Growing up, I’ve always viewed the water crisis as something I shouldn’t concern myself over because it wasn’t an immediate problem in my life (as terrible and self-centered as that sounds). I have to admit that it really wasn’t until this group action project that I saw the detrimental impact that losing out on one crucial necessity for survival had on people who didn’t have a choice but to live life relying on a resource that was quite literally drying up.
My group and I chose to work with a non-profit organization based in Seattle called Water1st international. Made up of water and sanitation specialists, this organization gave us a new idea on the importance of not only implementing water projects in communities that need it most, but how informing our own classmates meant creating awareness for the realities that millions of people face. When Water1st came to speak at an informational lecture we organized, we saw the day-to-day responsibilities that millions of people had in spending energy and copious amounts of time in search for the same resource that comes to us at the touch of a button. Regardless of where we were, water would always be found at every corner. So I asked myself, “How could I feel as though I was in my own bubble when I could have easily been in the same situation by chance?” After all, these people did not choose to have this lifestyle; they were expected to endure harsh conditions beyond choice.
I began integrating these thoughts and relating them to the problems with water more generally. The water crisis is much more than people losing out on a crucial resource—it has a domino effect. As we saw in the WorldBank Climate Change, Water, and the Economy video during lecture, regions already suffering from water scarcity are bound to face worse conditions if no change is implemented. Water affects an entire system; a primary source for energy, agriculture, and industrial growth. But beyond predicting what can happen if the water supply is depleted, many people skip over the factors that create the problem in the first place. Global water sustainability and investment in water supplies could change the lives of individuals leading up to the growth of an economy.
“We can’t control how much rain falls, but we can control how much water gets used and move towards a world of resilience in the face of a changing climate” (WorldBank video, 1:25-1:35).
Picture Credit: https://water1st.org/our-work/mozambique/