by Jessica Dean –
It is 2020 and clean water is still inaccessible for 2 billion people worldwide. That is one in every three people living without a resource, that we would all agree, is a basic human right necessary for survival[1]. Kamau and Njiru (2018) address this global issue with a focus on water sanitation and supply in Kenya; one of many Sub-Saharan African countries that did not meet the 2010 water target set out by the World Health Organization[1]. The global issue of climate change is already having negative implications on the water cycle and is likely to increase in the future, highlighting the need to act now[2].
Children fetch water from a muddy stream in a rural area during dry season. The water is taken back home and undergoes filtration and other treatments before usage. Image: Dotun55, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Severe Health Implications
Diarrhoea is the fourth biggest killer of children worldwide[3] and around 80% of illnesses in developing countries are attributed to unsafe drinking water [2]. Kamau and Njiru assessed this issue using a cross-sectional study in the Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi. Here mass population movement led to more demand being put on water resources and therefore more frequent cases of contamination. The main contributor they found here was the lack of education surrounding the issue with only 45% of participants knowing how to properly dispose of faeces[1]. Combined with insufficient facilities this leads to human faeces entering major water supplies within the community and is accountable for thousands of illnesses (such as diarrhoea) and deaths each year.
Why does this matter?
Although water scarcity appears to be an issue predominately affecting underdeveloped regions, the problem remains a global one. Kamau and Njiru’s survey found that in Kenya’s slums only “1/5 of respondents had access to uninterrupted water supply”[1]. With a rising climate causing extreme weather events, it is expected that by 2025, 50% of the world will be affected by drought[4]. This disrupts the reliability of major water resources like the Mekong river in China[4], impacting the millions of people that it provides water for each year. The impact on reliability is likely to increase the demand and price of clean water, affecting people across the world, but particularly in underdeveloped regions where they’re increasingly unlikely to be able to afford a sufficient amount of water.
COVID-19: water scarcity matters now more than ever
With the COVID-19 pandemic still deeply affecting the world both socially and economically, the need for clean water matters more than ever. Countries are highlighting the need for sanitation, to contain the cases, something that cannot take place without efficient water supplies (putting those in water scarce regions at risk). As economies begin to decline and increased stress is put on healthcare services our abilities to deal with the expected water crisis in the next decade are slowly diminishing[5].
We need to act now
The global water crisis is projected to impact billions of people within the next decade if not addressed now. With a continually rising climate already impacting communities across the world, countries need to work together to help mitigate the continually worsening water crisis and save millions of lives.
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References
[1] Kamau, N and Njiru, H. (2018) Water sanitation and Hygiene Situation. Journal of Health Care for the poor and Undeserved,29 (1) pp 321-336.
[2] Abedin, M.A., Collins, A.E., Habiba, U. & Shaw, R. (2019). Climate change, water scarcity, and health adaptation in Southwester Coastal Bangladesh. International journal of disaster risk science,10 (1), pages 28-42.
[3] Mazumda, T (2017). Global diarrhoea deaths down by a third. BBC NEWS: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40123726
[4] The World health organisation (2019). Drinking water: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
[5] Russon, M (2020). African solutions to the coronavirus crisis. BBC NEWS https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52776994
