Like the other topics in this course, the science of safe drinking water also informs public policy. This activity is a simulation in which you imagine yourself in charge of a small country and you have to apply your scientific knowledge to manage the country's water supply.

Drinking Water: Understanding the Science and Policy behind a Critical Resource

Consider this scenario:

You are the prime minister of a low-income country with a population of 22 million. Sixty percent of the population lives in rural areas; most of the rest live in the capital city. Experts say that, in 10 years, more than half the population will live in the cities.
Your country faces many problems. One of the most serious problems is that 17 million people lack adequate sanitation and 15 million also lack access to safe water. As a result, thousands of people, mostly children, die each year. Listed below are some activities that may help improve access to safe water and sanitation in your country. Because funds are limited, not all plans can be implemented at once.

Next, post to the discussion board:

Choose the five activities that you would undertake first and rank them in the order in which you would implement them. Explain why you chose this ranking.

Set up a team of experts to monitor the quality of the drinking water in wells, lakes, and rivers in rural areas throughout the country.
Establish a Water Supply Board that will charge households, farmers, and industries the full cost of the water they use and will collect these fees.

Expand the system of water pipes in urban areas so that even the poorest urban dwellers have a faucet within 500 feet of their homes.

Set up a team of experts to monitor the quality of the drinking water in urban areas throughout the country.

Give tax breaks to those who dig their own wells to supply their own water.

Run a media campaign using billboards, posters, radio, television, and newspapers to teach people the importance of hand washing and hygiene, how to make their drinking water safer, and how best to care for people, especially children, if they get sick from unsafe water.

Give the poorest people special vouchers that can be used as money to buy safe water or fuel for boiling the water they have.

Repair existing water and sewer pipes in urban areas so that clean water is not wasted and dirty water can be safely carried away.

Make laws that force factories to stop dumping their untreated waste water into rivers and lakes, and establish a team of inspectors to enforce the laws.

Build two large additional sewage treatment plants for the capital city.

Create five mobile health teams that will travel around the country teaching people about the importance of hand washing and better hygiene, how to make their drinking water safer, and how to care for people, especially children, who get sick from unsafe water. Are there any activities listed above that you would not use? Explain.