Fresh clean water may be a given to us, but over 700 million people (a tenth of the world population) lack access to safe water. Women and children in particular spend a combined 200 million hours carrying water each day, and over 1000 children (under 5) die each day from diseases caused by unsafe water (including cholera and typhoid). Two million people also die from diarrhoea-related disease each year, often caused by impure drinking and washing water.
A Book to Help Solve the World’s Water Crisis
The Last Drop is one of the most important books of our time, as water scarcity worldwide is as big a problem as climate change. Most of the world’s fresh water is held up in glaciers, and a lot of other water is harmed through pollution (in India, street dogs have literally turned blue, from chemicals used to dye blue jeans). We are even already seeing ‘climate refugees’ caused by not having access to fresh water where they live.
Rivers are drying even before they meet the oceans, and ancient lakes are disappearing. And of course, we have issues in England with water companies giving profits to shareholders, rather than invest in systems to avoid pumping raw sewage into our rivers, which often are the source of fresh water supplies.
Yet abroad, some countries have quietly been addressing water shortages, which is why Singapore does not have the same problems as California. In this book, an environmental journalist meets experts, victims, activists and pioneers to show how we can solve the water crisis, to ensure that everyone on earth (along with our animal friends) have access to fresh clean water, one of the necessities of life.
In South Africa, more than 30,000 people in the agricultural sector have lost their jobs, because there’s no water to irrigate the crops. Some farmers are cutting the buds off orchard trees because if there’s fruit and no water, it could damage them irreparably. And people from outside Cape Town are donating food for livestock, because there’s a shortage of fodder.
Tim Smedley is an award-winning environmental journalist who has written for many top newspapers. His book Clearing the Air (about the global effects of air pollution) was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize. Air pollution kills 19,000 people each day worldwide (more combined than car accidents, malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS).
Ideas to Bring Fresh Clean Water to Everyone
- One Water (sold in Co-op supermarkets) use profits to support clean water projects abroad (also in a sparkling version – never feed sparkling water to pets, to avoid bloat). Shops, offices and restaurants can buy water filters that use profits to bring fresh clean water to developing countries from Belu. And Frank Water Coolers use profits to help Indian children.
- Lifestraw is a personal water filter that needs no electricity, and purifies unsafe water. Some people say this encourages people to ‘drink dirty water’. But it’s quick and affordable to save lives, while people wait for big charities to build wells.
- Hipporoller is a simple invention that lets women and children wheel water from wells, rather than walk for miles carrying heavy buckets on their heads (which leads to headaches and weak bones). It’s also quicker, meaning children spend more time in school.
Stop Marketing Baby Formula (as the only choice)
Baby Milk Action wants western companies to stop promoting ‘free formula’ in hospitals. When mothers return home, they can’t afford it, so sometimes water it down (or mix with dirty water) which World Health Organisation says is causing 800,000 deaths each year.
For cleft lip, Nifty Cup (invented by medics in North America) enables breastfeeding to let babies ‘lap breast milk’, rather than having to use formula.
Buy toilet paper that funds sanitation projects
Who Gives a Crap? (the company’s Aussie, hence the cheeky name) offers affordable 400-sheet rolls of thick recycled paper or bamboo toilet tissue, sent in paper packaging. 50% of profits are donated to projects that provide clean sanitation in developing countries. Clean toilets mean less water-borne diseases.
Use code TP4EVA for £5 off toilet paper subscription (one time discount valid for new subscribers, cannot be used with other discount codes).
