Why prioritize water?
Water should be prioritized because…
Access to clean water is the most basic necessity for the survival and living standard of any human being as well as a condition for development and economical independence for any community. Therefore we believe that clean water should be considered a human right for everybody on the planet. Yet, there are still millions of people kept in despair and poverty by the lack of clean water.
Worldwide there are more than 748 million people without access to an improved source of drinking water and 2.5 billion people do not use an improved sanitation facility.
– Water and sustainability article
By far most of the communities in lack of clean water are located in developing countries and often in remote areas, where they are forced to spend immense periods of time walking long distances to get to the nearest source of clean water.
Time used on walking for water is obviously time that cannot be used attending to school, work or other developing activities, nor to plowing the field or looking after a sick child. This is why some feel forced to take their chances and use infected water for cooking and washing in order to prioritize their time on urgent issues.
Some 842 000 people are estimated to die each year from diarrhea as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene. But diarrhea is largely preventable, and the deaths of 361 000 children aged under 5 could be avoided each year if these risk factors were addressed. Where water is not readily available, people may decide hand washing is not a priority, thereby adding to the likelihood of diarrhea and other diseases.
– Document from WHO [Fact sheet]
Wars and natural catastrophes are horrible but periodical problems that will occur from time to time on different locations, and these issues cannot be solved once and for all.
Death and extreme poverty due to a lack of basic human needs, on the other hand, are a constant problem in certain areas, and can be solved for good by a redistribution of resources and proper education.
We believe that the resource-rich countries are capable of giving everyone on earth the access to clean water, and thus a ticket to development, independence and a higher living standard, without putting our own welfare significantly at stake.
