Water Essay Zach Albright The issues surrounding water in New Orleans have been around for centuries, dating all the way back to the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. These issues stem from a wide variety of issues, such as political, economic, and social issues. However, they all share a common theme: Ethics. Specifically, focusing on the ethical components behind these issues, and the ethical solutions to fix or resolve the situation, need to be explored to a much further depth, rather than just observing, and commenting on these issues on a surface level. Some of the ethical issues that arise from the New Orleans water crisis include access to clean water, environmental justice, governmental responsibility, transparency and accountability, and …show more content…
In New Orleans, historically disadvantaged neighborhoods suffer disproportionately from poor water quality and inadequate infrastructure. As time progressed, these neighborhoods only decreased in perceived value because of the known risk of flooding, leading to many underprivileged groups of people having to move into these neighborhoods due to their low costs. This also made it harder for their voices to be heard when it did come to political decisions being made, as they could not pay the same in taxes nor hold the same political weight as those in the more affluent neighborhoods could. Simply put, because of the terrible infrastructure in place that led to the higher risk of flooding, their chances of getting infrastructural development to fix these issues waned to near zero as the disproportionality became apparent between these low value neighborhoods and high value ones. The fix for this issue is simple, put the same amount of time and effort into fixing the infrastructure everywhere instead of just the higher affluent neighborhoods. This would fix the inequality in living and environmental justice …show more content…
This requires transparency and accountability. Ethical governance requires transparency and accountability about water quality issues and accountability for any failures in maintaining infrastructure and ensuring water safety. Lack of transparency erodes public trust and exacerbates the crisis. Immediate action to whatever disparity arises is a simple solution. The priority should be ensuring an immediate response, whether it be a short-term fix in the form of an emergency response, or a long-term response in the form of infrastructure development or a new law or bill. Such could include addressing aging pipes/levees, improving water treatment facilities, and implementing robust monitoring systems. Additionally, community engagement is another important solution to be implemented. Meaningful engagement with affected communities is crucial for understanding their needs and concerns, as well as for involving them in the decision-making process related to water management and infrastructure development. Corporate responsibility is also a prevalent ethical concern in New
Rather than working with nature through multi-tiered flood control with spillways and reservoirs, levees disallowed the river to naturally flood, deteriorated the natural ecosystem, and ultimately weakened the city’s defenses against the hurricane (Kelman). Culture and society further interacted, as beliefs in man’s power over nature and racial discrimination promoted levee expansion and racial segregation, creating a city of racially differentiated risk (Spreyer 4). As a result, inundation mostly impacted the lower land neighborhoods that housed poor people of color. Society and nature interfaced in the application of levees that contained nature’s forces. Ultimately, nature won out: the hurricane overpowered the levees and breached the Industrial Canal, disproportionally flooding the mostly black, low-elevation neighborhoods of New Orleans (Campanella
These groups face discrimination of having no representation or voice in the government to address their grievances. In 2005, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina caused billions of dollars in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in United States history. Thousands lost their lives and homes. This damage was unequal when comparing the losses of the lower class and nonwhites to the rich and whites. The facts show that “in the city proper, 80 percent of the flooded neighborhoods were majority nonwhite” (Kelman).
“Water is the driving force of all nature.” Leonardo Da Vinci simply stated that everything we experience in the natural world could be thought of as a result of water. This idea carries over to society as well. In man’s attempt to control nature, he must control water. This problem seems evident in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. As New Orleans grew, the water management infrastructure led to racial segregation and a disproportionate exposure to risk being distributed to people of color. Campanella’s article “An Ethnic Geography of New Orleans” provides specific details attributing the city’s water management as the source of these problems related to racial inequality.
In the late summer of 2005, a terrible tragedy occurred that changed the lives of many in the south-east region of the United States. A Category 3, named storm, named Hurricane Katrina, hit the Gulf Coast on the 29th of August and led to the death of 1,836 and millions of dollars’ worth of damage (Waple 2005). The majority of the damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. Waple writes in her article that winds “gusted over 100 mph in New Orleans, just west of the eye” (Waple 2005). Not only was the majority of the damage due to the direct catastrophes of the storm but also city’s levees could no longer hold thus breaking and releasing great masses of water. Approximately, 80% of the city was submerged at sea level. Despite the vast amount of damage and danger all throughout the city, officials claimed that there was work being done to restore the city of New Orleans as a whole but many parts, and even the people, of the city were overlooked while areas of the city with higher economic value, and more tourist traffic, were prioritized along with those individuals.
Some of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina could have potentially been avoided if protection systems were installed to the proper extents. In Louisiana, “some parts of the metro area continue to lack hurricane protection built to federal standards” (Webster). Had the greater Louisiana area been better protected, it is very likely that more people would have survived and the total cost of the storm been less. Even in areas where levees...
Most of the destructions from the events of August 29th 2005, when Katrina Hit the City Of New Orleans, were not only caused by the storm itself; but also, by failure of the engineering of the levee system protecting the entire infrastructure of the city. The years of poor decision making and avoidance of the levee system led to one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the United States. Throughout our research, we have identified three key players in charge of the levee system design, construction and maintenance. These three organizations are the Unites States Corps of Engineers, the New Orleans Levee District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation. The consequences of the hurricane showed the organizations negligence in the design, construction and maintenance of the protective walls. Later independent sresearch showed that more than 50 levees and food walls failed during the passage of the hurricane. This failure caused the flooding of most of New Orleans and all of ST. Bernard Parish. The Unites States Corps of Engineers had been in charge of the of the levee system and flood walls construction since the 1936 flood act. According to the law, the Louisiana Department of Transportation is in charge to inspect the overall design and engineering practices implemented in the construction of the system. Once the levee systems were finished, they were handed over to the New Orleans Levee District for regular maintenance and periodically inspections. The uncoordinated actions of these three agencies resulted in the complete failure of a system that was supposed to protect the people of New Orleans. The evidence is clear that this catastrophic event did not happened by chance. The uncoordinated response of these...
Water has long been a controversy in countless places worldwide and Colorado is no exception. The water rights in Colorado involve different stages within the Prior Appropriation Law; the senior and junior water rights. Senior water rights are privileges that were the first to be issued on unappropriated streams in Colorado and are to be filled before the junior water right holders. Junior water rights are similar to senior water rights, but are filled after the senior water holders take their allotted amount (Wolfe Prior Appropriation Law). The water in Colorado is just that; Colorado’s water, owned by the people and restricted by the state. However, Colorado is required by law to send over 30 million acre – feet of water to seven western states (“Missouri River”). An acre – foot is “The quantity of water required to fill one acre with one foot of water and is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet or 325,850 gallons” (“Missouri River”). The State enforces all water laws in Colorado even though they are not straightforward and are riddled with loopholes. These water laws came into effect “As early as 1879” (Hundley, Jr. 53). In the laws, there are even more constraints and idiosyncrasies including; owning ground water, owning surface water, senior rights and junior rights, and the use and reuse of rainwater or graywater. Water users in Colorado need to familiarize themselves with the laws and regulations involving water in order to receive the allotted water and the reasoning behind that number.
Katrina is the costliest U.S hurricane, with estimated damage over $81 billion and costs over $160 billion.” The people that were affected the most was the poor people, children, the sick, and the elderly. Most of New Orleans was underwater; it was going to take a long time for the city to come back from this. “The The rescue and recovery efforts following Katrina became highly politicized, with federal, state and local officials pointing fingers at one another.” People didn’t get the proper warnings to evacuate. After the hurricane “Government officials have sought to learn from the tragedy and implement better environmental, communications and evacuation policies.” Ten years after the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the city is still dealing with still trying to recover. The have lost a lot when the hurricane hit and it affected them financially, because of the popular areas that are in New Orleans. In all, almost everyone that evacuate from New Orleans fled to Houston which led to the population to grow, but also those that came to Houston had a different feeling about things. Houston has also had its fair shares has had 27 disasters- eight hurricanes, eight floods, six severe storms, three
The population of New Orleans was steadily decreasing, between the years of 2000 and 2005, 30,000 (6%) of the population left New Orleans in search for better lives (4). The declining population shows us that before Hurricane Katrina residence were already considering leaving the city, some push factors leading them away from the city include poverty and unemployment (5). Accord to the U.S 2005 Census Bureau around 23% of the residence lived in poverty, this can be a result of the nearly 12% unemployment rate (5). With an unemployment rate double the national standard and nearly one forth the population living in poverty, the city of New Orleans had many push factors against it resolution in a decline population prier to Hurricane Katrina. At the time of the storm nearly 400,000 residents were displaced from their homes too near by safe areas or other states. The population reming in the city as decreased to a few thousand (6). A month after the disaster when the levee breaches were repaired and the flood water was pumped out of the city, residence were allowed to return to what was left of their homes. The first reliable estimate of the New Orleans population after Hurricane Katrina was an ‘American Community survey’. The survey projected that by the start of 2006 around one third or 158,000 of the population returned. By the middle of f2006 the city
Hurricane Katrina put a hindrance on New Orleans because the city was left with blighted properties that span from the 9th ward to the 7th ward. Blighted properties were a direct result from flooding, wind damage, and citizens that moved or were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. When the levees broke an abundance of water entered the city and caused homes and business to become flooded. When the city was under water for days it created damage, homes were crumbled to pieces and even uprooted from the ground. Flooding even caused homes to deteriorate and become inhabitable and unsuitable. Blighted properties became breeding grounds for crime, infestation of rodents and other animals, dumping of dead bodies, fires (arson), mold, squatters (homeless), and other serious health issues. These are serious challenges that the city of New Orleans must tackle.
Water is essential to life. By being so important it is crucial to keep it maintained and preserved. Our water supply is affected by environmental, economic, and legal issues. In Oklahoma water is very sacred to its people especially to Native Americans. Both Choctaw and Chickasaw nations are suing the state of Oklahoma for the regulatory authority over Sardis Lake and the water resources it holds. The Choctaw and Chickasaw nations deserve the rights over Sardis Lake because it is their main water supply and they own the rights through the treaty of the Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830.
Given the enormous loss in life and property, private entities were able to efficiently catch local communities “off-guard” in the midst of a disaster which allowed for Friedman's imposition of privatized schools, among many other sectors such as public housing within New Orleans. The effects of privatization of a critical public commodity (in this case public schools) is described as leading to the inequitable consequences such as polarization of social classes and ethnicities (particularly African-Americans).In the aftermath of the devastation, African Americans, among other more impoverished communities not only had to contend with having to rebuild their lives but had to do so in a more unjust system. Hence, the new charter school system using public funds adopted under the leadership of Freidman left more impoverished communities deprived of equitable educational opportunities. The results of such deprivation equate to a further entrapment in a cycle of poverty, all in the name of private entities who under the neoliberal system arguably attained wealth acquisition and contracts faster than any long-term mobilization efforts to help disaster victims in Louisiana
In addition, before the hurricane, New Orleans itself had a high level of inequality, and was under poverty. The natural disaster hit a population that was unable to cope with, many people were unable to evacuate from the city.
Until the water crisis is solved, many innocent people will continue to suffer from health problems, costly repairs, and time consuming reconstruction. It is disappointing to know that small children will not access to fresh water. It is unconstitutional to know that many people are not given the same opportunities to have fresh water. This problem is quickly getting out of hand and it needs to be fixed immediately.
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only <1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes. Many of these in later years shall need to be addressed as tension rises: