Thirsty for Human Rights

Imagine a day where you can’t brush your teeth, wash your hands, take a shower, go to the bathroom, or quench your thirst with a sip of cold water. For thousands of Ethiopians, this is the daily reality. The unfortunate truth is that 58% of Ethiopians do not have the fresh water that most would call a basic human right (Shore).

While there are many factors that could be pointed to as an explanation for the water crisis, a recent cause of increased drought is the El Nino weather phenomenon. (Hilse) However, the problems involve much more than a one year drought. Social complications are slowing water access and physical problems are barring the path to sustainable permanent solutions.

Social factors throughout history have made clean water difficult to access for Ethiopians. For example, when the British took Egypt during the “Scramble for Africa” in the late 1800s, they instated laws that all of the water in the Nile and any of its tributaries belonged to Egypt. (Shore) This was not an issue when water did not pose a global health crisis, but now that water is becoming scarce, Egypt’s neighbors rely on the Nile water within their borders. However, the long standing law is hard to overturn, and until it can be, Egypt continues to receive any water in Ethiopian tributaries of the Nile, leaving Ethiopian citizens desperate for clean water. A more surprising water hindrance is that external support and attention is not doing the most it could because the efforts are not cooperative. The aide is not streamlined, and therefore it cannot make a significant impact. (Kakuri) With different charities and countries donating different amounts of money and water to different parts of Ethiopia, it is impossible to positively affect a widespread group of people. The social factors of antiquated laws and a lack of coordinated support are hindering expedient help for Ethiopians. Additionally, more tangible factors are preventing easy water access.

Physical factors are distancing people from the water they greatly need. “El Nino”, a shifting of weather patterns every 5 years or so, occured in 2015. The phenomenon changes air currents, bringing rain to some areas by taking it from areas used to water; it caused a serious drought in eastern Africa, further devastating Ethiopia’s water crisis (Hilse). With Ethiopia’s above-ground water quickly drying up, they are desperately turning to building wells, showers and toilets in the rural towns in the rural towns. (Karuri) When completed, these utilities will provide sustainable water access to Ethiopians, but often these processes take a while, and until they can be completed, getting water grows difficult for anyone in these rural areas. The time it takes to build these necessities is simply too long, and subpar equipment is just drawing out the process even more. Drought and slow construction are physically distancing many Ethiopians from the water they really need.

Overall, the Ethiopian water crisis, a dire situation that takes nearly 500 lives per day (Karuri), is struggling to be addressed in a quick fashion because physical and social issues are separating malnourished and thirsty citizens from water. To correct the problem, international aide needs to be streamlined and coordinated in Ethiopia so that combined efforts can pack a punch in areas of need. Egyptian water laws should be altered to address water crises plaguing surrounding countries. Finally, towns need access to better equipment so they can construct showers, wells, and toilets more quickly and provide their citizens with basic human rights everyone deserves.

Works Cited

Hilse, Gwendolin. "Up to 20 Million Threatened by Drought in Eastern Africa." DW.COM. DW.COM, 16 Feb. 2017. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Karuri, Ken. "Drought-hit Ethiopia Turns to Underground Water." Africanews. Africanews, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Shore, Rebecca. "Water in Crisis - Spotlight Ethiopia." The Water Project. The Water Project, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.