Water is the foundational compound for all life on Earth. The importance of water on human life, as well as other flora and fauna, has been instilled into children during their educational years. We consume large amounts of water each day, just by drinking, washing hands, or taking showers. However, water on planet Earth is not unlimited. The USGS reports that the total freshwater across the world that we have access to is about 22,339 mi3. It is due to this fact, that much of the water we have is being cleaned and sterilized for reuse.
Yet, at the current rate, especially since pollutants are contaminating the water sources, there will not be enough water to maintain life at the current rate. Contamination is defined by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as water is “unusable for drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other activities.” Our level of activities must be reduced to conserve clean water or better purification methods must be enacted.
At the heart of this problem is that by the inherent nature of the world, the pollution that we create will end up in our water sources. Air pollution can settle onto lakes, whereas land pollution can seep underground and make its way to a stream. Waste that is dumped in a seemingly safe location can pollute a water supply.
Water pollutants can cause disease and act as a poison. There are many parasites that can remain in poorly treated sewer water, due to the fact that they have a cyst stage, which is chlorine resistant. Water contaminated with parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium species that are not effectively cleaned can cause serious intestinal infections. Members of these genera have been responsible for community-wide outbreaks associated with drinking or recreational water. While scientists know how to combat this through the use of sand filtration, not all locations filter their water equally.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly 25% of the populations’ water source is from untreated groundwater. The issue of water pollution has continued and compounded throughout the years as technological advancements have skyrocketed. Yet, solutions to this problem remain argued and at a standstill. The world recognizes the importance of safe water, but how to go about that is widely debated.
Preservation of water systems is one solution to reduce water pollution. Preservation of the system is crucial, but it is necessary to know the conditions of the watershed. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, understanding the conditions within watersheds is crucial for restoring areas with degraded water quality. The Clean Water Act created in 1972 provides a structure for regulating the pollutants entering waters and imposes quality standards for water.
The Clean Water Act emphasizes the protection of “navigable waters,” whose definition has been argued in court since the inception of the act. After several decades of litigation and a few important Supreme Court cases, water protection in the United States falls to the states. However, the problem that surrounds state intervention and regulation is economics. Large corporations would like to make profits and to do so, they must have factories, and the government can earn profits off of taxes.
The state of the water crisis lies in the fine balance between corporations and the government, both of which do not want to disrupt a fragile mutually beneficial relationship. Yet, humanity is caught in the crosshairs, as they lose their access to clean water. Unfortunately, water access and sanitation, like many other issues, has been added to the list of politicized “science” policy, which threatens our environment.
The human right to water and sanitation has been “explicitly recognized” in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly. It is the peoples’ right to have safe, clean water through which actions are necessary to preserve the right. Whether it be the people who solve the issue, such as activists, or governing bodies such as the United Nations, a solution needs to be found quickly. Overall, next-generation technologies need to be developed to improve the sanitation of drinking water across the globe. Water is critical for human survival, but also increases the quality of life.
I agree that something needs to be done to guarantee safe, clean drinking water for everyone. There was actually a product that a man at Proctor and Gambel created a few years ago, which acts as a coagulant and a disinfectant. This product comes in a tiny packet, and it can be used in dirty water to clean it and then it’s safe for drinking. This solution is particularly useful for areas where the infrastructure for cleaning and transporting water is lacking. Of course, this product might not be available to everyone and cannot be used to turn seawater into clean freshwater. But if access to this product can be expanded while countries improve their infrastructure, this could be a viable short-term solution.
Historically, when resources are scare people will colonize other areas with the desired resources. One interesting solution is Mars colonization, and Elon Musk wants to be able to place one million people there in 40 to 100 years. Mars isn’t known for its water. However, it does have ice caps and if it is possible to terraform Mars, create an atmosphere which warms up and melts the ice caps, then it would be possible to have water on Mars. The problem with this solution unlike the previous one is that it requires a longer time frame and more money, and there are more unknowns. Perhaps interplanetary colonization could be a long-term solution as the human population continues to grow. (Though I do believe it is important to preserve the planet we have, and we shouldn’t treat planets as expendable.)
There are other various water-cleansing methods, but as mentioned with the first example, not everyone has access to these tools., and they rely upon having dirty freshwater. There are also methods of catching rainwater to drink, but this relies upon consistent rainfall if this is the only way a person can access clean water. There are also non-profits that will repair wells. I think this last solution is better long-term for a community since it allows them to be self-sufficient instead of relying upon any product to cleanse water.
Overall, though there are solutions to transform dirty freshwater into clean, drinking water, I think that the two biggest things that would help would be for governments to build better infrastructure for cleaning water, sanitation, and garbage disposal. Especially in poorer countries, not everyone has access to a landfill where they can place all their trash so instead, they toss it on the ground because there’s nowhere else to put their trash. Ideally, everyone would be using biodegradable materials so tossing items out would not harm the environment or contaminate the drinking water. But that is just not realistic, especially if the goal is to provide clean drinking water to as many people as possible as soon as possible. Though there are extraordinary solutions like Mars colonization, there are solutions we have now and can implement now while we work towards other long-term solutions.
https://www.planetary.org/articles/20170929-spacex-updated-colonization-plans#:~:text=Musk%27s%20plan%20to%20colonize%20Mars%20revolves%20around%20a,transport%20ship.%20Next%2C%20the%20colonists%20depart%20for%20Mars.
https://www.businessinsider.com/powder-filters-dirt-water-sink-poly-glu-coagulant-soybeans-drinking-clean-2017-7
Hannah, thank you for your profound post on the importance of clean, safe water and why we all must take the issue very seriously. I wholeheartedly agree that we, the people, must do something to uphold the belief stated by the United Nations General Assembly that the people have the right to have access to clean and safe water universally. I think it is important to recognize that access to clean water is a privilege that many around the globe do not have access to. Still, it is equally as important to make it our duty to ensure that these same people can afford access to clean water.
Upon reading your article, I am reminded of a water crisis in America, our home turf, that lasted for about five years. In 2014, Flint, Michigan, switched its drinking water supply from the Detroit system to the Flint River to cut down costs. As you highlighted in the picture from research gate in your article and your report from the World Health organization, Corporations must treat the water properly. It exposes anyone who uses and especially drinks the untreated water to diseases parasites and could risk being poisoned or worse. Unfortunately, the exact crisis that you described in your post is exactly what occurred in Flint. For 18 months, residents of the city complained to government officials or the foul-smelling, brown, off-tasting water that caused skin rashes, hair loss, itchy skin, and elevated blood lead levels in children. Unfortunately, these complaints were ignored by many, leading the crisis to last for way longer than it should have.
As you mentioned, consuming untreated water could lead to an outbreak of many diseases, the Legionnaires disease (a severe form of pneumonia) broke out in Flint shortly after the switch and was marked as the third-largest outbreak of the disease in U.S. history. Fecal coliform bacteria were also found in the city’s water due to the city’s failure to maintain sufficient chlorine in its water mains. Since 2019, the city has started improving its pipes and water sanitation, keeping lead levels below federal action, although many residents report still finding lead in their water. As a result of the crisis and mishandling of the complaints, there has been an amalgamation of lawsuits against the governments for its mistreatment of the people.
I think you brought up a great point in your post about humanity seeming to get caught in the crosshairs of corporations and the government, not wanting to damage the mutually beneficial relationship. If the human right to clean water is an explicitly recognized right by the United Nations, why has the issue become so political, and why have cities and nations that are currently or have experienced the same crisis like Flint, Michigan, having to sue their respective officials and fight for access to clean water when it should be made available to everyone? I think that it is important that we as a community voice the concerns of those who do not have access while also ensuring that the Clean Water Act is upheld for all. As the world is ever so evolving, it is important to keep up to date with technological advances that will ensure the equality of clean water for all.
Source: Denchak, Melissa. “Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know.” NRDC, National Resources Defense Council, 8 Nov. 2018, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know.
I loved reading this as I love to expand on my knowledge of the environment. You are entirely correct when you mention something needs to be done with the ongoing pollution of our waters. It’s not unknown that we humans are completely ruining this earth that has provided everything to us. Your last statement in your post, “Overall, next-generation technologies need to be developed to improve the sanitation of drinking water across the globe. Water is critical for human survival, but also increases the quality of life.” is so fundamental. Water is the basis of what keeps civilization alive.
The website “Clean Water,” shares statistical information from 2020 on how the lack of clean water has affected human life. They mention how unsafe water sources are responsible for 1.2 million deaths in 2020. It’s crazy to think that 1.2 million people have died because they did not have access to basic necessities. In your post, you mention how as a civilization we agree on the importance of clean water, but how to go about having clean water is widely debated. That statement right there is a perfect example of the Deliberation assignment we have coming up. I can assume a lot of companies create ideas to come up with better ways to improve water and to reuse the limited supply we have but impacts things such as morals and values. Or can also pertain to money resources and who is going to pay for such a thing. But it’s crazy to think money is a problem for something that is needed to sustain life.
Mid-writing this, I got up and filled my water bottle from our on-campus free filtered water. It took me about 20 seconds and most times I think nothing of it. But as I was getting it this time and taking a sip of my clean and refreshing water, I realized how lucky I am to have access to safe drinking water, which in my mind is unlimited.
Your post is what we need for a change. As a society, if we need a change we need to use our voices to advocate for our rights and for other peoples’ as well. Thank you so much, Hannah, and I cannot wait for your next post!
*REPOST* I didn’t know how to edit/delete a comment and I forgot my source.
I loved reading this as I love to expand on my knowledge of the environment. You are entirely correct when you mention something needs to be done with the ongoing pollution of our waters. It’s not unknown that we humans are completely ruining this earth that has provided everything to us. Your last statement in your post, “Overall, next-generation technologies need to be developed to improve the sanitation of drinking water across the globe. Water is critical for human survival, but also increases the quality of life.” is so fundamental. Water is the basis of what keeps civilization alive.
The website “Clean Water,” shares statistical information from 2020 on how the lack of clean water has affected human life. They mention how unsafe water sources are responsible for 1.2 million deaths in 2020. It’s crazy to think that 1.2 million people have died because they did not have access to basic necessities. In your post, you mention how as a civilization we agree on the importance of clean water, but how to go about having clean water is widely debated. That statement right there is a perfect example of the Deliberation assignment we have coming up. I can assume a lot of companies create ideas to come up with better ways to improve water and to reuse the limited supply we have but impacts things such as morals and values. Or can also pertain to money resources and who is going to pay for such a thing. But it’s crazy to think money is a problem for something that is needed to sustain life.
Mid-writing this, I got up and filled my water bottle from our on-campus free filtered water. It took me about 20 seconds and most times I think nothing of it. But as I was getting it this time and taking a sip of my clean and refreshing water, I realized how lucky I am to have access to safe-drinking water, which in my mind is unlimited.
Your post is what we need for a change. As a society, if we need a change we need to use our voices to advocate for our rights and for other peoples’ as well. Thank you so much Hannah, and I cannot wait for your next post!
Source: Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Clean Water.” Our World in Data, 1 July 2021, https://ourworldindata.org/water-access.