by Morgan Carlson

Created on: September 10, 2009   Last Updated: September 13, 2009

Is access to clean water a basic human right? No, it is a convenience. Whether in the past or now, clean water has always been a commodity of nature and the environment, which is always varying, and often completely capable of putting itself into a state that we at present would find unworthy. Only in times in which we know what the difference between clean and not clean water is, can we draw a line at the distinction.

Throughout human history it is easy to think that the water available to our ancestors was better than ours, when the pollutants offered today did not seep into the water supplies of the past. Yet the main water sources that supplied drinkable water to the heavily populated areas were streams, rivers, and lakes. Truly clean water in the past came from the same place it does today - underground water sources coming to the surface through springs and by well access.

The fact of having any source of water at all - clean or not - was necessary... not a right, but a necessity to survive. Back when people cared not about things they had no knowledge of that could cause them sickness or fever, they drank. In an ignorant world to the many viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other ailments, any sampling of water was good enough.

Warm or hot years that resulted in population explosions of micro-organisms led to many of the years of epidemic, fever, sickness, and mass deaths, but even still, many survived to carry stronger genes and resistances on to the next generation.

Additionally, while we can shun water that we deem unclean now, people who are dying of thirst don't have the option of being picky. A dehydrated man would see a dirty, warm, and infested puddle as an oasis in a desert. Water mixed with corpses, blood, oil, and more from a battlefield would go unnoticed to the wounded who simply wished for moisture to touch their throats, while at war or after a battle.

Warm streams and rivers teeming with giant reptiles or murderous fish would be braved if it meant nourishment while lost in wilderness and jungle. The option of 'clean' in such cases just doesn't even register.

So in essence, is access to any type of water - let alone clean - a human right? Not at all, but it can be made to happen. Whether a right or not, those who advocate for clean water shouldn't give up on their pursuit for better living conditions for others, just as long as they are aware that it is not a privilege they deserve for being human.

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