Water Readings

  

     I was shocked after reading that clean water and access to sanitation has the potential to prevent 2 million deaths over the next decade. Ever since I was a child, access to water was never an issue. In fact, the ability to turn on a faucet at whim gave me the lasting impression that water was an never-ending source. Obviously, as I have grown older, I recognize the fortune that I have this access, yet I do not consciously acknowledge what this truly means. Learning the vast numbers of people without improved water sources was incredible to me. Improved encompasses three dimensions of water security: quality, proximity and quantity. I also never thought of the children missing out on education opportunities because they have to walk long distances to fetch water, or when they get sick from drinking tainted water.  There is a large disparity of opportunity for children worldwide, and I truly believe that equality of opportunity is a vital piece of human rights. Once provided with the basic means, children are closer to reaching a more full development  Going off of that, I found it troubling that the poor have to pay more for water than the rich do. For example, a person living in a slum pays more than somebody living in London.  Something as simple as clean water can save lives for those who are less fortunate. When we have water so easily accessible, it is very easy to forget just how crucial it is to life. The poor need to be provided with water for free, and this must be done with the help of public financing. Once clean water methods are set in place, there will be room for more improvement, and money will be saved in the long run. For example, something as simple as  reduced diarrhea would cause 3.2 billion working days to be gained for people ages 15–59. Furthermore,  universal access to water and sanitation would save health systems in developing countries about 1.6 billion US dollars a year. Those savings really add up. I think that prioritization of issues is key, and clean water and sanitation need to be at the top of the list. I was frankly a bit repulsed by the fact that the governments of the world spend 10 billion dollars on military hardware every eight days. This money could be used for something so much more important and rewarding. It seems selfish and immoral to me to use money that could be spend on saving lives for weapons that take lives.