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waterseptember'08 Look at a map of the world and the first thing to strike you is the amount of blue. This sea water actually represents 70% of the surface of the globe. Space probes may be on their way to verify whether or not there are traces of water on Mars but on planet Earth we have water in abundance. However, as Coleridge's Ancient Mariner out on the high seas remarked, it is a case of 'water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink'. Saline water in seas and oceans forms 97.4% of the water on our planet leaving only 2.6% in the form of fresh water. And 3/4 of even this small 2.6% is frozen in ice caps which means that only 0.6% of the water in the world is available for use. Incredibly,
though, this small 0.6% is enough fresh water to fulfil the needs of everyone
in the world. In the course of a year, it is estimated that 14,000 cubic
kilometres are available to us in rivers, lakes and underground reserves
of which only half is used. (However, many experts believe that parts
of the world are running out of water as wetlands vanish, deserts spread,
rivers and lakes dry up and underground aquifers run dry.) Of the freshwater we use, agriculture accounts for 66%, industry 19%, domestic use 10% and 5% is lost through broken pipes/ evaporation. Demand for water continues to grow and today in the rich countries of the North we use 6 times more than we used in 1950. We use it in the home, often without thinking, to shower, flush the toilet, clean, wash clothes, drink and cook. Outside we use it in our gardens and to wash our cars. Water is needed to grow our food, generate power, build houses and in manufacturing where, incredibly, it takes 150,0000 litres to produce 1 car. Like the air we breathe water is indispensable and we cannot live without it. But unlike the air we breathe, water carries a cost - albeit small. For although water has been described as a 'gift from God' someone has to put the pipes in the ground whilst at the same time ensuring there is a constant supply. It is estimated
that for the cost 1p (2 US cents), we can drink around 40 glasses of tap
water. Flushing the toilet needs 6 litres of water and sets us back 0.8p
(1.6c); taking a shower uses 40 litres and costs 5p (10c). In total, in
the UK, on average, each of us uses 135 litres of water per day at a staggering
cost of just 17p (34c). For us then whatever way you look at it, water
is undoubtedly a bargain without equal. As a result, people in the South only use an average of 10 litres per day but by drinking unclean water, many regularly suffer severe bouts of diarrhoea which can leave them weak and unable to work. Closely related to clean water is the need for proper sanitation. And the two together are paramount for any society to advance. Thanks to our Victorian ancestors piped water and sanitation have been available throughout the UK for more than 100 years. And it was their joint introduction that helped pave the way for the huge increase in life expectancy from 50 years in 1880 to 65 years in 1920. Their major contribution was further underlined recently in a poll conducted by the British Medical Journal which set out to find the greatest medical advance in the last 150 years. To the surprise of many in the medical profession the separation of clean water from sewage was voted into No 1 position ahead of the discovery of anaesthesia, antibiotics, vaccines, D.N.A. and the contraceptive pill. So civil engineers can lay claim to have been responsible for the greatest medical advance in probably the whole of history! Sadly, however,
in 2008, in the developing world 2.5bn people still have no access to
any sort of lavatory. The situation is worst in sub-Saharan Africa where
63% of the people lack proper sanitation. Most go anywhere outside. This
is bad enough for men but much worse for women and dangerous for young
girls. Hygiene here also becomes a problem for failure to wash hands regularly
fuels diseases. In 2000 all the nations of the world signed up to the UN Millennium Development Goals of halving world poverty levels of 1990 by 2015. Included in these targets are the aims to halve the proportion of people without safe water and adequate sanitation which are arguably the toughest challenges of all. And this has been borne out by the latest UN figures which show investment in water infrastructure is falling - currently around half the amount required at around £8bn ($16bn) - as water budgets compete with those for health and education. On present trends sub-Saharan Africa will not reach the UN Millennium Development target in water until 2040 and in sanitation until 2076. And this is only halving the 1990 figures. At this rate universal access to clean water and sanitation will take sub-Saharan Africa well into the 22nd century to reach and perhaps even beyond that. By that time it is not impossible that man may well be living on other planets - having first found water there of course! Water and sanitation then must be prioritised now for together they bring 4 additional benefits to people's lives - better health, more time for children to attend school, farmers grow more crops, families are left with more resources. So whatever way you look at it clean water and proper sanitation are an investment without equal. So what can developing countries do to improve water supplies and sanitation and how can rich countries help? Governments
in poor countries could start by implementing some or all of the following
cost-effective measures:-
Bringing in private companies, which account for just 8% of world water services, may be anathema to many international NGO's like Oxfam but if the choice is between safe water on the one side and dirty or no water on the other, there really can be no debate. International water companies, however, will only commit themselves to constructing desalinisation plants, sinking wells, building reservoirs and installing and maintaining pumps and pipes if they can charge for the water. That means the price paid by consumers should be just over the cost of the supply in order to give water companies the incentive to invest in new water schemes. Charging consumers would also encourage water conservation. And the poor need not lose out because they have no money if schemes similar to those operating in South Africa are put in place. Here water is metered and priced but 25 litres for human survival is given FREE TO EVERYONE EVERY DAY. When the ANC came to power in 1994 14m South Africans did not have clean water. Today 9m of those have been connected up and the rest should be on tap by the end of 2010. And what a difference it is making to people’s lives there. Girls can now go to school instead of fetching water, women can spend more time caring for their families and subsistence farmers are able to grow more food. Moreover, the risk of life threatening diseases spread by unsafe water is being dramatically reduced leaving people to enjoy longer and healthier lives. Sourcing and securing clean water for people then is a win/win/win/win situation like no other. Yet incredibly only a small percentage of rich country ODA funding for specific projects goes for investment in water in the developing world. This present allocation of ODA for water then needs to increase. But it should change not just by rich countries using their increasing ODA budgets to send more money, for more than this, what developing countries need most of all, is expertise. Rich countries should increasingly consider sending water engineers, planners, surveyors, hydrologists etc - the people who can make water flow literally anywhere. Under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) - the African Union plan for economic development on the continent - which would provide the over-arching framework for directing water resources development, rich countries could start to pool their resources (money plus expertise) in an effort to start to put 300 million Africans on tap. Working through the African Union would also take care of any political considerations. And through this comprehensive and co-ordinated approach Africa should soon not only see clean water delivered to cities, towns and villages but also improved irrigation for farmers and the possibility of developing hydropower for industry and homes. And with continuing commitment from OECD countries water development projects would continue across the continent until most of the population were within 1 mile of a safe water source. Rainfall is projected to decline in Africa in the coming years due to global warming. And for many people who currently rely on rain no rain means no crops and no food. But in many respects this is a logistical problem. For example, in the Ethiopian Highlands - the water tower of Africa - there is enough water fall annually to feed 12 great rivers and in the midst of that area stands Lake Tana whose waters are barely touched. There is then a huge potential in many parts of Africa to literally make the desert bloom. And if this can be done in Israel, it can be done in Africa. But to get there requires serious ongoing commitment by all sides - even when the going gets tough. It is a formidable undertaking - perhaps even too great for today's political leaders to contemplate. But they should grab the moment and just do it so that at last most Africans will be able to enjoy the life-changing priceless asset of clean water. <<<<^>>>>
Drinking tap water costs us a negligible amount. But most of us think nothing of buying bottled water in a shop at 40p for 1/2 litre which is 300 times the cost of tap water. At the same time we are even prepared to pay £1.50 in a restaurant for the same bottled water which is an incredible 1200 times the cost of tap water. And can we tell the difference? Probably not. So here is an easy way to save money and help those without access to clean water. Instead of buying bottled water, before going to bed at night, put a bottle of tap water in the fridge and take it to work/school the next day. At the same time if you are eating out in a restaurant ask for tap water which should come free of charge. Tell your friends to do the same and with the savings help deliver new life to people in the developing world through sending the money to WaterAid. <<<^>>>
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Girls,
some barely into their teens, often rise early and set off walking, sometimes
long distances, to collect water for use by their families. In 40 degree
temperatures, they will queue up to collect water from a pool which is
often muddied by the time they get to the front. And when they get home,
because they were not able to carry enough, they often have to return
to collect more. They do this every day until perhaps younger sisters
take over. In these rural areas, it is estimated that 25% of household
time is taken up finding and carrying water. And it is collected from
literally anywhere; sometimes in the dry season the water is brought back
from a pool where cattle and wild animals have been drinking. There is
often no alternative. 
outlaw the dumping of chemical and toxic wastes in rivers and the sea.
All
of the above measures will help ameliorate the water situation in each
country and that is important. However, with 96% of water in Africa undeveloped,
it is going to be a colossal task to get clean water flowing across the
continent. But a start must be made and ALL means should be used in meeting
this challenge - even to the extent of inviting international water companies
to participate.