It's 2016 and our country is in the wake of a plethora of milestones, problems, achievements, and advances. We are progressing through equal rights and opportunities while facing violence and poverty. We are living in a culture powered by rapidly evolving technology and social media. And yet, while we are experiencing a very modern, continuously growing and adapting America, there are some people without adequate drinking water.
In Flint, Michigan, lead is contaminating drinking water and is posing a serious health risk to residents. Many kids have been exposed to lead in drinking water already. Lead is especially dangerous to younger children and can seriously affect mental and physical development.
At the same time, some Louisiana residents are experiencing dirty, undrinkable water flowing out of their sink faucets and showers. Instead of lead, Louisiana's water has tested positive for iron. While the water is safe to drink, it sometimes looks like something that is supposed to be going down your toilet instead of out of your kitchen sink. Pictures show a variety of colors of water from yellow to mud brown which can't be used for laundry, washing dishes, cooking, or drinking.
A picture released by CNN shows how serious this problem is.
While some Americans battle dirty and contaminated water, others are going without this necessity. California, Washington, Nevada -to name a few states- are experiencing water droughts like a plague. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released this figure last year exposing the severity of drought in the United States.
California has been hit the hardest; however, other states are not immune. If this trend continues, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas may be the next states to really suffer.
Casey Dinges, the American Society of Civil Engineers senior managing director, confessed that our country's water infrastructure is in "serious need of investment right now." Not only is the quality of our water in need of attention, but also the way we get it to our homes, schools, and institutions that make up our society.
These are not new problems but are issues that are not being addressed with urgency. Somehow, in the chaos of maintaining and advancing as a country, we have slipped in our care of hygiene, in our concern for the basic well-being of all of our citizens. In addition to being a key element in sustaining life, water affects schools, businesses. Restaurants can't function without water. As water begins to run out, public restrooms will become a thing of the past.
The fact that we use so much water as a country doesn't help either. I remember a TV commercial from when I was a kid that encouraged its audience to turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
Water isn't an unlimited resource and there really isn't another alternative. We cannot continue as a country -much less thrive- without clean, accessible water.
