Water is the new oil.

I’ve spent the last four months reporting stories on water from Ethiopia and Kenya, two countries at the forefront of the world’s coming water crisis. And while western politicians and consumers fret over the declining economy and increasing oil prices, the news from East Africa is that with a growing majority of the world living on less than a dollar a day, the liquid that fuels bodies is becoming even more contentious than the liquid that fuels cars.

Our team uncovered distressing stories about people in the region facing water scarcity issues: women who walk for miles each day to collect drinking water; farmers pushed into deadly conflict with wildlife by dwindling river flows; city water supplies drained by overzealous irrigation. But the big picture that the smaller stories hint at is one of ecological disaster and conflict over resources that will affect millions and have repercussions around the world. As disturbing as it was to see the harsh realities of this crisis come in to focus before my eyes, equally upsetting was the realization that there is no journalistically viable way to write and publish that larger story.

Photo: Alex Stonehill

Africans’ struggles for water inevitably read to American audiences as happening “over there” in a chaotic and distant world. Connecting them to a looming global trend requires a prescience that doesn’t hold up to the exacting principles of print journalism. This is especially true because developments on the ground often outpace the scientific community — in many neglected areas, for example, the only way to find out if rainfall has been declining is to ask a subsistence farmer, because the formal scientific data simply doesn’t exist.

I’ve made the mistake in the past of being too timid to put something I felt strongly about in print because I didn’t have the sources or the clout to back it up. I can vouch for the fact that being able to say “I could have told you so, but I didn’t” after the fact doesn’t provide much satisfaction.

In fear of repeating the same frustrating experience again, and in faith that we can still mitigate this disaster, I’m offering the story behind the story on the coming world water crisis here. Off the record.

“As you may know, Alex, the coming World War Three will be fought over water, not oil.”

The director of a local water NGO told me this just a few days after I arrived in Ethiopia in January. Variations on that refrain were echoed by aid workers and researchers across the region over the next several months.

The fringes of Ethiopia’s fertile Highlands are dotted with camps housing refugees from water-based conflict in the rest of the country.

A few kilometers outside the ancient Muslim city of Harar, alongside a dry river bed, lies one such camp of 5,000 ethnic Somalis. They were driven from the Ogaden region by inter-clan conflict over access to water and pastureland. The camp is a sprawling expanse of small, wood-framed domes covered with a patchwork of plastic and other scrap material, the only material families could scavenge to shield themselves from the incessant beating of the equatorial sun.

These people lost all the livestock that were their livelihood, as well as many of their family members, to the conflict, and they now survive on the meat of cactuses and occasional handouts from the locals. In recent months that hospitality has begun to wear thin as well.

To get the water they need to drink and wash they dig into the sandy bottom of the dry riverbed until they’ve scratched deep enough to reveal the muddy water that flows beneath.

The elders of the village earnestly described their situation to me, asking hopefully if I knew anyone who could help, but even then I suspected that their story wouldn’t ever find its way into print. After all, the scale of their tragedy couldn’t compare to other African conflicts that are making the news, and there wasn’t any element of geopolitical intrigue here - just poor people fighting over water. I cursed myself for not thinking to at least bring a flat of bottled water when we came to visit the camp.

Damaged water pipes in Kibera slums. Photo Alex Stonehill

But taking a broader view, I later realized that the scale of this story is massive. Refugees from similar conflicts over access to shrinking water and pastureland are scattered across southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya.

Pastoralists are especially vulnerable to climate change because they already live so close to the margins, dependant on grazing their cattle and camels in areas where agriculture isn’t viable. A small decrease in rainfall can be a death sentence for animals if sparse watering holes go dry. But most herders are already armed against predators, and will sooner clash with other groups to get access to water then stand by and watch their animals die.

The two main insurgencies currently beleaguering the Ethiopian government are devoted to the independence of Oromia and the Ogaden, both long-neglected lowland areas with large pastoralist populations. Neighboring Somalia, which for over fifteen years has been dismembered by inter-clan conflicts like the one that displaced the refugees we visited in Ethiopia, is an extension of the same arid lowland and is almost entirely populated by pastoralists as well. Even the genocides in Darfur and Rwanda were borne from the cultural collision between pastoralists and farmers in the same land.

There’s no denying that these are all politically motivated conflicts, but the role water scarcity plays in creating the preconditions of desperation and discontent is equally undeniable.
“Water is life”

This is another phrase repeated over and over again by East African aid workers. But a more revealing variation might be “water symbolizes wealth.”

Wherever there is poverty, water problems are paramount. Even in highland urban capitols like Addis Ababa and Nairobi, where temperatures are cool and rains are plentiful, access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities tops the list of problems cited by slum dwellers, who make up half the population of some cities. Deaths from waterborne disease typically exceed those from AIDS , though water diseases usually receive less attention.

In Nairobi, city water infrastructure comes to a halt at the edge of Kibera, the continent’s second largest slum. An informal private sector of water vendors takes over from there, jerry-rigging a network of cheap plastic pipes and water tanks that allow the water to be tainted with free flowing sewage. The million people who live in Kibera typically end up paying hundreds of times more than those in other Nairobi neighborhoods for water that still makes them sick.

Slum residents, especially young men, are angry about this kind of government neglect. Tensions increase further when such neglect appears to exist along ethnic lines.

When slum residents riot, as they did following last December’s elections in Kenya, it is usually presented in the media as violence in a vacuum, or purely as ethnic strife. But it’s no coincidence that this kind of violence often breaks out in places where people lack access to basic services like water, and don‘t have many other options for getting the attention of their political leaders. When chaos erupted in Kibera in January, some of the first targets for vandalism were tanks owned by water vendors who had been price gouging the locals for years.
“Some of us will be alive to see it happen”

That’s what a Ugandan environmentalist told me about the nightmare prospect of the world’s second largest lake drying up completely.

Lake Victoria’s levels have receded by several meters in recent years, destroying the breeding grounds for fish, endangering the 30 million East Africans who live around the lake, and setting the stage for international conflict.

Fishing on Lake Victoria. Photo Alex Stonehill

Kenyan fishermen chasing fish into deeper Ugandan waters have been arrested and allegedly tortured by Ugandan military. Fisherman from the two countries have also clashed with each other directly.

In addition to rising temperatures, decreased rainfall, and watershed deforestation, scientists and fishermen alike blame new hydroelectric projects at the source of the River Nile in Uganda from draining too much water out of the rapidly shrinking lake.

Motivated by desperation or revenge, Kenyan fisherman in the shallows don’t hesitate to harvest baby fish, sealing the future fates of the fishermen from all three countries who share the lake.

Without international cooperation on plans for conservation, this sort of tit for tat race to exploit resources faster than your neighbor will ensure that Lake Victoria will end up like other devastated bodies of water like the Aral Sea and Lake Chad.

But international conflict over the water resources of the Lake Victoria/Nile River system seems almost inevitable. The nine countries that share the system (Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo) are some of the world’s poorest nations and their populations are exploding, exponentially increasing stress on endangered water resources.

Just as Kenyan farmers are decreasing inflows into Lake Victoria by cutting forests in its watersheds, the Ugandan government is increasing outflows by running more water through its new dams into the Nile. Just as Ethiopians are pushing to industrialize their agricultural sector for export, putting new land under irrigation, hundreds of miles downriver, Egypt is channeling millions of gallons of water out of the river to “reclaim” vast swaths of desert.

While any one of these issues alone might get attention in the local, or even international press every once in awhile, the world seems to have averted its eyes from the combined threat to this massive ecosystem.

With the current regional population of 387 million on course to double in the next thirty years, the equation of available gallons of water from this system just doesn’t add up. Movements for international cooperation such as the Nile Basin Initiative have yielded some promising results, but in a corner of the world already fraught with tense rivalries, control over the most basic human resource is almost certain to be an impetus for violent conflict.

For Americans, environmentalism has traditionally been a misanthropic affair. We’re primarily concerned with preserving natural beauty for its own sake and protecting nature from the advances of civilization.

But in East Africa, itself home to an impressive environmental movement, environmentalism is inseparable from humanitarianism. Here, when ecosystems are destroyed, people are almost always directly harmed as well, even if they are the ones doing the destroying.

The experiences of Africans struggling to find fish in Lake Victoria or fighting over dwindling pastureland for their livestock in Ethiopia might not seem like particularly important stories for small-town American news audiences. But even ignoring the direct contribution Americans may be making to these distant problems in the form of climate change, these small stories are relevant to us for what they tell us about the big story that usually goes untold — the story of the entire planet as an ecological whole.

When violence over access to basic resources like water erupts among people who depend directly on the earth for their survival, it is an important reminder. Despite the distinctions we’ve imagined between the survival of the natural environment and our own prosperity, the health of the earth and the health of humans are one and the same.

Alex Stonehill is with the CLP whose mission is to develop and implement innovative multimedia approaches to international and local journalism.

In response to this article, almost every one of my classmates has stated that the effect of the water shortage has not directly affected them. With further investigation I have come to disagree with this statement. Contaminated drinking water has caused many fatal issues in not just our country, but right here in Washington State. This problem is made a matter of concern because of the shallow ground water wells that are used for domestic water supply. Right here in Yakima County, nitrates from septic tanks are seeping into the ground water and fertilizer. These nitrates contaminate the water so significantly and they attack the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen, specifically affecting infants (called blue baby syndrome). This problem is not only seen in Yakima, but is even more extensive, seen throughout the country. So although Americans may not have to travel vast distances to acquire fresh water, we are affected by the shortage of clean water more significantly than one would assume.

The water crisis has not affected me directly. In America, we don’t face the same issues as East Africa. With the wealth of the U.S and our advanced irrigation system, water is always within our reach. The water crisis hasn’t affected me compared to others in third world countries. I do, however, believe it could affect me in the long run. Fights are constantly breaking out all over the world due to water boundaries. I believe this will inevitably cause major wars. If this happens, it will affect the US economy which could affect me.

The water crisis has made me more careful about how much water my family and I use, but it has not affected my family in a way where we cannot get any water. In the Pacific Northwest we get a lot of rain here and I cannot imagine us going through a water crisis. In America, everyone has access to water and many do not even realize how much they use. I also feel horrible knowing that I have access and I am using all this water and people in East Africa are suffering because they cannot get any. Learning about this water crisis has definitely made me more aware and careful about my water usage.

This world’s water crisis has not affected me at all; my family and I use water every day. I think most of people in America can agree with me when I say that water is not a worry here, yet. If they large consumptions of water continue and the average American still uses 158 gallons a day then water will become scarce here. The only question is when?

I almost feel guilty in saying it hasn’t, but it really hasn’t. I guess I think more about the water I use and the effects/impact of global warming in relation, but thinking about it doesn’t help. It makes me feel guilty, like I should get out there and do something, but it’s hard to get motivated when you think of such a large problem. How can one person make a significant difference? But I think if one person tries, others will follow. The chain reaction will create a massive force and we can stop the crisis before it actually does start to affect me and the people around me.

The world water crisis has not affected me directly yet, but I presume that in the upcoming future it will affect me, because this water problem could possibly be the root of WW3. It’s because countries in Africa have been fighting over the simple natural resource that we take for granted each and every day.

The world water crisis has not affected me directly, but it has opened my eyes to the growing problem that millions of people are facing. It has also made me more aware of the amount of water I use that is not critical for survival. People in Kenya and Ethiopia are struggling to find clean drinking water to survive day to day while industrialized nations such as the U.S. are not facing that problem. The conservation of water alone will not help people around the world who are dying from water related diseases. The situation in developing countries is a glimpse into the future about what the whole world will face if the problem is not resolved quickly. This crisis will probably not affect me here in the U.S. because this country is not currently facing water scarcity issues nor is it going to for quite some time.

- The water crisis has affected me by making me want to conserve water and help reduce climate change. Although I still this crisis has little effect in Kirkland, it is very big in parts of the world. Everyone should use less water now, so if the same situation starts to occur we can be ready for it. Overall I try use less water and we should help find a solution for the people in Africa.

I had heard people talking about issues regarding ‘water wars’ before but I never really understood what they had meant. To me, water has always been a seemingly unlimited resource. Learning about the conditions and lack of water in Africa worries me and makes me more conscious about how much water I use and encourages me to use less of it.

Economically speaking, the water crisis has not affected me in any way that I can think of because I live in an area where water is very plentiful. But learning about the catastrophic effects that water scarcity and mismanagement have had in Africa definitely gives me a new perspective from which to view this topic. I will definitely try to use less water, and I think everyone in rich nations should do the same, because they might find themselves in the same situation of drought some day and they will want to have moderate water consumption habits already in place.

I feel that the world water crisis has not affected me very much. Because Washington has is always constantly raining, I never think that it would be an issue that would affect me. Water is something that I have everyday. I think we should take action to help others where the water crisis is an issue to prevent it from happening more.

Personally, I feel unaffected by the world water crisis. Although people in other nations struggle with this everyday, it is something I almost never give a second thought. For me, water is and has been a constantly available resource. Because I live in Washington, water is even less of an issue because of the constant rainfall. People in places with drier climates might be more greatly affected. Due of the fact we are not affected I believe we should take greater action in helping those who are and preventing crisis like this from happening in the future.

The world water crisis hasn’t affected me, because in America water treatment plants guarantee relatively renewable clean water. This problem might affect me in the near future though, because lack of water in other countries shows that a slow decline of clean water coupled with a rising population and global warming can quickly catch up with you. This is especially true in the U.S., because we use more water daily than any other country.

With the Pacific Northwest’s abundance of water, the water crisis has not affected me at all. In the future, the water crisis could affect us Washingtonians because people from warmer, drier areas in America could be evacuated to the northwest in the event of a drought. Also, with everyone in this area “going green”, the whole community could make a difference by donating to assist countries and regions affected by climate change.

The water crisis has not affected me in the same way that it has affected people who live in poorer countries. In America, water is not considered a luxury and is not considered an especially valuable thing. It is supplied seemingly endlessly, and I have hardly felt the need to worry about it. Only after this study on Water Wars did I realize just how big of an issue it is. The water crisis has not yet spread to my region of the world, and so it hasn’t affected me as it has in African countries like Chad. I do believe that after this study I have begun to feel more conscious about water, and I have tried to begin using less.

As far as the water crisis currently, emotional affects are much more evident than physical affects. Like most Americans, I was almost unaware that water was as an important topic as I do now. However, knowing that this crisis is occurring in other parts of the world puts my own water usage into perspective, as Americans use almost thirty times the amount of water African nations use daily. With this unruly use of water, I realized that a water crisis could occur in the U.S.; and if this were to happen, there would be very little we could do but hope for aid from other nations.

The world water crisis hasn’t affected me yet, which is really sad. While people are dying in East Africa because of lack of water, I take water for granted and use much more than I need to survive. The worst part is actually that the U.S. probably won’t be affected by this crisis for a long time, so richer nations, like the U.S., will keep on abusing our resources in ignorance.

The world water crisis contributes a new reason for all the wars that occur in our world. In this manner the water wars have affected me because war affects everyone, not just the people living in that area where the war is occurring. The earth is one giant ecosystem and it is our job to protect it and the people living in it, not just the part that is right outside our front door. The water crisis affects me because it reminds me that water is not an unlimited resource. It is important to conserve water, even if that water won’t go directly to needy African nations. Even if we can’t consider this crisis to be important simply because it is detrimental to the success of many other countries, it is important because it foreshadows America’s future if we can’t learn how to conserve water now. Will Americans learn this lesson before it is too late?

The world water crisis has not affected me and most likely will not. Different areas go in and out of dry seasons. Therefore I believe that world water crisis is not how it should be described, because it only has affected the people in countries in Africa. Also as far as I am aware of we don’t have many things shipped in from those countries.

The world water crisis has not affected me and most likely will not. Different areas go in and out of dry seasons. Therefore I believe that world water crisis is not how it should be described, because it only has affected the people in countries in Africa. Also as far as I am aware of we don’t have many things shipped in from those countries.

The world water crisis has not affected me and most likely won’t for at least another decade, which is the saddest part. The world water crisis has an inappropriate name; the world hasn’t recognized the problem, made it broadcasted, or started to make difference and help this crisis: so currently it should be called “The Water Crisis that needs to be known and dealt with by the World”. The water crisis has locally affected the community, but globally, we haven’t noticed the much need for assistance. Larger, richer countries like the United States and United Kingdom should step in, stop the water wars, create efficient irrigation and proper disposal of waste, and new ways to get the decreasing resource of water.

Until recently I was not even aware that there was a world water crisis, so obviously it has hardly affected me. However, now that I know there are countries in our world, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, that struggle everyday to obtain enough clean water to survive, I truly appreciate the easy access I have to what seems like an endless supply of water. The articles I have read also brought to my attention that my water supply is not, in fact, endless, and that water is a limited resource. While the world water crisis does not impact my everyday life, like it does others, I too will be affected by it in the very near future.

The world water crisis has not made a huge impact on me yet, but knowing that this is a major issue for those in places like Kenya, Somali, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Afghanistan opens my eyes to see that water is not an endless supply. If me and the rest of the water consuming countries continue to abuse the use of water our resources then soon enough we will be in the same position as those with no clean water. By turning off the water while brushing our teeth and taking shorter showers, my family has conserved water. I feel like that’s not enough to help others with no clean water. Knowing about the world water crisis, will make me have smarter decisions in elections by voting for leaders who have plans to conserve water and provide infrastructure for the countries that are in need of clean water.

In many ways, the world water crisis has not affected me at all. Water shortage is not a very big concern in Seattle, which has a reputation of ‘always being rainy’. The majority of people here are more preoccupied with the damaged economy, the high price of gas, and (to some extent) global climate change than the possibility of running out of water. Every time I go to turn the faucet on in the bathroom, water still comes gushing out. I can still take hot showers, and we still have more than efficient amounts of water to cook and drink as much as we please.
However, at the same time, I have been affected by this world water crisis. Upon reading the articles on this site and discussing the situation in east Africa with the journalists who created the Water Wars project, I have been jolted out of my everyday habits and into realizing what is really happening thousands of miles away. I would never have imagined that any shortage of water would drag people in Kenya, Ethiopia, or any other part of the world into such dire straits. Despite the fact that I am still living comfortably in Seattle, I believe that, now that I have become aware of the situation in east Africa, it is my responsibility to do whatever I can to help.

In many ways, the world water crisis has not affected me at all. Water shortage is not a very big concern in Seattle, which has a reputation of ‘always being rainy’. The majority of people here are more preoccupied with the damaged economy, the high price of gas, and (to some extent) global climate change than the possibility of running out of water. Every time I go to turn the faucet on in the bathroom, water still comes gushing out. I can still take hot showers, and we still have more than efficient amounts of water to cook and drink as much as we please.
However, at the same time, I have been affected by this world water crisis. Upon reading the articles on this site and discussing the situation in east Africa with the journalists who created the Water Wars project, I have been jolted out of my everyday habits and into realizing what is really happening thousands of miles away. I would never have imagined that any shortage of water would drag people in Kenya, Ethiopia, or any other part of the world into such dire straits. Despite the fact that I am still living comfortably in Seattle, I believe that, now that I have become aware of the situation in east Africa, it is my responsibility to do whatever I can to help.

 The world water crisis has not affected me whatsoever. In such an industrialized nation, water shortage is not a problem to the majority of Americans. Drinking tap water is safe for the most part, and very few people get water related diseases. I feel very lucky that I don’t have to worry about something as simple as water. Here in the U.S., we do not have to walk miles with water on our backs twice a day to get dirty water. We simply turn on the sink and use as much water as we please.

The current world water crisis has not affected me directly, but it has changed the way I think about water. There is no way to even compare the way we live to the way that people in East Africa live, regarding water. I sometimes make an effort to conserve water by not running water when it isn’t necessary, and taking shorter showers, but it is nothing to match up against the way people in East Africa have to conserve their water. Since this week of learning about this water crisis, it has affected the way I think and made me much more grateful for the resources I have. It has inspired me to make a difference and get involved.

The current world water crisis has not affected me directly, but it has changed the way I think about water. There is no way to even compare the way we live to the way that people in East Africa live, regarding water. I sometimes make an effort to conserve water by not running water when it isn’t necessary, and taking shorter showers, but it is nothing to match up against the way people in East Africa have to conserve their water. Since this week of learning about this water crisis, it has affected the way I think and made me much more grateful for the resources I have. It has inspired me to make a difference and get involved.

Since I am available to receive an endless supply of water the “world water” crisis hasn’t personally affected me yet. I’ve always know that water has been limited and is a valuable resource but until this week I didn’t know that the lack of water has made such a large impact on such a huge population of people. Now, I’m more aware of my water usage and I try to conserve more water. However, I don’t think that I will ever be as conscientious of my every day water allotment as the communities in Ethiopia and Kenya. I had no idea that more children were dieing from unsanitary water conditions then AIDS. This statement tells me that I should be more motivated to help make a change, but until the problem is more closely related to me there is not much I can do besides use only the necessary amount of water I need.

Personally, I do not feel that the water crisis in Ethiopia and the rest of East Africa has greatly impacted my life. My family has always done little things to try and conserve water: turning off the water while we brush our teeth, taking shorter showers, etc. Even with conservation, I’ve always taken The United States’ abundance of water for granted. It’s so easy to forget that water is a limited resource for some areas of the world when we can have gallons with the mere turn of a faucet. However, hearing the number of children who die from water-borne diseases made me curious to how our country handles sanitation problems. Why aren’t we getting sick? Is it too complicated and expensive to help set up those same sanitation systems in places like Kenya? Other than a few questions, the crisis still hasn’t really affected me significantly. Unless someday i go to turn on the tap and nothing comes out, I doubt I will be able to greatly reduce my water useage, as much as I want to.

My peers and I are very lucky to live in a place where water is clean and plentiful. I don’t have to walk long distances twice a day to get water for my family, or worry about getting sick from tap water. This is not to say I have not been affected by the water crisis. By merely telling me about what was going on in Ethiopia and other countries, I have been influenced by a whole new set of standards and priorities. In East Africa, people would give an arm and a leg for the water my family eliminates with H2O conserving appliances. Before this Water Wars unit, I knew Africa was a hot and dry place to live, but I never considered the fact that people may be dying from contaminated water or warring over who owns what lake. All though the U.S. is not going through a water crisis right now, this is not to say that we should not be involved with East Africa’s crisis. The people suffering over there are our fellow humans, and we should treat them as such. We will be glad we did, because if we ever happen to have a water crisis of our own someday, we will have the education and experience from East Africa to make the right decisions to solve it.

Thanks to a very pure and constant water supply her, in the northwest, the crisis has not affected me noticeably at all. However, the thought of “water is the new oil,” is extremely alarming to no me. If it is the new oil, will water really triple in price within the next few years? Or even worse, could it cause a worldwide conflict or even war, much like oil has? If so, I think that it could easily affect everyone who has a seemingly good water resource, in the near future; and needs to be dealt with soon.

I think water crisis has affected me in way that, now i am well aware of it, and think that we should definetly take an action to prevent it from going around the world, at the least. But individually, it does not really have a big impact over me, because i still do consume water the same way i used to, all i can do is, to do as much i can possibly. But the thought of how those little poor little kids and not just them, but just as much as all the age group people are suffering, it is shocking, and very pethetic ,and extremely sad at the same time.

This world crisis has not affected me so much. Everyday I can use around 150 gallons of water without worrying about running out of it. So technically I would not call this a world crisis yet because only a few countries are affected by it. Although we are not affected by the water crises we should help countries that are. In addition, after reading this article it will help me think about conserving water, but I do not think it well help Ethiopia very much.

Technically, the water crisis is not “world-wide” yet. A majority of people in the United States, and in most other countries, are not concerned about the shortage of water. However, people are trying to conserve water, but that won’t necessarily help the people in Ethiopia or Kenya. Personally, I have not been affected. My family and I use around 100 gallons a day, which is quite a lot compared to five gallons. To be honest, I have never really thought about how much water I use; I have always been able to turn on the faucet, which I may take for granted. This project has really opened my eyes.

- I don’t think we should say is World water crisis yet, because right now a lot of the country in the world still have a lot of water to use. Like U.S, right now the water crisis has not affected me at all, I can use water anytime I want and without think about that I would not have water for something else. Every day I use around 100-120 gallons of water, but I did not think about how did that affected other people that really need water right now. And from now on, I think I should.

I would not consider this a ‘world’ crisis as of yet, as five-sixths of the world are not experiencing anything dire. However, if some people from industrialized nations continuously send aid to areas of crisis, then it may escalate, within a few years, into an actual world-wide issue. The real problem in Africa is the lack of infrastructure, so extra supply not only does not help, but also promotes corruption. Without a strong fundamental supporting structure, the environment of Africa is simply not plentiful enough to support all of the population. By sending aid, we are simply pushing aside the immediate need for better infrastructure, leading to problems in the future, when water really will be scarcer globally.
Adding to the problem is the fact that population has not ceased to increase, putting more people into desperate conditions. Developed nations sending charity allow more people to survive than the humanized environment can support, leading to a temporary solution. If something drastic then happens (such as a war, economic crisis, depletion of resources, natural disaster) to limit the amount or effectiveness of foreign aid, then the ones who need the aid will try to survive, causing violence domestically and then possibly globally. The only solution would be to stop sending water and food (non-humanitarian) or to send workers over to forcibly develop the African infrastructure (diplomatic issues). This way, we can prevent the spread of violence to us.

The world water crisis has not effected me because I don’t feel that in the United States there is a water crisis. Maybe they should revise the title it places on water scarcity to highlight the specific regions which are really struggling. This way there would be a more concentrated effort to help the specific parts of the world that are in desperate need.

The world water crisis hasn’t forced me to change my lifestyle but it has subtly affected the local economy because sales tax has increased so substantially to account in part for the treatment of water and for finding and protecting water supplies. Nowadays, Washington seems to have an abundance of water, according to fellow students’ responses, but in reality, the entire globe is experiencing a shortage. Ten years ago, for example, we went through a severe water shortage and the threat of running out of it was legitimate. As a society, we’re not very efficient with our water so in my house we do our best to minimize our usage and reuse water. My awareness of the current catastrophe is increasing so the issue will continue to affect my life more and more.

The world water crisis hasn’t affected me at all. I’ve always been able to turn on the shower or the tap and never have to worry whether water would come out. I use 100 to 150 gallons of water everyday without thinking about the effect it has, let alone the effect it has on someone in Kenya. Learning about problems other countries have has definitely affected the way I view water and my use of it.

The water crisis really hasn’t affected me in any way. Water here is something that we take for granted; we see it as a given and guaranteed right. I can’t even say whether the water bills have gone up recently, since I don’t actually pay them. I know now that people around the world are suffering for the sake of this resource. In any case, water is only just now starting to affect me. I have started paying more attention to whether I am wasting water or not.

The water crisis has made me appreciate all the little things, like water more. Water just seemed like something that’s always there for everybody and I never really realized that it was so important for life. Mostly everything that I use everyday like sinks, the shower, and even making food to eat requires water. I would suffer a great deal if I didn’t have the things that I do available to me 24/7, so I have begun conserving water to try to improve the life of others.

The world water crisis does not affect me because the US is not experiencing a water crisis yet. Although in no way has it affected my daily life (I can still turn on the tap to get my water), it has me thinking about how lucky I am to be in such a rich country. While I can get clean water with minimal effort, people in Africa have to walk for hours a day to get dirty water. The huge contrast between countries in water access is shocking; I try to not waste water now.

This water crisis has not yet affected America as a whole, but as an individual it has come to my knowledge just how important the conservation of water is. I have cut down my showers and fit as many articles of clothing in my loads of laundry as possible, as should everyone. There is no need to take 25 minute showers daily, and jeans can be worn a few time between washes. It depresses me to see nothing productive has been done to help these people. Are we all so blind? Do we care so little about other people; and are we so conceded ourselves to not care to spend 5 minutes less in the shower? We take advantage of our water, and the fact our system works well enough to provide water for everyone, and this makes someone look within themselves, to see how they need to change.

The world water crisis never came to my attention until we started reading about it. So if it affects me it affects my water intake. In the way that I will be more conscious of how much water I useee.

The water crisis has not affected me very much. I don’t really notice how much water i use. I never really pay attention to how long my showers are. These things just don’t come to mind when i do my daily routine. I can’t imagine getting sick from water, because all of the water i have ever had has been directly from a water fountain or a filtered source.

So far the water hasn’t affected me in a real way. It has just been my own feelings of how I seem to be failing hundreds of thousands of people just by using water. Every time I read a story about how a woman lost an education because she had to walk 6 miles for water I think about what I could do. How if everyone in the U.S. cut back their shower by one minute we could save enough water for every African could drink water everyday.

The water crisis for me has impacted me as an individual and has gotten me thinking. Everyday people here in America turn on a sink, and can easily fill in a glass a water with know problem, knowing them most likely won’t get sick. But I’ve learned to stop and think about what if I were in the position of those living in Africa, Iraq, or any other places going through this crisis. What if I was the one that had to walk so far, break a bone, just to get a little satisfaction of knowing my body would be hydrated one minute, and make me sick the next. I think if more people were to think like this they would realize that us Americans are spoiled. To us water is just a resource one that seems not be affecting us, but with other people, they would cherish to have what we have. This crisis has gotten me to try my best to do what I can do for those people that don’t have and make a difference, and realize I could be in the same situation, and it’s a blessing I am not.

The water crisis hasn’t affected me directly, as it has in parts of Africa. Until know, I was unaware that this was even going on in the world. While it has not affected my daily life, it has affected my perspective on the issue of water. It causes me to be more apprehensive when using water, for example; taking shorter showers, and turning the sink off when I brush my teeth. I’m beginning to see how much we take our gratuity of water for granted.

The world water crisis has not really affected me at all. I have used hundreds of gallons every week and never thought twice about it. The most that my family has ever had to do was worry about how much we were spending on our water bills, but it has never been a problem, and sanitation has never been an issue. It has definitely been eye-opening to hear about some of the problems in the world that I have had no idea were in existence.

The United States has not been affected very hard by the water crisis and neither have I. I have always been on to turn on the tap and have water come out. But learning about the water crisis has affected me in a great way. After learning about the lack of water in the world I have realized that I need to conserve water because many people around the world aren’t as lucky as I am.

The world water crisis has not really affected me at all. In truth, I did not have any idea there was a crisis until very recently. Since I discovered this crisis, it has still not had any impact on the way I live my life.

Water has not dramatically affected me. I have access to water throughout my house and I am very fortunate to have it. Now that I have seen and heard stories of water scarcity in Africa I watch the amount of water that I put to waste by accidentally leaving the sink on too long or taking a long shower. I take those all into consideration now that I am aware of the people of Africa and their water struggle.

The world water crisis has affected me in that I use less water than before and I pay more attention to things like faucets left on. Emotionally, it has affected me in such a way as I wish I could do something but I feel powerless to do anything. As of today, I have not been impacted in the same way as the people in Africa. I haven’t experienced an extremely long draught, nor have I ever had to walk more than a few feet to get water – As opposed to a few miles. Seeing how the crisis has affected other people has brought me a greater understanding of how truly lucky I am and I will not take water for granted any longer.

I personally haven’t yet been affected by the world water crisis, but when I go out on my own I bet it might. If I go somewhere out of Washington then I might have to think about how much water I use if where I go has a long drought. Seeing how people around the world have been affected by water enough that they aren’t even able to go to school, is hard to think is really happening because I am not going through these trials myself.

The world water crisis really hasn’t affected me directly much at all. Living where I do, in America, is a great blessing which we should all be thankful for and not take anything for granted. Since learning more about the crisis it has only really made me be more conscious about the amount of water me and my family uses. It hasn’t inspired me to move to Africa and try to fix anything but I can do my small part to help by donating and just conserving as much as I can.

As of yet, the water crisis has not greatly affected in the sense of dehydration or anything. Enough has happened to make me more wary in my water usage after hearing of the Ethiopians and many others. I heard about how they use about 5-10 gallons of water per day. When I monitored my usage I was astonished at how much me and my family used, that I decided to cut back on some of my more excessive water habits.

The world water crisis hasn’t really affected be yet physically. But mentally I’m more aware of the crisis around the world. I have available access to water almost everywhere. Water, I believe, is the least of the US government’s worry. But if we don’t find a way to help the water crisis, the way of life we have now will change drastically.

The water crisis hasn’t affected me yet, but I’m sure it will in the future. In my house I’ve always have water and it isn’t something that I worry about having daily. Well-developed countries –like the U.S. –need to help countries in need before it becomes their problem too. Part of the reason why the problem was caused was because of global warming which will only become worse without careful attention to stop it.

The water crisis has affected me because it has shown how wasteful American’s water use is. I am astounded at how most Ethiopians use only 5 gallons a day, while American’s use more than 100. In the future I will be sure to monitor my excessive water habits.

The water crisis has not affected me greatly. I do not feel the affects of this crisis because I have access to clean safe water with the turn of a knob. Water has always been available and accessible in the US. Though, if we do not take care of the water crisis in other countries and do not correct the problem, then we all may be feeling the affects.

The water crisis has affected me because the U.S. has a lot of water for everyone and a lot of people don’t use water as they should. For example Starbucks wastes 6 million gallons of water a day. I know the water will eventually recycle but that also takes energy and costs a lot. The U.S. should be more thankful for the water we have and the access we have to get water when we need it.

I think that the world water crisis hasn’t affected me or anyone else in the United States. I think this water crisis hasn’t affected us because America is generally a richer, more advanced in technology, and has more resources than Africa does, so we can deal with finding new ways to find water and to get water while Africa doesn’t. So I think we should send the technology and resources that America has to Africa.

Its affected me because the U.S. uses water everyday and takes advantage of it. We need to be more careful and save as much water as we can; even though it’s not going straight to the countries that need it, we are saving the long detailed process of cleaning it for a time when it’s useful.

Give them water

I think that it is quite striking to consider the claim that “World War III will be fought over water, not oil.” Stonehill explores this irony when it is also said: ‘Water is life.” Water is something essential to us and the world we live in, and both are largely made from it. So, to fight a war over the very thing that is life, becmes a very profound thing. And if water truly is the “new oil,” we can see from precedent that this a bad thing, to put it midly. Considering the amount of deaths caused by the U.S. and it’s regime’s current Oil War, we do indeed see some of the ramifications of a potential war over water.

The water crisis hasn’t affected the way I live my everyday life but it does concern me about the hardships that the small towns in Africa have to live theirs. I was surprised when I read that women in some towns have to walk ten miles a day just to get to the water.

Here in the U.S., the water situation hasn’t really effected us, which I’m happy for, but that doesn’t mean that the fact that it affects others doesn’t mean anything to us. I personally think we should be doing more to help the other countries in their fight for water.

The world water crisis hasn’t had any affect on us here in the U.S. As a country we probably consume an unecessary amount of water that we could be sharing to other countries with water shortages like Kenya, but not many people even know that there is a water crisis in those countries. There has to be a way to fix this problem.

This water crisis hasn’t effected me personally in the sense that I have a shortage on water, but in the sense of needing to take action. The most shocking thing to me in an article was saying that water showed wealth. Water shouldn’t show wealth, it should be accessable to everyone and anyone who needs it. The matter is how to get water to everyone without causing conflict.

Unfortunately, until this year I have never even heard of the water crisis in Africa. The most experience I’d had with this issue was when I visited Australia where they too experienced water shortages–not to the same depth though. It is extremely unfortunate that the US and the media as a whole do not work to shed light on this obviously important dire issue. Missouri especially is not affected adversely by water shortages; rather, we have such “disasters” as flooding or overwhelmed sewers and soggy back yards. The world needs to work towards finding a better solution to this problem.

I think that if the African Union that has sent peace keeping troops to certain African nations, like Sudan, could work with the involved nations to come to an agreement on Lake Victoria and the Nile River, a lot of conflict could be avoided. While the UN should be involved in trying to help the situation, the African continent as a whole should first try everything they can and if that doesn’t work, then the UN should step in.

This article was absolutely heartbreaking for me to read. These people are so desperate for help and they have not gotten any thus far. They have resorted to fighting each other, which does not help at all. I think that the need to help these groups with their problem has increased and that the developed countries need to lend their assistance. If we can find it within us to help, I feel that this problem could be reduced.

While reading this article, it was so surprising to me that I had never really heard much about the devastation of the water crisis in Africa. Then I realized that Africa receives little attention from the United States because there is little to be gained from intervention. The U.S. readily involves itself in conflicts in the Middle East but turns a deaf ear to much more critical situations elsewhere. I can appreciate the fact that a nation must be ultimately self-serving to survive, but it seems to me that Americans could use to develop a greater concern for the world outside of the U.S. Couldn’t there be negative implications for Americans down the road if we allow the water crisis to continue to escalate? Personally, I believe we tend to underestimate our global interconnectedness.

The water crisis is heartbreaking and certainly deserves our attention and immediate action. However, claims like “Lake Victoria will dry up in our lifetime” seem alarmist. Is it possible to elaborate on this situation and provide more concrete data?

It seems to me that the problem of water distribution is more of a problem of population distribution. There is enough water to go around, at least in the status quo, but it’s just not economically feasible. We can see this even in the United States during the drought that occurred this past summer in the Southeast. A little water was important but even somewhere as industrialized as the United States this still wasn’t feasible and actual rationing had to be used to make sure there was enough.

I was immediately reminded of two things after reading this article. First, I was struck by the irony that some areas of the world (along the Mississippi for example) there has been abundant rainfall and especially bad flooding in recent years. On the other hand, I remembered a recent trip to the U.S. southwest where I heard for the first time that water scarcity had become an ongoing problem. Unlike in eastern Africa, the problem isn’t as dire but it is still prominent. Is it possible that the water problem is a little closer to home than we expect? Might this help motivate Americans to help out in the African Water Wars?

Two things struck me about this article: firstly, like global warming, the AIDS epidemic and even conflict with Islamic extremists, the American public will not sit up and take notice until water scarcity begins to directly influence their daily life. It seems hard to find a historical example of a humanitarian or environmental issue that entered public discussion before it became a crisis.
Second was the comment that in Africa environmental and humanitarian concerns are linked and so policy on one has a large effect on the other. This is true in the United States as well, it is just that we are too nearsighted to see the connections between our treatment of the environment and our well-being. In Africa that connection is obvious right now and hopefully Americans will be able to understand that the same will become true for us. This article made me realize how unnecessary my long showers are.

Water is necessary; its a simple fact of life that all humans must drink to survive. It is always striking to me how major issues in American can be completely superfluous, we talk about the new flavors of soft drinks and the quality of our imported water. Again and again, I see members of our global society suffering, and instead of acting we focus more and more money and attention on ourselves. When will it stop? Maybe never. Is there a solution to the problem? There is no way to directly siphon off American water and dispose of it in sub-Saharan Africa. But on the other hand, the nature of humanity is to constantly evolve. As we change the landscape of civilization as a whole, we must also understand that we must force ourselves to adapt even more quickly. To every change we create in this world, we must create a response as quickly. Our survival depends on it.

It’s amazing to see how water affects different cultures. For example, flooding is very common in Missouri, and especially in the plains where I used to live. Recently the flooding was so bad that people were evacuated and homes were destroyed. My best friend got into a terrible car accident because of excess rainwater on the road. Water is seen as a blessing in Africa, but in some situations it can be a curse in America. Why can’t there be a happy medium?

I never really had considered the importance of water before my class started this project. Here in Saint Louis, we live at the convergence of the two largest rivers in the United States. We almost have too much water, with one of the two rivers flooding at least once a year.

Are the water shortages heightening the tribal tensions or vice versa?

There have been 2 floods this year in our rivers and that is really the only problems we have involving water.

This unfortunately seems to be a reoccuring situation in developing societies, because the root of the struggle is a high demand caused by a growing population and no matter who helps, the basic issue is still the same.

The world water crisis has not affected my life or many other people’s lives around me. In the United States we probably take water for granted, by not conserving it like we probably should be. There are many people in our country that would be shocked if they heard taht some people do not take water for granted.

This article made me realize how important water really is. I never had any idea that people in other countries were actually fighting over water and having to travel many miles daily just to find and have access to water. Here in the United States we take our access and use of water for granted and usually overuse water because it is so plentiful here. It is sad to hear that the scarcity of water in the African countries is causing many conflicts over such a plentiful natural resource in the U.S. I do not understand why these water wars are not getting much coverage because it is something important and especially because water is something many countries like the United States can help donating or aiding in finding and getting better access to water for the African countries who have scarcity of water. A quote from this article that stuck out to me most was “water symbolizes wealth”. This quote proves to be very true for many citizens of Africa because those who do have easy access to water are living in wealthier places most likely. But even those citizens who have easy access also need aid in having better access to water. I wish the media would cover this issue more and maybe the United States and other countries plentiful of water could help in aiding these African countries.

After reading this artcile, I find myself very fortunate to have never been affected by the world water crisis. This article has definitely opened my eyes to the crisis, and it will make me more conscious of the amout of water I use and waste every day.

in responce to this question:
What is your biggest water story so far?

-Here in st. louis, we have an abundance of water. WE have two major rivers that flow through this city, and therefore we often experiece flooding. Never in my life have I not had water. I have seen land flooding as more of a problem than water shortage.

It hasn’t yet but if it keeps up this way it might in the future

I never really thought t how much everyday we waste things that people like in Africa would kill for…..

We must have pity for these parts of the world, but surely we must understand that there is very little we can do to help, and any help we might give would only cause more hassles later on.

I didn’t even know there was a conflict for water in Africa. It’s hard to believe that people are being killed for something that we waste everyday.

The water crisis hasnt effected where we live yet becasue we have a vast amount of water around where we live, which could change and we could be caught in the middle of a water crisis as well as other parts of the world are Experiencing right now. My church went to Kenya to help build areas to purify water and places to store clean water so that the community could have clean water. I wish i could of gone so i could see what is happening 1st handed with my own eyes.

We feel that we are not directly affected by the world water crisis. This year we recieved so much rainfall that many streets were flooded and had to be closed down. Even major highways. Some places in the United States have been slightly affected by droughts, such as Georgia and other neighboring states, but it’s nothing like whats going on in Africa. They still have plenty of water for everyone whereas Africa doesn’t have enough water for barely anyone. Water scarcity and finding clean drinking water isn’t something that we even really have to think about because it is so plentiful. However, if we all continue to take advantage of the amount of water we have, we will soon be in the same position that Africa is currently in today. We can only ignore the problem for so long before it spins out of control.

The water crisis has yet to affect me here in STL, but i know that it has affected states such as Florida, in that they can only water they plants on certain days, but that’s practically negligible compared to other countries. I only hope that people will see the problem in Africa, and in response, do something productive to save and prevent future crisis’.

I didn’t even know about a water crisis until learning about it in school. Personally it has not affected me yet,but it doesn’t mean we should sit back and let these things happen to other people.

I’m not personally effected by the water crisis but I do believe that we as Americans should be quite careful about our water consumption in the years to come.

There are a lot of people un aware of the water shortage crisis. Without somehow educating them nothing will change, or be done to stop the situation. We here in America dont know what its like to not have water, and we are part of the causes of why else where in the world they are suffereing. The crisis does effect us here at home, not only by knowing that tons are suffering but we are also bombarded with hundreds of organizations asking for money and our help-yet we usually do nothing.

I wonder how many of us could go a day without water. Living in the United States water seems like a neverending resource, but this is obviously not the case for countries around the world. “Water is life.” The fact that people are fighting over a basic resource, should awaken our senses, and bring us to the fight to get these problems heard and resolved.

Here in the U.S. we waste water everyday. I wish there was a way that we could help areas who truly need it to survive not just for luxury.

Usually as americans we don’t really think much of it. Water is so abbundent for us that we’re not used to the idea of other countries lacking in the resource. We agree with the statement that the health of the earth and the health of humanity is one and the same. Eventually the situation will get so bad that worldwide countries will experence the same problems.

The water crisis has not affected me here in the U.S. I feel that if we keep up our water use the way we are, it may become a big problem for generations to come. It probably won’t be a problem in our lifetime, but we should still begin to conserve now.

I believe that the water problem across the world is increasing rapidly after reading this article, and that if it is getting worse and worse then someday it will either effect me or my kids or grand children. I just realize that i need to understand how much water i use and i need to stop using as much as i do. I also realize that i should be thankful for every drop that i recieve. I believe that the u.s should do something about it in the world that we should help more than we have been.

We don’t feel like the water crisis is really effecting us in the U.S. It is a growing issue in third world countries that people in the more wealthier countries should take more notice of. We think that if they raised the awareness of the water crisis internationally, then there would be more relief for the countries.

In the midwest, we aren’t being affected by the world water crisis, but we don’t have to travel far west to see water problems altering the lifestyles of citizens living in in the United State’s desert regions such as California, Nevada, etc. These communites have not reached the point where water has become completely absent from their lives, but they are held under restrictions on how much water they are allowed to use, and even what times during the day they are allowed to use it. If we are already seeing this problem rising in our own country, who knows how long it will be before our desert states are under dangerous conditions because of the lack of water in these regions.

We live such sheltered lives here that we don’t really think about the fact that people are being killed over water, whereas we only have to walk a few feet to drink some. Water scarcity is an issue that needs to be heard about more. It may not affect the Western world yet, but it will. We have a global obligation to try and alleviate this problem as much as we can.

I’m glad that someone has finally gotten enough courage to write about an issue that is so important to them. It’s nice to know that people still care about the lack of necessaties for poor countries and not just about celebrity life. The fact that the world is only caring about oil and the economy. Hopefully by bringing our interest to the matter it will bring media attention so something is done.

The news is so repetitive with its oil talk but they fail to mention the water scarcity issue. I realize it is not affecting us too much right now but dont you think more people should start spreading the word. Me personally I dont use a ton of water but there are things in the world that water is being flat out wasted on. In my opinion there are 2 major actions we must take.1 is finding a way to help stabalize the issue plaguing the outside world and 2 is taking preventative action to make sure the same does not happen to us.

In all truthfulness the world water cirsis hasn’t affected us in STL yet. It has somewhat affected Alabama and other southern states all little. However the conflict in Africa may have a ripple effect and the u.s might quickly find itsself in the middle of a water crisis very quickly.

I never realized what a precious resource water is. We don’t ever think about water being a limited resource here in the United States. I went to Ghana, West Africa in 2001 and in retrospect, I realize that water is conserved there as well. For example, showers are taken with only one bucket of water and bottled water is not present everywhere.

With the growing disputes over oil increasing every day, the large affect that the lack of water will have on us continues unmentioned. However if this crisis continues than it will with out a doubt directly impact the entire world. If some of the largest lakes in the world are drying up, then what about the smaller ones and even the ocean. If the ocean lines start to recede, not only will there be tribal disputes and possible wars. It can be assumed that costal cities all over the world will be in turmoil as well. Not to mention, while we are looking for alternative energy resources other than oil, and possiblities of using water for energy makes no sence to me. Just because the water issue hasn’t reached the United States yet, doesn’t mean it won’t.

Like Hale, the world water crisis has made me rethink how I use water. What I can’t help thinking about is that it may soon become a bigger issue in the United States in the form of wild fires. In the past years, the wild fires in California especially have been devastating because of the lack of rain. If water continues to decrease, more woodlands could become drier, providing more fuel for the fires. There would also be less water sources to use to try and stop its direction. My grandfather lives in California; he does not live in the areas that have had trouble with wild fires, but he does live in one of the more heavily wooded areas. If those woods lack the water to remain hydrated, my grandpa may soon live in a area more susceptible to fire.

It hasn’t really affected me personally, living in the United States,but after reading this I don’t find it hard to see water replacing oil as a reason for multiple conflicts.

This water crisis hasn’t affected us, but it has made us realize how much water we use on a greater scale. Also, this has connected the environmental issues we have been experiencing in the United States with greater problems all over the world.

I think that the severity of water crisis in other parts of the world will increase over time and start to affect the United States. As a nation, we will feel pressure to do what we can to help. On a personal level, this article makes me realize that I should appreciate the running water that I always have access to, and I should be more consciencious of how much water I use daily.

Although, I as an American have never been without water, this article introduces several alarming ways that the crisis could effect me in the next several ways. Efforts should be made to aid those without water for their own sake, but now I can explain to those who are less altruistically inclined that wars will break out over this important natural resource that could effect us directly. The line that water will be the cause of World War 3 really struck me and I hope that people will pay more attention to the issue.

The world water crisis hasn’t really affected me as of yet, but it has made me realize how much water i use on a day to day basis. But also it makes me see how much less water other nations use compared to the United States. But it also makes me see how much land the United States uses compared the Africa and how our building affects people around the world in general.

I would not have even known about the world water crisis if I had not learned about this at school or read this article, so it has not affected me personally. That does not mean it won’t affect us in the future. We need to make people aware that this is going on so we can start solving the problem now.

The water crisis has not affected me as of yet, but it’s made me more aware of how long I shower and such and how much I really used compared to these types of countries.

I think down the road maybe several decades from now water will become a significant issue in US politics and we will have to devise some way in which to save water just like we are trying to find ways to conserve gas today.

Obviously the world water crisis hasn’t literally affected us, living in the United States, but it has made us more aware of how much water we use on a day to day basis.

It has really put in perspective my own use of water, and redefine it as an overuse of water. I think if we want to have some say of the level of impact this inevitable crisis will have, we must recognize immediately the problems and take steps to prepare ourselves and save water.

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Why is this crisis so underpublicized? Why do we hear of the poverty these countries are suffering from and not thier lack of water? Who should be educating us on this issue? Why are we not offering any political support?

Why does our government seem to not care about this crisis?

By simply using less water, the water is not going to go directly to thirsty nations in Africa. When I conserve, am I making any difference?

Has the U.S. done anything to help other countries in need?

Have you been working with any organizations that also deal with helping people obtain water?

Have McCain or Obama made any plans about this? Are we in this alone or are other countries helping us?

Since water is so scarce, where are some of the few places Africans can get water?

Why did the Kenyan government give Nairobi the better water infrastructure, while Kibera, which is right next to Nairobi, is left with very poor water quality? In addition, why didn’t the Kenyan government see that the differences in water quality could potentially cause an uprising in Kibera?

The majority of people agree and know from books, school, the current news, etc. that a strong leader is a necessity in order for a group’s problem to be solved. Are the strong, skilled leaders in Ethiopia taking action to resolve the water scarcity crisis and to reach reach out to wealthier countries, like the United States, for help? What are Obama and McCain’s thoughts/plans on helping Africa’s water-deprived nations and decreasing the amount of used water in the United States? How can U.S. high school students help the water-deprived African nations and influence other U.S. citizens to not waste water?

In Alex Stonewall’s article, he says that water is the world’s new oil. He compares two important fuels in the same respect. I don’t think water is the world’s oil… yet. Though water may be a huge future problem, it isn’t right now. However, if we let it get out of control, sure, it’s going to get messy. I think that raising awareness now is very important if we are going to solve this problem.

I have read about weather alteration, is this a plane for a possible increase in water in Africa or is it just magic now? And if it does come to completion will this new technology be able to be used by theses African nations?

What are ways that we in the U.S. could help the water problem over in Africa? Would donating money even help? Or are there other ways besides donating that would help Africans gain access to cleaner, cheaper water?

The water in the U.S. seems to over abundant. It is actually painful to see how much water we waist and not understand that it is a very precious resource for millions of people.

To get a better feel for the waist of water I asked around and got a average of 12 minute showers daily and 3 toilet flushes, including 3 or more hand washings. That is a LOT of water for one teen. And the part of this that is disturbing to me is that this is all DRINKABLE water, is it really that big of a problem to flush are toilets with none pure water?

In the article, It says the east african people say “water symbolizes wealth.” I don’t want them to think all americans are selfish even if our water supply is plentiful. What can we do to help? is there any specific organizations for these countries?

Since the scarcity of water does not seem to affect the U.S. is there a way for us to import water to Africa? Or would it be possible to send people there to dig more wells in available places, or create manmade rivers?

In the article, it said “the coming World War Three will be fought over water, not oil.” Do you agree or disagree?

What could we do as students to raise awareness of this major world issue?

Why can’t we help out these people? We have many resources and have the capacity to help them, not in just giving them water, but in other basic needs as well. They don’t just need water, yet how can we help?

I never heard of this problem until now, and it seems to me that it is an extremely important problem that needs attention. So why doesn’t the U.S. and other wealthy countries help Africa out with this problem? Also, why doesn’t the government in the U.S. address this to the people more?

Why doesn’t the U.S. take some of the money they take and use towards weapons that they send to Iraq and other places of the world and use it to help build up water based infrastructure to help provide sanitary water for at least some more of the places there to use? Is there any organizations that raise money to do this that i might be able to donate to?

since we are so far away is there any realistic way we can help as high school aged kids???

Would aiding one country with this water crisis automatically make us enemies with one of the neighboring countries?

Is there a way that the US or other nations could legitimately send water to Africa in an affordable way that would help solve the problem?

While its easy to recognize it is a problem, there are also legitimate problems industrialized countries today are facing, not the least of which is an ever-increasing debt. What can modernized nations reasonably do to address this problem, and in what ways can African nations attempt to work together to help themselves?

It seems as if the problem lies a lot within the local attitudes towards the use of the scarce water resources. If international organizations were to offer their help, what could they possibly do?

I’m curious as to how the population can continue to grow with these conditions. It seems like some kind of Malthusian scenario would eventually lead to an equilibrium in which there wasn’t a scarcity. Why is it that this hasn’t occurred?

In your story you mention a lack of data concerning water consumption, production (rainfall?) etc in Africa, what are some organizations that would or could compile this data? What techniques could be used to convince them it is a worthwhile effort?

I was wondering, after reading this article, if there were actually any thoughts about making future plans for international cooperation on conservation for the water system of the Lake Victoria / River Nile System even though there aren’t any in place yet? Thanks

I also was unaware of the breadth of the water crisis in Africa. I had heard about it in passing, but as with many humanitarian projects overseas, had been too negligent to hear what was happening around me.

I have a couple of questions, firstly, when there is talk of the “third world war” over water, what will that entail? In what way will this crisis escalate to that degree? In years, decades, generations? Will it be a world war in the sense that every nation in the world has some interest in the conflict that they are prepared enough to take sides? What are the sides in the conflict; those who possess water and those who do not? I am just curious as to the hypothetical context and span of this conflict.

Secondly, is there any physical thing that can be done in the long-term to save these people? I ask that acknowledging the answers to the questions people have asked about personal involvement from overseas, but I suppose I am asking more about the long-term ramifications of any NGO project, or perhaps what the solution to the problem truly is. Do people simply have to evolve? Will they be forced away from their native lands? Is there a way to irrigate the land so that there truly is water in this area? It seems from my perspective that in the short term only emergency action is being taken and I believe that is what is necessary, but are the governments prepared with infrastructure, simply lacking funding? Are corrupt officials siphoning funds?

This was an incredibly long question that I believe appears a bit cynical, I was just curious about some specific details of the conflict, in a more … political/economic facet?

I dont know if anyone has asked this yet, but what exactly can be done about this water crisis? The United States is pretty far from Africa… If we were to help a struggling country with these problems, what would we be able to do?

Is anyone taking action against the water crises? What, as Americans, can we do to help?

The article mentions that the population will double in the next thirty years. Would family planning and contraception help to create a more sustainable Africa as the available water supply dwindles?

This article really opened up my eyes to the water crisis occurring in Africa. I had no idea that so many factors were contributing to the massive depletion of essential resources. I was especially surprise to hear about the effects of global warming on water supply and fishing patterns. I have a few questions, though. What is the government’s response to the water crisis in general, and what do you anticipate it will be in the coming years? Are they trying to help out the Ethiopian people by appealing to international organizations? Or does the national government not realize the full extent of the drought / decrease in water supply, and are not doing anything to save the Ethiopian people? Finally, as civil strife continues in the area and humanitarian groups are exiled and/or choose to leave because of violence and fear, how will this affect the native Africans? Will the humanitarian groups still send supplies via other methods, or will the denizens of East Africa be forced to live with even less water and food?

What can or should be done to help this situation (i.e. how as a student can I help/get involved?).

Would there be any specific thing the united states goverment could do to protect or provided theese people that have lost everything, why are we as a country so selfish? I know we try but isn’t there something we can do to help them at least recieve water?

How come this issue is ignored compared to other problems when human life is more important than anything?

Why is this issue not being talked about much in the U.S.?

I never realized what a precious resource water is. We don’t ever think about water being a limited resource here in the United States. I went to Ghana, West Africa in 2001 and in retrospect, I realize that water is conserved there as well. For example, showers are taken with only one bucket of water and bottled water is not present everywhere.

Have you or has any of your family members suffered from a waterborne disease?

What is the most exciting experience you came across in reporting on water from the eastern African region?

What is your biggest water story so far?