15.9 Evaluating New Information

In the summer of 1989, Dr. Noah Boaz and his archaeological Earthwatch 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 few litres at a time and then add chemicals to it in order to remove the waterborne parasites and diseases. Bathing meant 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 2 billion people do not have access to clean drinking 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 Circle of Blue website and read the article entitled “Experts name the top 19 solutions to the global freshwater crisis” at www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/experts-name-the-top-19-solutions-to-the-global-freshwater-crisis/ to look at some recommended approaches to increasing freshwater supplies. Then explore the current projects featured on the Global Water website (www.globalwater.org).

Evaluate the websites and work with the information to answer the following questions: