Water is one of the basic necessities for all life on Earth. On average, humans should drink eight cups of water a day to replenish moisture lost from sweat, exercise or illness. Living in a country of privilege where clean water is brought to homes through pipes, it is very easy to be unaware of the daily struggle people in other countries, such as Africa and Latin America, must overcome to get water for their families.

According to water.org, 750 million people lack access to clean water. Women and children will spend 140 million hours per day trying to collect enough water to sustain their families. Many times, the water collected from wells and aqueducts are not suitable for drinking due to pollution. The polluted water carries bacteria such as e-coli,  and every minute, a child dies from a water-related disease. In America, one household will use about 984 liters of water per day, while people in Africa will only have 20 liters of water everyday.

Freshman Kim Flache explains why clean water is essential.

“We all need clean water to survive,” said Flache. “It’s upsetting at how many people are suffering because they don’t have enough safe water to drink.”

Conserving water can help this growing problem. Doing so does not involve much man power, and with enough people involved, clean water will eventually be accessible to everyone. According to EPA, the US Environmental Protection Agency,   fixing leaks in one’s household, avoiding the urge to over-water plants, and taking shorter showers are simple ways to contribute and conserve water.

Flache shares one way that her family conserves water.

“Instead of letting the water run while we wash the dishes,” said Flache. “We shut off the facet. We only turn it on when we need to wash off the soap suds.”