[미국] 텍사스주민, 놀라울 정도로 물 문제에 무관심

마실 수 있는 물에 쉽게 접근할 수 있는 텍사스는 환경적 우려와 관련된 물문제에 무관심할 수 있다. 물과 폐수 유틸리티 포럼인 FluksAqua의 조사에 따르면 텍사스주민은 물이 일상생활에서 얼마나 중요한 지 물었을 때 놀라울 정도로 관심이 없었다. 설문조사의 주요 결과는 다음과 같다.

 
텍사스주민은 물을 당연하게 여긴다. 응답자의 45.6%가 하루 권장되는 양의 물을 마시며 즐기는 반면, 92%는 세금이 물 외에 다른 분야에 지출되어야 한다고 생각한다.

 
자연 재해에 대비할 때, 텍사스주민의 39.2%는 생명을 유지하는 물을 비축하기 전에 음식, 통신, 돈, 배터리, 광원을 집을 것이다.

텍사스주민의 15.1%만이 수도 및 폐수 운영자가 저평가되었다고 생각한다.

[원문보기]

TEXANS SURPRISINGLY UNCONCERNED ABOUT WATER, SURVEY SAYS

Texas' easy access to drinkable water may be creating apathy for water related environmental concerns. According to a survey by FluksAqua, a free water and wastewater utility forum, Texans were surprisingly unconcerned when asked about water and how vital it is to their everyday lives. Key findings of the survey are listed below.

 
Texans may take water for granted. While 45.6 % of respondents enjoy drinking the recommended 3-6 8 oz glasses of water per day, An overwhelming 92% of all respondents think that our tax dollars should be spent on sectors other than water.

 
When preparing for a natural disaster, 39.2% of Texans would pick up food, communication, money, batteries or lighting sources before stocking up on life sustaining water.

 
Only 15.1% of Texans believe Water and Wastewater operators are undervalued.

 
Texas men care more about water (even though they drink less). Only 32.1% of men polled consume 1-3 glasses of water per day compared to 45.3% of women, but 43.8% of men believe water is the most important public sector to spend tax dollars on vs. 30% of women.

 
Texans think the industry is treading water. While the majority of responses to the survey indicate a lack of concern for water, Texans don't see it as an undervalued industry.

 
84.9% of respondents agreed that industries such as education (39.1%) and public transit (10.8%) are more undervalued than water and wastewater operation.

 
Texans don't covet careers in water. A very small 4.9% of Texans dreamt of being a water operator when they grew up in comparison to 23.9% who wanted to be a doctor, 23.4% teacher, 15.2% astronaut, and 9.3% police officer. This could signal a potential shortage of water operators in the next generation of the industry.

 
"Most Texans are accustomed to safe drinking water on demand so they tend to take clean water for granted and don't always value the work water operators and water utilities do," says Dr. Hubert Colas, President of FluksAqua Americas. "Our hard-working water utility workers build the foundation for our communities to operate -- it is one of our most important industries."

[출처 = Water World / 2017년 8월 2일]