Water: Something We Shouldn't Take For Granted

On Monday, we had a guest speaker, Dr. Duran from Virginia Tech's faculty talk to our class about the water issues among developing countries around the world. He was such a knowledge person and very personable! I learned a lot from his lecture, but a very interesting finding he presented was how the women, in developing countries, were usually the gatherers of the water for the household. I found this unfair because women have so many other chores they must complete around the home daily and producing safe drinking water seems like the most daunting of the chores. In some developing countries, the government has installed pipes that run water into these areas, but when tested the water from the pipes usually contains fecal coliforms. We learned, the pipes do not circulate water continuously, creating pressure so this leads to cracking, which increases the chance of bacteria within the pipes.
Properly boiling and storing the water can prevent these fecal coliforms from appearing and reduce an individual's risk for illness, but many people in these developing areas run into obstacles. Dr. Duran was discussing how some people did not understand how to properly boil their water and were merely heating the water and then storing it in uncovered tubs. He also discussed how many people do not have the time or space to properly boil their drinking water and since those in their household seem free from disease, the "raw" water must be fine to consume without boiling. Listening to the guest speaker made me realize how I take such a basic necessity for granted. In our country, water is always available. We can make it hot or cold, run slow or fast, and have access to it everywhere! For those in developing countries, water can be deadly if it is not properly treated or an area is lacking it. I have found a new appreciation for my water and now I think twice about long showers and letting the water run continuously when brushing my teeth. Water shouldn't be something we take for granted, it should be something we always appreciate.