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Ryker Olsen

Professor Packer

English 2010

22 September 2016

A Global Lack of Clean Water

Research shows, a lack of clean water is a crisis on a global scale.

For a planet with a surface that is 71% covered in water, there sure is a lot of people

without water (Perlman). This is a crisis that affects the entire world. There are 1 in 9 people

(783,000,000) on earth that do not have access to clean water. Globally, 70% of our water is

used for reasons other than domestic use such as, agriculture and irrigation, leaving 10% for

domestic uses, and 20% for other purposes. Around half of the hospital beds on earth are filled

with people suffering from water related diseases (The Water Project). 2,200 children die every

day due to diarrheal diseases and almost 88% of these deaths are due to a lack of clean water for

drinking and sanitation purposes (CDC).

Source: Perlman, Howard. All Earth's Water, Liquid Fresh Water, and Water in Lakes and Rivers. Digital image. The USGS Water Science School.

USGS, n.d. Web.

Where does this take place?

A lack of clean drinking water affects every country on earth. If there are people in need

of water for drinking & sanitation purposes, it is pretty much guaranteed that not all of them will
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get it. A lack of water mostly occurs in developing countries, with up to 80% of the disease in

those countries being linked to poor water and sanitation. Agriculture and irrigation play a huge

part in water consumption in developing countries. Globally, 70% of all of our water sources are

used for agriculture and irrigation (The Water Project). Certain corporations are also playing a

large part in the global lack of drinking water. These corporations are trying to privatize water

claiming it is a need rather than a right, all in the attempt to make money on something we

all need in order to survive. The privatization of water is also happening in developing countries

where the corporations take advantage of a poor country by promising them clean water (that

was theirs in the first place) in exchange for money that they dont have (Food & Water Watch,

2015).

Health Effects, Waterborne Disease

There are many harmful health effects that a lack of water can cause. Dehydration being

one of the most serious and immediate. Keeping hydrated keeps your body working, and when
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you dont have clean water to drink, any water, your body can start to shut down. A lack of

water can lead to elevated blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and in the long run increase

your risk for coronary heart disease and cancer. Regularly drinking water stimulates your

metabolism and aids in digestion (Borreli). Drinking water seems simple enough, but not all

water is fresh water, and a lot of it isnt clean. Unclean water leads to parasitic & bacterial

infection, contracting waterborne diseases that lead to diarrhea & even further dehydration.

Unclean water can be contaminated with parasites such as species of roundworm & flatworm

(Unicef).

Water Pollution

Many of the contaminants in water, especially in developing countries, can be attributed

to pollution. Water pollution is caused in many ways including, oil spills creating an oil slick,

certain weed killers getting washed into surrounding water sources, and waste management

issues. It may seem obvious that it is bad to pump these things into water that you will likely

have to drink later, but these things happen every single day. Improper waste management and
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oil spills are very serious contributors to surface water pollution, whereas things like weed killers

can pollute surface and ground water sources (like wells). Pollution is such a serious and major

contributor to the production of unclean water that 80% of the oceans pollution enters the sea

from land. Millions of people in developing countries suffer from diseases caused by water

pollution (Woodford).

This picture shows an example of how pollution can affect a public water system. The pollution keeps accumulating, making this water useless.

Possible Solutions

There are many possible solutions to the global water crises. One of these possible

solutions is education. Simple education could solve most of the issues causing the global water

crisis. Another possible solution is the invention of new ways of recycling water and other

conservation techniques. There is also much room to improve when it comes to agriculture and

irrigation practices, as well as the price of water (Circle of Blue).

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Works Cited:

Borreli, Lizette. "Drink Water First To Quench Your Thirst [INFOGRAPHIC]." Medical Daily.

N.p., 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

Circleofblue. "Experts Name the Top 19 Solutions to the Global Freshwater Crisis - Circle of

Blue." Circle of Blue. Circle of Blue. 06 Apr. 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

CDC. "Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)." Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 22 Sept.

2016.

Food & water watch. "Water Privatization: Facts and Figures." Food & Water Watch. N.p., 05

July 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

Perlman, USGS Howard. "How Much Water Is There On, In, and above the Earth?" How Much

Water Is There on Earth, from the USGS Water Science School. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept.

2016.

The Water Project. (Last Update: 8/31/2016). "Facts and Statistics about Water and Its Effects."

The Water Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

Unicef. "Lack of Clean Water Robs Children of Health, Education." UNICEF. Unicef, 10 Mar.

2003. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.

Woodford, Chris. "Water Pollution: An Introduction to Causes, Effects, Solutions." Explain That

Stuff. N.p., 05 June 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.

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Dear Professor Packer,

How does each part of the report orient readers to its topic and purpose?

Each part of my report is supported by evidence from reliable sources. All subtopics of my
report are easy to find when scanning through the report because of the bolded headings.

What is the research question?

How and where does a lack of clean water effect people?

What process was used to investigate the question?

A lot of time was put into carefully investigating this question. All of my research was done
on the interned, on credible websites. After gathering research, I wrote an outline. After writing
the outline for my report, I wrote a rough draft. I then edited the rough draft after peer reviews
and turned it into my final report.

In the end, what does the report do to make us care?

I used credible information and included information and facts related to pathos in order to
make my readers care.

What rhetorical appeals were used?

Ethos, pathos, and logos were all used in my report.

What have you learned from the report genre that you will be able to transfer to other
assignments / genre papers?

I got a lot of practice citing information, and now I will be able to use that skill in future
reports.

-Ryker Olsen