We take water for granted. Our nation, along with many other nations, has an abundance of fresh water. If we want to drink clean water, all we do is open the water faucet in our house, or pull a bottle of chilled water from our refrigerator. We seldom give any thought to how difficult it is for other people in some corners of the world to obtain clean water. When we experience floods and hurricanes, with so much damage, we don’t think there is a water shortage.
Water is part of our religion. We were baptized with water. Water is a sign of new life and cleansing. We bless ourselves with holy water at the font of the church reminding us of baptism. But we seldom, if ever, think how many people around the world have no access to clean water.
Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si’ urges us to become aware of the water crisis throughout the world. Often we have little awareness of our inequitable use of water, especially as it affects the poor. He states:
“Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Sources of fresh water are necessary for healthcare, agriculture, and industry. Water supplies once were relatively constant, but now in many places demand exceeds the sustainable supply, with dramatic consequences in the short and long-term. Large cities dependent on significant supplies of water have experienced periods of shortage, and at critical moments these have not always been administered with sufficient oversight and impartiality. Water poverty especially affects Africa where large sectors of the population have no access to safe drinking water, or experience droughts which impede agricultural production. Some countries have areas rich in water while others endured drastic scarcity.” LS 28
The quality of water available is a serious problem. Unsafe water results in many deaths and the spread of water-related diseases, including those caused by microorganisms and chemical substances. Dysentery and cholera, linked to inadequate hygiene and water supplies, are significant causes of suffering and of infant mortality. For example, In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II. Underground water sources in many places are threatened by pollution produced in certain mining, farming, and industrial activities, especially in countries lacking adequate regulation or control.
Drinkable water is a basic human right. We find a growing tendency for multinational companies to want to privatize water as a resource. In this way, privatized water becomes a commodity to be bought and sold on the market. Then, only those who have resources can purchase water, while the poor may not be able to afford water. If this basic universal human right is not protected, then humanity, especially the poor, is unable to exercise other human rights. Water is a precondition for the exercise of other human rights.
Since the Church is concerned about the poor, then it seems we must work to help the poor to have access to clean drinking water. If they are denied this right, then they are denied the right to a life consistent with their God given human dignity.
Scarcity of clean drinking water has economic effects. It leads to an increase in the cost of food and other necessary projects. It impacts the health care cost of many people. It results in the inability to work and sustain oneself and one’s family. And it may become a major source of conflict in the coming years.
How can we respond? Here are a few suggestions. We need to become aware of the global water crisis. If we are unaware, then we will not be concerned, and our attitudes toward the use of water will not change. We need to become aware how lack of clean water has a serious impact on the poor, particularly as it relates to health issues and premature deaths.
We can encourage our government representatives to financially support smaller scale, locally built and maintained, water systems. This is preferable to international aid organizations spending large amounts of money on centralized, large-scale water systems which require highly trained and skilled workers to build and maintain. People need smaller-scale systems designed, built, and operated by local people. We need to empower people at a local level to provide the water they need, rather than having corporations profit on building and maintaining water plants that don’t meet the needs of the people.
We need to find ways to support the education of people about hygiene, sanitation, and water quality. Education will help motivate people to seek and provide for themselves the quality clean water they need.
Water is a basic human right and need which we too often take for granted. The price of failure to provide clean water and sanitation will be paid by the poorest of the world, in sickness, lost educational and employment opportunities, and for many, premature death. They will be denied their right to dignified and productive human lives.
The Church claims to be an advocate of the poor. Hence, we must search out ways to facilitate clean water for the millions of people who need it.