Clean Water and Sanitation

By Emma Andrew

Some people feel a certain draw to the ocean. Almost as if it is a home for them, an

unattainable version of home in which they can dip in and out of but never fully inhabit. Some people feel a peace when the rain falls, a sonic balm to their anxieties and a reminder that some things never change. Humans are composed of a large majority of water, intertwining our existence with this life-giving liquid. As time has gone on, the fog has cleared to show how this relationship has become more and more one-sided.

Humans are intelligent and progressive creatures, constantly looking forward towards stepping stones to efficiency. The world’s water has become more and more polluted with this mindset, as rivers have yellowed and seas have become plastic soups. In the name of progress we have defiled our life-source, which not provides us with the liquid we need to fill our veins so dearly, but we have poisoned and sometimes, made extinct, the flora and fauna which give us food and work as a part of this brilliant, big machine called Earth.

Where many communities desire clean water, they are located near extremely polluted water

sources. Oftentimes these communities are not properly educated on how to keep their water sources clean, which if solved, would ultimately improve many aspects of their living conditions. Education about proper recycling, trash disposal and sewage treatment would greatly enlighten communities and how to prevent many diseases that often plague them.

The water in our world brings us peace, beauty, companionship, and life. We owe it everything. The key to a sustainable world is keeping our water sources clean and healthy, as every living thing depends upon it. If the world was replaced by great, grey, and insipid constructions, I believe loneliness and longing would creep into our hearts quickly and insidiously. Nature was created not for us, but with us. It is us, and we are it. Believing we are distinctly individual from this planet is an alien yet breeding thought that persists in many human’s minds. It isn’t only the small, poor, and uneducated communities that are contributing to the clean water crisis, but also the large industries of developed countries who are cognizant of the damage they are causing. Money is a powerful force, and often blinds those who follow it.

As we live out our days in the splendor that this home provides, we tend to exploit all we have given. This lust-filled, self-absorbed haze is defining of our species, and retroactive to the progression of humanity, although contrary to popular belief. Industry and the environment do not have to be pitted against each other, in a mutually exclusive relationship of progression. Moreover, they can actually be in a symbiotic relationship, as we need this planet to survive, and much of it needs us at this time. Luckily, we are moving on a path toward a world that can boost our quality of living while preserving the planet. What can we do? We are just 1 person, amongst billions? These are thoughts that often drift through the minds of those wanting to evoke a change. However, the brilliance lies in the fact that the power is within our hands. We as a consumer base dictate the direction in which companies will lead their companies. If we want something different, the companies will follow suit. If the people with the wallets and pocket money decide they want to keep their water sources clean, perhaps the factories dumping into rivers or oceans will decide they want to maintain their profits and adjust their disposal methods. We have larger power than we think, and the pendulum is already being swung in the better direction.

The access to clean water is a human right, and one that needs to be chased fervently in order to prevent worldwide human suffering. It is vastly important that we do what we can to provide clean water firstly to those who lack any, and secondly to improve the quality of water in a general sense. If self service remains the vice of our human existence, we can think back to how we are 60% water. It is within our best interest to keep this element to the most pure standard we are able to. We must be sure to invest in our planet, as it is our greatest resource. We are nourished from the plants that grow from the soil beneath our feet. We build our homes from the sediment deposited below the soil beneath our feet. We use the phones that rule our life from the energy generated from elements that comprise this earth. We drive our cars about our busy lives with the fuels sleeping under the earth’s crust. To this planet, we owe everything.