Global and Environmental Health Issues

This report discusses the issue of water scarcity and its impact on global health. It applies the DPSEEA framework to analyze the driving forces, pressure, state, exposure, effect, and action related to water scarcity in Mexico. The report also examines current policies and provides recommendations to address this issue.

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Global and Environmental Health Issues

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Table of Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................2
Part 1..........................................................................................................................................3
DPSEEA Framework................................................................................................................3
Other Influences.....................................................................................................................5
Part 2..........................................................................................................................................5
Current Policies......................................................................................................................5
Recommendations.................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The lack of availability of safe drinking water is a major issue which affects a large
number of people across the globe. Water scarcity is referred to a lack of sufficient
availability of clear water in order to meet the demand for water usage of a particular region
(Postel, 2014). This is a global issue because over 2.1 billion people did not have access to
clean drinking water (WHO, 2017). The issue of water scarcity is a major issue in Mexico
because people are not able to meet their water demand. This report will be categorised
into two parts; the first part will focus on applying DPSEEA framework in the issue of water
scarcity and other social, political or economic influences that affect this issue will be
analysed as well. The second part of this report will focus on identifying how this issue is
currently being managed and evaluate the role of health agencies, key stakeholders and
legislative framework to address this issue. Recommendations will be given in this report to
propose changes in current policy, regulation and management to address this issue.

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Part 1
DPSEEA Framework
The DPSEEA framework was developed on behalf of the World Health Organisation in
order to provide a basis for developing indicators for an environmental health issue. This
framework assists in recognising the links between the state of the environment issue and
its impact on health along with an evaluation of the key actions that are taken to address
this issue (Gentry-Shields & Bartram, 2014). The DPSEEA is an acronym for driving forces,
pressure, state, exposure, effect and action. In the case of water scarcity in Mexico, this
framework can be applied to identify the reason for this problem and understand how it
affects the parties along with evaluation of the effectiveness of actions taken in order to
address this issue (Gentry-Shields & Bartram, 2014).
 Driving forces
There are a number of factors that are the driving forces that resulted in increasing the
issue of lack of availability of clean water in Mexico. One of the key reasons is that the
infrastructure systems in its cities to supply water are crumbling, and the natural water
reserves situated in the country are at risk as well. With the continuing trend, these reserves
are expected to dry out in 30 years (BBC, 2018). Climate change is another factor that
resulted in increasing erratic weather patterns due to which water floods roads and sewage
system are overflow, and there are no infrastructures that store this water for usage.
 Pressure
Since there are no adequate infrastructures that store and usage clean water for
drinking purposes, it resulted in creating pressure on the environment. For example, due to
sewage overflow, the pipes are bursts, and rubbish disposes on the street make water
resources dirty. The high rate of pollution in the country is another key factor that puts
pressure on the environment, and it increases the negative effect of climate change in the
country (Mumme, 2016). It is a key contributor due to which a country which floods has a
lack of access to clear water sources which leads to increasing the issue of water scarcity.

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The floods have increased the issue of waste generation in the country which also affect the
clear water reserves.
 State
The lack of availability of infrastructure that supports the storage and consumption of
clean water resulted in increasing the issue of water scarcity in the country, and it is
becoming more difficult for people to get access to clear water sources (Chadez, 2017).
Another issue is the increasing issue of environmental pollution because the floods bring
wastage onto people’s homes and in the open areas which also pollute clean water sources
in the country.
 Exposure
The issue of water scarcity affects many people in Mexico who faced health issues due
to lack of access to clean water sources. People are also exposed to the issues of the flood
which destroys their homes and also brings sewage waste in their houses which expose
them to health problems (Mumme, 2016). The high rate of pollution also contributes to the
issue of water scarcity in Mexico which also causes many health-related issues for people by
exposing them to diseases.
 Effect
The effect of water shortage in Mexico resulted in creating obstacles for public health
and development in the country. Many people are exposed to serious health issues since
they are forced to drink low quality water from flowing streams (Eakin et al., 2016). These
also resulted in increasing the issue of hunger in the country since the agriculture practices
are affected by water scarcity or floods.
 Action
Different actions are taken by the government to address the issue of water scarcity; for
example, implementation of laws to mandatorily reduce carbon emissions to improve water
quality. Another action is becoming a part of the National Climate Change Strategy to
implement state-wide plans to eliminate water scarcity (Mercer, Perales & Wainwright,
2012).

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Other Influences
The key economic influence on the issue of water scarcity is that the economic
growth of the country suffers due to lack of availability of water for agriculture purposes.
Currently, water use in Mexico is divided between three parts which include 77 per cent for
agriculture, 10 per cent for industries and 13 per cent for domestic use (Circle of Blue,
2009). Due to lack of availability of clean water, agriculture and industries suffer which
negatively affect the economy of the country.
Part 2
Current Policies
In order to meet the demand for clean water, Mexico imports water from other
regions, and it also focuses on collecting water from underground sources. The government
has built an effective infrastructure in major cities in order to keep the water out when
storms bring heavy rains in the country (Chelleri, Schuetze & Salvati, 2015). However, there
are no effective measures taken by the government to make sure that rainwater is stored by
the country to use it to tackle the issue of water scarcity. The country has also implemented
a Carbon pricing policy in order to reduce the threat of climate change and global warming
by imposing heavy taxes on corporations that did not use renewable energy sources in their
operations. Mexico is one of the first countries that have introduced a law in order to
address the issue of climate change. As per this law, the country has set an obligatory target
for 2020 to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent which will reduce the
threat of water scarcity in the country (Climate Action, 2012). Furthermore, the country is
also a part of a National Climate Change Strategy under which it has implemented state
planning policies to address the issue of climate change and properly manage water
resources to eliminate the issue of water scarcity (Mercer, Perales & Wainwright, 2012).
Recommendations
Following are various recommendations that can assist Mexico in addressing the issue of
water scarcity and promote the health and well-being of citizens.

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 The government should implement water harvesting infrastructures across the
country in order to make sure that the rainwater is properly collected and it did not
go into sewage (Postel, 2014). It will assist the government in addressing the issue of
floods in the country along with water scarcity by making sure that appropriate
water resources are available in the country to meet the water demand of people.
 The government should also implement education programs to increase awareness
among people regarding how they can address the issue of water scarcity. These
programs should give them information regarding the use of water harvesting
programs to make sure that they save clean water.
 Water recycling initiatives should be implemented by the government to make sure
that they use the water resources in the country that did not have clean water for
individuals. There are plenty of technologies on which the government can rely in
order to make sure that people are able to recycle dirty water (Nanninga et al.,
2012). This will not only address the issue of water scarcity; however, it will also
result in providing a cost advantage to people.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, the issue of water scarcity is a major problem is Mexico which is
caused due to a number of factors such as climate change, high rate of pollution, lack of
water harvesting infrastructure and others. These factors negatively affect the health and
well-being of individuals by exposing them to sewage waste, mosquitos and dirty water.
Currently, the government has taken various initiatives that are targeted towards
addressing the issue of water scarcity such as laws to reduce carbon emissions and the
adoption of a nation-wide strategy to tackle the issue of climate change. Various
recommendations are given that can improve current practices of the country to address
the issue of water scarcity such as state-wide water harvesting project, education facilities
and recycling of water.

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References
BBC. (2017). How a city that floods is running out of water. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.com/future/gallery/20180510-how-a-city-that-floods-is-running-
out-of-water
Chadez, J. D. J. N. (2017). Water scarcity and degradation in the Rio San Juan watershed of
northeastern Mexico. Frontera Norte, 23(46), 125-150.
Chelleri, L., Schuetze, T., & Salvati, L. (2015). Integrating resilience with urban sustainability
in neglected neighborhoods: Challenges and opportunities of transitioning to
decentralized water management in Mexico City. Habitat International, 48, 122-130.
Circle of Blue. (2009). WaterViews | Mexico. Retrieved from
https://www.circleofblue.org/2009/world/waterviews-mexico/
Climate Action. (2012). Mexico introduces binding targets on climate change. Retrieved from
http://www.climateaction.org/news/mexico_introduces_binding_targets_on_climat
e_change
Eakin, H., Lerner, A. M., Manuel-Navarrete, D., Aguilar, B. H., Martínez-Canedo, A., Tellman,
B., ... & Bojórquez-Tapia, L. (2016). Adapting to risk and perpetuating poverty:
household’s strategies for managing flood risk and water scarcity in Mexico
City. Environmental science & policy, 66, 324-333.
Gentry-Shields, J., & Bartram, J. (2014). Human health and the water environment: Using
the DPSEEA framework to identify the driving forces of disease. Science of the Total
Environment, 468, 306-314.
Mercer, K. L., Perales, H. R., & Wainwright, J. D. (2012). Climate change and the transgenic
adaptation strategy: Smallholder livelihoods, climate justice, and maize landraces in
Mexico. Global Environmental Change, 22(2), 495-504.
Mumme, S. P. (2016). Scarcity and Power in US–Mexico Transboundary Water Governance:
Has the Architecture Changed since NAFTA?. Globalizations, 13(6), 702-718.

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Nanninga, T. A., Bisschops, I., López, E., Martínez-Ruiz, J. L., Murillo, D., Essl, L., & Starkl, M.
(2012). Discussion on sustainable water technologies for peri-urban areas of Mexico
City: balancing urbanization and environmental conservation. Water, 4(3), 739-758.
Postel, S. (2014). The last oasis: facing water scarcity. Abingdon: Routledge.
WHO. (2017). 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than twice as many
lack safe sanitation. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/12-07-
2017-2-1-billion-people-lack-safe-drinking-water-at-home-more-than-twice-as-
many-lack-safe-sanitation