Sparking Hope: Water
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About Sparking Hope:
In many ways, the world is at a rather depressing place right at the moment. Before the pandemic, economic inequality, climate change, and more were already threatening the political, economic, and social stability of nations across the world. With the advent of the global pandemic, these issues have not gone away but, rather, have intensified in frightening ways, posing a new challenge to a world already reeling from one major international crisis.
But it is in the midst of darkness that sparks of hope arise. Across the world, from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the deserts of the Sahara and more, individuals and organizations have been stepping up to the plate, tackling these crises to build a more just and sustainable world. Using both ground-breaking advances in humanitarian technology, from 3D printing to remote sensing and more, and revolutionary strategies in microfinancing, nonprofit organization, and more, new projects worldwide have sprung up to confront the many challenges that humanity now faces.
Sparking Hope is my feature collection on this blog dedicated to showcasing these new innovative responses to humanitarian crises, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19. Throughout this series, we will take a global look at the major trends in humanitarian technology, nonprofit initiatives, and more that are helping tackle some of the greatest problems humanity faces. Join me as we take a tour of humanity's greatest challenges, and focus on what people worldwide are doing to overcome them. For in the darkness, all it takes is a single spark of hope to let the light shine anew.
Feature 1 - Water:
Water is the lifeblood of nations. Without this tiny molecule, human civilization, and in fact, humans themselves, cannot survive. Beyond its mere biological necessity, we use water for sanitation, cooking, and much more. Yet, across the world, one in every three people worldwide lacks access to safe drinking water. More than 1.8 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation. The result is often the spread of disease, risks to individual health, and more. For children, in particular, the water crisis hits hard. Lack of easy access to water at home forces many children to collect it during the day instead of going to school, creating a significant barrier to education. This lack of access also puts many children at risk of contracting waterborne diseases, in addition to the fact that collecting water can be back-breaking work.
The coronavirus pandemic made these problems much worse. To start, you need water to wash your hands! While many often take this fact for granted, sanitary requirements against COVID-19 become much harder to meet for those without adequate access to water, as research shows. There is also a larger need for water in sanitation and hygiene systems, and so shortages, as seen in countries like Ethiopia, threaten the broader public health of communities as a result. In turn, the pandemic then exacerbates these water shortages, with the economic consequences of the virus limiting funding and financial efforts by internal actors to alleviate shortages in developing states. In this way, the two crises feed off each other: water shortage helps COVID-19 spread, which then limits the financing needed to address water shortages.
Rather than being discouraged by this crisis's depth, however, international actors have stepped up to the plate, using new innovative water technologies to improve supply globally. Leading the way is so-called green water technologies, which have a two-in-one purpose, helping solve water shortages while being environmentally sustainable. In South Asia, for example, the Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience, run by the International Water Management Institute, has helped install highly advanced solar-powered water pumps. Rather than using a traditional generator, these solar pumps can be easily installed in rural areas where stable electrical lines may not be present, improving the supply of water, especially to local communities. As a result, many residents have been able to have safe access to water for irrigation, daily water use, and more.
Another innovation, the SunSpring Hybrid, made by the company Innovative Water Technologies, has provided an ultrafiltration system powered just by the sun. Using fiber membranes and microbiological purifiers, their system can be attached to household sinks to provide clean water for daily use. The machine can do this incredible work while not costing electricity, being portable, self-cleaning, and only costing 0.013 centers per gallon of water purified! That device alone is a testament to the power of human ingenuity in helping design technologies that can tackle massive global water crises in a safe and sustainable manner.
Not to be outdone, however, many organizations and initiatives are also stepping up to support many of these projects. The 20by2020 Initiative, part of the United Arab Emirates' Zayed Sustainability Prize, for example, helped install the construction of several new sources of clean drinking water in Cambodia, helping alleviate a shortage in several rural regions. Other national actors, like the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, have funded water shortage alleviation efforts, such as the aforementioned SoLAR program. Even nonprofit organizations have contributed despite the adverse impact of COVID-19 on many groups. For example, Water.org, the international nonprofit founded by Matt Damon, has pioneered an innovative funding approach, even during the pandemic, offering affordable microfinancing to households to get access to clean water. In short, many groups have indeed come together, working to alleviate the water crisis's financial components despite the pandemic.
Therefore, from newfound green innovations for water purification to financial initiatives working to develop the infrastructure for water access in each home, these examples serve as an inspiration to all of us. In one of our darkest hours, when the world is ravaged by a global pandemic, exacerbating some of the greatest humanitarian issues we already faced, these agencies have stepped up to the plate, showing how we can address crises even in the face of daunting odds. They show us how we can harness human creativity to develop technological and organizational solutions that can tackle major crises, and ultimately, spark hope once more.
Resources
https://water.org/our-impact/water-crisis/childrens-and-education-crisis/
https://thewaterproject.org/water-scarcity/water_scarcity_and_children
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02508060.2020.1769345?journalCode=rwin20
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/12/coronavirus-pandemic-global-water-crisis/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7445842/
https://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/2017/11/a-bright-future-for-solar-powered-irrigation/
https://innovativeh2o.com/sunspring-hybrid-2/
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/innovative-water-technologies/
https://zayedsustainabilityprize.com/en/20by2020
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/matt-damon-is-bringing-clean-water/
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/vulnerable-communities-resilient/