Water Is Life-Statistics

As stated previously, this crisis is being felt mostly in Central America, Asia, and subsaharan Africa, and as the picture shows, China, but is also an issue gaining awareness in our own country. This issue must also continue to gain awareness in America, because those countries which believe they are not vulnerable to such crises, are usually caught unaware, and then it is too late.

Many Americans thought we were inpervious to attack from an outside enemy and didn't need to worry about our own defenses, then 9.11 happened. Many thought the levees in New Orleans would hold, (or didn't care if they didn't) then Hurricane Katrina happened. This time we must not be cocky in thinking that this country is now impervious to the water crisis facing our world. Those who arrogantly ignored the warnings regarding 9.11, Hurricane Katrina, post invasion Iraq, and other major tragedies that have changed the lives of innocent people forever must have this INGRAINED IN THEIR MINDS.

Here are a couple of statistics you can remember for these people who dismiss climate change and human rights should you deem this a problem worthy of them knowing about it:

And these statistics were gleaned from the World Water International site. The comments are mine:

*Over 1 BILLION people worldwide currently do not have access to clean safe drinking water. They cannot just walk into a corner store and buy a bottle of Evian. They are politically oppressed, poor, sick, weak, and many times in need of proper sanitation facilities, pumps, wells, and water enough even for one day to sustain themselves ane their children. No one should have to live this way.

*Unsafe drinking water (or TOXIC water) will kill over 14,000 people today, tomorrow, and every other day this problem is ignored. Those who believe corporations should "police" themselves regarding the crap they dump into our water, should then also have to be the ones who drink it! I don't think I need to tell anyone reading this the amount of disease in untreated feces ladden toxic water. And people around the world daily HAVE NOTHING ELSE, or NOTHING AT ALL.

*11,000 of them children, will die because of lack clean safe water, and inadeqaute access to proper sanitation. Can you picture a village with improper sanitation and what it looks and smells like? Can you picture streams of feces ladden water running through your own town knowing that is all you have? Would you want your children playing in it?

*Women and girls (and that is an issue in and of itself regarding the gender that is required to do this work) will spend more than 200 million hours walking just to get enough of the polluted water that is available for one more day's survival. And in many instances, purified water (or what they say is purified water) is available, but you have to be able to afford to pay the company master to get it. And in many places such as Kenya, they take their own lives into their hands just by walking to get water for their families. Children and women have been raped, beaten, and killed just to take the water they worked so hard to get. Again, NO ONE should have to live this way.

So as you can see, this is not a small confined problem. This is a worldwide crisis, and the only way those in this world who will have the water they need to survive, is by the people of this world coming together to help them. And that means us. I have sent a donation to World Water Partners International, am still saving my pennies for water, and will continue to write about this to get this out to all I can, because this is an issue of morality that goes to the very core of who we are as human beings.

This is also not just about not having enough water. This problem breeds so many other problems from it environmentally, economically, socially, and politically. Not to mention the effect this has on those suffering from it. Humans are most certainly an intriguing species to me. We are the only species that sabotages the very things that keep us alive, and then lives in denial that we had anything to do with it. Well, the time for accountability has come.

So here is my question:

Will you remember this plight and pledge to do something no matter how small to help?

Or will you go about your business by taking your showers, flushing your toilets, buying your Starbucks, and watering your lawns without giving it a thought?

Please, give it a thought.

World Water Day

What you can do to help. And if you cannot give money, then please spread the word about this and do all you can to become more aware of what you use, how you use it, where it comes from, who supplies it, and the impact that it has on others around you.

Thirsty Africa Struggles To Meet Water Access Goals
Link may now be deactivated.

And think about what will happen should these people not be able get what they need... they will move to other areas tro sustain themselves, and come up against tribes and other populations that may not be cordial to them or want to share what they have.

Could you live on less than 2 gallons of water a day? The question is, how do we conserve and still get what we need to survive? Well, I fear that would require an entire reconfiguration of the human soul.

"Cancer" Village Highlights China's Current Water Woes
Link may be deactivated, but picture in this entry shows where this is happening.

It would be like dipping your cup into the Hudson River and just drinking it down.
Scary? You bet it is. But for many, water like the Hudson and much worse is all they have to live with. And it is conditions like this that certain private companies prey on.

Look at what Libya is doing to quench her thirst.

WATER IS LIFE. It is not something to be bargained for or withheld for profit.

WATER IS SPIRITUAL. It is the essence of all life on our planet. It is sacred.

WATER IS THE BLOOD OF THE EARTH. It is time to stop killing her.

Please help sustain our world and our people.


Thank you.