WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE: A WORLDWIDE CHALLENGE

 “A serious water crisis is looming”, warned the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on 5 October. “More than 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries and suffer from a lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation,” he said.

The “water, sanitation and hygiene” sector is a key area of intervention in humanitarian and international development work. It is often referred to by its acronyms WASH.

The issue of universal and equitable access to safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation is also political. This issue, considered by the UN as the 6th goal to be reached by 2030, integrates the notion of cross-border management of this resource, which is essential for sustainable management but also favourable to peace and international cooperation.

Providing access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, and above all, instilling good hygiene habits in parents and children, are essential to a country’s socio-economic development, food security and health security.

To ensure the prosperity of future generations in the most affected countries, it is therefore essential to raise awareness and support the populations in emergency situations in sustainable and rational water management, so that they in turn can raise awareness among their children.

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OPERATION 2022: PROVIDING FACILITIES FOR NEW HYGIENE AND PUBLIC HEALTH HABITS

If the health crisis we have experienced (and are still experiencing) has taught us anything, it is the crucial role that local governments and water and sanitation providers play in a pandemic context.

Infectious diseases are responsible for almost a third of deaths in the South. Lack of access to WASH services in health and care facilities – as well as in households – has a direct impact on the prevention and treatment of disease.

While for us, access to a water supply for drinking, showering, hand washing, or flushing the toilet may be a simple matter, for more than 2 billion people it is not.

For this reason, at Labaronne-Citaf, we have decided this year to support our new partner, Hydraulique Sans Frontières, specialised in this field.

This is why Labaronne-Citaf values the importance of water, the source of life.

During the year 2022, a part of the sales made will be donated to Hydraulique Sans Frontières.

Our commitment since the beginning of our sponsorship operations: to make each sale an act of solidarity!

DWINDLING WATER SUPPLIES, BOTH IN QUANTITY AND QUALITY

The impact of human activity on water

Current global freshwater use is already close to the maximum sustainable level.
Human activities such as intensive agriculture, industry, deforestation and the destruction of wetlands are disrupting evapotranspiration (generated by plants and soil), which is damaging the vapour and condensation of water, and thus the precipitation process, groundwater recharge, river flow, etc.

In addition, pollution of both surface and groundwater has led to a deterioration in water quality. As a result, the world’s largest rivers – in Africa, Asia and Latin America – are increasingly polluted, directly threatening the health of more than 300 million people and indirectly affecting food production in many countries according to the UN.

The impact of climate change on water

While we have been struggling for several years to address the age-old problem of drinking water scarcity in the countries of the South, we now also have to fight against the acceleration of climate change. Human interactions on the water cycle are compounded by the effects of global warming.

Between the depletion of deep water resources, the multiplication and intensification of crisis phenomena (such as floods or droughts), the climate disruption of the last 20 years has impacted the hydrological cycle.

The importance of changing our water consumption habits

In view of the current state of water resources worldwide, scientific experts are clear: it is imperative to improve our management of these resources by optimising our consumption, reusing our wastewater, and preserving freshwater reserves and their ecosystems in order to promote the natural production of this precious resource.

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FOCUS ON AFRICA AND THE SOUTH

According to the latest UN World Water Development Report (coordinated by UNESCO), 3.6 billion people live in water-poor areas for at least one month a year. And this figure is growing.

  • Despite its rivers and large lakes, Africa is the second driest continent in the world after Australia. About 14% of the African population (nearly 160 million people) is now suffering from water shortages and villages are emptying.
  • Last June, Madagascar was officially declared the first country in the world to experience famine due to drought, caused by global warming.

Promoting the autonomy of populations and developing measures to adapt to climate change means fighting against massive internal migration and reducing the number of climate refugees. Moreover, having direct access to water at the local level is a much more economical and ecological solution.

Consequently, the construction of hydraulic infrastructures and the training of operators and beneficiaries, which the NGO Hydraulique Sans Frontières conducts, is of general interest. Not only does it create jobs, but it teaches new generations to adopt good water consumption, hygiene and sanitation habits.

MORE ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION HYDRAULIQUE SANS FRONTIÈRES

Hydraulique Sans Frontières, an international solidarity association created in 1990, specialises in the field of water and sanitation. Through the construction of drinking water supply systems and latrines, the NGO contributes to a significant improvement in the living conditions of local populations.

In consultation with the local population to develop a sustainable project, the volunteers provide their technical skills in the field of water development.

More about the NGO