The water crisis in Africa has many ill effects including diminished health, poor education and low productivity. Currently 319 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access reliable clean drinking water. When you don't have access to clean water your are much more likely to be exposed to diarrheal illnesses, which cause dehydration, starvation and eventually death. Currently 62% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population lives in rural areas. However, there are many negative consequences to living in a rural area. One main reason widespread access to clean water has not been achieved yet is because water is a very challenging material to transport and transporting water in rural areas with minimal infrastructure does not make transportation
As an American citizen, I never question the water my state government provided me with. Also, I took for granted that I was receiving purified water, and believe that I did not have to inquire about the water safety level. However, after reading the Kristen Silven article, “Flint Water Crisis”, I felt infuriated learning that an American community had been poisoned, because of their government inadequacy to provide them with proper water. Also, I believe it was inhuman that the government neglected citizens and their duties for nearly 18 months. Furthermore, I felt empathic for the 666 homes that have shown high levels of lead poison in their drinking water. I could not imagine being a mother watching my child be poisoned and not have the
Two out of every five people living in Sub-Saharan Africa lack safe water. A baby there is 500 times more likely to die from water-related illness than one from the United States. This is a serious ongoing issue that requires the rest of the world to take action. Water spreads diseases easily if the necessary precautions are not taken. Many developing African countries don’t have sewage treatment, or the people don’t have methods to filter and disinfect. Once a person is sick either there is no way to cure them, or medical care is too expensive, so they are left untreated with a high risk of death. Although many believe that the fight for sanitary water in Africa is insurmountable, people in these developing countries can overcome their challenge to access clean water and avoid water-borne diseases through proper sewage treatment facilities, universal water filtration and medical care.
A major challenge and cause of serious medical issues in Sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of access to a clean water supply. There are 345 million people that lack access to water in Africa. Unfortunately, when water is available it is high in contamination. When wells are built and water sanitation facilities are developed, they cannot be maintained properly to due to limited financial resources. Water quality testing is not performed as often as necessary and the people are unaware that the water may not be safe to drink. Oftentimes, when a source of water has been provided, the quantity of water is often given more attention over the quality of. Lack of clean drinking is the leading cause of diarrheal diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa and causes 7.7% of deaths in Africa. Diarrhea is caused by numerous bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms most of which can be spread by contaminated water. The importance of diarrheal diseases has mostly been overlooked. Through UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) there have been some accomplishments during the
Have you ever thought about how much water you waste each day? If you haven't, than that is pretty normal. People in America have it so good here because they can just walk to a fossate and get clean water. But in other parts of the world it is not that easy. They have to walk long treks just to get water that is not even clean.
According to the United Nations, it says that Sub-Saharan Africa loses up to forty billion hours per year collecting water; which is very valuable time because most of the day is consumed by basic needs and no time for anything else but if a solution was done, so people wouldn’t have to lose three hours of their day gathering water it would be better. So when the water solution is taken into consideration, children can go back to school instead of getting water borne diseases and parents could have more time to take care of their families. The World Health Organization has shown that, “for every one dollar invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between three to four dollars”.
Many populations, the majority being in Africa, face many water-borne diseases mainly due to pollution of water resources. The option then becomes to either drink polluted water or not have anything at all. Continual Human development such as population growth and industrial growth have further drained water resources, causing a shortage of drinking water. As a result, there are many conflicts over ownership of water resources and these lead to injuries or fatalities.(2) As mentioned before, this shows why it is so important to find a solution to the issue of water shortage.
It is time to fully address the issue of the impending world water crisis by assisting the areas currently experiencing the crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most in need of international assistance, and a region in which we are already supplying aid. However, our current policies are not getting the
Thanks to the United Nations general assembly recognizing the need for clean water in Resolution 64/292, the states and international organizations have been called on to provide funding and resources to help developing countries provide safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water to all. This is a step in the right direction, seeing as women and children in some countries have to walk more than 30 minutes to collect water- if there is any water to collect at all.
Walking through the Katwe slums in Uganda is a challenge. There is not a step one can take without stepping on trash or waste. Hundreds of thousands of people call Katwe, Uganda their home. There is one water source that all of the people gather water from and it is nothing close to clean. The slum’s scenery is mounds of rotting trash and ditches holding still water with banks of rancid waste. From all directions, children are seen lugging around jerry cans, some of which are almost as big as the kids themselves, for holding water—children who should be in school, or kicking a soccer ball with friends. Neil Ford (2010), the writer of an article published in African Business, reports that for seventy-three percent of the people in Uganda, this is their life and all that they know. He also claims that six hundred and sixty-three million people lack access to clean drinking water today. People in Uganda do not have access to clean water. They do not have the government support, funds, or proper resources to gain access to clean water. If they do not drink or use the water available to them, they will die; however, if they do drink or use it, the chances of them getting sick or dying are great. Wells often become contaminated, and river water is full of bacteria. Matthew Spowart (2012) says that even if the water is clean initially, it is often contaminated during transportation and storage because most people do not know the proper sanitation and hygiene methods.
The West African nation of Niger has experienced one of the worst water crisis in the world that has left the population malnourished and in poverty. Location, climate and political instability can be attributed to the water scarcity, which not only leaves the nation lacking water, but in a state of underdevelopment. However, many non-government organisations have supported the nation and its people.
Water is the main source of life on the Earth. It is vital for normal existence and functioning of organisms. Earth is sometimes called “water planet.” But, in fact, the number of freshwater is limited. “Only about 2 percent of the planet's water is fresh.” (How much water is there on Earth?) This water is not enough even to meet daily needs of mankind. According to World Health Organization, “a lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality today for one in three people around the world.” (2009) In the Middle East the situation is especially hard. This region is thought to be one of the droughtiest places in the world, most of it’s territory is deserted. Freshwater accounts to 1 percent of the world’s supplies, while the population comes
The average American uses about 176 gallons of water in one single day, while in Africa, 660 million people see just one sip as a luxury, states Kristen Lewis in the article entitled “THIRST” for the 2016 Scholastic Scope. Without water, people cannot carry out daily activities and struggle to survive. The water crisis in Africa is an expanding problem in our world that continues to affect millions of people each day; fortunately, this crisis has caught the attention of The Water Project, a nonprofit organization in the United States that raises money to solve water crises around the world. The Africa water crisis has come about due to several factors that create negative outcomes for the citizens of Africa, but The Water Project is doing all they can to resolve these issues.
My career objective is to become a social worker when I finish school. I would like to become a social worker because of the many things they do for kids. Ever since I was little i always wanted to help people out. This job would make me happy because i love working with kids. Making kids happy and seeing them succeed brings joy to me . I feel as though there aren't many people who try with kids and they are not giving them a chance. People assume that just because they do bad things that it makes them a bad person when all they want is attention. A social worker has to do many things and they are responsible for helping people and families cope with their problems and try to help them. I have met many people who have struggled growing up and
The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the water crisis in the region of Africa and how water can cause many other problems such as inadequate sanitation, poverty and diseases for the population. People living in third world countries are suffering from the water crisis that has become a major problem for the United Nations, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, Millennium Development Goals and many of the other organizations. For some of these organizations have been successful in providing a bit more water through the years it’s still a working process. Water is essential for life, it’s not just for the body’s physical need; yet millions of people do not have access to clean water. The lack of accessible of fresh water contributes too many diseases such as HIV, AIDS, waterborne diseases, causing the death of millions of women and children annually in the region. This is making it harder for the communities to develop a safer home for their families and to improve the conditions of the country. This research paper will examine the problems, solutions and causes. How it all comes together, to contribute to this water crisis and to weather there is a solutions set by the United Nations, studies that have been conducted and other organizations, which can maybe work for the years to come. In addition, the same water problems are going to be discussed with regard to Africa for statics, examples and quotes done by the organizations in the past and
Life springs up around water sources. It is no coincidence that some of the greatest civilizations have been build need fertile bodies of water. Known life relies on water to sustain that life. So it is no surprise when a debate arose in 2013 around comments made by Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck regarding privatization of water and the fundamental human right to survive from dehydration and illness from non-portal water consumption. Although the context of Brabeck’s comment was taken out of context, issues surrounding the access companies like Nestlé have been given to bottle their water when people do not have access to clean water and droughts are threatening crop production. Adding a price tag is not the answer. The market, both these companies and their consumers have a major role to play in the management of water; a role that requires a change in mindset of privilege many citizen of the United States, and other countries that do not see the direct effects that serious clean water issue have on people that do not have it.