If humans go one week without water, they will literally cry blood. According to Blue Gold: World Water Wars, a documentary shown in the Wildcat Theater, some experts believe that in 50 years, there will likely be a collapse of the earth’s water source if there is not a change made to the way the system is currently being run.

The Sociology Club and Water Works, a campus-wide theme, collaborated to present a showing of the documentary yesterday. Afterward, the Sociology Club held a discussion about the film.

Anthony King is a sophomore at Weber State University who attended the documentary showing and discussion. He said what surprised him most about the documentary was “probably how simple the solutions were. It was as simple as digging holes to allow ground water to seep into the ground to replenish and recharge the aquifers and to demolish any dams that might be left. It’s that simple.”

The documentary addressed the issue of a “global crisis.” According to the documentary, 3 percent of the water on the earth is safe to drink. More children die from drinking polluted water than from malaria, AIDS and wars.

Auto industries and automobile exhaust contribute to the pollution of the water supply. The film proposed a solution to automobile pollution by creating roads that protect the ground water from being infected with chemicals and pollutants. King said he was surprised that this solution was not being implemented in the United States.

Christa Boyd, a junior at WSU and a member of the Sociology Club, said she learned a lot about earth’s water situation, especially about dams. Boyd also said she didn’t know about the effect dams had on the planet until watching the documentary, and she said a quote in the film by Vandana Shiva greatly affected her.

“A river is the lifeline of an ecosystem,” said Shiva in the film, “just like the veins and arteries bring blood to every part of our organism. When we have choked arteries, that’s what is called a heart attack. A dam is the choking of the artery of the planet.”

Erica Martinez, a senior at WSU, said the quote from Shiva really stuck out to her as well.

“I never thought of it like that either,” Martinez said. “I think a lot more change would come about if people thought of the earth like a person and how water keeps everybody alive, just like using that metaphor in a bigger sense — having people be aware of that, at least, because I think people take a lot of what we have for granted.”

Boyd and Martinez said students should recycle more to help save energy and conserve water. They also said students can help by using less water during the day.

Water Works is an ongoing project at WSU that started this past spring semester. Dates for future Water Works and Sociology Club events are listed on the WSU website.