Water is the most abundant resource on Earth, yet it is also the scarcest when it comes to providing clean water to the population is general. Many impoverish nations does not have access to clean water, and the people risked getting cholera by drinking contaminated water. According to World Vision.Org, Eritrea and Papua New Guinea are the top countries that lack basic water services. Eritrea in East Africa has the least access to clean water close to home. Lack of adequate household sanitation means open water sources are often contaminated by human and animal waste. Deforestation and poor farming practices also make the problem of water pollution worse. Meanwhile, much of Papua New Guinea’s rural population lives in remote communities scattered among the country’s 600 Asia-Pacific islands. Often islanders struggle with lack of clean water and sanitation, and many have little understanding of basic hygiene practices. Papua New Guinea is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the region, with frequent cyclones and flooding events that damage and destroy infrastructure, homes, and crops.
There are many factors as to why clean water are a shortage in so many countries. The major cause for water scarcity is mainly due to climate change and an increase in unpredictable and extreme weather. Droughts often affect clean water supplies while flooding can pollute clean water sources and cause outbreaks of disease. The lack of clean water is also one of the main reasons of poverty. The reason behind it is you can’t grow food, you can’t build housing, you can’t stay healthy, you can’t stay in school and you can’t keep working. Without clean water, the possibility of breaking out of the cycle of poverty is incredibly slim.
So, is there an answer to solve this ‘basic human right’?
With the improvement of technology, many has taken it upon themselves to tackle the problem accessing clean water. For instance, LifeStraw, a personal water filter was introduced a few years back and it removes 99.999999 per cent of bacteria (including E.coli, Salmonella), 99.999 per cent of parasites (including Giardia and Cryptosporidium), 99.999 per cent of microplastics, dirt, sand and cloudiness. According to reviews, it is one of the best water filtration tools. Not only does it provide solution to water drinking, this personal plastic water filter allows you to take dirty or contaminated water and make it clean water that is safe to drink.
Another potential solution is using air-to-water technology to deliver drinking water to remote areas of the world hit by conflict or climate change, as spearheaded by Michael Mirilashvili, head of Watergen, an Israel-based firm. While the whole sounds sci-fi, it is actually easier than it sounds. Watergen’s machines work by filtering this water vapour out of the air, and, if used correctly, Watergen’s technology could spark a major shift within the water industry that could have a lasting impact on the planet. “A big advantage of using atmospheric water is that there’s no need to build water transportation, so no worries about heavy metals in pipes for example or cleaning contaminated water from the ground or polluting the planet with plastic bottles,” Mirilashvili told BBC.
People are coming out with more creative ways to gain access to clean water in order to survive. We are blessed to be able to have access to clean water and not having to risk ourselves to threats of potential deadly disease. Nonetheless, we should never ignore the plight of others who have to brave everyday exposing themselves to contaminated water, being deprived of clean water source for numerous reasons. So, whatever we can help, we should chip in, because, at the end of the day, we all share the Earth.
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