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 Youth Zone - Development Topics - Water
Water
Water = Life
Our well-being depends on clean water
A global crisis
What is Canada doing to help?
How to get involved in water issues
Useful water links
This Afghan youth is taking a break from digging a
canal, to get a drink of water. CIDA has
provided funding to help restore canals and waterways
used for irrigation in the Da-Sabz region near Kabul.
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Imagine there was no running water in your home. Imagine having to walk several kilometres to a tap, well or river to collect water, and then carry it home.
This is what millions of women and children do every day in developing countries—sometimes more than once a day. They carry every drop of water they use for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. The water they carry can weigh up to 20 kilograms—about as heavy as a large computer monitor. Sometimes, no matter how much they carry, it's still not enough for everyone who needs it. Not only that, but often the water they bring home is not clean. Drinking it or bathing in it might lead to disease or skin infections.
 Water = Life
Humans need between 20 and 50 litres of water every day for their basic needs. There is quite a difference in the amount of water used around the world. For example, a person living in sub-Saharan Africa uses between 10 and 20 litres of water a day. Compare that to Canada, where the average person may use as much as 326 litres of water every day.
We cannot live without water. We need water to drink, prepare food, wash ourselves, and keep our homes clean. We also need water to grow food and for livestock, manufacturing, and hydro-electric power. However, about 97.5 percent of the world’s water is saltwater, which cannot be used for drinking or farming. The remaining 2.5 percent is freshwater, which must be shared by everybody around the world—over 6 billion people.
As the world’s population continues to increase, demand for the freshwater in the world’s lakes, rivers, rainwater collection tanks, and groundwater constantly rises. Eventually, we might use water faster than nature can replace it. Already there is strong competition among water users such as individuals, farmers, factories, and cities. As water resources become increasingly scarce, there is a danger that conflict could erupt between or within countries over available freshwater.
Our well-being depends on clean water
Without safe, clean water and good sanitation, people cannot lead healthy and productive lives. About 80 percent of all illnesses that affect people in developing countries are linked to unclean water and poor sanitation. For example, in the developing world every year there are about 4 billion cases of diarrhea, a major water-related sickness. Weakened by diarrhea and associated diseases, 2.2 million people die every year around the world—more than the population of Montreal. Most of the people who die are children under 5.
Scarce water resources can mean that people do not have enough water to drink and cannot grow enough food to feed their families properly. Children who are weakened by malnourishment and insufficient water are at greater risk of catching a disease. They may be unable to grow normally and often cannot participate in everyday activities, such as going to school, learning necessary skills, working, or visiting with friends.
Water shortages also affect a country's social and economic development. For example, the economy suffers if there is not enough water to run factories and farms. When farms and factories are not running, there are fewer jobs available. Fewer jobs mean less money for people to buy food, pay school fees, or purchase medicines and other necessary things for their families.
A global crisis
The effects of the ever-growing global population on the world's water supply are being felt all around the world: increased demand for freshwater, increased water pollution, and increased need for water treatment systems. You might even have noticed some effects in your own community. 
This young girl is collecting water from a
traditional irrigation channel in a village
on Afghanistan’s Shomali Plain. The
water supply channels in the region were
damaged or destroyed during the conflict
between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance.
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Are there restrictions on how often or how long you can water your lawn in summer? Do you have to boil your water to make it safe or buy bottled water?
Some parts of the world feel the impact more than others, however. In arid regions such as the Middle East and much of Africa, people depend on rainfall for their freshwater. When it does not rain, severe water shortages occur. Over 450 million people today in 29 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, are suffering from chronic water shortages. That translates to roughly one-fifteenth of the world's population. By 2050, it is estimated that as many as two-thirds of the people in the world will be affected by water shortages.
In Asia, water quality is a serious problem. Asian rivers—an important source of drinking water—are heavily polluted, in large part by human waste. Most of the 2.4 billion people who do not have access to basic sanitation facilities live in Asian countries.
What is Canada doing to help?
Canada supports global commitments, agreed to in the Millennium Development Goals and at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002, to provide access to safe, clean water and basic sanitation by 2015 to at least 50 percent of the people who do not have it now.
Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the government supports a number of water-related projects in developing countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Zambia, Cambodia, as well as cross-border projects in the Middle East and Africa:
- CIDA is helping to restore safe drinking water in Kabul, Afghanistan. With CIDA's help, the Rehabilitation Organization of Afghanistan has re-established clean water services in many locations in the city.
- CIDA, CARE Canada, and CARE International are helping to restore Iraq’s water and sanitation systems by sponsoring a team of engineers, electricians, and mechanics who make emergency repairs throughout the country.
- The amount of freshwater available per person is lower in the Middle East and North Africa region than anywhere else in the world. CIDA is supporting a project that encourages community and country leaders in the region to look at new ways of using water more efficiently.
- CIDA supports the Nile Basin Initiative, a program that helps countries that rely on the Nile River for water to better manage their water resources. Together, the Nile Basin countries—some of the poorest in the world—are finding ways to protect the watershed that supports the lives and livelihood of their citizens.
How to get involved in water issues
- One person can make a difference! Follow other young people’s work. Ryan Hreljac has established Ryan’s Well Foundation to help African communities build water wells. Raegan Wheler volunteered with Engineers Without Borders to help bring safe drinking water to residents in eastern Kenya.
- Educate yourself about the latest water issues. Read the information presented on the UNESCO water portal.
- Learn how to reduce your water use. Read Environment Canada’s tips for saving water inside and outside the home.
- Spread the word about water. Organize a workshop, special information day, or poster contest. Be creative!
- Fundraise for organizations working on water issues. Organize a bake sale, a walk-a-thon, or a bottle drive.
- Volunteer for organizations working on water issues.
Useful water links
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