Water Resources Development and Improving Access to Clean Water Worldwide

Clean Water

An Analysis of Worldwide Efforts to Bring About Clean Water Sustainability

The concept of clean water for everyone is very normal in the United States. There is nothing foreign about this concept, and nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it is a given that all should have clean water in this country and it is because all people do have clean water, and an abundance of it. Yet there are hundreds of thousands of people around the world right now wishing and longing for clean water, and for any water at all maybe. In many parts of the globe, this precious resource is tough to find, and many have fought wars over it throughout history. Thus, the importance of water cannot be underestimated, and must be analyzed in order to see just what those who are able can do in order to help those in need achieve clean water sustainability. This paper will discuss this topic at length by analyzing various statistics and examples, and providing a summary of current efforts to bring about clean water for all.

A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report gives some startling statistics, which are rendered as follows:

"Globally, 2 million tons of sewage and industrial and agricultural waste are poured into the world's waters every day;

At least 1.8 million children under five years-old die every year from water-related diseases, or one every 20 seconds;

Every day, millions of tons of inadequately treated sewage and industrial agricultural wastes are poured into the world's waters;

More people die as a result of polluted water than are killed by all forms of violence, including wars;

Over half of the world's hospital beds are occupied with people suffering from illnesses linked with contaminated water."[footnoteRef:1] [1: "World Water Day 2010 Highlights Solutions and Calls for Action to Improve Water Quality Worldwide," United Nations Environment Programme, accessed November 29, 2011, http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.Print.asp?DocumentID=617&ArticleID=6505&l=en.]

As this is a study, the statistics above are backed up by data gathered by the organization, and have been rendered above in their entirety, without leaving out any aspects. The saddest of all is that these statistics are very true.

When one thinks about clean water as a luxury, it is then that one can truly see the problem and help with solutions. There are many organizations around the United States and in the world that are helping people see this problem and enabling them to contribute positively to its resolution. Reading reports as the one referenced above is just one of the solutions one can find to combating this problem. Another solution is to simply look at five easy steps encouraged by the website of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This website encourages awareness, contributions, increases in hygiene and sanitation, global mobilization, and tailored programs as solutions to the clean water problem.[footnoteRef:2] Other non-governmental organizations (NGO), such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC) agree with such points. [2: "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene," United Nations Children's Fund, accessed November 29, 2011, http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_bigpicture.html. ]

Yet another organization that helps raise awareness is Charity: Water. This NGO's self-written mission is a commitment to "bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations."[footnoteRef:3] In order to bring about this fantastic yet cumbersome goal, the organization has undertaken various projects. The reason for the organization's creation is due to the fact that it quickly realized both the need for lobbying on this issue and the fact that more people are killed every year from drinking unclean and unsanitary water than are killed by wars and other diseases. The number of water projects is thus at 4,282 according to the Charity: Water website. Furthermore, these programs focus on all regions of the world, but a big presence in Africa. [3: "Charity: Water," Charity Water, accessed November 29, 2011, http://www.charitywater.org/.]

The Water Project is yet another important mission undertaken to bring clean water to Africa, which is the most adversely affected region in the world with regards to this issue. This organization has as its goal to help the people of Africa have clean water. This goal is very simple, yet it is told through a story-like medium on the website. It includes the statements below:

"We tell stories. The story of water, the story of change, and the story of hope. These stories inspire people to raise the money needed to build wells and other water projects at schools, medical centers, churches and other public places in under-developed nations. When people get involved and act, we're able to connect them directly to the projects and the people doing the work. We show where every dollar is spent. We show the outcome. And when it doesn't work out, we'll show that too. After all, this work isn't easy. With monies raised, our partners in the field can do the digging and construction needed to provide clean, safe water efficiently and sustainably."[footnoteRef:4] [4: "Who We Are," The Water Project, accessed November 29, 2011, http://thewaterproject.org/about_us.asp. ]

This self-professed mission is extensive, but it is also very noble. It is especially important to recognize this organization's acknowledgement that not all projects may work, and its attempt at transparency through the statement of showing donors where the money went and why this happened as such. Thus, this organization is very legitimate and very admirable.