February 5, 2007
Drink, Drank, Drunk…
“Water is vital in the truest sense of the word. With none to drink, we die of thirst. With none to water our crops, we starve. With too much of it, in the form of floods, we drown.” Quote courtesy of NMUN IHP background guide.
So, water. It really is essential, if you think about it. Growing up in US suburbs, I’ve always taken clean water for granted. It’s always been a given that I’ll be able to cook, clean and bathe without risking my health. Well, almost always. Last summer, my town had a contamination scare – e-coli had gotten into the water. The problem was solved in a few days, but in the meantime everyone took extra precautions. Teeth were brushed with bottled water, water was boiled before it was used to wash food or cookware, and antibacterial gel sold out in stores. Now, I know I’m being a bit long-winded, but I am getting to a point: suburban America has the resources to react as we did, to become hypervigilant in a moment of vulnerability. Most people, in most places, do not.
Image courtesy of the United Nations (www.un.org) via the Minnesota Daily.
Liberia is one such place. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports here that over two thirds of the state’s population rely on unsanitary sources for their water supply – even in the capital, Monrovia. Conditions worsen in the dry season between October and March, when the scarcity of water leads people to choose close sources over safe ones.
What I don’t seem to understand is why the states and institutions dedicated to establishing infrastructure in the less developed nations have yet to focus on such a basic need as water. Yes, there is a certain amount of geographical determination to the issue, but only to a degree. Prior to the civil war that ravaged their nation, nearly half of Liberia had access to piped, potable water. The technology exists to rebuild the facilities that enabled this. It seems irrational, in this age of globalization, where the world revolves around the sharing of information, that this information and the necissary resources have not been shared. Consider this from a purely economic standpoint: the diseases spread through unsanitary water are wreaking havoc in Liberia (and many other places, but we’ll stay with the example for now) because of drug shortages. And I mean really, who knew that diarrhea could be fatal? By fixing the water problem, not only are lives saved, but the institutions that routinely shell out the big bucks to the drug companies could instead make a one-time, lasting investment in the infrastructure of a nation.
Makes you wonder if there’s some sort of conspiracy between the NGOs and the MNCs… but that is a topic for another time.
jlovebomb said,
June 11, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I understand your dismay at why insitutions and corporations do not focus on the need of water. It’s because water is looked upon as a commodity that can be sold for profit. Because water is dwindling, it’s going to become something that can be sold even more than it is now. I believe this is wrong Water is a human right.
I recommend you check out Maude Barlow. She is amazing.