Examining Global Water Challenges Across Syria, Haiti, the UK, and the US

Abstract

Though water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, only 0.3% of that is available for human use and consumption. As a result, the growing challenges related to water quality and availability on a global scale have become a critical concern. This project discusses water quality and quantity problems affecting Syria, Haiti, and the United Kingdom, focusing on the unique problems and solutions each country faces as a function of geopolitical, socio-economic, and environmental contexts. In Syria, the humanitarian crisis is intricate, worsened by a prolonged drought, ongoing conflict, infrastructure damage, and recent cholera outbreaks. All of this is taking place against a backdrop of political instability, emphasizing the vital connection between water insecurity and health crises. Similarly, Haiti faces water quality challenges as a result of cholera outbreaks in water systems and political instability. But the ways the problem manifests and the solutions necessary for addressing it are different. These challenges are similar to, but notably distinct from, the cholera outbreak that impacted the United Kingdom water systems in the mid 1800s. In the United States, water quality problems have arisen due to aging infrastructure, industrial pollution, and agricultural runoff, displaying the need for comprehensive policy interventions. This paper demonstrates how the factors inherent in water quality challenges are unique to each country. Environmental policies, therefore, must also be distinct and consider the multiple factors uniquely contextualizing and contributing to the challenges in each country.