Newton TAB

Although they gave my letter a new title, the Newton TAB, my good old home town newspaper, published my thoughts regarding the "Boston Water Crisis" that left 2 million people without drinkable water for half a week. Below is a copy of my letter, as appears in the May 11th publication.

Imagine living where there’s never potable water

While a water main leak in Weston caused inconveniences for Massachusetts residents, the “Water Crisis” is an opportunity for Newtonites to realize how fortunate we really are.

One out of seven people worldwide (894 million people) live their entire lives without household access to potable water. That’s more than 10,000 times the population of Newton or almost 200 cities the size of Boston. In rural Bolivia, it is not unusual to walk over 10 miles to the nearest clean water source. Children forgo school for daily walks fetching buckets of drinkable water for their families. Across the globe, children miss an estimated 443 million school days each year due to unsanitary water conditions (source: Water.org). With disrupted education, future generations’ prospects of upward mobility drastically diminish.

The UN Millennium Development Goals estimate water infrastructure investments can have eightfold GDP returns. An investment of $11.5 billion per year could provide all world citizens with potable H₂O; developing countries would also reap economic benefits upwards of $84 billion with increased worker productivity and education effectiveness (UN Development Program, MDGs).

After Governor Patrick fixes Boston’s water problems, don’t forget last week’s hardships. Remember the headaches of a coffeeless Dunkin’ Donuts. Remember washing your vegetables and brushing your teeth without using tap water.

Now, think of those who live with unsanitary water conditions every single day. For the $25 you spent on bottled water last week, you can provide a person with clean drinking water for life. Websites like Water.org facilitate sustainable micro-credit-based donations. Church groups like Agua:Yaku build low-cost wells in desperate regions. Countless other projects help those plagued by true “water crises” across the globe.

When your faucets start pouring clean water again, sigh with relief. Then help provide others in developing nations with the same sense of basic comfort.

Newton Centre resident currently on location in Bolivia

Direct link to the publication: Newton TAB Letters to the Editor, May 11th, 2010, forth from the top.

Newton TAB