Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers across the world are writing to help people become more informed about the issue of sustaibable water.
As most world travelers can attest, water is something that most people in developed countries take for granted. You turn on the tap and out flows clean, cold, safe drinking water. This is not the case, however, in so many emerging countries across the world. Here are a few facts:
- Unsafe drinking water and the lack of basic sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Unclean drinking water can incubate diseases, like E. coli, salmonella, cholera and hepatitis A.
- More people have access to a cell phone than to a toilet. Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets. This means that sewage spills into rivers and streams, contaminating drinking water and causing disease. Remember that scene from Slumdog Millionaire? I’ll never forget it.
- Every day, women and children in Africa walk a combined total of 109 million hours to get water. They do this while carrying cisterns weighing around 40 pounds when filled in order to gather water that, in many cases, is still polluted
- It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. That 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun, providing water for the cow, cooking the patty, and baking the bun. And that’s just for one meal!
- The average American uses 159 gallons of water every day – more than 15 times the average person in the developing world. From showering and washing our hands, to watering our lawns, and washing our cars, Americans use a lot of water. To put things into perspective, the average five-minute shower will use about 10 gallons of water. Now imagine using that same amount to bathe, wash your clothes, cook your meals and quench your thirst.
Clean Water is everyone’s concern
Protecting the groundwater is imperative as more than 95% of the world’s freshwater, excluding glaciers and ice caps, is found underground. Groundwater provides the steady, base flow of rivers and wetlands. Maintaining this flow and keeping it free from pollution is vital for surface water ecosystems.
The recent dam breach in Hungary illustrates how the poor management of our industrial waste can impact the water resources of thousands of people in neighboring countries. Washington, D.C.- based EARTHWORKS said, “This spill underscores fundamental safety concerns related to producing and disposing of enormous quantities of contaminated wastes from mines and metal processing facilities”
What can you do?
Be mindful of the water you use and support the United Nation’s efforts to bring clean water to millions. Sign the UN petition on our home page to help to bring clean water to millions
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