Lack of access to clean water can be mortal, it causes 1.2 million deaths each year. Having clean water can help you avoid infectious diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, and polio. The most affected by this issue is in Africa. 9%(66 million) of the world does not have access to an improved water source. Although people drink from what is considered to be “safe” water, a high percentage is not 100% clean and free of contamination.
The fact that the poorest are the ones who are not having easy access to clean water is a social justice problem and I feel like we, as a developed country, are not doing much to ensure that developing countries get what they need, their rights are being denied and we should be able to combat this issue together. With advanced technology, we should be able to send resources to them to provide some assistance. The numbers of people with no access to an improved water source(piped water, public taps, and rainwater collections) have increased overtime but by little. There has been no significant change.
I agree that the United States and other developed nations should provide aid to poorer nations who cannot get clean drinking water. Water is the singular thing most important to human survival, and there are millions of people in developing nations who don’t even have that. Deaths from water-related diseases are easily prevented by simply giving these people clean drinking water. These countries should be given access to the technology that we have in order to purify water.
I agree, this can be easily prevented. They also need to have access to education, they need to understand why the technology to purify their water is a necessity in order to have a long life.
What exactly is considered to be “safe” water? Is it possible that some of these people are not properly informed that their drinking water is not 100% safe?
There is no strong solid definition of “safe water”
There are so many contaminants that we have not yet detected that can be affecting our health and still be considered “safe water”.
As technology advances, the definition of safe water will continue to evolve.
It is possible that these people are not well informed of the quality of their water but some of them have no choice. They’d rather remain hydrated and provide something to drink for their family. I think the concept of “safe water” is far from their preoccupation. I think in their state of being, being alive with food and water is the most important thing for them regardless of the quality of their water or food.