Charity Water, Miya, and Waterislife are among the
multitude of charity-based organizations that provide clean drinking water to
underprivileged and neglected communities across the globe. Their generosity
crosses continents, spanning from South America to Africa, with a mission to
end the water crisis on a global scale. For the most part, these groups have
been successful in their goal. Charity Water has aided in installing wells,
rainwater catchments, gravity fed systems, and piped systems, amongst other
means, into over 20 developing countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean,
and Latin America. All the meanwhile, four years since the matter was brought
into fruition, Flint, Michigan is still without clean drinking water. While
efforts to provide clean drinking water to undeveloped countries persist,
countless communities in America go without it due to a mixture of neglect, a
lack of proper funding, and poor infrastructure.
The
problem in Flint began in 2014 when Flint switched its water supply from Lake
Huron to Flint River—which, as we now know, is highly corrosive. After the
switch, residents noticed a change in the appearance and taste of their water.
In some cases, residents didn’t have to taste a change to notice that something
was wrong, judging by the dusty color the water began to take on. In 2015, the
EPA found toxic levels of lead. Upon this, residents began using bottled and
boiled water to cook, clean, bathe, and drink. Unfortunately, as of this April,
Governor Rick Snyder announced the end of the bottled water program, in which
the government supplied rations of clean bottled water to residents, having
cited that the crisis was over. However, the city’s lead pipes have yet to be
replaced.
Drinking
lead water has an abundance of harmful effects. Most damningly, no safe level
of lead in children has been identified. Lead poisoning in children has been
said to result in a loss of IQ, impairment of language, poor motor skills, and
memory problems. In adults, it is said to result is suppressed immunity, which
leads to an increase in in reports of colds and influenzas. Lastly, lead
poisoning in adults can result in and increased risk of high blood pressure,
cardiovascular, and cancer.
When
it comes to unsafe drinking water, a vast amount of communities around America
are affected—predominantly rural communities. If it isn’t lead polluting the
water, its typically industrial dumping, farming pollution, or the
deterioration of distribution pipes negatively affecting the water supply. According
to USA Today, as many as 63 million Americans are affected—nearly one fifth of
the entirety of the United States. In some cases, and with proper care, it many
only take as little as two years to fix localized issues. However, these communities
often cannot afford the necessary equipment required. Without it, people living
within these towns may be exposed to arsenic, chemical runoff from factories,
and even fecal matter due to nearby farming.
With
the problem identified, the next step is looking for a solution, whether it be
funding, political action, etc. Nearly every citizen will agree without
question that water is a basic human right. Yet, humans within hours distance
from us may be living without access to clean drinking water. Needless to say, it
is time for a change.
Works Cited:
Brown,
Mary Jean, and Stephen Margolis. “Lead in Drinking Water and Human Blood Lead
Levels in the United States.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Aug. 2012, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6104a1.htm.
Derrington, Erin. “Drinking Water in the United States: Are
We Planning For a Sustainable Future?” Consilience, no. 6, 2011, pp.
63–90. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26167817.
Gleick, Peter H. “Water in Crisis: Paths to Sustainable
Water Use.” Ecological Applications, vol. 8, no. 3, 1998, pp. 571–579. JSTOR,
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2641249.
Philip, Agnel, et al. “63 Million Americans Exposed to
Unsafe Drinking Water.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information
Network, 15 Aug. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/08/14/63-million-americans-exposed-unsafe-drinking-water/564278001/.
Zietz, Björn P., et al. “Lead in Drinking Water as a Public
Health Challenge.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 118, no. 4,
2010, pp. A154–A155. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25653820.
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