Am I Drinking Water or Sewage?

Am I Drinking Water or Sewage?

Drinking water in South Africa is being transported through the same pipes as the waste water, and I ask you, how is this sanitary? As a result, children are dying, cholera is attacking, and people are dying from diarrhea.

There is a lack of clean water in South Africa causing a stirring of commotion among the people.

The economy in South Africa is weak and about one fourth of the population is in extreme poverty (Water). Now, these people cannot even rely on the government to provide them with safe, clean drinking water. Due to this, these people have to pay for bottled water because it is the only safe source (Kings). The problem with this is that people cannot afford it, therefore they can only afford one bottle per week at best (Kings). The average apartment in the United Kingdom uses about 150 l per day, not including water for gardening or laundry. In South Africa, the average home gets 25 l per day (McDonald). This is not enough water for the people to live off of especially because there are about eight people per home and one person must drink 2 l per day (McDonald). Due to this scarce supply of water, dehydration is a scary factor of life for South Africans.

Dehydration causes illness and death. With the lack of water people will try to force themselves to drink the brown water that flows from the tap. While drinking this water will ensure that the people don’t get dehydrated, there are new risks from the diseases that come with drinking the foul water. Cholera and diarrhea are causing death among children and adults across South Africa. Now crisis has struck the people because they fear that their children will be dying. Currently the population uses 98% of the water, which means there is only 2% left for coming generations unless a solution is found (Kings). With the water conditions only getting worse, and more people dying, the population is just getting scareder.

The poverty has only made is harder for any possible solutions to work. Water treatment facilities do not have the money or labors to function properly and simply take too many resources to run (Water). Now people are still searching for possibilities among the poverty stricken country to get an abundance of clean water for the people.

Works cited:

McDonald, David. "The Age of Commodity." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Kings, Sipho. "South Africa's Great Thirst Has Begun." The M&G Online. N.p., 23 Jan. 2015. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.

"Water Supply & Sanitation." World Water Council. World Water Council, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

"Sanitation In West Africa." The British Medical Journal 2.2537 (1909): 409. JSTOR. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

"South Africa : North West Government Restores Consistent Supply of Clean Water in Itsoseng Township." Global Issues in Context. Los Altos High School, 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 15.

"Residents Need Safe, Clean Water [editorial]." No Records. Los Altos High School, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.