Access to water and energy is such a fundamental health concern that it can at first appear unconnected with economic empowerment. But in many developing countries people must spend so much time seeking out clean water and useable fuel that they do not have time to participate in other activities, such as farming, services, or a trade. According to a 2008 UNICEF/WHO study on drinking water, approximately one in eight individuals, or 884 million people, lacks access to clean water. An estimated 3.5 million people die each year from water-related diseases. Beyond the time spent seeking out energy and potable water, this issue also hinders economic participation because of the toll polluted water can take on a person’s overall health. Business is helping to address this problem in a number of ways, which include the following:
- Providing rural towns with ultra-filtration units that can filter large quantities of water at a time
- Donating water sanitation kits with drops or pills that sterilize large quantities of water
- Sending volunteers to dig wells or install water management systems
- Providing resources on proper hygiene to minimize contamination of the available water
- Developing devices like miniature cook stoves which require little energy to provide for a family’s needs
- Developing flood sensors for countries with urban flooding issues so that drinking water is not polluted during a flood
- Cultivating a built environment which reduces the amount of storm water which enters rivers and drains after a storm (such as by planting trees and shrubs)
- Donating hydraulic submersible pumps to remove water after a disaster
Why does business engage this issue?
It’s the first step in economic development. The math is simple: if you have to spend all day seeking out clean water and fuel, you do not have time for any other economic activity. By developing ways to either make the nearby water and fuel cleaner and more efficient, or bring it closer to the people who need it, business can help improve their lives in a fundamental way and empower them to focus on other activities.
The situation is dire. In India, for example, the Indian Ministry of Urban Development estimates that half of the country lacks access to basic sanitation and 75% of the country’s surface water is contaminated by the inadequate discharge of wastewater. Inadequate access to clean water is a huge barrier to minimum standard of health, which in turn is a barrier to economic development.
The CCC Approach |
2014 Issue Networks |