Boil Order

If you live anywhere near Boston, you know by now that the tap water in most communities around the city is unsafe to drink. If you don't, I'll catch you up - the pipe that brings water into Boston ruptured yesterday morning, and while back-up water supplies are activated, the water hasn't been treated, which means that drinking it, washing with it, or using it in cooking could expose you to harmful pathogens; such as Giardia and E Coli.

And so, all across Boston (and surrounding areas), people are stocking up on bottle water or boiling their own water. What amazes me is the panic this causes. Perhaps panic is the wrong word, because nobody is running through the streets screaming, but as a society we are clearly unequipped to deal with an interruption in our water supply. Most of us don't have large containers or jerry cans to store boiled water in, nor do we have tubs or buckets to allow us to do our dishes with out using tap water.


It is really easy to forget that having clean, potable water piped straight into our houses is a luxury. In 2005, 3.25 billion people - or about half of the word's population - had water piped into their homes. Many of these people had an inconsistent or unreliable supply of water, and for many, the water that did come through the pipes was not treated. Still, water is a necessity shared by every single one of the more than 6 billion people currently inhabiting the planet; none of us could live with out.

As a student of public health, I probably ought to give advice about how to eliminate the risk of disease when you only have access to untreated water, but instead, I'd like to take the moment to be greatful (Really? you ask) for this interruption in access to something we all take for granted. Water is precious - it is one of the most underappreciated resources given to us by mother nature, and it is important that we protect it. So, if you are one of those lucky people in the world who turns on your tap tonight, and has access to safe water to brush your teeth with, take a moment to consider all the people who don't have the same priviledge - 2 million people in Boston included.