Reference no: EM133942173

Problem

The issue of safe drinking water is both a sustainability challenge and a primary social justice concern. According to Maimann (2023), nearly two billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water, and an additional 3.6 billion lack adequate sanitation. These disparities are especially pronounced in low-income countries, where poor infrastructure, climate change, and systemic poverty increase vulnerability. The consequences are severe: untreated or poorly treated water leads to 1.2 million deaths annually, mainly affecting marginalized communities.

This crisis demonstrates that sustainability must be connected to equity and inclusion. For instance, in Northern Kenya, repeated droughts have forced women and children to walk nine miles daily to fetch water from Lake Turkana (Maimann, 2023). This task not only restricts their access to education and economic opportunities but also exposes them to the risk of injury and gender-based violence during these journeys. Here, the burden of water scarcity is distributed unevenly, emphasizing that environmental issues also center on gender justice and human rights.

Addressing water access requires an integrated approach that considers both environmental limits and systemic inequalities. Conservation and technological solutions must be combined with policies that support vulnerable groups and close resource access gaps. From a DEI perspective, water justice must prioritize the voices of the most affected women, indigenous peoples, refugees, and communities in the Global South, ensuring that solutions are inclusive and sustainable.

The safe drinking water crisis highlights that sustainability involves more than just conserving resources; it also means promoting fairness and human dignity. Reliable water access should not be considered a privilege but a fundamental human right that should guide local and global sustainability efforts.

I. How do you agree about the conflict that makes the issue challenging to address?
II. How could resolving the conflict your peer mentioned support sustainability? Get the instant assignment help.
III. What might the process look like for pursuing conflict resolution or restorative justice?
IV. How would human equity be fostered if the social justice or DEI issue your peer shared were resolved?