In the summer of 1989, Dr. Noah Boaz and his archaeological Earth-watch crews were excavating a site of ancient human habitation along the Semliki River, which runs by the border between Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Uganda. They could not, however, just drink the water from the river, or even swim in it. They had to filter the water a gallon or two at a time and then add chemicals to it in order to remove the waterborne parasites and pathogens. Bathing required wearing shoes and keeping their eyes, nose, and mouth out of the water. The nearby villagers did drink the water, and they had endemic health problems.
More than 750 million people do not have access to clean drinking water; as many as 3.5 billion do not have access to enough clean water. The results affect all aspects of life in developing countries: According to Water.org, a child dies every 20 seconds from a water-related illness, and women in some water-stressed areas spend several hours every day collecting water for their families’ basic needs.
There have been many suggestions about ways to improve access to clean water. One of the problems is that in many areas, the lack of access is coupled with a lack of the electricity, developed roads, machines, and equipment necessary to be able to support digging municipal wells and providing pumping stations, reservoirs, and pipelines.
Go to the Global Water website (globalwater.org) and explore the links under “Projects.” Then go to the Water.org website (water.org) and look at some of the featured projects.
Evaluate the websites and work with the information to answer the following questions:
Are these authors/sponsoring groups reliable information sources?
Do they give supporting evidence for their claims?
Do they give sources for their evidence, as well as clear explanations?
What is the mission of the organization? How do you know this?
Does the organization appear to have a workable solution or solutions?
Now search the Internet for information about two low-tech filtration devices: the LifeStraw and the PlayPump. Potentially useful sites include the bottlelessvancouver website (bottlelessvancouver.wordpress.com) and the HowStuffWorks website (science.howstuffworks.com).
Evaluate the proposed solutions for:
price.
ease of use.
whether they would be portable or stationary.
whether they include pumps for underground water or can clean only surface water.
Does either of the proposed solutions stand out as a good option for remote or undeveloped areas, such as the ones featured in the Global Water website or the Water.org website? Explain your answer.
Find an additional case study online at http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/saes2e