Imagining a day without water? Those times are closer than you think

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Whether it’s a crisis or not, corporations have decided that the next big scarcity will be fresh, clean drinking water.

From Nestle to the Harvard Trust, big businesses have been buying up aquifers and contaminating water sources across the globe. For Hawaiʻi, there’s the Red Hill crisis on Oahu and the fallout from the wildfires on Maui.

This is making it a very dry future that we are creating for your children and grandchildren.

As such, the Board of Water Supply and the Department of Land and Natural Resources are asking you to participate in “Imagine a Day Without Water” event.

This is an event that is observed nationally in order to instigate a pause on current water usage and to allow people to reflect on the copious ways that water and water systems impact our lives and communities.

It is also a time to commit to investing in a sustainable future for your children and grandchildren.

“Safe, clean drinking water is so important in our lives, but many of us take this for granted,” said the DLNR. “Every day, many people in Hawai‘i don’t give a second thought about where their drinking water comes from or how it is delivered to the kitchen faucet, garden hose or washing machine.”

For most of Hawaiʻi, the water infrastructure is old and in need of repairs or replacements. However, if we do not invest in a clean water future, water and wastewater systems will continue to deteriorate. This can lead to some serious consequences for Hawaiʻi’s public health and economy. This is particularly true for keiki and their future.

“While water infrastructure is important, protecting Hawai‘i’s only source of fresh water is just as important,” explained the DLNR press release. “Maintaining healthy native forests and watersheds, and ensuring sustainability of our aquifers and streams, will enable our public water systems to continue to provide life-giving water to our residents across the state.”

You can join the Imagine a Day Without Water on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wahiawā Freshwater State Recreation Area.

There will be:

• Over 15 city, state, and community organization booths.
• Interactive activities including:
  • rain barrel and native seed workshops,
  • xeriscape plant craft activity,
  • purchasing an annual freshwater fishing license so you can take an on-site fishing class, and
  • making Genki balls, a bioremediation technology that removes pollutants from soil and water.
• Eat ‘ono food, play games and win small prizes!

“We must make sure that we protect our streams and groundwater so that future generations may enjoy and benefit from this most precious of natural resources, ola i ka wai, water is life,” said DLNR Chair Dawn Chang emphasized.