Bringing Safe Water to the World

As you begin the New Year, be sure to be mindful of the water you use and the water you waste. An article from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tells us that one billion people around the world do not have access to clean water.

This recent article from NRDC highlights the staggering truth about access to clean water across the globe.

Excerpts from the article:

Developed countries have essentially eradicated diseases such as cholera, typhoid and malaria, but in developing nations, these and other waterborne illnesses kill 5 million people each year -- 6,000 children every day. And global warming is exacerbating this crisis as severe, prolonged droughts dry up water supplies in arid regions and heavy rains cause sewage overflows. In terms of the sheer number of people affected, the lack of access to safe water and basic sanitation is a massive problem. Yet it is a problem with proven solutions.

People who fall ill from waterborne diseases can't work. Women and girls who travel hours to fetch clean water for their families can't go to school or hold on to a job. Without proper sanitation, human waste pollutes waterways and wildlife habitat. Global warming and population pressures are drying up water supplies and instigating conflict over scarce resources. Expanding access to clean water and sanitation will have ripple effects throughout local economies and societies.

Children are particularly vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Their small bodies take in a disproportionately large quantity of water and its contaminants, and their immune systems are not equipped to fight off invaders such as E. coli, giardia and the typhoid bacteria. More than 2 million children are killed by such diarrheal diseases each year, and 90 percent of them are kids under five.

Safe water is a critical environmental and public health issue, as well as a means to lift people out of poverty and ensure human security. Yet the number of people without safe water is increasing. Water supply and sanitation programs can't be developed in isolation from other development issues. Global warming is affecting water supplies, creating shifts in agriculture and where people live. AIDS patients especially need access to clean water so they don't fall ill from common waterborne germs that healthy adults can fend off. Integrating safe water programs into larger development strategies often involves complex, many-sided reforms, which requires high-level coordination and firm political will to get the job done.

Read the full article here: http://www.nrdc.org/international/safewater.asp