California drought taking its toll

California is generally known for its calm weather, good vibes and scenery. Under the state’s beaches and greenery, however, lies a dangerous problem that has gripped the state for three years — drought.

In Saratoga, there is not much of a difference in the economic outcome that the drought is bringing. But the more that cities like Saratoga ignore the worsening problem, the worse it gets for rural communities throughout the state.

Too often, many of us continue to take long showers and consume large amounts of water, regardless of the state's environmental condition.

As the drought worsens, the price of fruit is going up, the cost of water irrigation skyrocketing and all citizens of California are being asked to make an effort to conserve as much as they can.

While other countries, or even states like Texas, seem to be able to handle their intense respective droughts fairly well through more efficient irrigation and drip systems, it seems like the Bay Area doesn’t bother to focus on conserving water and instead lets the problem fall to the level of the farmers and to neighboring areas. This is the wrong course of action and California has to improve.

In March, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Silicon Valley and talked about, among other things, how California could benefit from Israel’s experience with its own drought.

"California doesn't need to have a water problem,'' Netanyahu said. "Israel has no water problems because we are the No. 1 recyclers of waste water, we stop water leaks, we use drip irrigation and desalination.''

While Israel is more forced to deal with its problem than Californians, we may one day face similar threats and urgency if we don’t act early and start reducing water usage now. The drought has clearly put us in our place and forced us to be conscious about the state that California is in.

The drought cannot be stopped by us, as we as people don’t control rains and climate changes. What we should do in order to stop the drought is to conserve and be cautious about waterand the ways we use it. The consequences for continued waste could be minor in the short term, but in the future, the supply of water is in jeopardy as the state grows and demands increase.

With more awareness and conservation, the state’s high standard of living can be saved. Without it, the future looks much less golden than it should be.