Opinion: Everyone should have access to clean water

Last week I didn’t have water on me, I was really thirsty. I walked to the drinking fountain to get water, pressed the button, and when I saw the water it made me question if I should drink it or not.

When I pressed the button for the water, the water came out pure white, it was pretty dirty. Yes it is tap water and it’s from a fountain but other places like the mall or gym, have the same system, and their water comes out more clean.

Although we do have the options of bringing our own water or buying water, some kids might not be able to afford to buy their own water, or they may not have money like the situation I had the last week. Kids shouldn’t have to worry about this situation because most students who don’t have water should be able to rely on the school water fountain. If students can’t rely on the school water fountains then they might have to wait the whole day to get back home and then drink and that’s not healthy.

According to NPR, “A lot of schools have struggled with providing tap water to kids because of concerns about older plumbing infrastructure and concerns about lead.” This shows not only one school has this problem but, multiple schools do too.

Without kids drinking the water they need, they get dehydrated and nauseous, and a lot of them that don’t drink water come back home sick.

There are more kids getting dehydrated in places where the temperature is hot and dry. Living in Southern California and not receiving much rain is hard to stay hydrated. That’s why places that have high temperatures have more kids get dehydrated than normal.

Schools are required to have some form of physical activity whether it’s dance, physical education or playing on a sports team, and students in these activities need water to stay hydrated and healthy. According WEB MD, “A common recommendation is to drink six or eight ounce glasses of water or other fluid every day.” Zero water versus six or eight glasses a day makes a big difference in staying on track to be hydrated.

If one doesn’t drink enough water and is dehydrated, they do worse than kids that do drink water. According to familyshares.com, “Drinking water helps kids concentrate better and for a longer duration in the classroom. It helps them be better students and have more energy.” The reason this is so true is because our body is 60% out of water, and our brain is 75% of water. Not having enough fluids to support your body and your brain is going to make it be harder for you to learn in the long run.

But what does this have to do with the school water fountain? Kids being uncomfortable to drink the fountain water would lead to them not drinking water which is why it brings up dehydration and then having trouble in school.

By fixing the fountains and having cleaner, kids who don’t have water will have the opportunity doing better in school.