Water Rights and Wrongs English
Water Rights and Wrongs English
Water Rights and Wrongs English
PROJECT COORDINATOR Benjamin Mains (USA) Guest Editors: Andrea Davidson (Canada) Anika Singh (India) Patricia Sudi (Kenya) Connor Youngerman (Canada) Editorial Team: Preetam Alex (India) Alpha Bacar Barry (Guinea) Nina Best (Brazil) Olivier Cournoyer Boutin (Canada) Shahrez Khan (Pakistan) Tanya Mowbray (UK) Julien Paquin (France) Alfredo Redondo (Argentina) Matthias Schmidt (Germany) CONTRIBUTORS: Bart Abbott (USA) Vu Thuy Anh (Vietnam) Francis Anyaegbu (Nigeria) Joshua Awala, (Kenya) Edward Blackie (Liberia) Michael Boampong (Ghana) Olya Chebykina (Russia) Samson Gounue (Liberia) Saida Ibragic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) John Koroma (Sierra Leone) Samadhee Malalasekera (Sri Lanka) Darpan Mandal (India) Gaby Mavilla (Peru) Themba Phakathi (Swaziland) Raffia Saleem (Pakistan) Charles Sendegeya (Uganda) Norman Wai (Papua New Guinea) Karmel Wong (Canada) Yu Xiang (China) Lin Yan (China) PROJECT ADVISER David Woollcombe
PARTNERS AT UNDP Marisol Sanjines Pedro Manuel Moreno PARTNERS AT TALKING-BOX Fabin Vzquez Savareikas Gonzalo Sanchez David The editorial team would like to thank Rosey Simonds, Bart Ullstein, Helen de Mattos, Joan Wilson, Timothy Hastings, and Steve Riffkin for their generous support for this project.
2007 Peace Child International The White House | 46 High Street | Buntingford, Herts | SG9 9AH, UK Tel. (+44) 1763 274459 | Fax. (+44) 1763 274460 www.peacechild.org | water@peacechild.org United Nations Development Programme 1 UN Plaza | New York | New York, 10017| USA http://hdr.undp.org Printed by Celectron Printing Vale Business Park | Cowbridge | Vale of Glamorgan | CF71 7PF, UK
Be the change!
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In todays world water is something more than a source of life. Deprivation linked to water is a source of poverty, of inequality, of social injustice, and of great disparities in life chances. That deprivation matters because water is a human right and none of us should turn a blind eye to the violation of human rights. Nor should we tolerate a world in which over 1 million children are, in a perversely literal sense, dying for a glass of water and a toilet. Kevin Watkins
Director, Human Development Report Office
FOREWORD
In 2000, world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit created a series of goals to overcome extreme poverty and extend human freedom. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are founded upon democratic governance, rule of law, respect for human rights, and peace and security; they must be met by 2015. The goals can be achieved if all the actors work together. Poor countries must govern well and support their people by investing in health care and education. Rich countries must embrace foreign aid, debt relief and fairer trade.
The question is not if we can afford to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target...
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WATER RIGHTS AND WRONGS
The MDGs are rooted in a simple idea: extreme poverty and gross disparities of opportunity are not inescapable features of the world, but are problems that can be fixed. If we succeed, we will have made a massive leap forward in human development. If we fail to achieve the MDGs, our collective security and prosperity will diminish. The twin issues of clean water and adequate sanitation affect a huge number of other issues. So, we must make sustained progress in both areas to achieve every single MDG.
272 million days of school attendance 3.2 billion working days save about 1.7 billion US dollars per year,
Daniel Lopez
Nina Best
Shahrez Khan
Julien Paquin
Universal access to even the most basic water and sanitation facilities would save health systems in developing countries about 1.6 billion US dollars each year.
Clean water and sanitation are closely tied to human development. The second biggest killer of children
Local solutions to local problems are the starting point for change.
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WATER RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Daniel Lopez
Water gives life to everything, including human development and human freedom.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
On World Water Day 2001 the UN Secretary-General challenged the world to solve the water crisis, and the UNDP responded: world governments must make 20 litres of fresh, clean water every day a universal human right as 20 litres is the minimum a person needs to live. Our lack of progress is obvious. In many countries masses of people still have access to less than 20 litres, or drink dirty water containing faeces, pesticides or other poisons. Also, where safe sources do exist, they are only available to those who can pay. To fill a container can cost between US $0.25 and $1.25, so for the 660 million people who live on only $2 a day, buying water is simply not possible. If water is not recognized as a human right, these situations will continue indefinitely. The time to make water a human right is now, and this will not be achieved without total global commitment. If everyones rights to water and sanitation were respected, a ripple effect of health and development would spread around the world.
Cans of Silver
Every morning yawning she suffers desiring mouthwash with fluoride wafers. With great caution she tips the cracked plastic bucket like a can full of silver. Or turning aside. In silence surrounded by chores needing water in abundance. Parched spirit, dry hopes Desperate mother tracing water for broth. Cost leaves unwashed dishes, skin. Can you just look on and swim in a world of silver?
Charles Sendegeya, Uganda
Samadhee Malalasekera
20 litres
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Number of Child Deaths (Millions) Diarrhoea Malaria Measles HIV/AIDS Accute Respiratory Infection 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 South Asia sub-Saharan Africa Rest of the World
5 billion cases of diarrhoea are diagnosed in children each year in developing countries. It kills 1.8 million of them.
Globally, diarrhoea caused by bacteria and viruses in polluted water kills more people than HIV/AIDS or malaria. In the absence of functioning drainage systems, water forms stagnant puddles that are soon infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes. 3600 people die of malaria each day 3200 of them are children.
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WATER RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Bart Abbott
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In Cambodia the daily wage for rural labourers does not even cover a familys basic nutritional needs. It would take 20 days wages to buy a simple pit latrine impossible when that money is needed for a familys food, clothing and housing.
2.6 billion people, almost half the total population of developing countries, dont have adequate sanitation. That is 1/3 of the entire population of the world.
In the developing world 1 in 5 people are without safe water. 1/6 of the worlds population lacks access to clean water.
660 million people live on less than US $2 a day, without access to a clean water source. Some 385 million of them live in absolute poverty on less than US $1 a day.
700 million people live in water stressed countries, by 2025, 3 billion will.
THE SILENT CRISIS
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Water costs nothing for those with everything and everything for those with nothing
The poor pay huge sums for small amounts of water. To get it, they walk great distances, wait hours, and compete with other equally desperate people for the precious resource. Overcoming inequality is more than making sure that all people receive 20 litres of water everyday those 20 litres must be clean and affordable and free for the poor.
New York (USA) London (UK) Manila (Philippines) Accra (Ghana) Barranquilla (Colombia)
If you live in a slum in Manila, you pay more for your water than people living in London.
Karmel Wong
385 million people live on less than 1 US dollar a day and have no access to safe water.
DEALING WITH INEQUALITY
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Many parents, concerned about the lack of hygiene, safety and privacy in school latrines, withdraw their daughters once they reach puberty.
40 billion hours each year are spent collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa equal to a years labour for the entire workforce of France.
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WATER RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Antonio Suarez
Studies suggest that a woman only had to carry water for one hour a day, she could earn an additional US $100 each year.
GENDER BIAS
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Egypt
0
Uganda
Peru
Cameroon
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UNDP research shows that improved water and sanitation can cut child deaths on a large scale. Investing in water and sanitation could go a long way to accomplishing Millenium Development Goal Number 4: reduce child mortality.
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80
100
Improved Sanitation
Improved Water
When one sewer truck started working in Orangi, Pakistan, the infant mortality rate sank from 130 deaths in 1000 births in the early 1980s to fewer than 40 per 1000 births today. National, regional, and local governments must take the lead by making water, sanitation and public health priorities.
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WATER RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Bart Abbott
Bart Abbott
Because of Ghanas Community Water and Sanitation Agency, 200 000 more people a year gain access to clean, fresh water!
THE BENEFITS OF ACTION
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In most of the developing world, unclean water is a greater threat to human lives than violent conflict. Right now almost half the population of the developing world suffer from diseases because of dirty water and inadequate sanitation.
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WATER RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Darpan Mandal
COSTS OF INACTION
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Natural Borders Fighting over water is a blood war But water does not have the thick biases of blood. Water is everywhere, everyone, Rivers follow the unifying contours of the earth, Not the dividing contours of our creating And through our blind wanting We tend to forget That the river was here first, And our lines are only imaginary. Andrea Davidson, Canada
Samson Gounue
Dam Conflict
Where I live in India, fighting for access to shared water resources is common. Thanks to the government and legal system these disputes are often settled civilly, but because judgements are difficult to pronounce and often take years to resolve, crises are inevitable. In 1991 my home state of Tamil Nadu experienced a devastating drought when the river Cauvery, which provides all the water for our state and the neighbouring state of Karnataka, went dry. The Cauvery first flows through Karnataka before it reaches Tamil Nadu. There is a dam between our two states that allows a specific amount water from the Cauvery to pass through to the farmers of Tamil Nadu, while retaining a certain amount for the farmers of Karnataka. Because of this drought, water that should have come to Tamil Nadu, never reached our farmers, and left them without enough water to irrigate their fields. I was only five years old, but I still remember how angry my father was. I had never seen him like that. For sixteen years the courts and legislature have been unsuccessful in finding an amicable settlement for this crisis, which resurfaces every summer, and for sixteen years people from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have resorted to violence to protect their claim to the Cauverys precious water. Thankfully on February 5th, 2007, Indias Supreme Court finally reached a legal solution that will hopefully resolve the crisis. The verdict established nationally imposed quotas for the amount of water each state receives, and ensures that those quotas are met during the harsh, dry summer months. The governments plan is a reasonable compromise, and thanks to this national legal intervention, the farmers in my home of Tamil Nadu and the farmers in Karnataka will have enough water each summer. Hopefully now the violence and the quarrelling will stop. Preetam Alex, India
Darpan Mandal
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Higher temperature
More intense changes in the water cycle creating new water patterns
Kyoto Protocol signatories promised to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5% of 1990 levels by 2012.
In West Africa river discharge has fallen by more than 40% since the 1970s. In the 1990s about 201 million people a year were affected by climate related disasters.
The 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1994. The 1990s was the hottest decade since the 14th century. The globe will warm 0.2C to 0.5C every decade in coming years.
If all emissions stopped today, temperatures would still rise due to past emmissions.
CLIMATE CHANGE
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Little Steps
At home I re-used tap water to flush the toilet, says Lin Yan from China. The next month, my mum was surprised to see the water bill drop by 20 per cent! Seeing the state of affairs around me, I decided to start the How to Save Water at Home campaign. I printed flyers and I now have a good team of people who have joined hands with me. Every year on World Water Day we organise awareness events in our community. Though a little step, we at least know that we are moving in the right direction and ensuring the population, especially the poor, gain access to enough water for less money.
Nina Best
Anika Singh
Daniel Lopez
I can make one promise and one wish. I promise that I will never be careless towards water from now on, and I wish that every single person on this planet would follow my lead.
Raffia Saleem, Pakistan
Dan Porges/Still Pictures
You aint gonna miss your water until your well runs dry. Bob Marley
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YOUTH ACTION
Make 20 litres of clean fresh water for each person, everyday, a recognized and upheld human right.
Ensure that no household spends more than 3 per cent of its income on water.
Governments must make clean water and sanitation a national priority, and provide funding for development projects.
Governments and community groups must work together to devise locally appropriate solutions to water and sanitation problems.
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Be the Change!
As youth, we are in a unique position: we have energy, time and enthusiasm. Now is the time for action. Get involved!
Educate yourself about the water and sanitation crisis. Start with word of mouth. Tell friends, classmates, your parents.
Re-use the water from washing vegetables to water plants or clean. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Change water taps at home to economy taps.
Send letters, and postcards, and emails, and carrier pigeons to your government. Tell them that you expect progress and sustainable investment in water and sanitation projects.
Volunteer with an organization that works on water and sanitation issues! Many organizations supply small grants for youth-led development projects. Write a proposal and a budget. Just $300 to $500 can go a long way in developing countries.
If your community needs a well or latrines, get some friends together, look for funding, and start digging! If you live in a water-rich area, start a club to raise money to fund projects in places that are in need.
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Darpan Mandal