Clean water vs. Dirty water: Which one would you choose?

Many people think of water as unlimited, however it’s not, it’s a finite resource. Although 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water less than 3% is fresh water, and .08% is viable as water suitable for human and animal consumption, meaning that nearly 1 billion people go without clean water everyday.

http://youtu.be/cpUI0jjR-_U

Internationally more people have mobile phones than access to a toilet. The number of people lacking access to clean water is equal to 2 ½ times the United States. But it’s not just about the shortage of water as a source for humans, but for the production of crops as well. It takes 1000 tons of water to yield 1 ton of grain, meaning that water scarcity contributes to worldwide food scarcity as well.

As the global water crisis continues solutions for delivering safe, and clean water to the world’s growing population has become an increasingly pressing issue. Not only does water need to be available for consumption, but resources must also be in place to supplement water for crops, and other sanitation needs, especially in places of drought, where water is unavailable to the majority of the population.

Solutions do exist however, to increase access to clean water with everything from traditional wells, solar devices that decontaminate water, filtration systems, or innovative ideas such as LifeStraw (a personal filtration system.) India is even building dams covered by solar panels to help reduce water loss while also relying on natural energy. Innovate ideas such as these exist, now the global community needs to make sure that the populations most vulnerable to water deprivation are given access to these simple solutions.

In this YouTube video “Water Changes Everything“, the Charity Water organization clarifies how the lack of clean water impacts the world on both a local and global scale. This animation shows possible solutions and how small actions can add up to a world of difference.