THE WATER CRISIS: HOW ENGINEERS WILL ETHICALLY ATTACK THIS ISSUE.

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Zakariyya Elarbi (zne2@pitt.edu)

YOU ARE WHAT YOU eat DRINK

We live in a society plagued by waste. Most notable are the
waste of money, food, water, and natural resources. Our
comfortable lives allow for this to happen, especially in the
United States and much of the European Union. But one
resource that we take for granted-water- proves difficult for
some to attain in even the smallest of quantities. Thanks to
the modern era of engineering, Americans alone can afford
to use over 300 billion gallons of water daily [1]. This
includes everything from irrigation of farmland to proper
sanitation.
Of the 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering, I believe the
provision of clean water to the world most pressing [2]. For
a majority of us, water simply comes from turning a faucet,
easily obtaining clean, safe drinking water. Major sectors of
the African population do not have this luxury. When
drinking water is needed, women and children walk an
average of six kilometers [5] every day, amounting to 40
billion hours annually [4]. Most of the time this water fails
to meet the guidelines set by the World Health Organization
in the Guidelines for drinking-water quality [6]. The result
is widespread disease, similar to the cholera outbreak in
Haiti [7].
Recently, many new, exciting technologies have been
presented that give hope to those struggling to find clean
water. The LifeStraw, developed by the Swedish company
Vestergaard Frandsen was designed for the poorest of the
poor [12]. The LifeStraw holds many impressive statistics.
The straw can filter one thousand liters of water, enough
for a years supply for one person. The larger model, called
the LifeStraw Family can sustain a family for four for three
years before needing replacement. These filters have been
donated all across Africa through many NGOs, as well as by
big business around the world. Through a worldwide
governmental program dubbed Carbon Credits, more and
more of these filters are being distributed at no cost to the
users.
Engineers face multiple ethical questions when working
on solutions for this grand challenge. The National Society
for Professional Engineers provides a Code of Ethics that all
engineers pledge to adhere to. This code applies specifically
to this engineering challenge, providing engineers with
guidance when trying to come up with viable solutions to
these problems. When applied to the water crisis, the most
important of the fundamental canons are to one; hold
paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and
two; avoid deceptive acts. As with everything, there is
always some form of financial gain to be had by one side,
resulting in loss for another [13].

University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering 1

The American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) spells out

more fundamental canons that apply to this Grand
Challenge, the most important being that engineers shall
hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public
and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable
development in the performance of their professional duties
[14]. Engineers must make sure to keep these fundamental
canons in mind when working on providing viable solutions,
as well as implementing these solutions, when working on
the water crisis in Africa.
Freshman engineers amass a number of educational
benefits from writing a paper on one of the 14 Grand
Challenges for Engineering, as well as valuable skills when
examining them through and ethical lens. Writing such a
paper provides engineering students with a backdrop to
every single project engineers work on form day to day,
ingraining them with a subconscious sense into what their
futures hold.
Drinking Dirty Water: Not Very Refreshing
Common sense tells us not to drink out of the tepid, stagnant
pond in the park. But what if this is the only source of water
for miles around? Over 300 million face this dilemma in
developed countries. The issue is multifaceted; just because
water is available does not mean this water can be readily
drunk. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the hazards of
drinking polluted water until it is too late. The World Health
Organization says, every year more than 3.4 million people
die as a result of water related diseases, making it the
leading cause of disease and death around the world [3].
Cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and hepatitis A [8] lead the list
of common diseases. Vaccines exist for most of these
diseases, but there is a much simpler solution. Having clean
water to drink and clean oneself with would not only reduce
the number of fatalities across the world, but also return
anywhere from three to thirty-four dollars for every dollar
spent [3]. This information has led to more governmental
participation in programs [9], which generally benefits
everyone.
Sustainability: New Tools of the Trade
Recently, many new, exciting technologies have been
presented that give hope to those struggling to find clean
water. Last month, researchers at Purdue University released
information about a water purification system that uses the
suns rays to provide clean, accessible drinking water. The
prototype parabolic reflector was built with less than one
hundred dollars worth of materials, and proved successful
October 4th, 2011

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correlation to the amount of carbon emissions said
corporation is putting out into the air. Although this system
is productive, it doesnt account for the problem of
pollution, which engineers in this field of work should
always keep in the back of their minds.
The ASCE somewhat combines the first two canons in
their statement that engineers shall hold paramount the
safety, health, and welfare of the public and shall strive to
comply with the principles of sustainable development in
the performance of their professional duties [14].
Engineers must safely create, distribute, and sustain the
products they are releasing to the public. Not doing so puts
many at risk and threatens to taint the engineering field for
years to come. It is the professional duty of an engineer to
make sure, one hundred percent, that their product is ready
for consumer usage.

during its first trial run. Researchers are thrilled that

progress is being made on one of the 14 Grand Challenges
of Engineering, and hope to produce a cheaper, more
efficient system in the near future [11].
Other filtration systems, like the Pureit and Swach have
proven successful in lowering the spread of disease and
providing people with a safe way to access clean water. But
the LifeStraw is the main focus of this article. As mentioned
before, the LifeStraw was developed by the Swedish
company Vestergaard Frandsen [12]. The LifeStraw is
currently the most cost-effective system to be released, and
thus have been distributed all across Africa through a new
system called Carbon Credits. Heres how it works: big
corporations and even countries that are the biggest
polluters are given a certain number of credits. They then
are given the opportunity to offset their emissions by
financing projects that reduce emissions into the air. The
LifeStraw is an example of a perfect opportunity for
businesses to invest in the world. Seeing as the filters use no
boiling mechanisms, this is the perfect situation for all sides
in the business deal. The poor Africans get filtration systems
for free, big corporations donate money to help offset their
carbon emissions, and Vestergaard Frandsen makes plenty
of money to help keep everyone happy.

What are the Benefits?

Freshman engineers have much to gain from studying any
of the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering, but even more
from studying water. The specific water crisis in Africa is
something that affects millions every day, and, although
solutions are being implemented, more and more can be
done. This is not something that will be solved in the next
year. This is one of the future problems engineering students
will have to face once they become professionals of their
respective trades. By learning about the problem now,
engineering students are providing themselves with the
background knowledge necessary for one to succeed in the
future. Also, by examining this Grand Challenge through an
ethical lens, engineering students are familiarizing
themselves with a code that will eventually dictate their
entire professional life as an engineer. So yes, there are a
great many benefits for engineering students to complete an
assignment like this.

What Does This Look Like From an Ethical Standpoint?

Although it has received much criticism (seeing as those
with more money can continue to pollute at a greater rate)
the system works, in that sustainable purifiers are being
distributed far and wide, putting a dent in the number of
deaths annually expected due to lack of fresh water [9]. But
ethically, engineers face the dilemma with the creation,
distribution, and actual functionality of these filters.
Engineers must hold paramount the safety, health and
welfare of the public. This means that the filters being
distributed must be tested before simply handing them off
and leaving the site and moving onto another. It is also
imperative for engineers (or someone employed under the
engineers) to conduct follow-ups with the people using their
products, making sure that they do not lose functionality
before the general 3-year life expectancy. These engineers
should also make a note to avoid deceptive acts [13].
Engineers may be targeted by big corporations to perform
an act that might deceive others in order for financial gains
to be had. This is a completely unacceptable and
unprofessional act for an engineer in the field to commit in
the field of their profession. Doing so would not only
jeopardize themselves, but it would more importantly
jeopardize the safely and well being of those truly in need.
Such an act would also not represent how professional
engineers should conduct themselves in the workplace.
Engineers should tread carefully when making deals with
big corporations through the carbon credit system. The
more funding they receive is not a gift; it is simply a

Looking Back
Where do we go from here? Engineers know what the
problem is, and have begun to provide viable options for
this water crisis. Doing so, engineers must be familiar with
their specific Code of Ethics relating to their field. This
way, they can successfully create solutions that help
everyone. The next step is to come up with more
sustainable options. Sustainability is the primary focus of
many engineers work, and is the future of the world today.
Engineering students must keep the word sustainability in
the back of their minds while studying and deciding what
they want to do with they knowledge amassed during the
next four years. Doing so will create a wholesome engineer
that will be able to successfully make this world a better
place.

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http://www.cenews.com/newsnew_technology_uses_solar_uv_to_disinfect_drinking_water-1797.html
[12] Hoffman, Jascha (2011 Sep. 26) LifeStraw Saves Those Without
Access to Clean Drinking Water. The New York Times. [Online Web
Article]. Available:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/health/27straw.html?
_r=1&scp=1&sq=africa%20water&st=cse
[13] NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers. National Society for
Professional Engineers. [Online Web Article]. Available:
http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html
[14] ASCE Code of Ethics. American Society of Civil Engineers. [Online
Web Article]. Available: http://www.asce.org/Leadership-andManagement/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/

References
[1] (2011, Jan. 26) Water Use in the United States. National Atlas of the
United States [Online Web Article]. Available:
http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/water/a_wateruse.html
[2] (2011) Introduction to the Grand Challenges for Engineering.
National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges for Engineering.
[Online: Web site]. Available:
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221.aspx
[3] Berman, Jessica. (2005, Mar. 17). WHO: Waterborne Disease is
Worlds Leading Killer. Voice of America. [Online Web Article] Available:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2005-03-17-voa3467381152.html
[4] Jarvis, Jonathon. Why Water. [Online Web Site] Available:
http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/
[5] Abby (2009, Dec. 2) 10 Facts on Women and Water. Water for the
Ages. [Online Web Article]. Available:
http://waterfortheages.org/2009/12/02/10-facts-on-women-and-water/
[6] World Health Organization (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water
quality, fourth edition. Water Sanitation and Health. [Online Text
Publication]. Available:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2011/dwq_guidel
ines/en/
[7] Kelly, Tara. (2011, Jun. 4). Haitis Battle Against Cholera: A Simple
Matter of Water? TIME Magazine. [Online Web Article]. Available:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/26/haitis-battle-against-cholera-asimple-matter-of-water/
[8] Treaster, Joseph B. (2010, May 12). In an African Slum, Clean
Drinking Water Gets Low Priority. True/Slant. [Online Web Article].
Available: http://trueslant.com/josephtreaster/2010/05/12/in-an-africanslum-clean-drinking-water-gets-low-priority/
[9] Rosenberg, Tina. (2010 Nov. 15). Clean Water at No Cost? Just Add
Carbon Credits. The New York Times. [Online Web Article]. Available:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/clean-water-at-no-costjust-add-carbon-credits/?scp=1&sq=water%20africa&st=cse
[10] (2011, Sep. 25) Students Engineers Without Borders Project:
Learning While Making a Difference in Kenya. Electronic Component
News. [Online Web Article]. Available:
http://www.ecnmag.com/News/Feeds/2011/09/blogs-the-cutting-edgestudents-engineers-without-borders-project-learni/
[11] (2011, Sep. 30) New technology uses solar UV to disinfect drinking
water. CE News. [Online Web Article] Available:

Additional Sources
Building up health response in the Horn of Africa World Health
Organization. [Online Article] Available:
http://www.who.int/hac/crises/horn_of_africa_20july2011/en/
Grand Challenges of Engineering. National Academy of Engineering
Grand Challenges for Engineering. [Online Video]. Available:
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/
Provide access to clean water. National Academy of Engineering.
[Online Web Article]. Available:
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9142.aspx
Revkin, Andrew. (2008, Feb. 20) How Many Grand Engineering
Challenges Are Really Policy Challenges? The New York Times. [Online
Web Article]. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/how-manygrand-engineering-challenges-are-really-policy-challenges/
Walsh, Christopher. (2011, Aug. 10) Helping Fragile Environments
Deliver Water and Sanitation Services. The World Bank. [Online Web
Article]. Available:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSDNET/0,,
contentMDK:22979764~menuPK:64885113~pagePK:7278667~piPK:6491
1824~theSitePK:5929282,00.html

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my high school swimming coach and
mentor Mr. Bugenhangen for providing me with the
knowledge necessary to empathize with those in need, as
well as valuing every single life on this planet.