Innovations & Inspirations

Clean water is tough to come by throughout the developing world.  Sometimes bottled water isn’t even safe; the seals may have been tampered with and the water may not be any different than what comes out of the tap.  Boiling water is the only fool proof way to ensure water clear of parasites, bacteria, and chemicals—and boiling water isn’t very convenient.  The sheer number of diseases and microbial agents that make up waterborne diseases is staggering.  In many European countries, beer is cheaper than water.  The decrease in the amount of readily available clean water – and, thereby, the increase in amount of contaminated water – is a trend that makes me worry for the future stability of nations with exploding populations.

I found the following label on the Himalayan mineral water bottle—a TATA product—to be both facetious and foreboding.

I look back on life – it’s funny how things turn out.

You, the creator of beeping sirens and honking cars, yearn for the solitude of the mountains. You, a connoisseur of fast food, now gaze at water that took years to gather natural minerals as it trickled down from the Himalayas to within your reach. And I, some of the purest water in the world, stand here, trapped in a bottle. Come, enjoy the irony.

It’s an irony that will only become more pronounced as the beeping sirens increase and the trickling decreases.