Clean Water: Organizations Responding to the Need
The United Nations reports “about 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.”1 In developing regions such as sub-Saharan African, as much as two-thirds of the population relies on surface water from sources such as rivers or lakes, which are often unsafe to drink.2 Given water’s essential role to human life, these realities present potentially life-threatening predicaments. In response to this dire need for clean water, organizations throughout the world are lending aid in various ways.
Some organizations focus on raising awareness of the global water crisis in effort to enact change.
For example, the United Nations’ World Water Day draws attention to the millions living without access to clean water and encourages people worldwide to take action towards overcoming the global water crisis.3
Other organizations focus on providing clean water to those in need.
There are multiple organizations that dig wells in areas that suffer water scarcity. GFA World, for example, installs Jesus Wells in developing areas such as Asia, with hopes to soon expand efforts into Africa. These areas “represent the largest percentage of people that lack access to safe drinking water,” reports National Geographic.4 Jesus Wells are dug up to 600 feet deep to ensure water is available throughout the year and offer clean, fresh water to entire communities, approximately 300 people per well. Built and maintained locally, these wells can last up to two decades.
In areas where water is readily available but contaminated, water filters are effective tools to provide safe drinking water.
Water in developing regions, often collected from surface water or old wells, frequently contains fecal matter, arsenic or other pollutants.5 Filters such as the BioSand water filters distributed by GFA World can purify this water and make it safe to drink. Simply constructed from concrete and filled with sand, rocks and gravel, BioSand water filters efficiently remove 98 percent of biological impurities.
Simple solutions such as these can have a huge impact on people’s lives. Access to clean water protects their health from a host of waterborne diseases that can be life-threatening. It also saves individuals burdened with walking long distances to collect water precious time and energy. Clean water can vastly improve a person’s life and even give them a chance for a better future.
1 “The United Nations World Water Development Report 2019: Leaving No One Behind.” United Nations. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000367306/PDF/367306eng.pdf.multi. 2019.
2 Rodriguez, Leah. “4 Factors Driving the Water & Sanitation Crisis in Africa.” Global Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/water-and-sanitation-crisis-sub-saharan-africa/.October 7, 2019.
3 “World Water Day.” United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day. Accessed September 14, 2021.
4 “Water Inequality.” National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/water-inequality/. October 1, 2019.
5 Luby, Stephen. “Water Quality in South Asia.” Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2740663/. June 2008.