Oxfam for World Water Day.

 

Today, on World Water Day, I’m sharing our most innovative water projects.     Over the past half century, Oxfam has forged the way in water and sanitation, working alongside local partners. Known for our speed and efficiency to set-up large-scale water supplies and disease-preventing sanitation facilities to millions of vulnerable people around the world – even in the most challenging environments.    Here are 3 water innovations happening right now:   In Gaza – dirty ground water is being turned into drinkable water through a massive solar energy powered desalination project. Desalination through reverse osmosis is a technology which Oxfam engineers have been pioneering in Iraq, Kenya, Somaliland, Syria and Yemen.  In Somalia – facing years of drought, Oxfam is drilling wells and using a solar energy powered system that converts underground sandy water into fresh drinking water.  In Democratic Republic of Congo – the Fizi territory is one of the most inaccessible places yet population and demand for water are growing. A new 100 km long gravity-fed water supply system taps into a river source and supplies water to the surrounding towns. READ MORE

Demand for these innovations are increasing. In conflict zones, water systems are being destroyed creating a breeding ground for disease and exacerbating vulnerabilities. Extreme weather events, liked droughts and floods caused by climate change, continue to increase in intensity and frequency. People already struggling in poverty are being pushed to further extremes of hunger, losing their lives and livelihoods.    Habodo, a woman farmer in Ethiopia, recently told Oxfam: “The water is retreating deeper and deeper [when wells are dug]. We live by water, our cattle live by water. Without water we are no more. If we can sustain our lives, it is because Oxfam gave us water.”     Oxfam’s water projects support entire communities and benefit women who face greatest risks – women spend endless hours walking long distances to fetch water, carrying 20 litres of water that must satisfy the drinking, cooking and washing needs of the entire family.    For Oxfam, tackling the root causes of poverty often means addressing these water-related injustices. Thanks to your support, we can be there to deliver long-term projects with sustainable solutions to safe water and sanitation.    Together we can address water insecurity in some of the most challenging places in the world.     Sincerely,   Asma Siyala Humanitarian Program Unit Oxfam Canada