B’H
Mushka Goorevitch
Water’s Deep Importance in our Lives
This year, my class and I participated in a research project relating to water scarcity. This water
project began with delving into the facts pertaining to water and the common problems people face
around the world. We covered this concept in the majority of our classes, including Science, Math,
History, and Judaica.
The first subject we covered in relation to water scarcity was in the area of science. With the
assistance of our teacher, Dr. Todd, my classmates and I probed through the scientific data, percentages,
and numbers associated with water scarcity around the world. Economic water shortage occurs when
there is a huge expense for potable water, and many unfortunately cannot afford it. This kind of water
scarcity can definitely relate to the poor, suffering people in Africa. Physical water scarcity occurs when
the demand for water is higher than what is capable of being offered. In reality, water deficiency is a
problem that is faced globally. Scientists have predicted that by the year 2025, nearly half of the world
will suffer due to the scarcity of water. This includes areas such as South Africa, North Africa, parts of
Australia, Western U.S., Central America, the Middle East, and Western Asia. A main question that was
addressed was, “ Why can’t we desalinate water directly from oceans such as the Pacific Ocean?” For
starters, ocean water is extremely salty, and henceforth undrinkable. On the other hand though, there are
water systems that remove the salt from liquids, which is a process described as desalination. If so,
shouldn't we desalinate more to provide supplementary amounts of water for the less fortunate? The
conclusion that was realized was that desalination runs at the expense of our energy and technology. Both
these processes require an extensive amount of money, especially if the government plans to use
desalination as one of our main sources of water. In order to feel a personal relation to this global
struggle, the daily hardships that average people face because of water shortage was discussed as well.
Our class watched a very educational movie called, “A World Without Water,” and it showed different
families and individuals around the world who suffer from water shortage and hygienic issues being
interviewed. I distinctly remember a certain young girl from the movie crying because her infant brother
had just died from a waterborne disease, and she was mocked at school because she was always unclean.
This girl had to face these hardships merely because she had limited access to clean water, and for that
matter, any water at all!
After exploring and researching through the facts, our class began the experimenting. Each girl in
the 8th grade was instructed to bring a water sample from their area. Kids living by the ocean brought
samples from that resource. Others broughts tap water. Also, drinking water from different water
companies such as Kangen or Smartwater was brought in. With the total amount of ten samples, we
proceeded to test their pH, salinity level, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Oxygen level. Some results were
quite foreseen, but then again, some data turned out quite unexpected. For example, Ariel Ifrach brought
in Kangen Water, which was supposedly the best brand of water out there. When tested, though, this
water type resulted in a very basic pH of 12! Typical pHs of water should fluctuate between a seven or
six! The experimenting component of this experience totally enhanced the project, and I am very thankful
to Dr. Todd for donating his time to truly make it meaningful!
The data that was derived from the water testing was then interpreted into graphs. Mrs. Jahanfard,
our math teacher, began our lesson on graphing by firstly describing and depicting the different types of
graphs. The main point Mrs. Jahanfard stressed was that the type of graph used strongly depended on the
kind of data given. Our math teacher explained why, for example, we used a pie graph to visually chart
our data for our salinity testing. Pie graphs are used mainly to describe percentages, and our salinity data
was mainly comprised of, “which samples are salty, and which are not?” Using Google Spreadsheets, we
calculated the mean, median, and mode of all our data, and then graphed the informaton with the
knowledge of the types of graphs that suit the types of data.
In history class, we wrote an essay based on an ancient civilization and how water was the
foundation of their existence. When this essay was assigned, our class had already covered the Chinese,
Japanese, Aztec, Maya, and Inca Civilizations in depth. Mrs. Cambare, our teacher, described to us the
main ways in which water may have affected a certain civilization. The avenues of impact are mainly
through economic growth, agriculture, commerce, religion, and daily life. I personally picked the Ancient
Aztecs because I found their way of life most interesting when I learned about them. Through much more
research, I acquired fascinating details about the Aztecs that showed me of water’s extreme importance
for the growth of a nation. For one thing, the Aztecs served Tlaloc, their God of fertility and rain. They
believed that natural disasters, such as floods, occurred when his anger flared. In addition, the Aztecs built
their marvelous city of Tenochtitlan by creating little artificial gardens known as chinampas. This
significant agricultural feature provided extra fertile land for farming, as well as an expanse of land.
In one of our Judaic classes, referred to as Navi,or Jewish Prophets, we were assigned an essay to
relate the importance of water as seen in the Torah, or Holy Bible. Mrs. Greenwald, our Navi teacher,
gave us a variety of phrases that can be found in the Torah, and from that we would research through the
meforshim, or commentaries. One specific phrase that intrigued me pertained the generation of the
Mabul, or Flood, during Noah’s time. The generation of the time were major sinners and were in
desperate need of being “purified with the holy waters.” What does this mean? Going to the mikvah, or
spiritual bathing place, relieves us from our spiritual impurities and sins. The concept of the mikvah is
compared the Great Flood because that generation of sinners received their punishment, and cleansed
themselves of their sins by “immersing” in water.
For Ivrit, or Hebrew Language and Grammar, I, together with Bas Sheva and Leeat, composed a
song that explained the value of water. We put this poem to a classic Hebrew song called “Mizmor Shir”,
or translated as “ A Song, a Psalm”. Bas Sheva and Leeat sang, while I played the background music on
the keyboard. This song covered the important facts of how water is essentially life, and provided pictures
for understanding.
I have realized, personally, through project-based learning, that my attention and attitude toward
this project were more focused and engaged during the stretch of this project. Since there were so many
captivating and interactive types of learning, that I truly took it all in. With the science experimenting,
everyone had a contribution and was equally involved in coming up with the crucial data. In addition, the
composing of our Ivrit song was quite engaging as well because all three of us, Bas Sheva, Leeat, and I,
are all talented in the musical area. I am certain that we all took delight in knowing that each of our talents
were necessary in order to create a beautiful product. Ultimately, I strongly believe in this system of
learning, and I know I felt a certain appreciation for the information after learning it through this
technique.
WOW! This huge project has finally come to a conclusion! It has been truly amazing seeing how
water is essential in all the pertaining subjects. One thing I will now always bear in mind, is to keep the
shower running for 5 minutes max!