Clean Water: An Environmental Necessity

There are so many objects and possessions we mistakenly believe we “can’t live without”, that we sometimes forgot one of the most important environmental necessities: clean water. Without clean water, how will we keep hydrated? How will plants grow? How will we keep our bodies clean? If dirty water breeds bacteria and disease, then in turn, doesn’t clean water help keep us healthy?

Developed societies and first world countries have become so complacent about having access to clean water, that it is sometimes hard to imagine a world without it. Almost everywhere we go we have access to clean, fresh water. When that access is taken away, we are devastated and left wondering how we are going to be able to cope. This is so much the case that we don’t always think about how much water is being wasted as we leave the faucet running, or how much water it takes to fill up our bathtub. What about the amount of water it takes to flush a toilet? Or how about the water required to make the food we eat?

At the same time, there are millions of people in third world countries who do not have easy access to safe, clean water. They cannot simply turn on a faucet and have water in their home. If they want clean water they must work for it, or walk miles to obtain it, and even then there is no guarantee it will be safe and clean. To them, every single drop counts.

The question is, why don’t we place the same value on water? Why are we so willing to waste it rather than taking care to converse every last drop? Access. It is as simple as that. I can pretty much guarantee that if any one of us were forced to live without easy access to fresh, clean water, we would view things in a very different light. This infographic gives a quick look at some of the first world problems as compared to third world problems as far as clean water is concerned, and why we should be thankful for the water we have.

The following infographic highlights why you should care about water conservation:


Infographic by Seametrics, a manufacturer of water flow meters that measure and conserve water.

While we work on our water conservation skills, here are some inventions that have provided, and can continue to provide, millions of people in developing nations around the world with access to an environmental necessity called clean water.

Backpack That Makes Transporting Clean Water Easier

LifeStraw – Good for Developing and Developed Nations Alike

14-Year-Old’s Solar Power Jug

Michael Pritchard’s Portable LifeSaver Bottle

Scientists are also reporting the creation of an inexpensive, and new papaya-clay combo material that could cut dramatically cut the costs of water purification in developing countries.

While we ourselves can take immediately steps to live smarter when it comes to the conservation of water, I also urge you to visit water.org and find out how you too can help others gain access to clean water. It’s an environmental necessity and resource we all deserve to have access to, don’t you agree?

Water Faucet and Collecting Clean Drinking Water images via Flickr Creative Commons by Joe Shlabotnik and Cate Turton / UK Department for International Development respectively.

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