Water and The Community
Water is an essential ingredient to living a prosperous life. It is needed for human health, a healthy environment, education, a sustainable economy, and peace and security. Even though advancements in science and technology have has increased the number of people who have access to clean water and the ways in which clean water can be obtained, many parts of the world still cannot rely on clean water. It is estimated that 844 million people lack access to basic water treatment. In addition, 2 billion people are reported to drink from water that is contaminated with fecal ingredients (WHO).
According to the Water for Life campaign, “cities cannot be sustainable without ensuring reliable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation”. “Daily access to clean water is necessary to satisfy basic needs of drinking, cooking, washing, and bathing — i.e., domestic uses of water” (The Human Right to Water). Poor water has been linked to “water-related illnesses, food insecurity, lost productivity, and poor school attendance” (The Human Right to Water). Adequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are essential to human health. Proper waste management is important for the environment health. However, many developing countries struggle with chronic water shortages, and poor water infrastructure (John Hopkins). According to WHO, there is also an economic advantage to having clean water. The organization states that for every dollar spent on improved sanitation and drink water there is a $4 economic return due to health and productivity. Universal access to sanitation outweighs costs by 5-fold and 2-fold for access to drinking water. Meanwhile, countries like India, Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa loses and average between 4% and 6% of their GDP due to poor sanitation (John Hopkins).
Since the earliest civilizations, water has been very important. Historically, all civilizations developed around sources of water such as the Nile River, Euphrates, etc. (Public City Works). Water allowed civilizations to practice agriculture with techniques such as irrigation. Water ways provided canals which transported both people and raw materials. In the 21st century water is just as important. Now water provide power most notably through hydroelectric dams which powers cities such as Las Vegas (Pubic City Works).
In recent history there has been increased awareness for the need of cleaner water. In 1948, the United States passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the first major attempt to address the water population issue. With growing concern and subsequent changes made, the law soon morphed into the current law known as the Clean Water Act that was passed in 1972. The law states that deals with the regulation of pollutants into the water bodies, allows for the implementation of pollutant control programs and the funding of sewage plants (EPA).
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized that access to clean water and sanitation was a basic human right (The United Nations). This was important milestone for the acknowledgement of insufficient water needs in developing countries (The Human Right to Water). The general assembly acknowledged that sufficient water needs were supposed to meet a standard for personal and domestic use. The water must be safe, acceptable, affordable and physically accessible to the people.
Although water is basic right that all people possess, there are some difficulties that come with trying to get access to clean, drinking water. The main conflict that needs to be considered is the fact that “freshwater is a finite resource and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment”, so its availability will be limited in these poorer areas (Conflict and dilemma). Countries in the Middle East, North Africa, parts of Asia, South Africa, Mexico, Pakistan, and parts of India and China all have some level of limited freshwater access. This scarcity comes from a mixture of man-made and natural factors like the climate of a region that make it difficult to access clean, drinking water (Conflict and Dilemma). Even with access to clean water, freshwater is a finite resource used for many human activities such as agriculture, industry and the environment, so efforts would be needed to ensure all areas will have sufficient access to freshwater (Conflict and dilemma).
It is predicted by 2025 that 1.8 billion people will reside in areas with water scarcity (Water in Developing Countries). Many developed countries lack access to clean water and many do not have the technology to successfully treat their water for its toxic components. As a result, the people in these developing countries must use the water despite its toxicity to human health. Developing counties are more commonly affected by water shortages and poorer water quality (Water in Developing Countries). According to the World Health Organization, in low- and middle-income countries, 38% of health care facilities lack an improved water source, 19% do not have improved sanitation, and 35% lack clean water and soap for handwashing purposes. In the developing countries, 80% of the illness found in these areas are cause by inadequate access to clean water and poor sanitation standards (Water in Developing Countries).
Dirty water contains many diseases through which bacteria or insects serve as vectors for these diseases. Exposure to contaminated water can lead to diseases like: diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio (WHO). Certain groups like children, elderly, pregnant women, and autoimmune compromised individuals are especially vulnerable to waterborne illnesses. Diarrhea is estimated to kill 1.5 million children each year due to unclean water and poor sanitation. Of the 1.5 million children 336,000 of them are just under the age of 5 years old (The United Nations). In addition, almost 240 million people are affected by a condition known as schistosomiasis. It is an acute chronic disease caused by contraction of parasitic worms through contaminated water sources (WHO). Dirty water is known to cause adverse health effects in the gastrointestinal system, reproductive system, and the nervous system (Water-related Diseases and Containments in Public Water Systems).
In parts of Indore, India water has become so scare that people within the city are forced to get their water over 70 kilometers away in the Narmada River (Sewage Pollution). This is mainly due to the poor treatment of the nearby Khan River. Because of the lack regulation, a majority of the sewage waste is poured straight into the Khan River. If a sewage network becomes clogged, which is likely to occur during the monsoon season, the sewage can overflow and end up on the streets and the slums of the city (Sewage Pollution). This exposure to sewage can lead to many adverse health effects especially for susceptible populations like the elderly, children, and immunocompromised individuals.
Although low- and middle-income counties are the most likely to face water scarcity and lack of access to clean water, there have been incidence in developed countries that also have faced instances of dirty or contaminated water. For example, lead contamination in the water affected Washington DC between 2001 and 2005 and also affected Jackson, Mississippi in 2015 (Social Support). In addition, a chemical spill occurred at the Elk River in West Virginia that left 9 counties without drinking water for nearly a week in 2014 (Social Support).
It has been pointed that the issue of water pollution here in the United States stems from the racist origins of the country (Social Support). For one thing communities compromised mainly of minority populations have been subjected to disproportional amounts of environmental hazards because they lack the political power to keep this environmental hazardous waste out of their community. One of the most infamous examples of access to clean water was the Flint Water Crisis in 2014. Flint has had a history of racial discrimination within their community. Flint dealt with exclusionary housing practices that attempted to keep the white and black citizens separated from each other. Eventually white people started to leave the city and resulted in a decline in the tax revenue for the city. The decline in the tax base made it harder of the city to provide the necessary pubic services to its citizens which made it difficult to maintain the integrity of the water systems (Elevated Blood). As an attempt to save money, the source of drinking water was switched from Lake Huron to the close Flint River. After the switch, many of the residents noticed the water discolorations, tastes and odor differences. Soon people started to develop skin rashes. Eventually testing on the water revealed E. coli within the water supply in addition to evidence of lead and many other dangerous chemicals (Elevated Blood Levels).
For all of my life I have been lucky enough to live in a country that has access to clean water and proper sanitation. I will never truly understand what it means to live without access to water but maybe I can provide an interesting perspective from an urban dweller who had to deal with a boil water crisis right here in Austin Texas.
Because of the continuous rain that was happening in the month of October on October 22, 2018 there was a water boil notice for an unspecified amount of time. I never been in this situation, so I was not sure what to do. All sinks were now not usable because of the dangers of contamination and potentially dirty water. This means I could not use the water to drink or brush my teeth. Initially I had to go to the convenient store to buy 1 bottle of water. Realizing I drink a lot of water I knew I was going to need to go back for more. Here in Austin put a strain on our lackluster college students’ budget. What made the process even worse was I had to make sure I had enough water specifically to brush my teeth, so not all of that was just for drinking. Eventually as the days went by there was an adjustment period and the campus helped provide clean water to all the students despite the limited amount of resources available to everyone.
As an urban dweller, I found it interesting to go through this experience. Unlike a lot of these poorer countries, we have access and the ability to find alternative means to get clean water while many of the people in poor countries must rely on the contaminated water as their source of drinking water. I understand that what I went through doesn’t even come close to the experience people in developing countries face on a daily basis. While we immediately received support and resources to help manage this short-term crisis, many people have been dealing with poor water situation for their entire life. This outlook, while not the most comparable, provides an interesting perspective on what it may feel like to deal with a water crisis.
Sources
Drinking-water. (2018, February 7). In World Health Organization . Retrieved October 31, 2018, from http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
Dietz, T., Duan, R., Nalley, J., & Van Witsen, A. (n.d.). Human Ecology Review . In Social Support for Water Quality: The Influence of Values and Symbolic Racism. Retrieved December 2, 2018, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=234b54ca-894b-4097-b3f4-57b93dce6c9d%40sessionmgr102
Eid, U. (2015, January 21). The importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene as keys to national development. In John Hopkins Water Magazine . Retrieved December 1, 2018, from http://water.jhu.edu/index.php/magazine/climate-change-and-health-why-the-link-to-water-is-critical
Hall, R. P., Van Koppen, B., & Van Houweling, E. (2012, October 11). The Human Right to Water: The Importance of Domestic and Productive Water Rights. In Springer . Retrieved October 31, 2018, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=16&sid=0a20dd12-4e2a-4f54-be71-0f8e565e8a45%40pdc-v-sessmgr01Water. (n.d.). In United Nations. Retrieved October 31, 2018, from http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/water/
Hanna-Attisha, M., LaChance, J., Sadler, R. C., & Schnepp, A. C. (n.d.). Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Associated With the Flint Drinking Water Crisis: A Spatial Analysis of Risk and Public Health Response. In ASJC Research . Retrieved December 2, 2018.
Harsha, J. (2011, June 25). Conflicts and dilemma of human right to water*. In Current Science . Retrieved October 31, 2018, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=15&sid=0a20dd12-4e2a-4f54-be71-0f8e565e8a45%40pdc-v-sessmgr01
International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005–2015. (n.d.). In United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs . Retrieved December 1, 2018, from http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/water_cities.shtml
Laws & Regulation History of the Clean Water Act. (n.d.). In United States Environmental Protection Agency . Retrieved October 31, 2018, from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/history-clean-water-act
Tahir, A., & Visaria, A. (2018, March 9). Sewage Pollution in Water Supply in Indore. In Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Retrieved October 31, 2018, from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=10&sid=0a20dd12-4e2a-4f54-be71-0f8e565e8a45%40pdc-v-sessmgr01
The Importance of Water . (2018). In Baltimore City Department of Public Works . Retrieved December 1, 2018, from https://publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/pw-bureaus/water-wastewater/water/importance
Water in developing countries . (n.d.). In Government of Canada . Retrieved October 31, 2018, from http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/environmental_protection-protection_environnement/water-eau.aspx?lang=eng
