Access to Clean Drinking Water and Socioeconomic Status

The issue surrounding a lack of clean drinking water in the United States is multi-dimensional. It cannot be defined as a single source, nor can a single solution resolve the core of the problem as well as its symptoms. In my last blog, I discussed the government’s role in the problem as well as some policies and actions that they could implement to take more responsibility in resolving it. While this would be a great start, there is much more to this problem. The socioeconomic status of individuals as well as areas plays a huge role in this issue. This is a deeply rooted issue in society that disproportionately impacts certain groups with some having more severe problems from this civic issue. In turn, this makes the issue more challenging to solve, given that one solution will affect people differently based on their socioeconomic status in relation to this problem.

The first part of this problem is the high cost of water, regardless of whether that be tap water or bottled water. Many believe that water should be a human right and it couldn’t be further from that in reality. Water is a necessity when it comes to basic survival, yet 14 million households couldn’t afford to pay their water bill during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was due to the 40% price increase in the last decade along with inflation and layoffs. This issue has large effects on people with low income, forcing them to choose between having drinking water and other necessities, such as heating or air conditioning. Throughout the pandemic, this also led to people being unable to wash their hands and practice regular hygiene since they had either no water or a limited supply of clean water (Sanders 2020). People should not have to wake up and worry if they have enough water to wash their hands or to make it through the day without being ill or dehydrated. A 2019 study by Medical News Today discovered that households without access to clean drinking water were more likely to be in lower-income areas or people of color (Kingsland 2021). For one of the richest countries in the world, especially one that prides itself on working toward equality, this reflects very poorly on them. This is rooted in the capitalistic societies as well as the historical background of the United States, making the solution more complicated. Nonetheless, this should be a priority, especially considering the wealth of this nation. Having clean water removes underlying stress on families, allows many health problems to be avoided, and empowers people to be free of the burden of expensive water bills and anxiety surrounding where they will get water from.

As discussed on the government side of the United States, capitalism has a core place in society and economics. This is even more prominent when it comes to clean drinking water and its relationship to the socioeconomic status of individuals and groups within the United States. Capitalism has allowed private companies to charge extortionately high rates for water, some of which isn’t even clean. While these large corporations rake in record profits, people are forced to go without an essential aspect of life. There is little regulation preventing these companies from taking advantage of people by increasing rates. This has become increasingly present during the pandemic as it has allowed them to use that as justification for high prices. People with low disposable income have been left to decide between food and water as well as go without other necessities. Corporate greed should not be allowed to play such a large role in restricting people in the lower class of the United States from having access to clean drinking water. This responsibility should be placed heavily on these corporations but not all of it can be. Corporations should think more ethically about their decisions to increase prices, but their actions aren’t illogical. They are given the freedom to make heavy profits so their taking advantage of this flaw in the system is not entirely their fault. The United States government and the regulation of businesses need to be revisited. In an attempt to maintain strong relations with these corporations, the United States government has sacrificed the rights of the lower class to give these corporations the freedom they desire. This is unacceptable and more needs to be done to change this injustice.

While this problem is severe and would take years to solve if, at all possible, two key components can be addressed to alleviate some of the resulting issues. The first part of this issue would involve government investing in these low-income areas. Providing a stipend to residents that would be used toward people paying their water bill would allow for much more people to have access to this resource. The government could also invest in greater infrastructure for water and potentially make sourcing the water free in certain areas that would otherwise find it difficult to afford. Another component of this solution would be to increase penalties for corporations that are practicing price gauging or charge unfairly high prices. Doing so would make clean drinking water much more affordable to the public, while still allowing corporations to make a profit and be successful

While the government as well as socioeconomic status plays a massive role in this issue and is at the core of the issue. With this being the case, there is substantial reason to be optimistic about the direction we are moving in as a nation. In the next blog, I will discuss some of the remaining issues at the core of this issue as well as some potential solutions that could mitigate some of the harmful effects.

Government is just one aspect of this problem that affects millions of people every year nationwide. In the next few blogs, I will be discussing the other root causes and effects of this problem.

Works Cited

Kingsland, James. “The Impact of Water Poverty in the United States.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 22 Apr. 2021, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-water-poverty-impacts-public-health-in-the-us#Americas-hidden-water-crisis.

Sanders, Bernie. “Clean Water Is a Human Right. in America It’s More a Profit Machine | Bernie Sanders and Brenda Lawrence.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 June 2020, www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2020/jun/23/clean-water-should-be-an-american-human-right-not-a-government-profit-machine.