⟵ The Crisis
⟵ Environment
Poverty and the Economy
One large sector that the water crisis effects is the economy; furthermore, a lack of clean water can play a major factor in the poverty of families and communities. Water accessibility, therefore, is often correlated to the country or region’s economy and the place’s development.
Businesses
Water is a necessity for any business, whether it be in large multinational corporations or just a simple farm. Growing and processing crops for food or material goods requires clean water, just as manufacturing metals does. Without clean water and proper sanitation, employers are forced to let their workers and even consumers leave the job or market to find someplace that has safe water and/or allows for them to use the restroom. On the other hand, employers who do provide clean water and sufficient sanitation systems see an increase in healthier and efficient employees.
Agriculture
Access to clean water allows for communities to move past subsistence farming and into sustainable farming. Subsistence farming is characterized by farming only to feed oneself and their family, whereas sustainable farming allows for people to grow enough crops to feed themselves and also use environmentally safe practices to sell to bigger markets. However, people are not able to water their crops, and therefore provide food for a growing world population.
Currently, agriculture takes up 70 percent of the world’s freshwater resources, but only 10 percent is actually used for its purpose. The other 60 percent is wasted due to inefficient irrigation systems resulting from poverty, faulty methods of application, and the cultivation of crops that are too thirsty for their environment.
Agriculture plays a large part in smaller communities, especially in the ones where farming is the only means of making any money. Without access to sufficient water supplies for crops, people are forced to stay in the vicious cycle of poverty, unable to break out. Subsistence farming can only last for so long, and even then it provides no way for communities to make an economic breakthrough.
Lost Resources
Time
Water collection takes time. A couple of hours each day adds up to thousands of hours lost over the years. 40 billion hours are lost in Sub-Saharan Africa alone from water collection according to the United Nations. The time that is spent waiting in long water lines or walking to faraway water sources is time that could be better spent working, innovating, and contributing to the economy. Worldwide, it is estimated that as much as $260 billion dollars are lost each year. Instead of collecting water for most of the day or becoming sick from drinking dirty water, children would be able to complete an education. Adults would be able to take care of their families, move past subsistence farming into sustainable farming, and may even find time to run businesses, whether they be small or large.
Money
Access to safe water and sanitation is projected to affect the world economy on a larger level. If a family has access to these basic necessities, their health care expenses would potentially be decreased because the risk of getting severely sick or dying from drinking unsafe water would be exponentially decreased. Additionally, about $18.5 billion in economic benefits would be reaped if there was universal access to safe water and proper sanitation.
According to the World Health Organization, every dollar invested in access to these necessities would mean a four dollar economic return in fewer early deaths, lower health care costs, and increased productivity.