Water, Water Comparing Water Use and Accessibility Between the Rich and the Poor in Sub-Saharan Africa Sara Chopra
Introduction You’re about to meet two families living in Sub-Saharan Africaone from an affluent area and one from a rural village. They have different professions and different ways of life, especially when it comes to water access and use.
Background Sub-Saharan Africa has been facing a drought. The land is dry, and some natural water sources such as small lakes and rivers are beginning to dry up. Water is essential for proper hydration, hygiene, and crop growth- three deciding factors for health, nourishment, and nutrition. As you’ll see, there’s a tradeoff for the poor to make when it comes to water use, and an inequality between economic groups when it comes to clean water accessibility.
This is a family living in an affluent neighborhood of an urbanized area in Sub-Saharan Africa. The father has a well-paying job at a bank and the mother cares for her children, 7 and 9, who both attend school.
Due to where they live and their financial ability, they have access to clean and sanitary water for drinking, washing, and bathing. Although their region is facing a drought, they are not as affected because they do not use natural water sources, so their water access is not compromised.
This is a family living in a rural village in Sub-Saharan Africa. The parents and older son, 10, are subsistence farmers. They have a baby son who is 6 months old. Their farm needs water, and it is not very successful during the drought.
Some people living in their area may have a simple form of indoor plumbing, but the water is often unclean and not safe to drink. They need clean water for drinking and hygiene, and water is necessary to grow their crops.
The boy and girl attend school during the drought. By receiving education, their literacy improves and they are more likely to be employed in formal jobs when they are older.
The children are able to receive their educations because they do not have crops to tend to. They do not have to collect water, either, because at home, they have access to baths, faucets, and clean drinking water.
Water is necessary for hydration and crop success, especially during a drought. The boy, his mother, and others from the village may walk miles during the day to bring water to their home and farm, gathering water from natural sources such as rivers.
The boy, as well as many other children in similar situations, is unable to receive an education because he works on the family subsistence farm. Now, during the drought, the likelihood of going to school is even smaller because he must fetch water for his family.
The family is generally healthy because they have access to medicine, doctors, and clean facilities. When they do get sick, they go to a doctor and are able to receive medicine or a prescription.
They have never faced water borne illnesses because their family can afford to take measures in sanitizing their water, and their water goes through disinfecting and filtration processes before they use it.
The family gathers water from a natural water source, so the water is not always safe to consume. They have contracted water-borne illnesses before, and are generally not in the best health, especially the children. Still, they must continue to work on the farm in order to grow food.
There may be someone in their village with some medical knowledge, but they lack the medicines and expertise of a professional. In addition, as many hands as possible are needed to help with the farm, so there is little opportunity for those afflicted by disease to rest and recover.
The family has the ability to use water to bathe, drink, and cook. They do not have to worry about rationing their water supply or watering crops.
An important difference between this family and the family living in rural Sub-Saharan Africa is that this family, living in a urbanized area, does not rely on growing successful crops to eat. Thus, the drought is not a detriment to their livelihood or income.
The parents are forced to decide between drinking water to stay hydrated, bathing for improved hygiene, and watering their crops for food.
Depending on their decision, they may face dehydration, poor hygiene, or hunger. Their choice especially affects their children, who may become ill or malnourished, depending how the family uses their water supply.
End Notes There remains a stark divide between the wealthy and the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa when it comes to water accessibility. Like the comic shows, many people living in rural parts of SubSaharan Africa rely on subsistence farming as a way to grow food and receive nutrients. During droughts, many crops fail, leading to hunger and, most extremely, famine.
With this need, people travel many miles with the hope of finding and retrieving clean water suitable for drinking, bathing, and farming. They may also collect and store rainwater, which can lead to dangerous diseases. However, dehydration may lead some families to drink water that is unsanitary. They may even not even know that it is unsafe to begin with, as there is no formal testing system for gathered water. Drinking unsafe water can lead to fatal parasitic, viral, and bacterial diseases.
Like the last page of the comic shows, at times rural families must decide between staying hydrated or watering the crops they need for food. This is a dire aspect of the water and drought crises. While we in developed areas may think that these poor families in remote areas only need water for hydration, we often do not take into account that they may have to sacrifice their own wellbeing for access to food.
The two families’ differing access to water does not only affect their hydration, health, and nourishment. It also affects their access to opportunities such as attending school, working stable jobs, seeing doctors, and receiving necessary medicine.
Conclusion Water is not just water. Access to it elevates some, and lack of it hinders others. The effects of Sub-Saharan Africa’s water and drought crises go beyond the physical results of dehydration, poor hygiene, and hunger. They permeate the social and socioeconomic spheres, in which access to water dictates opportunity.
Bibliography •
Nghana Lewis. “An Issue of Environmental Justice: Understanding the Relationship among HIV/AIDS Infection in Women, Water Distribution, and Global Investment in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa.” Black Women, Gender Families, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009, pp. 39–64. JSTOR..
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Johnston Environment Correspondent, Ian. "Looming 'catastrophe' in East Africa proves why world must tackle climate change, says Oxfam." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 26 Apr. 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.
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Howard, Brian Clark. "Dramatic Photos Show Brazil's Crippling Drought." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 16 May 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.
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Lanfair, Jordan K., and Stephen T. Schroth. "Water Purification." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 19 May 2017.
Images Used •
All cartoon drawings were created by me (Sara Chopra) using the app “Paper by 53.”
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All photos used are of places in Sub-Saharan Africa, from PhotosForClass.com.