#BTColumn – Groundwater making the invisible visible

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by Wayne Campbell

“As the planet adapts to a changing climate and rising population, groundwater will play an essential role in meeting the growing demand for food and drinking water. Yet this essential resource faces serious risks – including inadequate protection and sometimes irreversible pollution.  For all these reasons, on World Water Day 2022, UNESCO is celebrating this essential resource because better protecting and managing groundwater is our collective  responsibility, and in our collective interest.” – Audrey Azoulay, director general of UNESCO

Water is the one primary resource which all living life form depends on for their survival. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), approximately 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 per cent of all the Earth’s water.

The vast majority of water on the Earth’s surface, over 96 per cent, is saline water in the oceans. The freshwater resources, such as water falling from the skies and moving into streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater, provide people with the water they need every day to live.

Despite being surrounded by so much water many areas on the planet are impacted by water scarcity. We have all been in the shower only to realise there is water lock off. The management and sharing of water have historically resulted in conflicts among nations. Social unrest in many parts of the world are directly associated with the unavailability of water. Water scarcity is real for millions of people globally.

Many citizens have resorted to the blocking of roads in order to draw attention to the lack of water in their communities. We have witnessed the closure of schools and other public offices due to water scarcity. It has become commonplace to see water tanks all across housing schemes, as well as residential and commercial developments.

The novel coronavirus has brought to the fore the importance of water to our daily lives. Availability and access to water, sanitation and hygiene services is fundamental in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our health and well-being are intricately linked to access to water. While considerable progress has been made in increasing access to clean drinking water and sanitation, billions of people, mostly in rural areas still lack these
basic services.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of sanitation, hygiene and adequate access to clean water for preventing and containing diseases. Access to water and proper sanitation are the core tenets of sustainable development which is critical to the survival of our planet.

Unfortunately, many citizens are forced to use untreated water for domestic purposes. Many farmers have had and continue to have a challenging time in sourcing a reliable water supply.

It is not uncommon for farmers as well as citizens to purchase water in order to meet their domestic and agricultural needs. Our food security is definitely linked to the availability and access to water. World Water Day on March 22 takes on an added significance this year given the Russian-Ukraine War.

The National Water Commission has announced a daily water lock-off schedule which began on Friday, March 18, 2022 in order to save on the rising global energy costs. Recently, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced in parliament that the government received an unsolicited proposal from a consortium of reputable local and international companies to implement the project.

According to the prime minister the project involves deep sea desalination and pumping of the fresh water into reservoirs at high elevations using solar power. The fresh water will then be gravity fed downhill through hydro power turbines generating electricity.

“This is a transformational project and has the potential to solve the water scarcity problem of the Kingston Metropolitan Area, providing a third source of stored water supply to complement the Mona Reservoir and Hermitage Dam,” Mr. Holness announced.

World Water Day which is held annually provides a platform for focusing attention on the importance of
freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management
of freshwater resources.

World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. Many of us have doubts whether this goal will be achieved in eight years time.

Groundwater, making the invisible visible

The theme for World Water Day is Groundwater: making the invisible visible.  The International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC) states groundwater is a vital resource that provides almost half of all drinking water worldwide, about 40 per cent of water for irrigated agriculture and about 1/3 of water required for industry. It sustains ecosystems, maintains the base flow of rivers and prevents land subsidence and seawater intrusion.

Invisible groundwater is out of sight and out of mind for most people. Human activities (including population- and economic growth) and climate variability are rapidly increasing the pressure on groundwater resources: serious depletion and pollution problems are reported for many parts of the world. Groundwater is water found underground in aquifers, which are geological formations of rocks, sands and gravels that hold substantial quantities of water.

Groundwater feeds springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands, and seeps into oceans. Groundwater is recharged mainly from rain and snowfall infiltrating the ground. Groundwater can be extracted to the surface by pumps and wells. Life would not be possible without groundwater.

Most arid areas of the world depend entirely on groundwater. Groundwater supplies a large proportion of the water we use for drinking, sanitation, food production and industrial processes. It is also critically important to the healthy functioning of ecosystems, such as wetlands and rivers.

We must protect our ecosystems from overexploitation. Exploring, protecting and sustainably using groundwater will be central to surviving and adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population.

Access to Water

The idea for this international day goes back to 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place. That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993. Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by having no access to water.

This intolerable situation is more pronounced in rural areas where in most times there is not a reliable water supply. Women and girls are forced to walk long hours in search
for water. This gendered approach to water also makes women and girls more prone to violence both of a sexual and physical nature.

The society should take into account the concerns of women and girls in any national policy which is aimed at improving access to water and sanitation.

The voices of women and girls must be heard. Societies must also include the youth in discussions as it relates to climate change and the environment.

Global access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene resources reduce illness and death from disease and lead to improved health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development. Safeguarding water sources and developing and maintaining water and sanitation systems to keep feces out of water, food, and the environment are critical to preventing diarrheal diseases.

Unfortunately, in areas without a consistent source of safe water, people often resort to using sources that are more likely to contain germs that cause diarrhea.

Undoubtedly, areas that have extremely high rainfall and flooding conditions may also experience contamination of drinking water sources and ground crops, for example, when latrines overflow.

Many germs causing diarrheal diseases spread from human waste into drinking water or our food supply when there is no sanitation facility that can safely separate waste from human contact. On this World Water Day the discussion regarding access to water, as well as making unmasking the invisibility of groundwater to become visible needs to be widened.

Governments need to be more innovative in their research and implementation. More investments and legislative protection are needed in water management. We can all play a role in protecting the environment. Let us avoid wasting water as we celebrate World Water Day. Water is life.

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © Follow my blog at www.wayaine.blogspot.com #WorldWaterDay