Introduction
Water is a fundamental resource that is vital to human life. Unfortunately, access to clean and safe water is not available to everyone. And many people around the world suffer from the consequences of water scarcity.
Hira is a girl from Nepal. She spends 14 hours every day fetching water for her family. However, like many women and children in her situation, she has never had access to clean, safe water. This post explores the current state of water scarcity, the reasons why it persists, and the global efforts to provide clean water and sanitation.
Why do People Drink Unsafe Water?
One of the major reasons for drinking unsafe water is water scarcity. According to the 2019 UN Water Development Report, 30% of the global population is experiencing water shortage. Even though more than 70% of earth’s surface is covered with water, 97.5% of the Earth’ water is seawater, which is not suitable for human consumption or agriculture. Excluding glacial water and ice caps, only 0.5% of the Earth’s water is available for human use.
Additionally, a considerable portion of this limited supply is contaminated. For example, half of the world’s rivers and 1/3 of lakes are polluted. And groundwater is not an exception as it is polluted by pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals.
Furthermore, the global human population is growing every year, and water usage has increased six-fold in the past 100 years. According to WHO, at least 2 billion people drink water from a contaminated source in 2020. It is not easy to increase the amount of fresh water, and the problem of water scarcity is likely to become even more severe.
Water Stress Index
The water stress index measures the scarcity of a country’s renewable water supply. And the number is based on the average amount of water one person uses in one year, which is approximately 1,100 tons.
Relative sufficiency: average water use is over 1,700 tons
Water-stressed: average water use is between 1,000 ~ 1,700 tons
Water-scarcity: average water use is under 1,000 tons
Some of the water-scarce regions are in Africa (Kenya, Burundi, Algeria, Rwanda, Malawi, and Somalia) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan).
Clean Water and Sanitation Solutions
Globally, 2.3 billion people are unable to practice hand hygiene, and 480,000 people die from waterborne diseases every year. Let us look at two of the international efforts to provide clean water and sanitation for those in need.
UNICEF started the WASH campaign to provide water and hygiene-related services in needed countries. Its activities are mainly to deliver clean water and hygiene services to vulnerable regions around the world. It focuses on delivering safe water to disaster-stricken areas and improving hygiene awareness in schools and communities.
Reinvent the Toilet Challenge is a project aimed at developing a new toilet that requires very little water, no electricity, and no sewage system. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation started this challenge to help improve the reality that 40% of the world’s population cannot use flushing toilets.
Final Thoughts
Water scarcity is a serious problem that affects millions of people worldwide, particularly in regions where access to clean water is limited. Despite efforts to improve access to clean water and sanitation, much more needs to be done to address this challenge. The issue of water scarcity requires a collaborative effort from government, organizations, and individuals. We must continue to support initiatives that provide clean water and sanitation solutions and raise awareness.
You can learn more about this issue by visiting the following pages.
Clean Water and Healthy Life are Synonymous – Peace Issue – NEWS & INSIGHTS – Sunhak Peace Prize
“What is Clean Water and Sanitation?” is part of the Sunhak Peace Prize’s “Learn & Act,” an educational program designed to introduce diverse approaches to global peace issues.
Teachers can use the Teacher’s Guide and Student Worksheets to give a lesson on each issue and lead discussions.
