Be The Change, One Drop At A Time

‘One day in the forest, a fire broke out.
All the animals ran for their lives.
They stood at the edge of the blaze, looking at the flames in terror and sadness.
Up above their heads, a hummingbird was flying back and forth to the fire, over and over again.
The bigger animals asked the hummingbird what she was doing.
“I am flying to the lake to get water to help put out the fire.”
The animals laughed at her and said, “You can’t put out this fire!”
The hummingbird replied, “I’m doing what I can.”’

 

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one-quarter of the world’s population — about 2 billion people — lack access to something many of us take for granted: clean and safe drinking water. And nearly half (3.6 billion) of Earth’s inhabitants don’t have adequate sanitation services.

UNESCO’s report — UN World Water Development Report 2023 — was issued last Wednesday to coincide with the global observance of World Water Day. UNESCO’s theme this year is “about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.”

The hummingbird is helping solve the problem, one drop at a time.

She is being the change she wants to see in the world.

You can be a hummingbird, too. The actions you take, no matter how small, will help solve the water crisis.

 

Globally, about 70% of the world’s freshwater supply is used to grow food. As supplies of clean and safe water diminish as a result of climate change, population growth, and pollution, the ability to feed a growing and hungry population will fall.

Human demand for abundant and clean water is increasing at the very same time its supply is decreasing all around the world. Global heating is melting glaciers that billions of people depend on to grow food and for drinking water. Drought depletes groundwater aquifers and dries rivers, lakes, and reservoirs where water is stored. And damaging land-use changes destroy tropical rainforests and other ecosystems that connect everyone to the planet’s hydrological system.

Contamination of groundwater with petrochemicals and infectious pathogens threatens water security as well as the health of millions of American children who rely on well water. Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change* issued a policy statement on “Drinking Water From Private Wells and Risks to Children.” Pediatrician and public health expert Alan Woolf, M.D. urges health care providers to ask about drinking water sources:

In the United States, more than 23 million households get their drinking water from private wells. Unlike public drinking water systems, these wells are not regulated for safety by federal or state government. They can become polluted by many substances and cause kids to get sick.

If your family drinks water from a private well, it’s important to test the water regularly to make sure it’s safe. It’s also a good idea to ask about testing if your children drink well water at child care, school, camps or when your family travels.

 

The AAP recommends that families who use well water should have the water tested every year for coliform bacteria and nitrites. In Pennsylvania, it’s also a good idea to check for radon gas in well water, especially for homes near coal mines and oil and gas wells. More frequent testing for contaminates is advised if:

• ​Someone in your household is pregnant or nursing

• There is a new infant or a child under 1 year of age in the home

• You’ve had unexplained illnesses in your household

• Your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their well water

• The smell or taste of your well water changes

• There’s a chemical spill near your well

• There are new fracking operations, underground chemical storage tanks or other industrial operations in your area that could contaminate the ground water

• You had a major repair or replacement in your well

• There was flooding or another disaster that may have contaminated your well

 

For World Water Day 2023, UNESCO urges everyone to make a list of personal commitments to “be the change you want to see in the world” and help solve the global water and sanitation crisis:

Save water: Take shorter showers and don’t let the tap run when brushing my teeth, doing dishes and preparing food.

Break taboos: Talk about the critical connection between toilets, water and menstruation.

Flush safe: Fix leaking water and waste pipes, empty full septic tanks and report dumping of sludge.

Stop polluting: Don’t put food waste, oils, medicines and chemicals down my toilet or drains.

Eat local: Buy local, seasonal food and look for products made with less water.

Be curious: Find out where my water comes from and how it is shared, and visit a treatment plant to see how my waste is managed.

Protect nature: Plant a tree or create a raingarden – use natural solutions to reduce the risk of flooding and store water.

Build pressure: Write to my elected representatives about budgets for improving water at home and abroad.

Clean up: Take part in clean-ups of my local rivers, lakes, wetlands or beaches.

 

Don’t take your drinking water for granted. Talk to your pediatric provider if you have concerns about the quality and safety of your water supply. Find information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about each state’s private drinking water well program here. (The PADEP has information for Pennsylvanians here.)

 

*Dr. Ketyer is a member of the AAP Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change.

 

source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/03/30/be-the-change-one-drop-at-a-time/