Who-What-When:
Brynn’s Run Across
the World – Part 2
This is Part Two of
an interview with Brynn Thomas Harrington as she
supports safe water initiatives as a Global Messenger
for the Blue Planet Run…
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Brynn Harrington running in San Francisco
to support global safe water initiatives |
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Girls Are Champions: What does clean drinking water mean? It just comes out of the tap for us in the United States. Is that what it means in other countries?
Brynn Thomas
Harrington: First, it is important to distinguish between clean and safe drinking water. Water can be clean, but still not safe, meaning that it may be free of silt, animal waste, etc., but still be contaminated. In all conversations about this issue, we refer to the water as "safe" drinking water.
Safe drinking water can be obtained through wells, rainwater collection systems, and purification systems. In India and Africa, many people obtain safe drinking water from communal wells 5 to 10 kilometers (roughly 3 to 6 miles) away from their homes!
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 ...we met a nomadic family in Mongolia who traveled 10 miles every three days to gather safe water for the family and their
animals 
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GAC: Have you met people who don't have safe drinking water?
Brynn: Safe drinking water is a significant issue for people in Russia, Mongolia and China, and we met many people along the way who gathered water from communal wells and/or drank unsafe drinking water out of desperation. For example, we met a nomadic family in Mongolia (50% of Mongolians are nomadic) who traveled 10 miles every three days to gather safe water for the family and their animals. For them, the concept of turning on a tap was a far-off reality, as they had been gathering water from central locations for as long as they can remember. In Mongolia, where water (safe or unsafe) is a limited commodity, nomads move approximately every six months in search of water and agriculturally viable farmland.
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Millions of young girls are spending their time fetching water for their families instead of going to school.
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GAC: Why is safe drinking water awareness so important? How does it fit into a global context?
Brynn: : Safe drinking water is the gatekeeper to many other issues. First, let's look at the scope of the problem:
- 1.1 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water
- 50% of hospital beds worldwide are occupied by people suffering from waterborne diseases
- 6,000 people–mostly children–die each day because they lack safe drinking water
- On average, people in the developing world walk several miles per day to fetch safe drinking water for their families
Safe drinking water is a foundational issue. Without safe drinking water, it doesn't matter if a mother takes her HIV medication; she'll likely die of diarrhea before dying of AIDS. Millions of young girls are spending their time fetching water for their families instead of going to school; without safe drinking water, it is impossible for these girls to escape the fate of poverty. In order for the developing world to face its multitude of problems, it is critical that people's most basic needs are met. Safe drinking water is the right place to start...
Look for third and final part, when Brynn talks about exciting new technologies regarding safe drinking water, and tells us ways we can help this cause, too! Coming soon!
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