07/04/22 1 Water as a Human Right “You ain’t gonna miss your water until your well runs dry.” ~Bob Marley
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Water as a Human Right
“You ain’t gonna miss your water until your well
runs dry.” ~Bob Marley
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“In today’s world, water is something morethan a source of life……Water is a human right – and noneof us should turn a blind eye to theviolation of human rights. Nor should wetolerate a world in which over 1 millionchildren are…dying for a glass of water and a
toilet.”Kevin Watkins
Director, Human Development Report
5 Water Issues Identified by the United Nations
Diseases caused by contaminated water
Women’s responsibility in water collection
Conflicts over water Inequitable access and cost of water Water pollution
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Diseases Caused By Contaminated Water
Right now almost half the population of the developing world suffer from diseases because of dirty water and inadequate sanitation
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•80% of all illnesses and deaths are related to water borne diseases•A water-related illness kills a child every 8 seconds
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Raw sewage mixed with drinking water is a recipe for infectious disease
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Water and Women
In many societies women have the greatest responsibilities in terms of water use and management
Women and children living in rural Africa spend as much as 3 hours per day fetching water
A major reason girls drop out of school in developing countries is because they do not have access to toilet facilities (globally, 2.4 billon people do not have access to toilets).
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For girls, the lack of clean water close to home turns into lost opportunities to go to school, learn marketable skills, and fully participate in their communities.
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Studies suggest that if a woman only had to carry water for one hour a day (instead of three) she could earn an additional US $100 each year.
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Conflicts over water
• In most of the developing world, unclean water is a greater threat to human lives than violent conflict
• 2 out of 5 people live in water basins shared by multiple countries or territories
Fighting over water is just as big of a conflict as fighting over oil in some countries
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Available Water
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Inequality of water
If you live in a slum in Manila, you pay more for your water than people living in the rich part of London
To get water, the poor walk great distances, wait hours, and compete with other equally desperate people for the precious resource
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Can you imagine waiting in line for one bucket of water?
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Water Wasters?
325 gallons of water are consumed per person per day in
Las Vegas, possibly more
than any other city in the world…
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Compared To…
…Indonesia, where children bathe,
wash clothes and drink from this polluted river
basin. The average person in Indonesia
consumes 5 gallons per day.
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Water costs nothing for those with everythingAnd everything for those with nothing…
JPC COMMENT: put U.S. slides here also – suburban, rural, urban, etc.
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A woman collects water from a local stone tap in the Thimi District near Kathmandu, Nepal.
(Photo provided by R. Dies)
Water Pollution
Did you know that pollution of the Nile River is considered to be one of the most dangerous hazards affecting modern day Egypt?
Pollution is caused by an increase in population, as well as modern agriculture and industry techniques
The worst and most preventable cause is human laziness and error
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Ganges River Basin, India
Ganges River pollution makes it an unsanitary water resource
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Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa
Children crossing contaminated river source to get to school
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Would you drink this water?
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What governments need do to reverse the crisis…
Make 20 liters (5 gallons) of clean fresh water for each person, everyday, a recognized and upheld human right
Regulate water conservation Ensure that the poor get water for free International aid donors must fund sanitation and
water projects Make clean water and sanitation a national
priority, and provide funding for development projects
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Be An Agent of Change!
As youth, we are in a unique position: we have energy, time and enthusiasm. Now is the time for action. Get involved!
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What Can You Do?
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth
Change water taps at home to economy taps
Educate yourself about the water and sanitation crisis
Monitor and conserve your water usage
Start with word of mouth…Tell friends, classmates, your parents about this issue
Send letters, postcards, and emails to your government on water and sanitation issues
If you live in a water-rich area, help raise money to fund projects in places that are in need of clean water
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Water is fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is
indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity. It is a requirement of
realizing all other human rights.
-The United Nations Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, Environment News Service, 27 Nov 02
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Every human should have the idea of taking care of the environment, of nature, of water. So using too much or wasting water should have some kind of feeling or sense of concern. Some sort of responsibility and with that, a sense of discipline.
-The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatsoquoted in Peter Swanson's Water: The Drop of Life, 2001
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I understood when I was just a child that without water, everything dies. I
didn't understand until much later that no one "owns" water. It might rise on your property, but it just
passes through. You can use it, and abuse it, but it is not yours to own. It is part of the global community, not "property" but part of our life
support system.
-Marq de Villiers, Water, 2000
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“I can make one promiseand one wish. I promise that
I will never be careless towardswater from now on, and
I wish that every single personon this planet would follow
my lead.”Raffia Saleem, Pakistan
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You can live for 40 days without food…..
But only 5 3 days without water…
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ACTION"It only takes a single thought to move the world.”
Resources for the PowerPoint Presentation
•Water: H2O= Life. American Museum of Natural History 10 July 2008. http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water/?section=healthywater
•Associated Press. “Pipe Break Spills Sewage into the Hudson.” The New York Times. 6 May 2007: Forums sec. 19 July 2008.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07EFDD1531F930A25756C0A9619C8B63
•Polaris Institute. Africa: Cruel Irony: Water Costs the Most for Those Who Can Least Afford It. 9 November 2006. 10 July 2008. http://www.polarisinstitute.org/africa_cruel_irony_water_costs_the_most_for_those_who_can_least_afford_it
•United Nations Human Development Report 2006-Water Rights and Wrong. “Dealing with Inequality.” 2006. 10 July 2008. http://hdr.undp.org/external/hdr2006/water/16.htm
•United Nations Human Development Report 2006-Water Rights and Wrong. “Water Crossing Borders.” 2006. 10 July 2008. http://hdr.undp.org/external/hdr2006/water/24.htm
•Web Women Giving Circle. What This Woman Would Give Just To Have A Faucet! 10 September 2007. 10 July 2008. <http://www.realtown.com/CAREmoreGivingCircle/blog/wateradvocacy