Ethical Dilemmas in Emergency Water Distribution

Read the following:  

• Baker, A. (2018), What it’s like to live through Cape Town’s Massive Water Crisis.
• International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) (2023), IAEM code of ethics and professional conduct.

Next, imagine you are an emergency management professional in an extreme drought situation, like what happened in South Africa. For this paper you will describe the community you are talking about. Ensure you discuss the demographics of the population (i.e. vulnerable populations, etc.) and the situation. While writing your paper, keep in mind the professional codes of ethics, and all ethical theories we have covered in the course.

Your paper must answer the following questions:

• Who gets water and can you treat every member in your community equally when it comes to water distribution?
• Do you have an ethical dilemma with what you ought to do versus what your personal values hold? If so, what ethical frameworks can help guide you work through this dilemma?
• Which of the ethical theories we studied is best suited to deal with this particular situation and why? Which are least helpful and why?