Giving Compass' Take:

• Mismanagement of water has led to water crises all around the world, but The Conversation explains that when citizens monitor their local water supplies, they are also building stronger ties. 

• How can donors make an impact for clean and safe drinking water for all, here in the U.S. and across the globe? Which solutions will incorporate community engagement?

• Here are five clean water ventures trying to change the world. 

Water insecurity is a touchstone for 2018. Our planet isn’t running out of water, but various kinds of mismanagement have led to local water crises across the planet, directly threatening millions of people.

Ensuring water quality requires regular testing, protecting source water, monitoring and repairing distribution systems, treatment plants and other infrastructure, and developing the ability to recycle water and desalinate salt water. These activities require many types of specialists. But they can also benefit from the direct participation of engaged citizens, who themselves can also benefit from getting involved with this work.

Most of my career has focused on information sciences and technology. Over the past 40 years, I have investigated cases in which people creatively mastered information and technology that was poorly designed relative to their needs, or applied technology to problems it was not originally designed for, such as strengthening local heritage, community governance or collaborative learning. I have learned that making technology effective often requires the creative engagement of everyone who is affected by it.

Read the full article about monitoring local water supplies by John M. Carroll at The Conversation.