Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh, cm@mp.nic.in

Subject : India: Immediately order to reduce water level in Omkareshwar dam and Indira Sagar Dam

Dear Sir,

I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human rights ambassador for salem-news.com.

I came to know about the situations from a petition signed by Alok Agarwal, Radheshyam Tirole, Sakubai, Radhabai which appeared in www.change.org.

I am expressing my solidarity and I am writing to you for your prompt action into the matter.

I have been informed that the water level in Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams in the Narmada Valley have been illegally raised causing submergence of numerous lands and houses of oustees of these dams. Oustees of these dams have not been rehabilitated and resettled as per rehabilitation policy by giving them agricultural land and other rehabilitation entitlements. Although the Supreme Court has clearly ordered that these oustees have to be rehabilitated 6 months before submergence, thousands of families who are yet to be rehabilitated are now being submerged in complete violation of Supreme Court and High Court orders.

I want to remind you that the oustees of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam in the Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh, who are fighting for their rights and their life are in the need of your urgent support. The Government and the company NHDC Limited which has built these dams are illegally and in violation of the Orders of the High Court and Supreme Court raising the water level in these dams, causing submergence of lands and houses of thousands of oustees without rehabilitation. 51 oustees of Omkareshwar dam along with senior activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan Chittaroopa Palit and Indira Sagar dam have been on “Jal-Satyagraha” and are standing in the Omkareshwar dam water for last 7 days. Many of these jal satyagrahies have developed blisters in their feet. In the Indira Sagar dam area also today Jal Satyagraha has started at 3 places in the rising water of the dam.

OMKARESHWAR DAM

According to the information revived from the singed petion by Alok Agarwal, Radheshyam Tirole, Sakubai, Radhabai on May 2011, the Apex Court ruled that the authorities are obliged to allot a land for land and a minimum of 2 ha. of land, well in advance of the completion of dam construction. However, although an entire year has passed since the judgment, the State has failed to allot land to the over 2500 land-holder families. It may noted that recently even the Grievance Redressal Authority has said in its orders that the rehabilitation policy has not been followed and all the oustees of Omkareshwar dam should be given land in lieu of land. Over 1000 families remain to be allotted even house-plots. Various other entitlements remain to be provided.

Yet, the State Government and the project authorities have announced that they intend to raise the water level of the Omkareshwar dam to 193 meters from the earlier level of 189 meters and on 25th August, 2012 when the authorities raised the level of the reservoir by 1.5 meters, the oustees started Jal Satyagraha and since then they are standing in the water of Omkareshwar dam.

INDIRA SAGAR DAM

Similarly, in the Indira Sagar dam area also thousands of oustees are yet to be given land and other rehabilitation entitlements. There are orders of Supreme Court and High Court that the water level in Indira Sagar dam cannot be raised beyond level of 260 meters. In spite of this, the government has started raising the water level beyond 260 meters. In protest, Jal Satyagraha has started today at three places in the Indira Sagar dam submergence areas in villages Khardana, Badgaon Mal and Badkhaliya of Districts Harda and Khandwa.

I have been also informed that that many oustees have been standing in Omkareshwar dam water and also in Indira Sagar dam, demanding reduction in water level and rehabilitation before submergence. It is extremely disturbing that the oustees have to embark on Jal Satygraha to get their due rehabilitation rights.

I, therefore request you to immediately order reduction in water level in Omkareshwar dam to 189 meters and in Indira Sagar Dam to 260 meters and rehabilitate all the oustees by giving agricultural land and other rehabilitation entitlements.

Sign the Petition online at change.org: https://www.change.org

AUTHOR: William Nicholas Gomes
URL: www.williamgomes.org
E-MAIL: williamgomes.org [at] gmail.com

For more information or to register click here.

AUTHOR: Richard Matthews
URL: http://thegreenmarket.blogspot.com/
E-MAIL: smallbusinessconsultants [at] gmail.com

At the launch of the program over the Weekend, the General Manager of the company, Mr. Polinus Kofi said the provision of safe drinking water is the entity’s way of identifying with the Liberian government in its strive to provide safe drinking water to the citizens and residents of Monrovia and its environs.

Mr. Kofi said the bringing in of a drilling machine by his company is a clear indication that Liberty Investment is not only interested in profit making, but also providing safe drinking water free of charge to the people of Liberia.

The company’s General Manager assured Liberians that as long the his entity continues to operate in the country it will contribute meaningfully and immensely to the social and economic development of the nation.

Mr. Kofi described the construction of hand pumps in around Monrovia as a humanitarian gesture and a way of indentifying with the Liberian Government’s bid of providing safe drinking water.

For his part ,Mr. Patterson Blamo, proxy for Montserrado County District 17 representative described the construction of the hand pumps in impoverish communities like his district as a boost to Government efforts in providing safe drinking water to its citizens, especially residents of district 17 who have been suffering lack of safe drinking water.

According to the Chief of Office staff of Rep. William Dakel, the project by Liberty Investment is one of the best thing that has ever happened to the people of Red Hill community and a step forward toward the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), initiated by government.

Mr. Blamo asserted that the gesture by Liberty investment Company will contribute positively to the drive of government in the provision of safe drinking water.

Also speaking, the Assistant Director for Environmental and Occupational Health at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, J. Myers David said the ministry is elated about the company’s good will gesture.

Mr. David said his ministry will corporate with company for its health inspectors to identified communities that are in dire need of water.

Making remarks at the program, a proxy of Public Works Minister, Hon. Samuel Kofi Woods, one of the ministry’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Engineer, Zaza Abbas Flomo, commended the Liberty Investment company for such an undertaken and reveled that his ministry will do all it can to support the hand pumps inititiative

Mr. Flomo urged other mineral water companies to emulate the good example of Liberty Investment Company by constructing hand pumps with the aim of providing safe drinking water for Liberians.

Serving as a Co Launcher at the program, the Advocacy and Communication Officer of the WASH Consortium of Liberia, a conglomeration of six International NGOs, with focus on Water, Sanitation and hygiene, Miss Robert-Etta Rose, congratulated the management of Liberty Investment Company for its meaningful contribution toward the WASH sector of the country.

Miss Rose added that the Consortium was pleased with Liberty investment for indentifying the need for the provision of safe drinking water for residents of Monrovia and its environs.

Making remarks on behalf of the Civil Society Organizations WASH Network, the Chief Administrator of the WASH Reporters and Editors of Liberia, Mr. D. Sonpon Weah stressed the need for the project to be extended to rural parts of the country where citizens are in desperate need of safe drinking water.

He however used the occasion to lavish praises on the entity for going beyond the borders of business in constructing hand pumps free of charge for residents of the Red Hill Community.

AUTHOR: Shout Africa
URL: http://www.shout-africa.com
E-MAIL: news [at] shout-africa.com

Madam Salem Konneh (right) with her colleague, Madam Matinkey Dolleh

A Liberian Business woman has clarified that she is not hired by Liberty Investments Limited, known as aQuaLife, to collect empty bags of mineral water for recycling purposes as been reported in the local media.

Madam Salem Konneh disclosed that the bags been collected, are sent to Guinea for the production of rubber materials such as plastic tubs, buckets and cups amongst others. She disclosed that used plastic bags are freely given her by water companies and other residents in various communities.

Madam Konneh termed as false and misleading recent media reports insinuating that she was fronting for aQuaLife in collecting and recycling used plastic bags for the sale of water.

Madame Konneh who is commonly known as ‘Save the children mother’ in her Jacob town-Rehab Road Community, explained that she collects used plastics of all kinds including empty water bags from all other mineral water companies in and around Monrovia.

According to her, community residents and others are simply helping her with the empty used plastic bags as part of her own business transaction.

She further urged her detractors saying, “please don’t spoil their business….the other time some men came and say they will arrest me for collecting and sending empty plastic bags to Guinea….And so I want government to help protect me and the other people business too…”.

Madame Konneh urged individuals involve in spreading falsehood to desist, because it poses threat to her business and water companies in the country.

The Liberian Business woman further alleged that due to the propaganda, she has been constantly harassed and intimidated by security officers and other citizens in the country.

Madam Konneh said she is a widow and got involved in the business to sustain her children and family.

Amidst reports by some local dailies that aQuaLife is using recycled plastic bags for the sale of drinking water, Madam Konneh whom alone with colleague, Madam Matinkey Dolleh visited the Offices of the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia on Carey Street-Monrovia, clarified that she is involved in the collection of plastic for exportation in the interest of fair business practice.

Madam Salem Konneh said the plastic she collects is sent to Guinea for the production of rubber materials like rubber buckets, tubs and wash boards, among others.

AUTHOR: Shout Africa
URL: http://www.shout-africa.com
E-MAIL: news [at] shout-africa.com

Scene from the Liberia WASH CSOs Legislative Dinner Meeting in Monrovia

As the momentous campaign continues to create an enabling environment for access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene in Liberia, a partnership has been formed between the Liberia CSOs WASH Network and some members of the 53rd National Legislature to champion WASH issues at that August body.

The partnership was established last Friday at a dinner meeting organized by the Liberia Civil Society Organizations WASH Network, a group leading an advocacy for government and development partners to provide safe drinking water, Improved Sanitation and better hygiene.

The dinner meeting was called by the CSOs to provide vital information to the law markers concerning the Liberia WASH sector, the national budget and also to inform them about government’s commitment to the sector.

At the dinner meeting held at a local hotel in Monrovia, the CSOs WASH Network called on the Legislators to assist them in making sure that there is a line item in the National Budget for water, sanitation and hygiene.

Welcoming the Law Markers at the program, the Chairman of the Network, Prince D. Kreplah commanded them for attending the dinner meeting and for their interest in taking strong political action with the goal of addressing issues relating the Liberia WASH sector.

Mr. Kreplah informed them that the dinner meeting was a follow-up to the signing of the pledge card committing themselves in supporting efforts gear toward establishing a favorable environment for WASH in the country.

The Process leading to the signing of political commitments by most of the Law Makers was carried out by the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia through the “Candidates’ Engagements” during the campaign activities of the 2011 General and Presidential elections in Liberia.

A release from the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia says during the dinner meeting, the group called for partnership with the law makers to buttress efforts by stake holders and development partners in pushing the WASH sector forward.

The WASH CSOs Chairman further told the Law Markers that the establishment of a Standing Committee with oversight on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in both houses is one of the items topping the agenda of his group.

He said with the establishment of the committee in the National Legislature, it will create more awareness and concern about the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene in Liberia.

The group presented four separate documents to the Law Markers, ranging from commitments made by the government in the sector, loses Liberia experiences annually due to poor sanitation, the WASH Compact- document detailing issues in the WASH sector and the way forward, and resolution 64/292 adopted by the UN General Assembly making water and sanitation a human right issue.

In remarks, the Law Markers reassured the CSOs of their commitment in championing the issues of water, sanitation and hygiene in the both Houses (Representatives and Senate).

According to them, the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene cannot be over-emphasized due to its importance and the role it plays in the lives of all Liberians.

The Law Markers urged the CSOs to be in constant contact with them and continue to provide necessary information that will be used as a tool to lobby with their colleagues in making WASH a hot cake at the National Legislature.

They however disclosed that all will be done from their end of the Legislature to persuade President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to issue the Executive Order for the establishment of a Water Supply & Sanitation Commission(WSSC).

The Legislators further encouraged the CSOs to always knock on their doors for their intervention whenever a new issue comes about relating to the WASH sector.

The partnership was established last Friday at a dinner meeting organized by the Liberia Civil Society Organizations WASH Network, a group leading an advocacy for government and development partners to provide safe drinking water, Improved Sanitation and better hygiene.

The dinner meeting was called by the CSOs to provide vital information to the law markers concerning the Liberia WASH sector, the national budget and also to inform them about government’s commitment to the sector.

At the dinner meeting held at a local hotel in Monrovia, the CSOs WASH Network called on the Legislators to assist them in making sure that there is a line item in the National Budget for water, sanitation and hygiene.

Welcoming the Law Markers at the program, the Chairman of the Network, Prince D. Kreplah commanded them for attending the dinner meeting and for their interest in taking strong political action with the goal of addressing issues relating the Liberia WASH sector.

Mr. Kreplah informed them that the dinner meeting was a follow-up to the signing of the pledge card committing themselves in supporting efforts gear toward establishing a favorable environment for WASH in the country.

The Process leading to the signing of political commitments by most of the Law Makers was carried out by the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia through the “Candidates’ Engagements” during the campaign activities of the 2011 General and Presidential elections in Liberia.

A release from the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia says during the dinner meeting, the group called for partnership with the law makers to buttress efforts by stake holders and development partners in pushing the WASH sector forward.

The WASH CSOs Chairman further told the Law Markers that the establishment of a Standing Committee with oversight on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in both houses is one of the items topping the agenda of his group.

He said with the establishment of the committee in the National Legislature, it will create more awareness and concern about the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene in Liberia.

The group presented four separate documents to the Law Markers, ranging from commitments made by the government in the sector, loses Liberia experiences annually due to poor sanitation, the WASH Compact- document detailing issues in the WASH sector and the way forward, and resolution 64/292 adopted by the UN General Assembly making water and sanitation a human right issue.

In remarks, the Law Markers reassured the CSOs of their commitment in championing the issues of water, sanitation and hygiene in the both Houses (Representatives and Senate).

According to them, the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene cannot be over-emphasized due to its importance and the role it plays in the lives of all Liberians.

The Law Markers urged the CSOs to be in constant contact with them and continue to provide necessary information that will be used as a tool to lobby with their colleagues in making WASH a hot cake at the National Legislature.

They however disclosed that all will be done from their end of the Legislature to persuade President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to issue the Executive Order for the establishment of a Water Supply & Sanitation Commission(WSSC).

The Legislators further encouraged the CSOs to always knock on their doors for their intervention whenever a new issue comes about relating to the WASH sector.

The WSSC is one of the several recommendations contained in the Liberia WASH Compact as an Institutional Firm Work to provide governance in the water and sanitation sector of the country.

At the end of their deliberation, the CSOs and Law Makers agreed to push for the amendment rules creating committees to facilitate the creation of a Standing Committee on WASH as a way of demonstrating both Houses’ political will in prioritizing WASH on their Legislative Agenda.

The Committee set up by the law makers and CSOs is headed by Montserrado County Representative, Saah Joseph.

Law Makers attending the dinner meeting include Representatives Thomas Fallah, Acarious Gray, Solomon George, Saah Joseph and A. Vamuyan Corneh of Montserrado County, Representative Garison Yalue of Nimba County, and Senators Peter Coleman and Sando Johnson of Bomi and Grand Kru Counties respectively.

The Liberia Civil Society Organizations WASH Network include “Citizens United to Promote Peace and Democracy in Liberia”, “WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia”, “Liberia NGOs Network”, “Women NGO Secretariat”, “Concerned Christian Community”, and Association of Evangelicals Liberia”, together with other County Based WASH CSO Chapters.

AUTHOR: Shout Africa
URL: http://www.shout-africa.com
E-MAIL: news [at] shout-africa.com

The USD1.5 million project ( a donation from the Government of Japan), tapping groundwater resources for emergency water supply is to build into the horn of African’s Groundwater Resources Investigation for Drought mitigation in Africa Programme and aims to map out groundwater resources in drought-prone areas of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, study hydrological make up of the areas and build capacity of local expertise.

According to Prod Joseph Massaqquoi, Director of UNESCO’s science and technology for Africa, Nairobi office, the project is a collaboration of among others ministries of Water in each of the countries, Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, USG among others.

Massaquoi said owing to the scarcity of rivers and lakes in the region, groundwater can be a source of hope and resilience. However, little is known about the precise location of clean groundwater and reaching it is often difficult and costly. Many of the region’s maps and information regarding groundwater are outdated and incomplete.

Often, aid missions searching for water to increase supplies in emergencies have often cited lack of tools to utilise groundwater in the areas effectively.

Dr Alain Gachet, CEO Radar Technologies International said the technology is taking advantage of satellite that orbits the earth daily. It shortens the time it takes to identify water resources as compared to the traditional hydrological methods.

Key activities of the eight-months-project are to use remote-sensing exploration technologies to assess groundwater resources, assess capacities and management, and undertake survey of ground water resources of the drought-prone areas.

According to john Rao Nyaoro, Director of Water Resources said although Kenyan is known to be a water-scarce country, yet recent studies have shown that the country has 60 billion cubic metres groundwater resource as opposed to 20 billion surface water. But the country does not know where this water is and the UNESCO-coordinated project like this might just provide the confirmatory test the country has been awaiting.

In Ethiopia, the country has no capacity to harness 40 billion cubic metres of groundwater resources but like her neighbor in the South, it does not know where this water is. Somalia estimates in 1990a before the collapse of the central government was 35 billion cubic metres.

The survey will use the WATEX system developed by Radar Technologies International that will enable rapid precise groundwater assessment for large areas.

AUTHOR: Henry Neondo
URL: http:// www.africasciencenews.org
E-MAIL: neondohenry [at] yahoo.com

Mr. Apollos Nwafor, WaterAid’s Team Leader for Liberia and Sierra Leone

The international organisation WaterAid has called on governments meeting in Cairo for Africa Water Week (13th to 19th May) to commit to bringing water and sanitation services to 100 million more Africans over the next two years.

In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 600 million people lack access to adequate sanitation, while 335 million people lack access to clean, safe water.

Over three quarters of a million children in Africa die every year due to diarrhoeal diseases caused, in the vast majority of cases, by a lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

Mr. Nelson Gomonda, WaterAid’s Pan-Africa Programme Manager stated: “African governments risk their credibility if they do not seize the opportunity to tackle this crisis by significantly increasing access to water and sanitation in their countries.

With thousands of African children dying every day, governments should honour previous promises to increase their spending on sanitation.”

Commitments previously made by African government include those made most recently by 30 African nations at the Sanitation and Water for All meeting in April in Washington DC, plus the 2007 eThekwini Declaration (where governments agreed to budget 0.5% of their GDP on sanitation), and Sharm El-Sheikh in 2008 (on accelerating water and sanitation goals).

A release quotes WaterAid as saying, only one African government, Sao Taome and Principe, currently has met the Thekwini Declaration target.

Mr. Apollos Nwafor, WaterAid’s Team Leader for Liberia and Sierra Leone also said: “At current rates of progress, Africans will be waiting 160 years before everyone has safe drinking water and 350 years for access to sanitation. We must find ways of doing better and increase the rates at which these essential services are being provided to people. Waiting centuries for water and sanitation is simply unacceptable.”

African Water Week in Cairo from 14 May 2012 brings together policy makers from across Africa. WaterAid will be the core convenor for the sub-theme of ‘Meeting water and sanitation targets’ and is also supporting Africa Water Week as an opportunity for sharing valuable skills, experiences, and best practice around achieving access to water and sanitation for all.

WaterAid is calling for African Governments to act to provide safe drinking water to 42.8 million people and adequate sanitation to 59.9 million over the next two years.

WaterAid successfully pushed for similar targets on increasing access to these essential services at the High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership in Washington D.C. in April. Nearly 30 African Countries and many other governments from around the globe agreed to strive to implement baseline commitments to increase access to water by 5% and sanitation by 7% in their countries over the next two years.

Despite global progress, sub-Saharan Africa is not due to meet its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on water until 2032 (17 years too late) and not due to reach universal access until 2075. The region is not due to reach its sanitation MDG by 2175 (160 years too late) and not due to reach universal access until 2360.

The United Nations Development Programme estimates that the shortfall in water and sanitation services cost sub-Saharan African countries around 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) each year ($55.6 billion in 2010), more than the amount provided in development aid to the entire continent ($47.9 billion in 2010).

AUTHOR: Shout Africa
URL: http://www.shout-africa.com
E-MAIL: news [at] shout-africa.com

Mr. Apollos Nwafor, WaterAid Team Leader in Liberia and Sierra Leone spoke last Thursday at the close of a 3-day Programme Planning Meeting in Monrovia.

“We are going to increase our support both technical and financial to ensure that more people have access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene services” said Mr. Nwafor.

He also assured that WaterAid will ensure that the poverty reduction strategy papers don’t remain on the shelves, but that results are seen, especially in the lives of the ordinary citizens.

About 13 Civil Society Organizations from Sierra Leone and Liberia convened from May 1-3, 2012 at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia to produce a 2-year new Action Plan for access to safe drinking Water, improved Sanitation and Hygiene in both countries.

“It was successful. We met with our partners and members of the government technical team and we were able to agree on priorities for the communities, districts and counties we will reach with safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene services for this year” said the WaterAid Boss.

According to him, the session also agreed on accountability, mutual respect, and rights for women and children who suffered most from the lack of access to WASH as the sector’s key values to guide its partnership.

He said they further agreed for WaterAid to adequately fund its partners and required said partners to provide periodic comprehensive reports on time because their success stories would be shared with the government.

“We will come up with case studies that can inform policy changes with government and also come up with programs results that would help improve government responses to the need of the poor and excluded people in both countries” averred Mr. Nwafor.

He said WaterAid wants its partners to ensure that Communities, Districts, and Counties have their management structures and pump technicians trained to ensure that communities are open defecation freed and that women and children are saved from sanitation and water related diseases, and that most girls are able to go to school and that children don’t die before their 5th birthday.

According to him there will be construction of water facilities, community management structure setup, policies reviewed and policies engagement with the civil society network as well as working on the ‘Water For All’ partnership to ensure increase sector financing for water and sanitation.

“WaterAid will provide safe water and latrines in the communities, there will be institutional latrines for schools and not for household or family because the communities would collectively also get theirs instead .We are now moving into the communities. One key innovation is that we are taking up water and sanitation for all partnership as the key issue” Mr. Nwafor further averred.

Mr. Nwafor also noted that there will be engagements with the Liberian National Legislature to ensure Legislative support for water and sanitation, especially for poor people who lack access to safe water and improved sanitation services.

According to him, this year’s engagement with Legislators is to further strengthen of Legislative capacity to deliver on water and sanitation services.

“Yes, yes, Governments are highly cooperating and in fact WaterAid is working with the Ministries of Public Works and Health & Social Welfare as we as serving on the National Committee on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) promotion in both Liberia and Sierra Leone” said Mr. Nwafor

He pledged to support the Liberian government in developing its management information system under the Public Works Ministry to monitor the WASH Sector, adding “We will also support the campaign awareness and the productions of maps as a results of the water point mapping to ensure that there is success for poor people to receive safe water and improved sanitation services”.

The Planning Meeting further developed a joint monitoring plan including Partners Plans of actions (PPAs) and a Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) between WaterAid and partners.

According to a dispatch from the WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia, the 3-day Meeting commenced on Tuesday morning (May 1, 2012) at the Corina Hotel in Sinkor, Monrovia and was sponsored and facilitated by WaterAid Liberia and Sierra Leone an international NGO championing the improvement of the WASH sector.

In his welcome remarks during the opening ceremony, WaterAid’s Team Leader for Liberia and Sierra Leone, Mr. Apollos Nwafor lauded both the CSOs and governments of Liberia and Sierra Leone for their continuous cooperation to improve the WASH sector.

He said improvement in the sector would save millions of lives, money and precious time and at the same time minimize poverty and illiteracy if everyone gets involved.

According to him, lack of access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene could deny parents and students going about their regular business like going to school or work on time or best still bring about pandemic in their community.

Mr. Nwafor said the Meeting will help keep CSOs and governments focused on how to demonstrate their commitments in deeds for the betterment of people in both countries.

The WaterAid Boss clarified that although none of his partners has performed poorly last year, he would certificate partners who come up with innovative results that make impact on the lives of the people

According to the WASH R&E dispatch, UNICEF and Public Works Minister Samuel Kofi Woods could not grace the occasion due to other engagements.

At day-one session, participants reviewed last year plan of action and also examined the emerging challenges from the annual report.

They also made presentations of their individual Most Successful Challenging stories for 2011 while the WaterAid Boss expounded on his Organization’s partnership approach and procedures.

At day-two session, WaterAid’s Programme Officer for Liberia and Sierra Leone, Chuchu Selmah made presentation of WaterAid’s 2012 and 2013 Mid-year Planning Budget followed by the over 13 CSO WASH organizations making presentations of individual plans for 2012/2013.

The organizations include WASH Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia, Liberia NGOs Networks, WASH CSOs Network-Liberia, HELP-Sierra Leone, CODES, Jejunum District Council, ERS, and MOPADA.

Others were WSD, Youth-Development Group, WASH Net-SL, New Era, Kenema District Council, among others. They discussed on plans and budgetary alignments while the working session reviewed key activities and budgets.

AUTHOR: Shout Africa
URL: http://www.shout-africa.com
E-MAIL: news [at] shout-africa.com

The time has come for you to see

The Uncomfortable Truth  by NNEKA

This is a reworked old post. I hope that it did not lose it’s ‘punch’ in 15 months while it gathered 2657 page views in Think About It Water. I am inspired by Somnath’s comment in my last post ‘Eradicate Excess Wealth alongside Poverty‘ where he suspected my content as hard core communism, almost Pol Potish.

Any suggestion about examining limits of personal wealth is decidedly unlikable. Pol Pot is a fair measure of such distaste. Possibly communism as well.

But at least I can place a perspective. Wealth is not money in bank – it’s the power of consuming common resources depriving others. I shall take water as one such resource.

Water divides world into two compartments.

1. Ones who do not need introduction to water scarcity, water related diseases, ones who have no or restricted access to water, no or almost non-existent sanitation, ones who live and perish through droughts and famines. Ones who do not need any awareness programs, media campaigns or blogs to know how life is without clean, safe, free and adequate water. They are poor, marginalized and exploited.

2. Ones who are still enjoying the gift of water, can still demand, buy, negotiate or win useful water to live with some degree of comfort. Some of them somewhat understand the value of water, remain informed about increasing water scarcity, water stress, feel bad about it and wish to do something about it. That something may be turning off the running faucet during brushing of teeth or can be debating about it, talking, exchanging, knowing the impacts of living in a world of lesser and lesser water, more and more water bills, becoming aware about the strife and indifference around water and dream about influencing the world, country, city, village or neighborhoods to be sustainable with water. Some of them do not want go beyond turning of the faucet, where as some look for activism and bring about a change fast and immediate.

Only you know which compartment you are in.

The official dogma about water crisis is it’s increasing scarcity. The scarcity of safe, clean and free water within easy reach of all people on earth, which is enshrined in MDG 7C:  Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The task, as per World Water assessment Programme by UNESCO is: “One billion people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion to adequate sanitation. To achieve this target, an additional 1.5 billion people will require access to some form of improved water supply by 2015, that is an additional 100 million people each year (or 274,000/day) until 2015.”

I find one thing very interesting. Of the 8 MDGs, Environmental Sustainability (clean and drinkable water being a part of that goal) figures at 7. If the order of goals is indicative of priorities, that’s where you are.

I am very confused about how poverty eradication (Goal 1) is achievable before developing global partnership for development (Goal 8), or how primary education can be universalized (Goal 2) for a child who accompanies her mother to fetch water from couple of miles away on a daily basis (Goal 7).

This world is too smart for me because there is constant reference to people living with $2 per day (presumably $2 per day is the poverty line) but there is no talk at UN about people living with 600 liters per day. Is that too touchy an issue? Personally I do not feel like jumping with joy if in 2015 half of world population gets safe drinking water while that absurdly high personal consumption of water continues at any corner of the world. I constantly wonder why there cannot be an MDG of eradication of absurd wealth.

The unofficial truth about water is its forced asymmetry of use over the globe. There is occasional admission of it but no international management plan. I constantly come across people who feel guilty about using so much water as Internet flashes pictures of scorched lands and thirsty, hungry faces. But that guilt appears to be too personal for one to go beyond considering closing of faucet during brushing of teeth.

“ …whereas to truly combat the emerging or existing global water crisis on an international level and in the context of industry, agriculture and climate change, there is little a private person or household can do right now which will help on that level. That requires fighting battles on much bigger and broader scales. Boycotts of foods and products, boycotts of companies, boycotts of cities, countries, sporting events, concerts, and that is just the beginning. Changing of lifestyles, eating habits, living habits, and so much more. This can also be taken to extremes. I personally, do not feel that I am ready to go to these extremes.” Cfender, commented on the blog post “Exercise 2: How much are you wasting without knowing it?” by fellow blogger Mamen Salas Burquete.

I can understand Cfender’s point. Will an Ethiopian child understand it?  To her it may sound like too personal resolution of a water rich person to avoid a personal guilt trip, like say, I have done my bit and I can now go about my business (gosh those developing country pictures of kids…). To a proud water stressed Cypriot it may sound like a charity.

The official truth about water is the Water-Energy-Climate Change Nexus and our unwillingness to get to the bottom of it. We will never understand or appreciate it if our contributions remain limited to saving daily use of water. While 600 liters a day sounds like extreme luxury to 1 billion people of the world, saving half of it will not set right the stark disparity of water and that’s an uncomfortable truth.

The water disparity is much more than drinking and sanitation water. Water is deeply connected to every aspect of our growth or lack of it.

1. Food grains: The irrigated agriculture is extremely water intensive.
2. Meat: The index of affluence and a regular diet of the developed world is very water intensive.
3. Clothes: The jeans with which the west is obsessed and the rich east is coming close on heels are destroying whole rivers of China.

I cannot take anyone as serious about contributing for water balance if he/she prefers not to think about these uncomfortable truths just because the water involved is virtual.

The whole discourse boils down to some much known pattern of resource exploitation in the growth obsessed world. Water is ultimately connected to Energy in a nexus of overuse and abuse. All forms of traditional energy exchanges are linked with use of water, be it cooling plants, water extraction, purification, supply, distribution, storing, pumping, waste water treatment, power plants, irrigation, desalination.  In a world where demand of energy is steadily increasing, water demand is also increasing steadily. If I equate the energy consumption by an individual how can it escape the water involved in the process? How can a society of 18,000 watts per year per capita expect to contribute in saving water by closing a water faucet?

The third axis of Water Energy nexus is Climate Change. The more energy production the more green house gas and more Climate Change.

On a personal level a contribution towards water saving will therefore mean a radical change of life style with less purchase of goods, less meat on plate and less energy consumption. And that is anti-growth, or at least traditional concept of growth. If this appears extreme to anyone and not relatable to daily life, you can kiss goodbye to water in a 9 Billion people world.

The idea of eradicating poverty without radically rethinking ethical and sustainable personal wealth is a pipe dream. Earth simply does not have enough resources to support 1 % super rich and 99% happy middle class.

I have not spoken about food, health and housing at all.

If this sounds like hard core communism or Pol Pot-ish, my friend Somnath will need to talk to Elinor Ostrom

AUTHOR: Pabitra Mukhopadhyay
URL: http://pabitraspeaks.com
E-MAIL: mukhopadhyay.pabitra [at] gmail.com

Mr. Apollos Nwafor, WaterAid Team Leader for Liberia Sierra Leone

An international aid agency, “WaterAid” has released a new report in which it says the lives of 3,783 children could be saved in Sierra Leone if it met its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to halve the proportion of people without safe sanitation by 2015.

The report, “Saving Lives”, reveals that Sierra Leone is one of 57 countries currently most off-track to meet its sanitation MDG target. On current trends Sierra Leone is due to halve the proportion of people lacking sanitation by 2435, missing the MDG sanitation target by 420 years.

According to the latest figures released by UNICEF and the WHO, only 13% of the population has access to safe sanitation. The MDG target for Sierra Leone is for 56% to have access for improved sanitation by 2015.

According to the Country Representative of WaterAid in Sierra Leone, Apollos Nwafor, by meeting the Millennium Development Goal target on sanitation by 2015, they can save the lives of nearly four thousand children in Sierra Leone, noting that they need to do more to save these lives.

The report comes as 70 ministers from governments around the world attend the Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting on the 20th of April, 2012 in Washington DC, the United States of America.

Mr. Nwafor further said the Washington Meeting is crucial to turning the corner on providing essential life saving access to safe water and sanitation. He called on the government and the international community to grasp the opportunity and act in response to the crisis of lost lives

The WaterAid report also says that the lives of 2.5 million people around the world would be saved if everyone had access to safe water and adequate sanitation.

The report concludes that there are more people in the world today without sanitation than there were in 1990, and “the poor quality of sanitation and lack of access to safe drinking water causes 1.4 million child deaths every year due to diarrhoea, and that present deaths are preventable”.

Diarrhoea caused by unsafe drinking water and a lack of quality sanitation is the biggest killer of children under the age of five in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the second biggest killer of children worldwide.

The Sanitation and Water for All meeting in Washington on 20th April brings together 100 ministers and delegates from over 50 countries to discuss the water and sanitation crisis. Participating governments have to bring pledges to the table on increasing access to water and sanitation for the next two years; donor governments also have to provide commitments ahead of the meeting.

The meeting is part of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings and brings together governments, NGOs, the private sector and civil society.

WaterAid is an international aid agency that transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. The Organization works with partners and influence decision-makers to maximize our impact.

AUTHOR: Shout Africa
URL: http://www.shout-africa.com
E-MAIL: news [at] shout-africa.com