Addisen Rowles

Instructor: Malcom Campbell

UWRT 1104

February 7, 2019

English Writing Portfolio Topic Proposal: Sanitation Solutions in Undeveloped Countries

Introduction/Overview:

I will be examining the burdens of why water and sanitation systems for undeveloped

nations still fail, as well as what actions can be made to improve these issues for the people

affected by this problem. Statistics show that 884 million people in the world lack access to safe

water, and more than 840,000 people die each year from water-related diseases. Safe water is for

drinking, brushing teeth, and bathing as well as many other essential activities which it is why is

important to unpack this topic.

Before addressing this topic on a global scale, I will first divulge in the statistics that are

affecting the United States, but more specifically, in California. California is one of the driest

states in the US, which causes massive and devastating wildfires that are often uncontrollable.

Forty percent of the entire state is classified as suffering from exceptional drought. Exceptional

drought is the most severe classification on the US Drought Monitor. As climate change

increases the temperatures across the world, California can expect to only get drier. One

developing solution is the construction of a Seawater Desalination Plant, which will be in San

Diego County. This plant will remove the salt from sea water and will produce 50 million

gallons of drinkable water every day, making it the largest plant in the Western Hemisphere for
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this procedure. This plant is an example for a potential option for these under-developed nations.

If the problem in California can be fixed with this solution, I believe it would be just as effective

for under-developed nations. One downfall of this is that some countries are land-locked and do

not have access to sea water to desalinate. By including the statistics affecting California, the

point is driven home that drinking water affects developed and under-developed countries, which

is why it is so important to invent a solution to it. The sanitation of the desalination plant is

essential in ensuring the water remains pure after it has been treated.

As far as sanitation is concerned in developing nations, not everyone agrees. When

addressing a topic this serious, traditions of the affected people are important to be familiar with

to ensure none of their traditions and beliefs are being violated. Nigeria, Tanzania, and Indonesia

are full of very different people where has different beliefs, therefore it is important to have some

knowledge on the traditions from each of these countries. The environmental effects are only

positive because with water and sanitation systems, the overall quality of life for that specific

country would improve. The potential of these systems would create jobs for the locals, thus

improving the economy. These jobs would be working for the desalination plant, helping

produce clean water for the community. Economies in under-developed nations would be

improving not only because of the jobs, but if there are sanitary irrigation systems, it can be used

to produce more fertile soil, which would produce more crops. Such poor countries have the

potential to become great nations in the right hands.

Sanitation in underdeveloped nations is a controversial topic because “open defecation,

poor sanitation, and hygiene are associated with transmission of diarrheal diseases, one of the

leading causes of mortality in children under 5 in developing countries.” With the help of Project
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SHINE (Sanitation and Hygiene Innovation in Education) in Tanzania, eyes are opened to just

how bad the living conditions are. “Approximately 215 million people practice open defecation

in sub-Saharan Africa.” “Recent debates concerning the post-2015 development agenda have

drawn attention to neglected diseases have been focused on the importance of consensus

regarding WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) targets and indicators.” Because of this,

Millennium Development Goals (set in place by the World Heath Organization) are very far off

the intended target. For my preliminary research, I used articles from the Atkins Library

database, Questia, Google Scholar, and the CORE database. The people that are talking about

this issue are those in social and government work, those suffering from the effects of poor water

and sanitation quality, and those with family members struggling from the effects.

Initial Inquiry Question(s):

Why do water and sanitation systems, such as wells and bath-house facilities, for the poor

still fail? Why are third-world nations still so poor, despite efforts from other countries. What

have been the flaws in past ‘solutions’ for these countries? Are there any modifications to current

solutions that could improve the effectiveness of the solution? How do these problems in third

world nations affect us in the United States? Do the solutions in place allow for economic growth

and development?

My Interest in this Topic:

I picked this topic to research because I plan on concentrating in Environmental and

Water Resource Engineering. With this degree, my ultimate goal is to travel to a third world

country to help solve some of their sanitation problems. Helping people in any way I possibly

can means more to me than anything else I could ever do.

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Next Steps:

To achieve this goal, I will further my education on this topic through the research done

in this class and in the research necessary to obtain my degree. I plan on reviewing ScienceDaily

to keep up with environmental current events. I will continue researching through the Atkins

Library database, the CORE database, Google Scholar, and Questia. Each of these resources has

already provided me with many great articles such as 11 Facts About Water in the Developing

World and The Water Crisis in Third World Countries. Information obtained from these articles

will further the progression of my paper and help the overall quality and credibility of the

research paper.