| | By Darleen Hartley @ Saturday, March 21, 2009 9:48 AM
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Specialists with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Ethiopia are using cutting-edge technology to deliver water to drought-hit communities, as they observe World Water Day on Sunday, 22 March.
The IRC is active in 42 countries. The Forbes Investment Guide named them as one of 10 gold star charities. In the wake of disasters, they provide emergency relief, help relocate refugees, and assist in rebuilding lives. Part of that mission is locating and delivering water. To that end, they use satellite images, digitized maps, and aerial photographs, as well as data they collect via GPS units. All this technology is used to pinpoint areas that don't have enough water. The next step is to use the computerized map to help design the most appropriate solution.
Behar Hussein, the IRC's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) expert, says: 'It all sounds rather complicated, but the difference it makes in people's lives is simple: they now have regular, safe drinking water close to their homes. That can't be underestimated.'
A villager in Washefaka, Ethiopia, Amina Gubamo says, 'It took us about three hours to get there and many more hours to queue for the water. Sometimes it could take up to 12 hours and so you had to stay overnight. That's not safe for ladies.” Instead of making the trek, villagers sometimes took water from small, dirty ponds, resulting in illness.
The IRC helped the villagers to install a pump and a network of piping that feeds water to a series of taps around the community. Keder Husen, the 'caretaker' selected by his neighbors, operates and maintains the pump.
In India, another organization, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has improved the health of the inhabitants of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ADRA increased their access to water for personal and domestic use by installing and maintaining their water supply, improving their water storage, and forming water management committees in the region.
'One of the key benefits of this project is its impact on the health of the beneficiaries, which has raised the awareness of the importance of personal sanitation,' claims Sameer Minj, program manager for ADRA India.
ADRA is a non-governmental organization with a presence in 125 countries that provides sustainable community development, as well as disaster relief. Their site emphasizes that “Training, technology and awareness are just a few of the ways ADRA involves itself in providing clean, drinkable water on a global level.”
World Water Day is an international day designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 to raise awareness regarding the more than 1 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. X
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