Parched
Ashley Segrave - Associate Editor
March 9, 2010
Filed under Features
Imagine rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, over 2500 miles, yet not having access to clean drinking water. This feat would be impossible without the luxury of clean water on hand. Katie Spotz, a twenty-one year old, has partnered with Blue Water Run in order to raise money for safe drinking funds across the world.
One sixth of the world does not have access to clean drinking water, half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people who are suffering from a type of water related disease, and over 2.2 million people in developing countries die each year because of the lack of sanitation that their water has. People are literally dying just because they do not have clean water.
While an average American uses anywhere from 100 to 175 gallons of water a day, people in developing countries use only about 1.5 gallons a day. And this is not sufficient for a healthy life. These statistics that are found on Blue Water Run’s website are staggering, and it puts into perspective how fortunate Americans are. It may seem like the end of the world when people living in Arizona cannot water their grass everyday; these numbers make those qualms pale in comparison.
Women in Afghanistan, India, Central and South America, and Africa may have to walk six kilometers in order to attain some sort of water, and in addition to this they have to carry that back to their home. This kind of energy is draining and prevents them from having any sort of education and even hinders them in maintaining a proper homestead. The water that they are seeking is not necessarily clean, but it’s a fluid to help nourish their families.
Open sewers, unclean hygiene habits, and lack of attention all contribute to the increasing problem of unclean drinking water. One problem that people suffer from is the lack of a piping system. People’s sewage and waste is essentially dumped into rivers that surround cities causing pollution. Another issue inhabitants of these areas face are due to their elected officials not taking the time to assess the situation. Once their vote is placed, the leaders do not spend the amount of time promised. Compared to education and constructing new buildings, a lack of safe water takes the back seat.
National Geographic has a full website dedicated to the crisis of drinking water and explains that only .007 percent of the planet’s water is available to fuel and feed its 6.8 billion people. What needs to be reintroduced into our society and the entire worlds is how to effectively conserve, manage, and distribute water. Every day people leave the water running while they brush their teeth, get a drink, or wash their hands. Any amount of conservation is severely needed.
In lesser countries the lack of clean water does not only impact humans, but also in addition it impacts the wildlife. In Egypt the water is so polluted that the fish cannot properly survive. Because of this, the Egyptians main food supply is receding, and the only fish that are left cause the people to become ill because of the diseases they are harboring.
It seems futile to conserve water because the visual results of this are non-existent for the average person. By making small changes in a person’s everyday schedule, such as taking shorter showers, can at the least raise awareness of the issue of the lack of clean drinking water. It is not necessary to “go green” in order to make a difference. People of high influence or social status have the ability to raise the concerns, and they have been publicizing what different ways that they will conserve water.
There are a plethora of organizations that are desperately seeking to inform people around the world of ways they can help with the problem. A website that is receiving active participation from communities to help with the cause of providing clean water for villages is Blue Water Run. Its statement says that if someone donates at least thirty dollars this can provide enough water to save one life. Organizations realize that just throwing money at the problem will not solve anything. So instead they give the people equipment and guidance, providing that the villagers are the ones doing most of the hard labor. This does not prove to be a problem, and so they drill wells and gain access to clean water.
In order to stop unnecessary deaths it is vital for people to become aware of the problem concerning unclean drinking water. If people raise awareness, donate money, or even volunteer for organizations the rate of deaths would drop.
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