Despite the fundamental role of water for human health, survival, and development, every one out of nine people do not have access to clean water today. 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation, and every minute a child dies from a water-related disease.
Around 700 million people in 43 countries suffer today from water scarcity. Globally, water scarcity already affects four out of every 10 people.
Reducing the time it takes to fetch water from 30 to 15 minutes increased girls’ school attendance by 12% according to a study in Tanzania.
1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water contaminated with feces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio.
Women and girls are responsible for water collection in 8 out of 10 households with water off premises, so reducing the population with limited drinking water services will have a strong gender impact.
842,000 people die every year from diseases caused by unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and hygiene. More than 340 000 children under five who die annually from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water.
Loss of productivity to water- and sanitation-related diseases costs many countries up to 5% of GDP. For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, an average of at least $4 is returned in increased productivity.
The emergency solution adopted by our organization is installing water wells with hand pumps in regions with little or no access to drinking water. In most of the countries with no permanent fresh surface water, it is possible to provide access to clean water by utilizing underground water resources. To this day, our organization has opened over 350 water wells in several countries, providing approximately 350,000 people with access to clean water and improving their health and living conditions.
In the short term, it may seem more cost effective to cease digging once you reach the water table. However, shallow wells are susceptible to surface contamination, contributing to diseases such as E. coli, salmonella typhi, Schistosoma, cholera and hepatitis A. This is especially true with wells on the African continent. While 30 meters — or roughly 98.42 feet — is generally considered a safe depth, Embrace Relief ensures the best quality water by digging to a depth of 45 meters — or roughly 147.64 feet.
According to the American Groundwater Trust, increasing the well depth and the length of well casing will result in a longer flow path. The longer the length of time water is in the subsurface, the likelihood that bacteria will die-off or be trapped by soil and rock improves.
In a report compiled by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona, published in February 2011, it was found that the quality of water from shallow wells was influenced by land uses in the preceding year or two. Groundwater in aquifers moves at a rate of a foot per day or a mile in 16 years.Thus, if a landfill a mile uphill leaks, they discovered, it could take years for the contaminants to reach a deep well.
Aside from contamination, shallow water wells are influenced by seasonal precipitation. Drought conditions, common to parts of Africa, can drastically lower the water table.
Embrace Relief is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit international humanitarian relief and development organization.
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© 2020 Embrace Relief.
Embrace Relief is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization which collaborates with volunteers to deliver humanitarian aid and disaster relief to vulnerable communities around the world. Our teams offer relief in the form of financial, emotional and physical support, in order to meet the needs of people ravaged by disaster and other misfortune. The foundation collects and distributes supplies to families, individuals and institutions.
