Solutions
It's sad to think that only a fraction of the costs that are spent on fighting wars could go to solving the world’s water problems as they currently exist. Here's what needs to be done.
Water and the Millenium Development Goals
- Most countries have accepted the the G8 and UN Millenium Development Goal of halving the number of people worldwide who do not have access to safe and sanitary water, by 2015 .
- They plan to work towards these goals by supporting countries whose governments are making efforts to address the issue, by building infrastructure in these communities and fostering research
- It would cost an estimated extra US$16 billion each year to reach this (Millennium Development) goal as agreed to by all UN Governments. This is less than North Americans and Europeans spend on pet food in one year!
Change the systems of delivery
The systems of delivery in the communities need to be developed by experts so that they are safe and sustainable. This includes not only delivery of clean water, but also disposal of sewage. In addition, communities that receive help need to be regularly assessed. Often when water becomes available, for example through the drilling of a borehole, that area will experience a sudden population influx that will put a strain on the community and the new water source.
Educate
The communities need to be educated on how to be hygienic and how to avoid disease and keep the water sustainable. This needs to happen because the communities need to be sustainable on their own. One of the keys to sustainability is making sure that development doesn’t affect the environment and destroy water resources.
Make water sources accessible
Water needs to be easily accessed. People’s lives can’t be productive if they have to walk for hours to the nearest available water source; especially in the the case of children who need to spend their days in school receiving an education. So in addition to being available and clean, it must be relatively convenient to use.
Make Poverty History
Poverty lies at the root of most water problems. The poor are without safe water and are the most at risk of water-borne disease. Disease means being unable to work and be educated, causing more poverty. When this situation occurs on a large scale, the result is an entire country or continent that is poor, which then gets ill and the cycle continues...
To end this cycle we need to work together to...
