Water, Sanitation, Hygiene
According to the Centers for Disease Control, global access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education can reduce illness and death from disease, leading to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development. However, many countries are challenged to provide these basic necessities to their populations, leaving people at risk for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)-related diseases. Resources available within this theme offer information on providing access to safe water and appropriate sanitation facilities, and introducing sound hygiene behaviors.
Water, Sanitation, Hygiene Resources
Integrated water management and environmental justice - Public acceptability and fairness in adopting water innovations
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July 2, 2021Innovations to manage freshwater resources and avert shortages - including conservation through reclaimed wastewater, desalination, and demand-side management measures like increasing block rate structures offer practical, effective remedies for meeting future water demands. This article examines...Read more
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United StatesUnsafe Water More Common in Communities of Color
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July 2, 2021In this video, Elizabeth Martinez, of Lideres Campesinas—and a resident of Kern County, California—talks about the fears and challenges of living in a county with a long history of violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Michele Roberts of Environmental Justice Health Alliance and NRDC’s Kristi...Read more
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United StatesWater Problems Add To Widespread Environmental Injustice. Two Major Bills Could Change That.
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July 2, 2021Increased investment in water infrastructure is a key component in creating an environmentally just America. For years, low-income communities, communities of color, and rural regions have suffered from chronic disinvestment in water infrastructure, leading to serious water pollution, water...Read more
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United StatesA neglected environmental justice issue: indoor plumbing
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July 2, 2021In America, nearly 2 million people lack access to adequate running water and sanitation services, posing serious health and quality of life challenges in thousands of communities. Many Americans without adequate indoor plumbing reside in working class rural areas, especially on indigenous...Read more
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United StatesLead Pipes and Environmental Justice
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July 2, 2021Maintaining and rebuilding aging water infrastructure across the United States is essential to providing communities with safe drinking water. Regular infrastructure repair work, such as when a water main under the street is repaired, can disturb service lines, which poses an issue when the line is...Read more
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United StatesDrinking Water a Little-Noticed Environmental Justice Problem
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July 2, 2021This article highlights the struggles many rural communities throughout the U.S. have in accessing clean and reliable water for drinking and sanitation. Many small water systems in rural and poor areas struggle to adequately deliver services, maintain pipes, and expand infrastructure; this is...Read more
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United StatesEPA’S Role in Addressing the Urgent Water Infrastructure Needs of Environmental Justice Communities
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July 2, 2021Within this report, NEJAC highlights specific examples of vulnerable communities where residents do not have access to clean, safe drinking water and proper sanitation. EPA continues to serve an important and vital role in enforcement, training and dissemination of information to public and private...Read more
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United StatesWater Justice
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July 9, 2021Waters in urban and rural areas can be contaminated from a variety of sources, including industrial discharges, automobiles, wastewater, and agricultural use. Polluted water can cause environmental health hazards such as poor water quality and unsafe waters for recreation. Water utilities play a...Read more
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United StatesFlint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know
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July 9, 2021Natural Resources Defense Council
Flint, Michigan’s experience with government mismanagement and pollution has propelled it to the forefront of many environmental justice conversations. Flint, a majority black city north of Detroit, experienced dangerous decreases in water quality after policymakers took the city’s water system off...Read more
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United StatesThe blueprint of disaster: COVID-19, the Flint water crisis, and unequal ecological impacts
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July 9, 2021COVID-19 is unique in the scope of its effects on morbidity and mortality. However, the factors contributing to its disparate racial and socioeconomic effects are part of a continuous history of oppressive social policy. This history is characterized by institutionally generated inequalities forged...Read more
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United StatesDon't see what you're looking for? You can search USWP member sites, request a resource, or contact the USWP.