Alejandra Espinal

80642742

Access to water

University of Texas at El Paso

Nicolas Cooper

Rws 2

04/05/2019
 Abstract

Throughout the paper it discusses the importance of freshwater to one’s life. Water

pollution consist of the contamination of bodies of water. It can be contaminated through toxic

chemicals and substances. If humans where to drink the contaminated water it can cause a lot of

damage to our bodies and eventually will cause death. It is seemed that most of the countries that

need clean water are developing countries such as India, Jordan, and South Africa. Bringing

clean water to those who need it can be easy and cost efficient by using solar panels as killer of

bacteria. Planet Earth is covered with water and it’s important for one’s survival.
 Aquatic ecosystems cover more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface. And all life on

Earth relies on water to survive. Water pollution can be a threat for one’s survival. It is

considered the highest health risk threatening humans.

● What is water pollution? What causes it and what effects is it having on humanity?

● What are the dangers of not having accessibility of clean water?

● What countries need clean water?

● How to bring clean water to those who need it?

Humans are able to survive without food for several weeks, however without water they will die

in less than a week. Although millions of liters of water are needed everyday worldwide the

human race uses it as a dumping ground of all sorts. All this water gets contaminated and a lot of

people around the world suffer the consequences. Therefore, a solution is necessary to control

and stabilize the lack of clean water once and for all.

Water pollution is already all over the globe. In developing countries, 70 percent of

industrial wastes are dumped untreated into waters. There’s two different sources of water one

them is known as surface water and the other one is known as groundwater. These sources are

critical for one’s survival. Nearly 40 percent of Americans rely on groundwater, pumped to the

Earth’s surface for drinking water. For some of the world's population, it’s their only freshwater

source. Surface water accounts for more than 60 percent of the water delivered to American

homes. Water might seem to be the most renewable of all the Earth’s resources, it falls from the

sky as rain and it covers nearly three quarters of the planets surface. However, most of the
Earth’s water is inaccessible and those that are accessible are unevenly distributed or simply

misused by mankind. When substances such as chemicals, microorganisms, and sewers are

simply dumped into the water they change the physical, thermal, and biological characteristics of

the water, affecting living species and the benefits water provides to humanity. When the waste

gets into the water it makes it unhealthy and whoever drinks from it including animals and plants

that rely on it will eventually die. All these substances are coming from factories and agricultural

runoffs that make their way into the rivers, streams and groundwater sources. As well as oil

spills, urbanization, and human littering in oceans, lakes, and rivers. Harmful littering includes

plastics, aluminum, glass, and styrofoam. It is safe to say that the planet Earth is in danger of

running out of clean water. Lack of water can contribute a lot of negative things to one’s life.

Water is the power of everything. It is the essential ingredient of a healthy human life. It is

necessary to grow and process food for a continually growing population. “With the global

human population having reached over seven billion and developing nations engaging in rapid

industrialization, there is considerable strain on limited supplies of freshwater”

(Codington-Lacerte). There’s different causes of water scarcity one of them being physical

scarcity. This occurs when there’s no physical water to meet demand in places that are dry or

arid. The other type of scarcity is called water economics. In a developing country finding safe

water is often expensive and time consuming. Water in these places can be found, however it

requires more resources to do it. This type of scarcity is the most inhumane scarcity because it is

almost an absence of compassion and good governance that allows these conditions to continue.

Drinking untreated water nowadays is impossible without getting a reaction from the body.
 Water borne diseases account for the deaths of almost four million of people a year and

most of them are children. Some of the water borne diseases are typhoid, cholera, paratyphoid

fever, Dysentery, Jaundice, Amoebiasis, and Malaria. There’s a numerous amount of dangers

that can take place without access to clean water. Things like pesticides can damage the nervous

system and cause cancer because of the carbonates that they contain. Nitrates are specially

dangerous. It restricts the amount of oxygen in the brain and can be terminal for babies that drink

formula milk. Lead can also damage the nervous system if it accumulates in the body. Arsenic

can cause liver damage, skin cancer and vascular diseases. Fluorides in excessive amounts can

cause yellow teeth and later on spinal cord problems. These are only a few of the dangers and

impacts of drinking dirty water can cause to humanity. The article “ Every 20 seconds, a child

dies because they lack access to clean water and sanitation ” states that children are more

exposed of dying from diarrhea because of their weak immune system. It is the second leading

cause of deaths in children under five. Children are robbed from their health, education, and even

their life by not being able to attend school or have a normal life because of a dearth of sanitation

in households and schools. This lack of education early in life exposes children to poverty later

in life. The money it takes to provide water and sanitation services is so small compared to the

positive impact it will create for those in need. Millions of people put themselves in danger every

time they take a sip of water. And by providing clean water and sanitation to the poorest people

on the planet, one can reduce poverty, suffering, and ensure education for all the children.

(Contorno, S. 2014). There is many people out in the world that require clean and fresh water to

survive and people living in the United States or any industrialized nation take safe drinking
water for granted. But in much of the developing countries require it more than anyone else due

to the fact that fresh water is not guaranteed.

In some parts of the world​ ​people experience extreme water scarcity that prevents them

from getting the water they so desperately need. According to t​he article “​The global water crisis

disproportionately affects the developing world​” states that by the year 2020 it’s estimated that

1.8 billion people will experience absolutely ​water scarcity, meaning there will be little to no

water resources to live off of. The other part of the population will be dealing with water stress

conditions meaning water resources may be limited or hard to come by. A few years later half of

the world will be experiencing severe water stressed-conditions. Some of the countries dealing

with water shortage include Libya, Jordan, Iran, Brazil, India, South Africa and even some parts

of the United States. (Forwardist 2016).

In places like India only 209 out

of 3,119 towns and cities have

even partial sewage systems and

treatment facilities. As a result

water bodies in developing

nations are often used as open

sewers for human waste products

and garbage. A lot of developing

countries like India don’t have the

access to clean water and the

reason behind the absence of sufficient water is because they don’t have the proper treatment
facilities and regulations. These facilities cannot be obtained because developing countries lack

finances for funding infrastructure that can regulate water pollution. This in turn reduces the

amount of clean water available for human consumption, sanitation, agriculture and industrial

purposes, in addition to various other ecosystem services. Water quality is becoming the leading

problem throughout the developing world. Fresh water is in risk of being contaminated, which

shows severe consequences to anyone habitating planet Earth. It is essential for people around

the world, especially those in power to implement water programs and policies for a better

chance to cleanse and maintain water.

A lot of people have acknowledge the problem and are trying to make a change for the

better. One of the companies that is currently helping developing countries such as Gambia get

clean water to their households is called “eWATER” This company uses mobile technology for

endurable water maintenance. And “Eseye” a global cellular internet connectivity provider are

working together to provide pipelines and all the necessities for a low cost water than can be

accessible 24/7. The project was called “The communal tap system which allows users to pay for

water at the point of use, and ensures that maintenance is provided long after installation. “ Eseye

was in charge of providing a method to collect information from the taps to assure that repairs

were going to be made as quickly as possible. They created a SIMs card to revise the data and

usage of the water through a cloud. They needed confirmation that everything was working

properly and most important that the people were receiving nice and fresh water whenever they

needed it. This partnership with technology provided 13000 people with water by ensuring that

companies receive daily information of the taps, so that any repair necessary can be done

immediately. (Watt, S., & Thompson, K. 2017). Another source explains the function of the sun
and how it cleanses the water. It is called solar disinfection, this process uses the solar rays to kill

any type of bacteria inside the water. In this source they tested the solar rays exposing a

container with soda and low quantity of water. It was then placed in the roof for two days while

the sun was out. The results showed that all the disinfected water was consumed directly from

the container. The next article “ Design and Testing of a Remote Deployable Water Purification

System Powered by Solar Energy” talks about the design of an inclusive, self-sufficient, and

remote-deployable water purification system using again solar activity. The design includes solar

panels as their power supply. The solar panel has an output power of 2,320 Watts and the water

purification operates at an output of 97.9 Watts. Once the solar panels are installed. The solar

panels are connected to a battery bank which operates the system. Then the water goes through a

process which purifies and removes any unwanted particles and bacteria from the water. With a

full battery the purification process can operate for 24 hours without the power supply in this

case the sun. This design is able to produce an amount of 440 liters of water per hour. (Amber E.

Keith, & Jesse J. French. 2019). As shown above water programs are not required to be large

scale and financially intensive, and can be simple and financially viable.

Everyone knows how important water is. No living thing can survive without it. And

therefore, human race should be more considerate about their actions, in the event of a

catastrophic failure the entire human population would go back to basic necessities. Speaking in

a society in which fashion does not matter or social classes it will become far more relevant to

look for a pure water source and only then humanity will realize how important it was to

conserve a pure environment. Every single human being should be concerned and help save

freshwater.
 References

● Amber E. Keith, & Jesse J. French. (2019). Design and Testing of a Remote Deployable

Water Purification System Powered by Solar Energy. ​Advances in Technology

Innovation​, (1), 30. Retrieved from Design and Testing of a Remote Deployable Water

Purification System Powered by Solar

Energy.​https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.236

31736fc149cb97773fb58b80119d&site=eds-live&scope=site

The source “ Design and Testing of a Remote Deployable Water Purification System

Powered by Solar Energy.” by Amber E. Keith, and Jesse J. French states that the design

of a purification system in developing areas of the world can improve living conditions,

especially those where access to clean water is scarce. This source is relevant because it

answers the question “How to bring clean water to those who need it” by providing a

device that can purify and cleanse water

● Cain, N. L., & Gleick, P. H. (2008). ​The Global Water Crisis Disproportionately Affects

the Developing World.​ Greenhaven Press. Retrieved from

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgov&AN=edsgcl.EJ301029

6238&site=eds-live&scope=site
 The source “The global water crisis disproportionately affects the developing world” by

Cain, N.L and Gleick, P.H states the importance of improving access to countries

throughout the United Nations. This source is relevant because it answers the question

“What countries need clean water?” by providing information that describes the billions

of people that lack it.

● Codington-Lacerte, C. (2018). Water scarcity. ​Salem Press Encyclopedia.​ Retrieved from

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=90558500&site=eds-li

ve&scope=site

The source “Water scarcity “ by Codington-Lacerte, C. talks about the effects of polluted

water amongst humanity. This source is relevant because it answers the question “What

are the dangerous from not having accessibility to clean water” and it can also answer

“What causes water pollution, the causes and effects”

● Contorno, S. (2014). Matt Damon: “Every 20 Seconds, a Child Dies Because They Lack

Access to Clean Water and Sanitation.” ​Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, FL).​ Retrieved

from

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgov&AN=edsgcl.36257156

9&site=eds-live&scope=site

The source “Every 20 Seconds, a Child Dies Because They Lack Access to Clean Water

and Sanitation.“ by Contorno, S. states that a bunch of kids are dying every other three

seconds due to the fact of limited clean water. This source is relevant because it answers

the following question “what are the dangers of not having accessibility of clean water?”
 and the sad truth is that billions of people are losing their lives for not having access to

clean water.

● Forwardist. (2015, October 26). The People of These 9 Countries Are Facing Really

Scary Water Shortages. Retrieved from

https://mic.com/articles/82023/the-people-of-these-9-countries-are-facing-really-scary-w

ater-shortages#.zJ392hVZo

● National Academies. (2007, September 01). Safe Drinking Water Is Essential. Retrieved

from

https://www.koshland-science-museum.org/water/html/en/Treatment/Household-Solar-Di

sinfection.html

The source “Safe Drinking Water Is Essential “ by National Academies talks about the

possibilities of being able to clean the water with solar energy. This source is relevant

because it answers the question “How to bring clean water for those in need?” by

providing treatments that will any bacteria using solar energy.

● Von Hirschhausen, C., Flekstad, M., Meran, G., & Sundermann, G. (2017). Clean

drinking water as a Sustainable Development Goal: fair, universal access with increasing

block tariffs. ​DIW Economic Bulletin,​ ​7(​ 28/29), 292–298. Retrieved from

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=124199397&site=eds

-live&scope=site

The source “Clean drinking water as a Sustainable Development Goal: fair, universal

access with increasing block tariffs.“ by Von Hirschhausen, C. states that by decreasing

prices on lower class in developing countries to have access to water can be a good
 solution. This source is relevant because it answers the following question “How to bring

clean water to those who need it” although the idea might cause more economical

problems it can be a solution to increase clean water.

● Watt, S., & Thompson, K. (2017). Access to Clean Water for 13000 People. ​Journal of

the South African Institution of Civil Engineering,​ ​25(​ 5), 46–47. Retrieved from

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=egs&AN=124758687&site=eds

-live&scope=site

The source “ Access to Clean Water for 13000 People. “ by Watt, S. and Thompson, K.

provides clean water to 13000 people around the areas of Africa by being connected with

the company ewater. This source is relevant because it answers the question “How to

bring clean water for those who need it?” by using technology such as solar energy.

● What Is Water Scarcity? (2017, November 02). Retrieved from

https://www.fluencecorp.com/what-is-water-scarcity/​ (Image)