10 Disturbing Water Scarcity Facts
Friday, 21 March marked World Water Day, a consciousness-raising global event to make people aware of ongoing water scarcity, particularly in the Global South. While many of us in places like the United States take an ample supply of hot and cold running water in our comfortable Minneapolis bathroom
Posted — UpdatedLimited access to potable water increases the risk of developing infectious diseases like cholera, which flourish in dirty water. Children in particular are vulnerable due to their developing immune systems, which put them at significant risk both of infection and complications. Diarrheal disease, commonly caused by microorganisms found in dirty water, is the second leading cause of death for children under five around the world.
Sources of water that are clean and secure are thin on the ground in regions like Africa and India, where people drink from dirty wells or are forced to rely on water distribution to meet their drinking water needs. Globally, that works out to one in nine people worldwide who doesn't have access to clean drinking water.
People of all ages and walks of live move to urban environments to seek a better life for themselves and their families. While that might conjure up an image of walking the streets of New York with stars in your eyes, for many people in the developing world, it means settling in outlying slums and marginalized communities where safe water sources are unavailable.
Think that water scarcity is a problem limited to the Global South? Think again. Lack of water access occurs across the industrial world, including in the United States, Europe, and other Western regions.
Much of the work when it comes to securing water to drink, cook with, and bathe in goes to women, who devote hours of their time to collecting water. Once they have, their jobs aren't done: they still need to cook, clean, take care of children, and perform other household tasks.
This economic disparity forces people with limited access to water to make harsh choices about how they use their water supplies. Without access to ample fresh water, cleaning is more difficult, posing health risks to children and families.
In arid regions of the world, shrinking water supplies are posing a risk to agriculture and human health. This will push residents out of these areas, putting further pressure on urban environments and contributing to the growth of slums.