Eireann reported that there were 31 dry periods in Ireland during 2020, between Wednesday 18 March 2020 and Tuesday 28 April 2020. Similar ongoing dry spells were experienced in counties Mayo, Sligo, Galway, Donegal and Roscommon.
I feel a hose pipe ban coming….