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Today, 1,000 kids will die from drinking unsafe water

Celebrate World Water Day on March 22 -- and every day -- by appreciating and conserving the world's most precious resource.
By Chris BaskindMon, Mar 22 2010 at 6:06 AM EST  8 Comments

Photo: hdptcar/Flickr
March 22 is World Water Day. You may be reading this article after the fact. It doesn't matter, because the state of affairs today will be largely the same as each day since the event was created in 1993: Every 24 hours, 1,000 children will die from drinking unsafe water.
 
 
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They'll die from diarrhea, the result of drinking water so filthy most of us would be shocked to see it even in our toilets. They'll die in remote villages and crowded urban slums. They'll die in areas too poor to afford the inexpensive medicines which might save their lives, or the $200 it takes to dig a safe and modern water well. Mostly, they'll die in the Southern Hemisphere.
 
And these are just the children. Here, a decade into the 21st century, humanity's most pressing health need remains access to sanitary, fresh water. It sounds like such a simple thing. But without clean water, economies crumble. Livestock dies, and it becomes impossible to grow even basic staples. The lack of safe water is the mother of famine, disease, poverty and warfare. Some 2.6 billion people live in squalid conditions, without access to even basic sanitation.
 
It can happen to you, too
While water issues are particularly acute in the developing world, shifting climate patterns and soaring demand are creating significant shortages across the planet. In 2007, the city of Atlanta was nearly brought to a standstill when Lake Lanier, the area's primary water supply, dropped to its lowest levels in a century.
 
In the U.S., Southwestern states are contending with a multi-year drought that threatens the region's growth. Depletion of groundwater resources in Mexico City has gotten to the stage that geological faulting has damaged portions of the city's historic center. And hundreds of Australians died this summer when lack of rainfall created the conditions for devastating wildfires.
 
What you can do
World Water Day is an opportunity to step back for a moment and consider a commodity many people take for granted. It's as easy to forget water's value when you have it, as it is to never forget your thirst when you don't.
 
Want to help set things right? Consider some of these actions:
  • Respect your water. If the water that comes out of your tap is clean and affordable, be thankful. Be thankful when you drink it. Be thankful when you wash with it. Be thankful when you cook with it. Every time you open a faucet, remember that you're doing something beyond the reach of almost 3 billion people.
  • Conserve. An ample water supply today is no guarantee that it will be there tomorrow. Groundwater aquifers take hundreds of years to replenish. Do your part — you'll be saving money, anyway. Install water-saving showerheads. Plant drought-resistant gardens, and irrigate them — if at all possible — with harvested rainwater. Find leaks in your home and repair them. Take shorter showers. Replace old washing machines and dishwashers with water-saving, EnergyStar-rated appliances. Never send anything to a landfill you wouldn't want in your drinking water 10 years from now. There are plenty of water conservation resources on the Web. We'd like to recommend our own 5 cheap ways to save 1,000 gallons of water.
  • Support organizations that bring fresh water to people who don't have any. Groups such as Water for People, the Blue Planet Run Foundation and H2O Africa are all working to make every day World Water Day. Find an organization that excites you, and help provide what they need.
 
Share this article (or one like it) with others. Involve friends and family. There are a thousand reasons for you to take action today. And tomorrow — another thousand.
 
Copyright Lighter Footstep 2009
 
Thumbnail photo: Raelene G/Flickr
 
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    Unsafe drinking water

    Posted By rashmi - Wed, Jun 02 2010 at 7:15 AM EST

    It's really pity to know that many people have no other choices rather than drinking this unsafe water.data recovery

    Agreed

    Posted By jackjds1 - Thu, May 27 2010 at 12:50 AM EST

    I'm from India and I can really see the whole point here.

    We all need

    Posted By Anonymous - Sat, May 15 2010 at 4:40 AM EST

    We all need safe, clean drinking water to survive.
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    What Are We Gonna Do?

    Posted By Marissa Malroy - Tue, Apr 20 2010 at 1:02 PM EST

    Water has been and still is the world's most powerful rescource. We need to help those who need it while we abuse the privelege of water. Think about it, when a water main breaks, we all freak out and rush to fix it. It isn't a matter of us and them, but rather life and death.

    Safe Drinking Water

    Posted By SuSanne Dawn Plumb - Mon, Mar 22 2010 at 3:56 PM EST

    We all need safe, clean drinking water to survive.

    re. your signature on preventing GMO in WA on the petition site

    Posted By Chris Lees - Mon, Apr 05 2010 at 7:42 PM EST

    Suzanne, I saw your comments on John Wood's petition to vote for the Disallowance Motion on GMOs in WA. If you contact John at: johnawood@iinet.net.au he will send you the email letter so you can forward it to as many people as possible. Tell him Chris Lees sent you (I was the person who edited his petition). Or you can email me direct at: welara@bigpond.com and I will send it to you. Thank you so much for caring. Kind regards,.... More

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    Posted By Sagarika satapathy - Mon, Mar 22 2010 at 3:52 AM EST

    Then why we celebrate March 22nd-29th as World Water week ? There have no meaning of the day if thousands of children will die from drinking unsafe water.

    World Water Day on March 22, 2010

    Posted By Ray Bell - Sun, Mar 21 2010 at 10:10 PM EST

    We must appreciate and conserve one element essential for all life: WATER!

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