Women, Children and Water

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: February 2016 reports that 64% of Americans have closely followed the news about the lead contamination of Flint, Michigan’s water supply, its likely effects on public health in that city, and the long road ahead as Flint struggles to restore a safe water supply. The same survey found nearly eight in 10 Americans are concerned about the safety of the water in low-income communities across the U.S.
But even the challenges facing one mid-sized American city pale when we see World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, with an additional 2.6 billion lacking adequate sanitation services.
The United Nations estimates that by 2025, 2.8 billion people will face water scarcity in 48 countries worldwide. Closer to home, is Flint just the beginning of a water supply nightmare for low-income communities across North America?
As the news from Flint unfolded in recent weeks, I was reading a paper – of which my daughter Amber is a co-author – about the potential for natural grasses to filter the waters on Lake Victoria near Kisumu, Kenya.  Amber works with local villagers, university students, and faculty, and previously has engaged in similar participatory research on small-scale treatment options that work with local communities, including indigenous and subsistence communities at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. These small-scale options can help empower local communities where policy makers...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - March 21, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Access Advocacy Global Health Publc Health Source Type: blogs