To the editor:
Every person has a basic right to clean, drinkable water. Around the world, especially in developing countries, clean water has been a scarce commodity for generations in part due to their growing populations’ need for water, and actions such as deforestation affecting availability of water.
Women, who are the primary managers of water in these countries because they haul it home, cook, farm and provide healthcare and basic hygiene for their families with it, are dramatically affected by access to clean, drinkable water.
When I visited Madagascar, it was the women in the villages who walked to the river to get water. In one village we walked with them to a nearby water source, about 20 to 30 minutes one way. As they dipped their huge pails in the water, cows wadded and people bathed in this same water nearby. A cleaner water source was two hours away. Once the buckets were filled, they were hefted onto heads wrapped with cloth and carried back to the village.
This process must be done at least twice a day. The time women and girls spend hauling water is time they cannot spend in school. Studies show that to raise families and communities out of poverty, it is crucial for girls and women to receive an education.
On World Water Day, March 22, think about the women and girls in developing countries without access to clean water, and assess your own water consumption. Don’t take it for granted and do use it wisely.
Bonnie Tillery
Volunteer Population Issues Coordinator
New Jersey Chapter Sierra Club
Hamilton

