The Water Crisis! Our global leaders are responsible for the inadequate investment in global water infrastructures!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

”Water is essential for our basic human needs. It plays a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, in the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, and is crucial for economic development. Water must therefore be at the centre of any strategy to achieve Agenda 2030.” SIWI – Leading Expert in Water Governance

A mom lifts a large metal pot up to the sink and turns on the tap. The water is crisp, cold and clear, but it isn’t clean. When the pot is nearly full, she puts it on the stove to boil. She has to boil it, because it is the only way that she can give it to her family. This has become part of her morning routine.

If she does not do this, her family is at the risk of suffering through flu-like symptoms, diarrhea and vomiting. Like many in her community, she has lived under a, “boil water” advisory for decades. Alarmingly, this story is not uncommon, and it is happening right here in North America.

For the fortunate members of our population, we expect that when we turn on our taps, we are going to get clean water, so that we can live life. Many of us in the West use water with no regard; we take clean water for granted because it has always been there.

According to water.org, 771 million people – 1 in 10 – lack access to safe water and 1.7 billion people – 1 in 4 – lack access to a toilet. A nationwide assessment revealed that around 15 million Americans experience a water shutoff; that is one out of every 20 households across the country. The water crisis has now become a health crisis with nearly one million people dying each year from water, sanitation and hygiene-related diseases, which could have been reduced with access to safe water or sanitation.

How is it that in the world’s largest economy, millions of people are having their water shut-off? How is it that in the Great Lakes region — home to upwards of 20% of the world’s surface freshwater, has thousands of people who do not have access to affordable water?

As with most dire, societal situations that have been kept concealed, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed this humanitarian crisis that is afflicting millions of people across the world — the lack of safe, affordable water. What is truly disturbing is that our global leaders are responsible for the inadequate investment in global water infrastructures.

I do want to make a note here before I go any further: I want you to re-read the quote at the very beginning of this article. What I have found is that whenever the media begins to push a message, there is always something lurking in the background, something that is going unsaid. The mention of Agenda 2030 does raise some alarms.

Let’s get back to this story. At this point, I want to share with you some of the horror stories that exist right here in North America.

Jackson Mississippi, USA

Jackson Mississippi has been facing a water crisis for some time now. Reports have come out that say it is a combination of: poor infrastructure, climate change and racism that have contributed to water issues that exist there, and now heavy rainfalls have left close to 150,000 residents without access to safe drinking water.

As recent as July 2022 the city was under a boil-water notice due to high levels of turbidity (cloudiness). Flooding from rainfall has caused pump failures for the primary water treatment plant, creating water shortages for two major hospitals and the Jackson Public School District.

Once again, it is the African American community that has had to deal with the fallout of this crisis. Little has been done to restore a deteriorating water system in Jackson, which is 82% African American. Extreme weather patterns are now exposing the role racist infrastructure plays in contributing to unequal water systems across the country, in communities that are majority Black.

New Mexico

Reports have revealed that a city in New Mexico has about 20 days of fresh water left, and officials there are scrambling to find another source to prevent cancer-causing particles from flowing out of faucets.

The hillsides around Las Vegas, New Mexico, were scorched by the state’s largest recorded wildfire, which burned more than 340,000 acres. This was followed by an unusually wet monsoon season, which brought significant rainfall. As much as this would have been reason for celebration, it led to another disaster.

The rainfall washed the charred debris in the region’s water system, and now, one of the city’s two reservoirs is filled with contaminated water that the current filtration system cannot handle. It has become a health risk. When carbon reacts with high levels of chlorine used to treat water, it can become carcinogenic.

Arizona, USA

The Arizona water shortage started in 2021 and was just the beginning of an on-going crisis in the region, as induced droughts and heat waves have driven water levels at Lake Mead and the Colorado River to plummet. Arizonans are now restricted on how much water they could use and the situation has only become worse over time.

It should be noted that in 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation declared its first-ever water shortage, cutting more than 500,000 acre-feet of water going to Arizona. An acre-foot of water would generally supply three average Phoenix households with water for a year.

Canada

Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world that is also rich in water. Despite the fact that Canada has the world’s third largest per-capita freshwater reserve, the water many Indigenous communities depend on is contaminated, difficult to access, or at risk due to faulty treatment systems. This kind of water contamination has caused detrimental health effects ranging from the serious risk of cancers to gastrointestinal disorders.

What are the reasons that have been provided for the shortages that we are seeing here in North America?

The reasons given vary. One claim is that it is due to persistent environmental degradation. Some other claims are that it is due to: toxic chemical pollution, farm runoff from fertilizer and animal waste, as well as mining contaminants.

Water is a basic human need and essential to prevent the spread of disease. The stories that are being reported here in the West and around the world are heart breaking. Our most vulnerable communities have to decide whether to wash their hands, cook their dinner or bath their child.

Access to safe water can protect and save lives, just because it’s there. Access to safe water has the power to turn time spent into time saved. Access to safe water can turn problems into potential: unlocking education, economic prosperity, and improved health.

I am not sure that this water crisis is a coincidence; something is amiss, and I hope that more people do not have to suffer, especially if this is part of a larger, and more sinister agenda.