Clean Water: An Endangered Element?

My pastor went on an evangelical mission to the core of Borneo (Kalimantan) earlier this month. After returning home, he shared with us his rather adventure-like experience in the recent ministry: going up and down the mountain, following a fade path through the woods with no light except that coming from fireflies, and drinking straight from the bubbling brook. “The water!” he exclaimed. “It was as fresh as sterilized water packed in bottles we buy in stores!”

Well… that’s the taste fresh water from the mountain springs naturally is. It is similar here, if you’d want to climb on top of Welirang or Arjuna Mountain and drink right from the spring. The water is so cool, fresh and unpolluted; you can gulp it down without worrying about boiling it first.

In the towns and cities, however, we need to cook the water first and filter it before it is sterile enough to drink. There’s so much difference between the quality of water at the spring and in the rivers.

We need to keep in mind that water is one of the ultimate elements man needs in order to stay living. The trouble is: with the pattern of today’s civilization and the rate of pollution that keeps growing from time to time, some elements of nature begin to get threatened.

Water is on top of the list!

People keep on cutting down trees and eliminating woods to build more space for housings. Without woods, there will be no root of trees to hold water, and without trees, there will be no springs. Without springs, we do not have water supplies! Not to mention the water pollution we find in streams and rivers down the mountains! We are running out of this utmost important and vital element of nature that is sure to endanger our own existence – without realizing it!

What are we to do? Let’s oppose deforestation. Urge the government to establish the law regarding deforestation and repot to the authority when we find acts of illegal logging! By treasuring our forest, we treasure also our lives – and the existence of the next generations.