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Category Archives: Education

Haiti
Water Story

24 May

SYNOPSIS

Water is crucial in maintaining our lives and society. Although people can survive without food for a month, they cannot survive for even a week without water. At times like when Katrina, the hurricane, swept across New Orleans, a great tsunami surged over Indonesia, and an earthquake hit Sichuan, what the survivors most waited for was water.

In January, 2010, an unexpected earthquake with a 7 degrees intensity hit Haiti, a small island country out in the Caribbean. The earthquake centered mainly in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, unfortunately the most highly populated city in Haiti. 200,000 people lost their lives. Government buildings, airports, and sea ports were destroyed. The government was virtually immobilized and this made it quite inconvenient when bringing in aid supplies. Countless people lost their families, homes, and everything else they had. The victims of this disaster did not have food to eat. Their injuries were not being treated. This time again, what the victims needed most was water.

Water can save people’s lives, but also kill lives. Since 1991 till 2000, 665,000 people lost their lives due to 2,557 natural disasters. 90 percent of these calamities were related to water.

The Haitians know that water is not just a “life-saver.” They have experienced the annual hurricanes that visit Haiti. Like this earthquake, the hurricanes have also caused great damage. In 2008, a hurricane swept across Haiti and left it practically in ruins. The survivors of the earthquake are already worrying about the damage this year’s hurricane will cause to the yet unrestored Haiti.

GOALS

Raise Awareness of the Importance of Water
Nothing will be able to exist without water. In each and every part of our lives and society, water is an essential matter. Civilizations developed, mainly centered around water. Where there was an abundant source of water, the lives of the people were abundant as well. Although water is a greatly crucial matter, not many people are aware of its importance.

Understand the Various Characteristics of Water
The earthquake that hit Haiti in January, 2010 provided people an opportunity to rethink about the importance of water. After the earthquake, people sought most after water to survive. The people of Haiti also are well aware of the cruel side of water. Hurricanes completely soaks Haiti every year as it passes by. We can understand more about water when we look into Haiti. Water is essential to maintain life, but life is sometimes also taken away by water.

Refocus on Haiti
The international society focused on Haiti after the devastating earthquake. However, as time passed by even the donations have started to slowly dwindle. We want to refocus on Haiti through the topic of water.
By refocusing on Haiti, which has gone through a disastrous calamity, we hope to once again catch the interest of the internatinoal society. We hope to be able to view Haiti with a new perspective and think of what kind of aid is needed and how it can be done.

Any partnership and sponsorship inquires mail to: friend@pursuitofwater.org

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National Geographic
on Water

12 May

National Geographic Magazine featured water as a special issue on April, 2010. Great photography with a powerful messages on global water issues! Check out: National Geographic Magazine

Statistics

Nearly 70% of the world’s fresh water is locked in ice.
Most of the rest is in aquifers that we’re draining much more quickly than the natural recharge rate.
Two-thirds of our water is used to grow food.
With 83 million more people on earth each year, water demand will keep going up unless we change how we use it.


Americans use about 100 gallons (380 liters) of water at home each day.
Millions of the world’s poorest subsist on fewer than five gallons (19 liters).
46% of people on earth do not have water piped to their homes.
Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) to get water.
In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity.


One out of eight people lacks access to clean water.
3.3 million die from water-related health problems each year.
Washing hands with soap can reduce diarrheal disease by 45%.
An eradication campaign that includes a simple water filter has cut the number of Guinea Worm cases by 99.9% since 1986.


The weight of China’s three gorges reservoir will tilt the earth’s axis by nearly an inch (2.54 centimeters).
The longest water tunnel, supplying New York City, is 85 miles and leaks up to 35 million gallons (132 million liters) a day.
The Itaipú dam in South America cost $18 billion and took 17 years to build.
Dam projects have displaced up to 80 million people worldwide.


U.S. vacationers rank going to the beach or a lack as their favorite outdoor activity.
More Americans fish than play golf or tennis.
The U.S. recreational boating industry generated $33.6 billion in 2008.
In Florida, 3,000 gallons (11,356 liters) are used to water the grass for each golf game played.
U.S. swimming pools lose 150 billion gallons (567 billion liters) to evaporation every year.


Check out: National Geographic Magazine

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Why Water

05 May

Why do we focus on water?

#1   because nothing can exist without water
#2   because billions people are suffering from water-related problems
#3   because most people are not aware of or care about #1 and #2


No Water, Nothing

Water is the ‘source of life’, for life cannot exist without it. Water is necessary for the smallest unit of the human body, as well as for the functioning of the major facets of society. It transports oxygen and nutrients to cells and removes waste from the body. A person can survive thirty to forty days without food but cannot live for more than eight to ten days without water.

As individuals, we are all dependent on water for the most basic elements of our day – brushing our teeth, using the toilet, taking a shower, washing our hands, cooking, and drinking soda.

Water is the root of many other forms of energy. It is a key component in manufacturing and vital for agriculture and many global industries. It used to create batteries for our cell phones and our computers, power our buildings, regulate the heat in our homes, and drive our cars.

This means that the availability of clean water is determinative for the future of every community in the world.

Not Only Global Warming, But Water

Global warming is not only environmental issues but most people, including us, seem to have been very much focused on global warming when putting our interest in environmental issues.

Now, we want to focus on the water issues, it is also environmental issues, much connected with social problems concerning issues such as gender equality, lack of education, extreme poverty, children and maternal health, diseases and illness, and even war as well.

And we felt that more people should know about the seriousness of water issues.

Global Issues

One out of eight in the world’s population lacks access to clean water (2010). Even more importantly, lack of clean water disproportionally affects the people living in developing countries, who are the most in need of resources. In addition, factors such as population growth, climate change, increasing demand, poor allocation, degradation and pollution of water resources continue to contribute to water shortages globally. For this reason, improving access to clean water sources, and formulating sound water usage habits and policies are necessary for development.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.
In some regions women and children walk on average 6km (3.7mi) a day to fetch water.
263 trans-boundary lake and river basins include the territory of 145 countries. This can lead to international territorial disputes.
1991 to 2000 over 665,000 people died in 2,557 natural disasters of which 90% were water-related events.


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