Water pollution Sanitation quality standards interventions treatment Julius

Water pollution, Sanitation, quality, standards, interventions & treatment Julius Kabubi

Points of discussion • • • Mystery of water Water supply and sanitation status Water pollution and sanitation issues Water quality standards Water quality interventions

Importance of water The book of Genesis, one of the oldest written accounts of human thought about nature, places water second in importance only to light. In the story of the creation, day 2 already is devoted to the separation of the waters below the sky from the waters above it; day 3 begins with the separation of land from oceans.

The mystique of water • Philosophers writing at the time of the birth of philosophy in ancient Greece considered water to be one of the foundations of the world. • The ocean was, according to Homer, "the father of all gods. ” • Thales of Miletus considered water to be the elemental matter of the world. • According to Empedocles and others, water was one of the fundamental elements of the world, along with earth, fire and air. • Water as the basis of life and as a purifying medium has been richly represented in the symbols of the world's religions.

The mystique of water • In the Bible, the original paradise is described as the Garden of Eden, supplied with water from four rivers (the Euphrates and Tigris among them). • A person formally becomes a Christian through baptism with water. • Hindus, in their desire for liberation, plunge into the Ganges River, and the promised paradise to believers in the Koran also teems with the water of rivers. In the spiritual perceptions of humanity, harmony with water and with its natural circulation is felt as a gift, • A goodness or a blessing, and disharmony with it and the extremes of its circulation are considered as a punishment, an evil or a curse

Current global situation on water & sanitation • Inadequate supply of safe water • Poor sanitation and Hygiene, contributes to disease transmission, ill health, misery and death.

Hunting for the life giving commodity

• Lack of access to environmental sanitation and hygiene affects women and children most. • Addressing gender issues –Young girls’ fetching water and unable to pursue education,

• Worldwide, about 1. 1 billion of people lack access to safe water • About 2. 6 billion lack access to basic sanitation service, – 4 million die annually as a result, 80 per cent of which are children aged less than 5 years. • 80% of all diseases are water related (source: WHO)

African Situation • More than 300 million Africans still lack access to safe drinking water and 14 countries on the continent suffer from water scarcity. • Out of 55 countries in the world with domestic water use below 50 litres person per day (the minimum requirement set by the World Health Organization), 35 are in Africa. • Almost half of all Africans suffer from one of six main waterrelated diseases • The challenge in Africa is getting water to where it is needed most, affordably and efficiently. • Currently, about 50 per cent of urban water is wasted, as is 75 per cent of irrigation water

What are the hindrances ? – (Financial) • lack of money and technology has been identified as the major hindrances to solving Africa's water and sanitation problems, • Financial constraints and competition for everdeclining public resources, • Budgetary allocations to social services such as health, education, water supply and sanitation has suffered as a result. • Donor support for the sector has also been declining.

What are Hindrances ? - (Non-financial) • Lack of priority given to the sector, • Lack of sustainability of water supply and sanitation services, • Poor hygiene behaviors, • Inadequate sanitation in public places including hospitals, health centers, cities and schools

Other Hindrances • The problem is that sanitation is a very local, household and individual issue, yet solutions are being implemented from a top-down government approach, without involving people. “When this fails, people claim that money is the problem. “ Do you agree?

Other Hindrances • Many governments deal with the provision of water and sanitation as a single, separate entity rather than part of a broad development agenda encompassing education, women's empowerment, community participation, nurturing efficient markets and building human resources. • Sanitation is a multi-faceted issue. It is not just about building a latrine.

Group exercise • Give us at least three challenges affecting water, sanitation & Hygiene standards in the area where you come from?