Water inequality used to be a developing world problem only. Not any more
The problems of water scarcity and polluted supplies are no longer solely the preserve of developing countries
Image: ohnny McClung on Unsplash
It is far too easy to view scarcity and poor quality of water as issues solely affecting emerging economies. While the images of women and children fetching water in Africa and a lack of access to water in India are deeply disturbing, this is not the complete picture.
The city of Flint, Michigan, where dangerous levels of pollutants contaminated the municipal water supply, is a case in point – as is, more recently, the city of Newark, New Jersey.
Water is not a developing-world problem. It’s an everyone, everywhere problem. And it’s one of the most pressing issues of our time. We all need and rely on it, and as competition for water escalates around the world, the strain of growing populations, climate change and political tensions add even more pressure to ensuring we all have access.
What happens when society fails to invest in water infrastructure, or to adopt innovative technologies, modernize policies, regulations and governance?
We don’t have long before our options begin to dry up
Image: World Resources Institute
