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Clean Water for the World

Humans have four basic needs that are crucial to survive on earth: water, food, shelter,

and air. Water, which is one of the four basic needs, is integrated into all our lives and is

essential for humans to thrive. A term known as “water scarcity” refers to the lack of clean and

sanitary water in particular areas of the world. Water scarcity is more evident in developing

countries and causes diseases and deaths every single year. MacDonald states, “By 2025, two

thirds of the world’s population will live in water stressed countries. Compounding these

problems are political, social, and technical barriers” (MacDonald, 2003, p. 1417). I am

choosing to research the engineering challenge of clean water for the world because of its

prevalence and my passion for the challenge. I have a unique sentiment for this challenge as I

worked in Guatemala for two weeks building a gravity fed water system for a community that

lacked clean water for drinking and hygiene purposes. I saw the detrimental effects that the lack

of clean water has on developing countries. It causes communities to become stagnant which

leads to uneducated and unhealthy citizens.

Government plays a large role in the clean water initiative. Although there are large

reservoirs of water such as rivers and oceans, it takes a significant amount of money and efforts

to prepare clean drinking water for its citizens from these reservoirs. While I was in Guatemala, a

community member was asked why they do not have clean drinking water and their response

was, “The government looked at the cost benefit ratio for clean water and decided the benefit of

clean water for Guatemalan citizens did not outweigh the cost” (unnamed Guatemalan

community member, in person interview, August 10, 2022). In developing countries, the political

instability and corruptness cause the community members to suffer greatly. MacDonald states,

“Water quality and its sustainability has always been a problem, but it is predicted to get much
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worse as a result of depleted resources, mismanagement, and poor governance” (MacDonald,

2003, p. 1417). I believe an important aspect of decreasing water scarcity includes world leaders

of both 1st and 3rd world countries taking initiative to raise awareness about the challenge and

working together to find a solution. The lack of initiative and efforts from developed countries

has caused thousands of lives to be taken due to illnesses, diseases, and unsanitary living

conditions. MacDonald states, “In the 1980’s, the “water supply and sanitation decade”, the

international community set the ambitious target of universal access to safe water and sanitation

by 1990. Then it slipped to 2000, and now one of the United Nations’ millennium development

goals is to halve the proportion of people who do not have access to safe drinking water

(declared a basic human right by the UN) by 2015” (MacDonald, 2003, p.1417).

Water pathogens is what allows diseases to be transmitted through the water pathways.

The authors of Biological approaches for addressing the grand challenge of providing access to

clean drinking water write, “The EPA assessed how much illness from tap water occurs in the

U.S. from multiple studies conducted over a similar time frame. Studies reported that from

municipal water systems alone there were between 12-19.5 million cases of diarrhea/yr …To

place this in context, there were more people who died from water-based diseases then died from

AIDS in 2008” (Riley, Gerba, Elimelech, 2011, p. 2). It is a common misconception that water

borne diseases only affect underdeveloped countries, but it is still prevalent in 1 st world countries

and is a challenge engineers must be tasked with solving. If a breakout occurs, time is essential

in combatting these waterborne pathogens because of how fast the diseases can be transmitted.

Waterborne diseases can negatively impact thousands of people if not addressed in an effective

and efficient manner. The authors of Biological approaches for addressing the grand challenge
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of providing access to clean drinking water write, “In the so-called developed world, an aging

infrastructure plays a large role in problems of providing clean drinking water. Along much of

the U.S. east coast, conveyance systems (pipes, pumps, valves, etc.) were designed for a 100-

year life span, but were constructed in the middle 1800’s. Much of the water infrastructure is of

poor quality, which has led to substantial leakage of water…” (Riley, Gerba, Elimelech, 2011, p.

1). Engineers have a role to ensure the safety of their citizens and take preventive measures that

promote health and sanitation.

How are engineers addressing the disparity of water scarcity? Clean water is a complex

subject in which there is not one right answer. Geographical areas that severely struggle with

water scarcity are often paired with unstable governments and socioeconomic underdevelopment

which delays the advancement of education and the clean water initiative. The authors of

Biological approaches for addressing the grand challenge of providing access to clean drinking

water write, “There is a tremendous need for methods to substantially increase water supply, not

only to meet current needs but to provide for population growth and increased water usage...An

obvious solution for meeting global freshwater demand lies in the world’s oceans, but this water

is too salty to be used without extensive treatment such as that provided by desalination”(Riley,

Gerba, Elimelech, 2011, p.6). Desalination sounds like a clean water initiative solution, but it has

drawbacks which include expense, energy use, and environmental effects. Desalination plants

intake ocean water and use methods such as thermal boiling or reverse osmosis to separate the

salt from the ocean water to produce fresh water. The left over “salt” water that is removed is

termed as brine and is often dumped back into the ocean. The authors of Biological approaches

for addressing the grand challenge of providing access to clean drinking water write, “The use

and discharge of the concentrated brine must also be addressed in better ways so that the
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environmental impacts of large and more numerous desalination plants are minimized.

Desalination plant discharge can adversely affect aquatic communities due to substantial

increases in salinity and the accumulation of metals, hydrocarbons, and toxic anti-fouling

compounds in receiving water [65]” (Riley, Gerba, Elimelech, 2011, p.7). Engineers are tasked

with deciding if the environmental effect of desalination is worth the result of clean drinking

water. The authors of Biological approaches for addressing the grand challenge of providing

access to clean drinking water write, “Even with such advances it seems unlikely that

desalination alone will be able to solve the world’s water problems. Other approaches will be

needed to reduce water use, to recycle what can be further used, and to capture new sources of

water” (Riley, Gerba, Elimelech, 2011, p.7). In conclusion, desalination is a tool that can be used

to reduce water scarcity but is not the solution to water scarcity.

Water scarcity is directly connected to women empowerment because of the traditional

women’s role of retrieving the water in underdeveloped countries. Keefer and Bousalis write,

“For women in the less developed word, access to basic resources such as water is a daily

concern. Women in impoverished countries spend approximately 40 billion hours annually,

carrying water over long distances (Darilek 2006). Often this water is not safe to use” (Keefer,

Bousalis, 2015, p.1). During my trip to Guatemala with Engineers Without Borders, I saw this

firsthand. The women of the community were not able to provide an income because of their task

to retrieve water for their families. It disables women of impoverished countries to achieve

higher education or work to gain financial freedom forcing the women to be tied to the

community for security and safety. Keefer and Bousalis write, “Ease of access to clean water

would relieve women and girls from walking an average of five miles a day to fetch water,
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freeing more time for education and more productive economic work (Valley 2006)” (Keefer,

Bousalis, 2015, p.1).

Throughout the research paper process and diving into the clean water initiative, I learned

the complexity of the issue. Providing the world with clean water includes environmental,

political, social, and financial factors. I learned that there is not “one” solution for

underdeveloped countries, but awareness and determination is crucial in providing clean water

for the world. I learned that engineers have a role and duty in studying water scarcity because it

will impact each of us in some aspect. As an engineer, I have an opportunity to impact the world

around me and I will choose to use the education and tools I am given in my degree to serve and

reach others on both a small and large scale.

Sources:

MacDonald, R. (2003). Providing The World With Clean Water: Remains A Complex Problem,

But Time Is Running Out. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 327(7429), 1416–1418.

Riley, M., Gerba, C., & Elimelech, M. (2011). Biological approaches for addressing the grand

challenge of providing access to clean drinking water. https://doi.org/10.1186/1754-

1611-5-2

Keefer, N., & Bousalis, R. (2015). How Do You Get Your Water? Structural Violence Pedagogy

and Women’s Access to Water. Social Studies, 106(6), 256–

263. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2015.1072793