Water Pollution
By: Carissa Binder
The importance of clean water:
When water is polluted, it is not only devastating to the environment, but also to human health. The quality of our water is directly linked to the quality of our lives.
USA
- Droughts are likely to particularly affect the 66% of Americans whose communities depend on surface water.
- To keep pace with demand from an increasing population, utilities traditionally have augmented supplies.
- Pollution through wastewater discharges, a major issue in the 1960s, has been brought largely under control.
- Most Americans are served by publicly owned water and sewer utilities.
- Eleven percent of Americans receive water from private (so-called "investor-owned") utilities.
- In rural areas, cooperatives often provide drinking water.
- Up to 15 percent of Americans are served by their own wells.
China
- The water resources of China are affected by both severe water quantity shortages and severe water quality pollution.
- 60% of China's underground water is not fit for human contact and 1/3rd of it's surface water.
- China is currently carrying out a "war on pollution" campaign, to deal with the environmental issues.
Mexico
- Mexico is well known for it's unsafe water.
- 94% of surface water is contaminated.
- The bottled water industry in Mexico is one of the largest in the world.
- Most tourists aren't warned to not drink the tap water in Mexico.
Help provide clean water in Mexico: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/clean-drinking-water-mexico/
Chile
- There are high levels of access and has good service quality.
- Has modern and effective regulatory framework.
- One weakness of the sector is the relatively high water losses.
For more read here: http://www.andesproperty.com/is-it-safe-to-drink-the-water-in-santiago-chile/