Water Quality Month Series Part I

Did you know? August is National Water Quality Month.

It would only be natural to start this email series off with a “Happy National Water Quality Month,” but that would just be one type of experience. Many of us are privileged with the experience of turning on our taps and filling up our cups with no additional thought.

Now, as we consider other experiences, we discover that Water Quality Month is not just about celebration. It’s a clarion call for the global community to pursue clean water access for all.

Here are some statistics that illustrate the common experience faced in water collection in lower and middle-income countries:

• Worldwide, women and girls walk 200 million hours every day to collect water.

  • Imagine walking for 22,800 years to get your water for the day.

• On average, family members who collect water walk 6 kilometres or 3.7 miles.

  • Imagine 15 laps around an athletic track.

[Worldvision: March, 2020]

An athletic track may not paint a realistic picture, so let’s look at it like an equation (not the scary kind):

15 laps around an athletic track + hills and valleys + weather conditions + add a baby on your back + improper bodily nourishment + 20-litre jerry can on your head = Enough clean water for your family for the day

Sadly, this equation doesn’t factor in:

You may have to make repeat trips if 20L is not enough for your family.
The water you worked so hard to collect may be contaminated.

A very real experience - one that’s difficult to comprehend but a reality for many.

Regardless of our individual experiences, we can all agree on one thing:

The biosand filter nestled in the corner of the CAWST headquarters kitchen in Calgary reads: “If there is magic on this planet, it is in water.”

Beautiful, isn’t it?
Whatever your background, you have a part to play in the global goal towards clean water for all.

To bring awareness to this important month, we'll send you a story each week to discover unique experiences with water quality in different regions. You’ll learn about the context-specific challenges and the value of local knowledge in finding novel solutions.

If you’d like to know more about the stories behind the scenes of our work around the world, subscribe to our Global Notebook series. You’ll be the first to receive updates and learn from our staff as they travel worldwide providing training and consulting to help organizations, communities and individuals access safe water, sanitation and hygiene.