DIGGING FOR WATER: Children in northern Kenya dig a hole in a river bed to retrieve water. Drought has an enormous impact on communities around the world, and according to the U.N. is only expected to increase. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
In developing nations we tend to take each sip of water for granted, as much of it comes in fancy packaged bottles and comes clean from our taps. However each sip is life saving and for many children in the developing world, it is that drop of water that could be the drop that kills or the drop that saves. Contaminated water supplies or lack of water often affects the youngest victims hardest and can be life threatening, as diarrhea is killer, especially of infants who are often formula fed with contaminated water. While many sustainable water initiatives and programs have been put into effect, the increasing population continues to strain the already burdened effort, and water and sanitation issues continue.
Yesterday, March 22, 2011 was World Water Day, which is held each year to place global attention on the importance of clean and sustainable access to water, including the management of freshwater resources. World Water Day was established to celebrate freshwater, following the recommendation of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), for which the UN General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.
Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater for which to focus on. This year, UN-Water chose the theme Water and Food Security, with the following slogan; The World is Thirsty, because we are Hungry. This year World Water Day seeks to focus global attention on the impact of our rapid global population growth. There are 7 billion people on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. According to statistics, each person on earth drinks from 2 to 4 litres of water every day, however most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water while 1 kilo of wheat ’drinks up’ 1,500 liters, according to the UN. Therefore the issue of food security, which is based on the access of ‘all people at all times have both physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life’, is a vital component in the fight to ensuring each person on the globe has access to clean and sanitized water, as well as ensuring water conservation.
Why is water access so vital to food security? Those who have increased access to clean water are more likely to have lower levels of undernourishment. Thus inadequate supplies of water are often the most common cause of famine and undernourishment, especially in populations where people depend on local agriculture for both food and income. According to the latest UNWorld Water Development Report, “In many countries water availability for agriculture is already limited and uncertain, and is set to worsen.” The report concluded that farmers will need one-fifth more water by 2050 to meet increasing demands for food by a population estimated to reach 9.3 billion. Today, more than 80% of used water goes uncollected and untreated, an issue slated to be discussed at this week’s World Water Forum (Bloomberg).
Anthony Cox, head of a water program run by the OECD, said the world is experiencing a water “crisis.” stating:
“More people in cities now don’t have access to water than back in 1980. In developing countries, especially, there is a tremendous economic and human cost to this.” Since 1900, more than 11 million people have died because of drought, according to the UN, and more than 2 billion have been affected by it – more than any other physical hazard. The OECD is calling for “urgent reform” of water management and suggests using economic instruments, such as taxation, tariffs and transfers, to encourage greater “water efficiency” (The Independent).
Food security relies on an adequate supply of clean water, therefore water contamination and waste must be made a global priority if we are to end global hunger and child undernourishment. Sustainable irrigation, water storage and distribution practices must be put into place on a local scale. Additionally natural water resources and wetlands, must be protected to ensure adequate food supplies such as that of fisheries and other livestock who drink from water such water supplies. Therefore it is clear that in order to ensure that generations of children have safe drinking water and adequate nutrition we need to increase food production by increasing the viability of water resources management and initiating more sustainable and effective irrigation technologies, for small and large farmers alike.
Related Links:
Global Sanitation Fund
Global WASH Campaign
UN-Water
World Health Organization (WHO)
Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council
International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’
Water Aid
Children pay the price for lack of safe water and sanitation
UNICEF calls for children to be at centre of regional action on hygiene
UNICEF highlights water scarcity on World Water Day
PlayPumps International
Tap Project
The Water Project
El Porvenir
Water Advocates
