Ensure Access to Water
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Clean Water Is a Human Right |
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Overview
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Saturday, 13 January 2007 |
- Water is a human right and a gift from God to be
preserved and shared by all.
- 400 million Africans, a number greater than the
population of the U.S., did not have access to clean water in the year 2000.
- Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are pumped
out of local rivers to be used in the mining extraction and refining
process, taking away much needed water resources. And the remaining pits are used for
chemically-processed waste, raising the acid levels in the water and
creating toxic environments.
- Contaminated water contributes to a high level of
waterborne diseases, such as cholera and malaria, and other public health
problems, such as chronic asthma and lead poisoning.
- Water pollution affects farming and fishing economies
that need water not only for drinking, but also to earn a living.
- The privatization of water in Africa, the result of
World Bank and IMF loan conditionalities, has resulted in price hikes that
have made water unaffordable for those with little financial means.
- One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce
by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by
the year 2015. But according to a
2006 World Health Organization report, the world is in danger of missing
this target unless there is a dramatic increase in the pace of work and
investment between now and 2015.
- Often considered a source of inter- and intra- state conflicts, improving water accessibility and management could promote peace in many of the river basin regions of Africa.
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Clean Water Is a Human Right
Join AFJN in Asking for More Appropriations Added to the Water for the Poor Act (P.L. 109-121)
Learn More about the Need for Clean Water
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