Carolay Marchena Pulgar
Daniella Castillo Molina
Our work consists of a drawing in which the subject of water pollution is presented. In this, you can see animals and a person who is in the middle of polluted waters coexisting on what seems to be a single globe. We decided to explore the idea of sharing the same struggle with other animals by putting us together. We live on the same planet, i.e on the same dirty ball. The spherical shape is used as an analogy for the Earth’s dirty soul, which makes up about 71% of its surface. Our soul is our essence, hence we protect it and secure it from toxicity and contamination. We have the responsibility of protecting our home’s core too. Although we are based in Colombia, we believe that it is a global problem that governments must take into account and intervene to stop. Water pollution in Colombia is a sensitive issue and can affect the quality of life of communities that survive with little water due to accessibility. According to the most recent National Water Survey, industry, households, and coffee-growing areas are among the largest contributors to water pollution across the country. Erosion accelerated by deforestation also contributes to this problem, as does legal and illegal mining (Medioambiente, R., 2021). Because of this pollution, between 11.8 and 19 million people in Colombia are exposed to very high risks as a consequence of poor water quality, says the World Bank (Medioambiente, R., 2021). Furthermore, animals can be affected by water intoxication as well. A study conducted to analyze the content of heavy metals in sediments and fish from swamps in Antioquia found some levels of heavy metals in the species studied. Although the levels were below the permissible standard, it indicated the lack of healthy controls to assure the maintenance of hygienic waters (Hernández-Morales et al., 2020). It is important to highlight that animals deserve to live in healthy environments as well as humans. The absence of environmental solutions demonstrates the disregard toward them, not taking into consideration that they paradoxically are the most affected by this issue. Accordingly, we would like to illustrate the situation to raise awareness about how we look after our water from becoming more polluted and its wastefulness. In addition, to take into account that animals and people are affected by this situation and deserve to be addressed equally.
Bibliography:
Herrero, V., Merlino, A., Ayllón, S., & Escanés, G. (2013). Aplicación de un modelo de duración en programas de prevención de deserción...: EBSCOhost. Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.uninorte.edu.co/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=54eaca9d-f837-4e1f-acb0-f5c48b637fe2%40redis
Medioambiente, R. (2021, mayo 10). Causas y consecuencias de la contaminación del agua en Colombia. El Tiempo. https://www.eltiempo.com/vida/medio-ambiente/causas-y-consecuencias-de-la-contaminacion-del-agua-en-colombia-587364