Over 2 billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate. Half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025. Some 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030. By 2040, roughly 1 in 4 children worldwide will be living in areas of extremely high water stress.
Sometimes problems feel so enormous that they become paralysing. We don’t know how to start and whatever actions we take at an individual level feel like they’re too small to matter. At times like these, it is important to remember that we’ve done it before: as one human family, we recognised CFCs as the culprit they were, and not only did we stop the hole in the ozone layer from expanding further, but succeeded in healing it altogether. It took individual action from each of us, and it took collective action at an intergovernmental, policy level.
We can do it again, with water. In fact, we already are. The UN 2023 Water Conference was a historic event that brought together leaders, experts, and activists from around the world to address the global water crisis. The conference resulted in the Water Action Agenda.
What is the Water Action Agenda?
The Water Action Agenda is a framework for collective action on water issues that was announced at the UN 2023 Water Conference. The agenda consists of commitments made by nations, organisations, and stakeholders to improve access to clean water, enhance sanitation infrastructure, and promote sustainable water resource management practices. The commitments range from building new dams and pipelines, to reforming water policies and regulations, to raising awareness and education on water issues. The agenda aims to address the multiple dimensions of the water crisis, such as public health, environment, and socio-economic development.
Committing to the Cause
The commitments reflect the urgency and scale of the global water crisis. We’re heading into an era marked by a scarcity of water, and therefore, sanitation. This poses serious risks to human health, as waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and diarrhoea already kill millions of people every year. Moreover, the water crisis also threatens the environment, as water scarcity and pollution degrade ecosystems and biodiversity. Furthermore, the water crisis also affects socio-economic development, as water insecurity hampers agricultural production, and industrial growth.
There are several real world actions that have already resulted from these commitments.
In the pursuit of sustainable water management and sanitation, a visionary initiative aims to empower 10,000 youth and women farmers to become micro-entrepreneurs by 2030, conserving a staggering 60 million litres of water annually: a feat that will benefit a million farmers. At the heart of this transformative endeavour is the Climate Leaders (CL) program, which focuses on capacity development, turning women and youth into climate leaders and micro-entrepreneurs.
Another initiative aims to provide clean water to 2.2 billion people who currently don’t have access. The game-changing plan involves the use of a patented drilling method, known as the One Million Wells (OMW) method which is capable of drilling large diameter boreholes at a lower cost than other methods. It aims at becoming a primary training platform for drilling boreholes, training individuals who, in turn, train others.
Still another initiative focuses on creating awareness and engagement for wise water usage. The initiative mobilises a team of experts, financial resources totaling $40,000, and facilitates access to water sprinklers for farmers at subsidised rates. It also involves nominating individuals as “Jal Mitra” (friends of water) to promote responsible water usage, creating a chain of Jal Mitras for a mass movement.
The India water story
The GoI is well aware of India’s coming predicament. As the world’s most populous nation, we have 18% of the world’s population, but enough water resources for just 4% of our people. If we don’t act now, we’ll miss the boat.
The Jal Jeevan Mission – Har Ghar Nal Se Jal is a flagship GoI initiative aimed at providing functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to every rural household by 2024. This ambitious mission seeks to address inadequate access to clean and safe drinking water in rural areas, improving the lives and health of millions of people.
The mission focuses on community participation and decentralised execution through the involvement of Gram Panchayats (village councils) and local communities. It also emphasises sustainability through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and other water conservation measures. As of 12 December 2023, over 13.11 crore rural households have been provided with FHTCs, covering 71.72 % of the rural population.
The Swachh Bharat Mission, too, has seen immense success. Between 2014 and 2019, Phase 1 saw the construction of millions of toilets under various schemes. So much so that today every Indian has access to a toilet.
However, some challenges remain, such as ensuring long-term sustainability of sanitation facilities, managing solid waste effectively in rural areas, and changing ingrained social behaviour around sanitation practices. The government is actively addressing these challenges through continued awareness campaigns, capacity building programs, and innovative technological solutions.
The GoI is not alone in this. Harpic, as India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, has championed the cause of toilet hygiene through innovative and thought provoking campaigns and outreach programs. Also, together with News18, Harpic created the Mission Swachhta aur Paani: a movement that upholds the cause of inclusive sanitation where everyone has access to clean toilets. Mission Swachhta aur Paani advocates equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and strongly believes that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.
Under the aegis of Mission Swachhta aur Paani, Harpic has reached out 17.5 million children across the nation via their partnership with Sesame Workshop India to promote positive sanitation, hygiene knowledge and toilet behaviours among children and families through schools and communities. Through Harpic World Toilet Colleges, Harpic is also changing the way sanitation work is viewed, uplifting the entire profession, and creating dignity and safety for sanitation workers.
Moreover, through Mission Swachhta aur Paani, Harpic is creating a platform for the right stakeholders to come together to ideate and explore creative solutions to our problems today. For 3 years now, it has created a repository of articles, videos, and knowledge artefacts that help changemakers find the information they need to bring their own projects to fruition.
Water and sanitation aren’t someone else’s problems, they are ours to solve. Join your voice to ours here, and help us usher in a more Swasth and Swachh Bharat.
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