Running head:REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1

Review of literature:

Low Water Sanitation Crisis

Rhandall I. Salazar

The University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1302
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Abstract

As a global crisis Water sanitation has turned into one of the major concerns in the world.

This Report will go in depth in the ways on how low water sanitation can impact communities.

it’s important to bring the reader knowledge and bring awareness on the effects the low

sanitation can bring such as, diseases, damage of property and can even bring death. That’s why

it’s important to address to people about the problems with this crisis. Other impacts of low

sanitation may include the management of people's time since getting treated water takes time

and in some cases can result in environmental degradation.The most extensive and difficult to

repair environmental damage usually occurs in developing countries.

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Introduction

Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part people across the world need to live in.

However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die

every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

Water scarcity, consequences throughout communities and individuals, as most people

are well aware, the immediate impacts of low water sanitation include, loss of human life,

damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions

like dealing with diseases. According to sustainable development goals of the United Nations,

poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices

and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. At the current time, more than 2

billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and by 2050, at

least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of

fresh water. Drought in specific afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger

and malnutrition. Fortunately, there has been great progress made in the past decade regarding

drinking sources and sanitation, whereby over 90% of the world’s population now has access to

improved sources of drinking water. Improving sanitation and access to drinking water, can be

achieved by addressing the following three questions:

1. What is causing low water sanitation?

2. What are the effects that low water sanitation brings?

3. What awareness, resources, or organizations (if any) are dedicated to help with low

water sanitation?
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What is causing low water sanitation?

Low water sanitation is the lack to access to safe drinking water, is mainly caused by a

disadvantage on socially, geographical, and mostly economically. In the recent addition of shows

that plastic pollution, has an impact in water sanitation, “more than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces

Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea”. According to Marcus Eriksen (2014) organizations

face a variety threats that include abundance and weight of floating plastics, that have lacked

data, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere and remote regions (pg.1). Marcus Eriksen also

states that this analysis helps management understand the critical importance, the required

recovery time and the need for various resources for plastic pollution. This shows that despite the

oceanographic model, predictions about where the debris might converge from these disasters,

estimates of abundance

and the regional and

global weight of floating

plastics have been limited

to natural microplastics

can potentially result in a

natural disaster such as

those caused by floods. Figure:1 Map layout of locations where plastic pollution
density has increase. (2007–2013)

Low water sanitation is rank high in the most expensive crisis which management teams

work on to low the risk. According to the World Health Organization (2014) the risk

management has been established as a well-defined procedure for handling risks due urban solid
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waste, environmental or man-made hazards, of which are represented, as one of the most

expensive economically disasters. Failure to adequately collect and dispose of solid waste

presents can increase the proliferation of disease-carrying vectors, such as rodents and insects.

These risks can be exacerbated by other urban conditions, such as overcrowding. The World

Health Association also states social inequalities in cities play an major role in the risks related to

water and sanitation. “Since informal settlements and slums generally have lower access levels

than in other parts of the city, due to overcrowding and other factors, slums can become a nexus

for the transmission of infectious diseases related to water and sanitation” (pg.1).

Table-1 Shows the financial costs to attain universal access of improved

drinking-water sources and sanitation from 2011-2015 (in billions of US$)

Table-1 Is a follow on to the World Health Organization argument. It gives an additional

data on the cost to attain universal access of improved drinking-water sources and sanitation, and

how it has increased exponentially throughout the years.

What are the effects that low water sanitation brings?

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Low water sanitation has many affects towards developing countries, some in which

become deadly. According to TN Petney (2011) Most developing countries rely on limited

supplies of fresh water for drinking, hygiene, recreation, agriculture and industry. In addition,

marine and freshwater ecosystems provide the human population with a source of high quality

protein that is necessary but increasingly depleted (pg.306). Some communities obtain most of

their protein from fish or invertebrates that inhabit the water. However, water, as well as animals

housed in it, also provides a continuous source of contact with parasites and pathogens that can

potentially cause significant problems for humans. Sandy Cairncross (2010) implies that its been

estimated, at least in Africa, that 85% of the disease burden preventable by water supply is

caused by phallus-oral, mainly diarrheal, in large part due to the high infant mortality they cause.

The Bangladesh development studies (2011) show that in Bangladesh, diarrhea has declined over

time but it still persists as a major cause of infant mortality, morbidity and acute infant

malnutrition. Their changing role must now be seen in the broader context of access combined

with other inputs, such as improved sanitation. The mere access to drinking water, or otherwise,

access to sanitation does not have a statistically significant impact on the incidence of childhood

diarrhea. The results suggest a solid case for rethinking public policy through joint investment in

water and sanitation measures to reduce diarrhea and generate a favorable change in health

search behavior to support this combined access policy (pg.1-4). In addition to, the diseases, low

water sanitation brings with, it also affects women, and children. According to the Water

organization (2016) women, are often responsible for collecting water. This takes time away

from work, school and family care. The lack of water and sanitation locks women into a cycle of
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poverty. However, children are also affected. They are often responsible for collecting water for

their families. This takes time away from school and play.

What awareness, resources, or organizations (if any) are dedicated to help with low

water sanitation?

Many organizations are dedicated to help with low water sanitation crisis. Such as the

International Decade for Action: Water for Life (2005). The goal of this organization is to reduce

by half the proportion of the world's population without sustainable access to safe drinking water

and sanitation by achieving five major challenges to providing safe water and sanitation on a

global basis “(1) contamination of water in distribution systems, (2) growing water scarcity and

the potential for water reuse and conservation, (3) implementing innovative low-cost sanitation

systems, (4) providing sustainable water supplies and sanitation for megacities, and (5) reducing

global and regional disparities in access to water and sanitation and developing financially

sustainable water and sanitation services.”(pg.41). Currently, UNICEF and WHO estimate that

1.1 billion people lack access to improved water supplies and 2.6 billion people lack adequate

sanitation. The Water organization is open to donate and fight the cause, it has empowered 17

million people with access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing.“By

supporting Water.org, you are part of a solution that reaches more people, faster. Together with

our 92 partners around the world, we've helped mobilize more than $1 billion in capital to

support small loans that bring access to safe water and sanitation to millions of people in need.

That’s how every $1 we put into WaterCredit creates $47 worth of impact.” Not all organization

assists financially, rather spread awareness through numerous ways such as Table-2. It compares

the effects of promotion of hand washing with soap, and (household water treatment, measured
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in terms of weekly prevalence of diarrhoea, and of frequency of consulting a practitioner for

treatment for diarrhoea (pg.195).

Table-2 compares ways to reduce/prevent diarrhea.

Survey (Water Sanitation)

Sixteen students were surveyed to spread awareness about the low-water sanitation crisis.

The students were well aware of the large amounts of drinking water that are wasted annually.

Thirteen of the sixteen students prefer to drink plain water than drinks with caffeine. Seventy

five percent of those who took the survey are aware of the number of people who do not have

access to clean water. Fourteen students know that low water sanitation, can be a problem for the

United States in the future and that something must be done in order to prevent it from spreading.

Seventy five percent know that this problem can be lethal and that many people die young due

to this crisis. In addition to donating to organizations, students mainly suggest shortening time

and daily use of water, spreading awareness through public campaigns that advocate for clean

water and healthy habits, such as the usage of soap, recycling, and conserving water.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that low-water sanitation should be recognized as a global

problem and will require the action of many people around the world to agree to take measures
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to reduce the number of people without access to drinking water. This will require a drastic

change in the mentality of the people. However, there will always be people who simply do not

care about making the effort to make changes even if the change is for their own good.
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Reference

A.J. Andrea, & C. Neel (Eds.), (2011). Clean water and sanitation in africa and asia.World

history encyclopedia (pp. 73-74). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Retrieved from

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link.galegroup.com.lib.utep.edu/apps/doc/CX2458802695/GVRL?u=txshracd2603&sid=

GVRL&xid=0bdffce0

Begum, S., Ahmed, M., & Sen, B. (2011). Do Water and Sanitation Interventions Reduce

Childhood Diarrhoea? New Evidence from Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Development

Studies, 34(3), 1-30. Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/23343058

Christine L. Moe, Richard D. Rheingans; Global challenges in water, sanitation and health. J

Water Health 2006, pp.41–57. retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2006.0043

Eriksen M, Lebreton LCM, Carson HS, Thiel M, Moore CJ, Borerro JC, et al. (2014) Plastic

Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over

250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111913

G. D. Considine (Ed.). (2008). In Water pollution, Van nostrand's scientific encyclopedia (pp.

5798-5806). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience. Retrieved from http://0-

link.galegroup.com.lib.utep.edu/apps/doc/CX3228309643/GVRL?u=txshracd2603&sid=

GVRL&xid=bc74bd4c
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Graham, Hirai, Kim. (2016). An Analysis of Water Collection Labor among Women and

Children retrieved from https://water.org/our-impact/water-crisis/

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Petney, T. N., & Taraschewski, H. (2011). Waterborne parasitic diseases: Hydrology, regional

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Sandy Cairncross, Caroline Hunt, Sophie Boisson, Kristof Bostoen, Val Curtis, Isaac CH Fung,

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link.galegroup.com.lib.utep.edu/apps/doc/CX1747900090/GVRL?u=txshracd2603&sid=

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United Nations (2018) Sustainable Development Goals (Water and Sanitation).

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Goal-6.pdf

Figures

Figure 1 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111913

Table 1 https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2012/globalcosts.pdf

Table 2 https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/39/suppl_1/i193/703351