a lil' sumthin'-sumthin' about water

i wrote this because i was paid to write this, but that doesn't mean i am not passionate about the subject. here, you will discover why i love water and why i love the US's water purification system.


Here in the United States, water is considered a commodity. Ask for it at any restaurant and it will be given to you for free, sometimes even with ice. Most Americans don’t realize that their country has the resources to produce some of the cleanest water, while a sixth of the world’s population is causing death in higher numbers than violence and war, combined (charitywater.org). Access to clean water and knowledge of proper sanitary practices have worsened to become a huge public health issue of the twenty-first century.
Water is one of the essentials to human life. At birth, children are made up of almost eighty percent water, while adults are anywhere from fifty-five to sixty-five percent (Dr. Jeffrey Utz, MD). In emergency situations, the human body can go without water for three to four days before death, but the effects of dehydration are experienced in twelve to twenty-four hours without water. The body constantly needs a consistent supply of water for sustenance and normal day-to-day functions. Thirsty? Usually you wouldn’t give second thought to going down to your kitchen and getting a glass of water. About 1.1 billion people have no access to drinkable water, and go in search for it, only to find water that carries water-borne illnesses. It is estimated that 4,200 people die from a lack of proper sanitary practices and contaminated water every day. Of those 4,200, ninety percent of those people are children under five years of age (www.ethoswater.com).
The Earth is surrounded by water, most of the water being saltwater. It is mistakenly thought that this saltwater is easily purified into water that is safe to drink. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Saltwater purification is costly and time-consuming. The technology for purifying seawater also is not technologically advanced, as it is not a widely common practice. Water covers seventy percent of the world, but only two percent is usable freshwater. This two percent must be shared among the six billion people populating the world, but there is a severe disproportion of these resources because of modern politics and the unequal distribution of wealth among countries. The majority of the measly two percent is inaccessible because it is located in the arctic regions in the form of permafrost, glaciers, and snow. Wells are needed to access the other portion located in underground aquifers, but wells are expensive to drill and the technology is often difficult to secure. For 1.1 billion people, they are sitting on top of a source of water, but have no way of getting to it.
Just because water looks and smells “clean,” doesn’t mean it’s safe. Diseases transmitted through the water stem from fecal-oral diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, hepatitis A, dysentery, and intestinal worms, among others. Water-washed diseases occur when washing and personal hygiene are rarely practiced or not practiced at all and skin and eye infections result, like trachoma (www.childinfo.org).
Imagine your life and how it would change if you were never able to do your laundry, never able to take a shower, or never get a glass of water when you were thirsty. You would surely be living like a haggard, wrought with sickness and hallucinations from dehydration, teetering on the verge of death. Is that really a way to live?

P.S. We are still in a drought crisis in CA!! Please do everything you can to conserve water. The earth is surrounded by 90% of water, yet 6 billion people have to share 1% that is usable and safe.