Access to Clean Water - Report Example

Access to Clean Water al Affiliation This paper discusses the topic of access to clean water, what influences the access and gives the statistics of some of the effects associated with inaccessibity to clean water. It also mentions the available water sources and what makes it unsafe. It also elaborates the causes of water pollution that includes; pollution from agricultural practices, industrial discharge, water vessels, and domestic sewages which limits access to clean water. The water environment injustices that consist of unclean water, inadequate hygiene and lack of sanitation within the society in both urban and rural areas that affect human rights to clean water are also included. The paper also expounds on how contamination reaches the water bodies through the sewage, running water from the farms after rainfalls, and how chemicals seep through the soil into ground waters. Finally, it describes some solutions been implemented world wide, the measures that governments should enforce, and the regulation of industrial waste water which is a major pollutant of water. Keywords: Clean Water, Safe Water, Contamination, Pollution, Health Hygiene, Health Sanitation, Drainage, Sewage, Water Bodies, Industrial Waste Water, Population, Diseases, Injustices, Governments Water serves the most important functions in any production in the world today. Right from home consumption, agriculture, industries, and even supporting the lives of marine organisms. However, the use and disposal of used water comes with implications to the existing society, and the entire global environment. The largest part of the earth is covered by water which is shared among the vast population of the earth, since it may run through different lands (countries) connecting to large water bodies. Some reasons of not getting access to clean water are attributed to human factors more than natural phenomenon. Water is part of the environment, and more precisely, part of us; meaning the society cannot survive without it. The world looses lives of millions of people due to water associated diseases that deteriorates their health slowly to a point of death. It then becomes a question about whose responsibility it is for the lives lost through water sanitation issues. Survey shows that for each single year, over 3.4 million people loose their lives due to water, sanitation issues, and hygiene-related reasons, while about 780 million people have no access to an improved water source at a ratio of 1: 9 people (“Water Facts: Water,” 2012). Accessibility to clean water gives any living thing ability to acquire purified safe water, for their hygiene and health consumption. There are so many sources of water; naturally like rain water, springs, wells boreholes and other large water bodies, but that does not make them clean as much as some are fresh water bodies. Much of these types of water sources can be used for all other functions, but are unsafe for any living organism health hygiene and consumption. Clean water needs treatment against any form of water pollution from the environment. The society needs clearly laid infrastructure that ensures clean and safe water, through the pipes and adequate systems of water treatment plants, delivering treated tapped water to the right destinations. Difficulty of Accessing Clean Water Water vessels pollution. Water bodies surrounding the earth serve as a means of transport for the water vessels that transport human being and cargo across different lands. Commercial and recreational vessels discharge sewage into our water bodies, potentially damaging the water quality which in turn affects aquatic environments and extends the risks to other animals and human health (EPA 2012). Accidents also happen while moving, where the vessels capsize with their cargos that may be containing chemicals and oil substances that are absorbed directly in the water. Any consumption of such water by a living organism is taken with harmful chemicals and other absorbable metals like zinc and lead. According to the UNEP, oil products arrive on the islands by ship which the risks spilling oil along the harbors, lagoons and coastal waters in the event of accidents while unloading the oil which spills off, from storage tanks onto the surrounding (1998). Agricultural effects on water. Farming as one of the core necessity of water in production uses chemicals of different combination during planting and maintenance periods of their crops. All over the world, natural production in farming has been minimized due to the effect of many plant and animal diseases. Fertilizers, pesticides, fungal sides, pathogens, and chemicals for treating farm animals all end up on the acidic or basic soils. In cases of heavy downpour, the chemicals are carried down into the water bodies from the main lands, through the rivers that are used by the surrounding society, into massive water bodies. Most of those existing rivers and streams carry polluted water, despite being considered as fresh water carriers. The manure among other farm wastes from industrial livestock farms, that contains chemical substances like Ammonia concentration, pathogens, artificial growth hormones, antibiotics, salts and heavy metals (copper, Zinc), are applied on farms in place of fertilizers; where the farm, upon reaching a point of saturation, forces the waste to seep through into the nearby water systems, limiting the accessibility of clean water (“Water pollution,” n.d). Most of the population around the world especially those in rural areas rely on rivers and underground water like wells, which are the first targets of chemical effect from the farms. Domestic sewages. Domestic wastes from homes need to be disposed of correctly. The latrines and toilets that people use whether in rural or in urban areas, must have proper drainage system, or else they become a major hindrance for accessibility to clean water. The limited land spaces do not give people a chance to build their pit latrines (most specific in rural areas) in a strategic position that can connect with the sewage lines. Hence, the sewage is left to seep through in the soils and nearby water mass. People also have an outrageous behavior of helping themselves during recreational activities, in the massive water bodies that cannot be detected, while others opt for the bush. Sewages burst open and end up flowing into water bodies on the surface. The congestion of people in urban areas requires special care least people start inventing flying toilets that are disposed of anyhow. Domestic, human and animal waste contains impurities from cleaning detergents and nitrogenous compounds which if turned into nitrites can cause cancer in humans (UNEP 1998). Industrial waste. Industrial effluents have become the major contributor of water pollution globally, which has alarmed the society and the general public in most countries, for the fear of their health. Industrial waste water pollutes the water more than the domestic sewage, since it contains most of organic and inorganic materials from processed animals and other chemicals used. Heavy industries like engineering, caustic chlorine and metallurgical industries produce highly polluted waste water. Chemicals, oil and bacteria are part of the waste and seriously killing if not deteriorating animals and human beings once ingested. Some companies are accused from draining their waste products through illegal channels that later connect with deliveries of clean water for human consumption. According to Mweti and Wyk, industrial waste form urban areas has been identified to contaminate water bodies that flow across countries just as it has been identified in Lake Victoria in Africa(2009). In justices of Access to Clean Water Some people may just argue that the available water on earth is not just enough for everyone, but that can be proved wrong. According to the UNDP, “the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP) rejects this view, arguing that the roots of the crisis can be traced to poverty and inequality” (n.d., p.4). There are three main injustices in water relations that affect accessibility of safe water in rural and urban area beside the rich and the poor. According to Mike and Yankoski, lack of sanitation, unclean water, and inadequate hygiene affect the society all around their lives (2009). Unclean water. Focusing on developing countries, the society has to deal with critical challenges of acquiring clean water more than in developed countries. Women have to walk for long distances to a water source even if it is not clean. Water is life and every one yearns for it whether in the villages or in towns. The structure of clean water distribution becomes biased to some people leaving part of the society out. If governments in the world can be able to provide clean tapped water for those living in urban areas, why then is it difficult to provide the same service to those in rural areas? Tapped water is safe and treated; those consuming it have no worry, while those consuming ground waters like in the rural areas are risking their health over diseases. While the rich can easily acquire safe water at ease, the worlds poorest suffer the most within the crisis. Lack of sanitation. Some societies have poor disposal structures than others. Life in urban areas is most affected and especially those living in congested slums. These places have huge population, so people have to use the minimal available facilities to dispose their waste products. Borrowing from a global dialogue, 40 percent lack access to basic sanitation service (“Confronting water injustice,” 2012). Arguably it is more reasonable for low income people to struggle to acquire food shelter and other necessities than pay for sanitation services. It is less likely to find disposed waste, around residential areas of rich people than in slums. Blocked drainage, flying toilets and lack of latrines in urban congested areas, causes water contamination through the inadequate drainage facility. According to the world vision, contaminated water and poor sanitation have contributed to the 88 percent of all existing disease in the developing world (2012). Inadequate hygiene. The living conditions of people in the society vary with congestion of people based on demographic factors. If a society cannot have access to clean water, then the consequences are most likely those diseases associated with poor hygiene. People tend to use contaminated water due to the inability to acquire clean water. Possible Solutions Solving injustices. The governments need to embrace a plan that does not place bias on a particular group of people, or to specific areas. Those people in the rural areas require similar services as those in towns, from proper drainage systems, garbage collection services to tapped treated water. This calls for proper distribution of resources within the countries and states. Water regulation also needs to involve proper management of open water bodies by putting a boundary to prevent clean water contaminations. According to Scheumann, Neubert and Kipping, the human rights to water hopes that the governments will consider the poor and the vulnerable in the society so that the marginalized group like the pastoralists, small scale farmers, and the women are not left out to suffer from those injustices (2008). How to control water pollution from industrial waste. Waste water from industrial use can reduce water contamination if treated before release. According to Rey, Lacy and Cywin, EPA came out with a program that emphasizes on reuse of industrial waste water to control water pollution, and discharge of harmful materials into water systems (1971). The water function used for cooling, processing, and steam production can be recycled or used in other areas either directly or indirectly. Water from some food based industries may contain enough nutrients like nitrogen, hence reducing the need of applying synthetic fertilizers. Water laws. Water pollution that limits access to clean water has to be controlled through legal bodies that come in to defend human rights, and limit pollution on water environments. World Health Organization (WHO), NEMA, International water laws among others should be alert to prevent more problems. At a national level, governments have to set up enough management for water sanitation and control. In general the public also have a responsibility to keep the environment clean and dispose off their waste at the right place. Governments should be keen to provide treated clean water to the population or provide training to the society on how to treat water for consumption. Organizations have come up too, to provide clean water to the society by distributing treated water at a low fee, through tankers, to those who cannot access clean water. Reference List Water Facts: Water. Retrieved from http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/ EPA. (2012, July16). Vessel Sewage Discharge and no Discharge Zone. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/vwd/index.cfm UNEP. (1998, April 7). Water Pollution. Retrieved from http://islands.unep.ch/siemd6.htm Water Pollution. Retrieved from http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/waterpollution/ Mweti, I., & Wyk, H. V. (2009). NSSC Development Studies Module 1 Students Book. 2nd ed. Cape Town: Cambrige University Press. Mike & Yankoski, D. (2009). Zealous Love: A Practical Guide to Social Justice. Michigan: Zondervan. Confronting Water Injustices. Retrieved from http://www.isa-sociology.org/global-dialogue/2011/07/confronting-water-injustice/ Water and Sanitation. Retrieved from http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/pr.nsf/stable/press_development_water?Open&lid=Dev_Water&lpos=day:txt:water Scheumann, W., Neubert, S., & Kipping, M. (Eds.). (2008) Water Politics and Development Cooperation: Local Power Plays and Global Governance. New York, NY: Springer. Rey, G., Lacy, W. J., & Cywin, A. (n.d). Industrial Water Reuse: Future Pollution Solution. Retrieved from http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es60056a008 Read More