Access to clean water is a defining characteristic of
civilized populations, and while Americans and most of the world has taken this
for granted for years, a huge number of people still do not enjoy this
luxury. Syria, located in the Middle
East just west of Iraq, has had a long history of dangerous living conditions and
human rights issues. Since the uprising
against President Bashar al-Assad in early 2011, large areas have been subjected
to violent conflict. The continued
conflict has seriously stalled national production of water treatment
chemicals, and many regions have been forced to live without reliable access to
clean water. According to UNICEF, an
increasing number of families are forced to pay rising prices for delivered
water from mobile tankers. Between the
lack of clean water and increasing exposure to untreated sewage, Syrians,
especially children, are subject to water-borne diseases.
While UNICEF and the UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are acting to supplying
humanitarian aid and emergency hygiene kits, the scale of these efforts are
severely limited by a lack of funds.
Politically or economically, giving aid to Syria may not be in America’s
best interest, but as a country that wastes an extreme amount of clean water
each day, we should feel responsible for aiding clean water efforts around the
world. Establishments of just
governments and effective education systems and other factors of civilized
populations cannot happen until the basic needs of the people and of the
children are cared for. Syrians have the
right to clean water as much as anyone from a developed nation, and the
establishment of a method to provide clean water will be a major step in the
progress of the country.
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