Fighting for water equity

Author: Darren Reynolds, Professor of Health and Environment

I’m a professor in health and environment. My background is environmental science. So, I’ve always had a real interest in the environment. One of the things that really drives me is this idea of fairness and equity. People having access to basic things like food, good health and of course, water.

I’ve got a really, really big interest in water and in everybody having access to clean water for drinking, swimming and accessing nature. Here in the UK, we take it for granted. You’re thirsty, you get up, you turn on the tap, you fill a glass, you drink. And all the while, there are billions of people on earth who don’t have this privilege.

Darren Reynolds, Professor of Health and Environment

Water is life

Through my work I’m fighting for water equity. I want everyone to have access to clean rivers and lakes, as these are beneficial to our health and well-being and the world we live in. Rivers and lakes that we can enjoy. Drinking water that won’t kill you. Seriously, did you know that dirty, contaminated water is the world’s biggest killer of children under the age of five? That’s frightening.

There’s a great inequity when it comes to accessing safe and healthy water. I believe that we can solve this, we just need the mindset and the passion to address the problem globally.

Teeming with wildlife and beneficial for our wellbeing

We have big problems in the UK too. Sometimes we have too much water, sometimes we don’t have enough. Our rivers are constantly being polluted with untreated sewage, with chemicals coming from the land and our towns and cities. As a result, not one river in England or Wales meets good chemical or ecological health. That’s not good enough.

Globally, rivers and inland waters probably contain or sustain about a third of all invertebrates on earth. They’re also full of microbes, which are important for recycling our matter on earth like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous. But surface fresh waters only cover about 4% of the Earth’s surface. So, they’re disproportionately responsible for a lot of life on earth. They are important tools of nature. We absolutely have to take care of them.

A collaborative community bringing the change 

So, yes, I’m interested in trying to heal, restore and improve our rivers and lakes, not just in the UK but globally. To co-create new tools, technologies and innovations that enable communities to take charge of their own water rather than having to rely on governments or big corporations.

I really enjoy teaching too. Our students are so inquisitive. So open minded. They’re much more prepared to explore ideas, to collaborate and innovate. I firmly believe that the ideas that will change our world can come from anybody, anywhere. Students, designers, engineers, community leaders – we have to collaborate, work together and co-create as a community to create real change.