Introduction:
The main issue I am focusing on is the lack of clean water and basic sanitary resources provided to people in poor nations. In a statement that Hillary Clinton wrote to congress about the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act 2009 , she stated, “that no two issues are more important to human health, economic development, and peace and security than basic sanitation and access to sustainable supplies of water.” These two issues alone can affect not only the health of individuals but also the crops that they grow, and the environment around them.
The Senator Paul Simon Water of the Poor Act 2005, Bill# H.R. 2030 has proposed to provide 100,000,000 people with first time access to safe drinking water and sanitation on a sustainable basis by 2015 by improving the capacity of the United States Government to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act 2005.
Who is Affected by the Issue?
The individuals who are affected the most by this issue would be the poor living in developing countries. In the updated Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act report to congress , it was found that one in eight people lack access to clean drinking water, which is equivalent to 40 percent of the world’s population. Also they found that two out of three people without access to clean water are living on less than two dollars a day making it extremely difficult to afford much of anything. These people are falling victim to many diseases due to lack of clean drinking water, and are also losing self-dignity because of their poor sanitary conditions.
So, who gains from 40 percent of the world’s population going without access to clean drinking water? Many of the officials who are running the developing countries where water access and sanitary resources are a problem. Fixing these two issues costs money and clearly some officials don't have the money or are not willing to spend the money to fix these two problems. It has now become a top priority for the United States to take on requiring billions of dollars from the U.S.
What are the Consequences of the Issue?
The consequences of this issue are far and wide. I believe that the two biggest consequences are sickness and death. According the the Environmental Health Perspectives' people are being infected by diseases on a regular basis due to unclean water. Diseases such as diarrheal disease , typhoid , polio , Hepatitis A and E, as well as cholera , are all being spread through un safe drinking water. The other huge consequence, which is directly linked to both inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, is deaths in children. In the Department of States' report to congress they found that each day children are dying because of undernourishment. You can imagine that these consequences are not only affecting the individuals themselves, but also their families and society as a whole. How can a community exist if everyone is getting sick and dying off due to poor water quality and lack of sanitation?
A lack of access to clean water and sanitary resources can also effect the economy. Think of how much money is being spent on people who are falling ill because of water related diseases. The amount of people affected by these diseases also effects worker productivity, which then affects the company he/she works for. Imagine if you are sick. You probably aren’t going to go into work, and if you do go because you’re family is depending on your income, you probably aren’t going to have as much stamina as you usually do. On that same note, school attendance will also decrease. An economic problem that I believe can’t be ignored and directly correlates with water quality and sanitation standards is the growth of the agriculture. If water is contaminated and then being used on crops, it is safe to say that the agriculture will be negatively effected.
As far as there being economic benefits to this issue I simply can’t find any, and I can’t comprehend how their could even be any.
The social costs of this issue are a combination of the personal cost that this issue is having on the individuals directly affected as well as the United States who is spending billions of dollars on creating and implementing strategies to reduce the number of people negatively affected by poor water quality and sanitation.
The benefits of this issue would be that something is actually being done about it. Senator Paul Simon made it his duty to take on the international problem of poor water quality and sanitation. Through his efforts along with many others steps are being actively taken to work toward diminishing this problem.
What are the Barriers?
According to the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act report 95 countries worldwide are in need of assistance when it comes to water quality and sanitation. This creates a barrier simply because of how many countries are in need of help. So, if we want to help all of those countries another barrier is then created. The United States would need to come up with a lot of money to help all 95 countries, luckily many U.S. agencies and departments contribute to international water and sanitation efforts along with many others making it possible to help those countries in need.
There are a variety of resources that need to be used in order to take on the challenge of greatly reducing the number of people negatively affected by poor water quality and sanitation. First and foremost the United States must work with each country individually to take on that countries specific water and sanitary problems. Many organizations and agencies need to come together to have the funds to help these countries in need. Connections need to made between the U.S. Government and companies who have the means and access to new technology that could improve the water quality and sanitation of these countries.
Being the United States is taking on this challenge access to these resources without a doubt is possible through networking and advocating for these changes.
What is the History of this Issue?
According to the Environmental History of Water, water quality and sanitation issues have always been around. As countries have developed over the years some have overcome big issues with water quality and sanitation while others have continued to struggle. In the past efforts have been made to improve water quality and sanitation but it seems as if enough is never done. The Senator Paul Simon Act has been around since 2005 and changes have been continually made to make it a better system. The bottom line is that there is always going to be changes that need to be made which is why it is important that people are made aware of this issue. The more people who know about this problem, the more chances there are that the United States’ efforts will be successful.
Allies and Opponents:
People who would oppose this issue would be those who do not want to spend their money for such a cause, people who believe that the United States should be spending their money helping out the U.S. and not others, leaders of other countries who do not want the aid of the United States, and I am sure that there are representatives from the U.S. who oppose of working on this issue as well. It was hard to find information that specifically stated people who would be against this issue.
My Recommendation:
At the very beginning of my research I read a quote that President Obama had said and I think it pretty much sums what I believe should be done about this issue. In the U.S. Department of States' report to congress they used a quote President Obama said during his inaugural speech, and it goes as follows, “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.” I can think of no better way to honor the legacy of Senator Paul Simon, who did so much for so many, than to commit ourselves to achieving this vision and the ideals of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act.”
Please note that if information was not directly linked within the text the header to that paragraph contains a link to where I got my information.
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