It can never be said enough – water is truly the one essential element that is needed by every single person in every single country across the globe – yet water inequality continues to be a massive issue that is no closer to being resolved.

Water inequality describes the disparity between the wealthier counties that have free access to a plentiful supply of water, and poorer countries for whom access to clean, safe water is scarce and expensive. While it is also geographically driven, there is no denying that technology advancements made over the last few decades can effectively solve water inequality quickly – there just has to be the will.

A report by UNICEF released in 2019 highlighted how more than half the world, despite the plethora of proactive water appeal campaigns, did not have access to safe drinking water. The statistics reported in the report are frightening.

• 2.2 billion people do not have safely managed drinking water services
• 4.2 billion do not have safely managed sanitation services
• 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities

More than ever the state of the earth’s water resources need to be put centre stage of individual countries’ policies. Without redressing that inequality, many poorer countries are going to be witnessing an ever increasing exodus of its citizens, away from areas where water scarcity is making them ill, hungry and ever poorer, towards cities where the draw on resources is going to create its own problems long term.

Preserving health and wellbeing

We all know that clean, safe drinking water is essential to avoid dehydration. However, it also forms the cornerstone of public health across all communities, protecting in particular the elderly, children and the more vulnerable. Contaminated water can lead to diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid – all illnesses which can be totally eliminated with good sanitation.

Building the right infrastructure for a clean water supply, as well as providing the knowledge and education required to teach people the importance of basic sanitation such as washing hands can have a massive impact on reducing the burden of disease on poorer communities.

Empowering communities to strive for more

Without a good water supply, the fate of most remote communities is wrapped up in the daily struggle of finding and fetching enough water to get through the day. In many communities the children – and in particular the girls – are tasked with walking out to find and fetch that water. Not only is this backbreaking work for young children, it also means that they are missing out on a vital part of their potential education.

Ensuring a good water supply is available in every community gives the community better agency over creating a better future for themselves – one in which they can proactively start to create a more dynamic local economy, rather than relying on day-to-day subsistence.

Promoting dignity and human rights

A lack of water can weaken resolve, zap energy, and make a community reliant on the aid of external agencies. This is in direct conflict with maintaining the dignity of every individual within that community. The knowledge and technology that exists go hand in hand with the acknowledgment that water is a universal right for all.

The erosion of water inequality is fundamental to easing the geopolitical tensions that exist across the continents. The building of simple infrastructures particularly in remote communities in developing countries will contribute to a more fair and equal society in which everyone is coming together, regardless of borders and boundaries, to a place of self-sufficiency and sustainability.