The Environmental Performance Index states that “America is ranked top 25 in the world for drinking water and safety.” They also stated that “The Central African Republic” has the most toxic water. My experience with water has never been concerning. Since I was little all I had to do was go to the kitchen sink in my house and flip up the faucet handle. Little did I know, this was not the case for 2 billion people around the world who live in water-stressed countries. Aquasana says it’s “extremely common for Americans to filter their drinking water at home.” But, how do water-stressed countries even retain water?
Imagine waking up with a dry mouth and wanting a nice glass of water. Well, if you lived in Chad, you would need to go to the local well or harvest rainwater, unsure if the water source has been contaminated. Chad’s water supply primarily comes from Lake Chad, but it’s prone to industrial wastewater, agricultural runoff, and contamination from petroleum extraction (the process of obtaining oil and gas from underground reservoirs). On top of pollution from Chad’s largest water source, Lake Chad is shrinking. BBC says it “had shrunk 90% since the 1960’s.” Without water, what will people’s livelihoods look like?
World Bank Blogs says fishing, farming, and herding, which are major sources of income and food security, will be greatly impacted. On top of this, as water becomes more scarce, there will be a heightened competition between different groups for resources, which will lead to conflict. On top of these issues, there will be an increased amount of disease. The shrinking of the Lake and the surrounding environment can lead to a variety of waterborne and vector-borne diseases due to factors like increased population movements, reduced water resources, and poor sanitation. These diseases include cholera, hepatitis, and malaria.
Chad isn’t the only country who faces these issues. In fact, the World Resources Institute estimates “25 countries face extremely high water toxicity rates.” For instance, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo River is its main source of water and conquers 98% of the country’s surface area. The Congo River regularly suffers from toxic spill pollution due to chemical contamination. Within the past two years there have been “more than 4,000 cases of Cholera caused by the drinking of contaminated water” says UN News. Why do some countries have clean drinking water, and some countries don’t?
Well, if we compare Iceland and the DRC, there are several factors. Iceland has incredibly clean water due to its abundance of glaciers, springs, and volcanic rock, which act as natural filters. But, the DRC is dominated by vast river basins, savannahs, and tropical rainforests. Countries with geography closer to Iceland have cleaner water because rather than relying on rivers, springs and glaciers immediately purify water from snow and underground aquifers. Although water toxicity is common in underprivileged countries, there are currently organizations helping to change the scarcity of water in these communities.
Organizations like The Water Project and Healing Water International are actively working to combat water toxicity by implementing water purification systems and promoting sustainable water management practices. New drinking water purification systems and wells are designed to remove harmful pollutants and microorganisms from the water, making it safe for drinking and preventing waterborne diseases. Healing Water International has already built “409 wells” supplying clean water to 400,000 people suffering from water toxicity according to their website. Us students at Mayfield should become more aware of this issue around the world, and by doing so, we can conserve as much water as possible, because someone somewhere out there has gone days without water. The simple act of turning on a faucet is a privilege–one that too many of us don’t realize we have.
