Priceless: The Value of Water

March 22, 2021

Water’s value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment can simply not be measured. Which makes safeguarding and securing this vital resource for the benefit of everyone not only a critical task, but also a monumental one.

Water security, on the other hand, can be measured, and requires three basic elements:

Water Availability
Water Quality
Water Accessibility

Our Water Project (with funding from Global Affairs Canada) seeks to address all three.

Watershed management and groundwater contamination are topics that Water Committees are not only learning about through workshops, but are also motivated to do something about, to ensure Water Availability into the future.

Upon learning about water resource management, Ismael Solis is endeavouring to start a community tree nursery. Trees planted in the catchment areas surrounding water wells absorb water, adding capacity for the soil to store even more water, and roots help break up soil, allowing water to move into the groundwater table. Ismael is looking to supply trees to other communities and seeks to stimulate reforesting by establishing live fences, windbreaks, and shade.

With the recent addition of water purification efforts and chlorination to drinking water systems, Water Quality is being addressed and monitored at the source.

In addition to the awesome task of recently providing training for 365 Community Water Committees and providing chlorine to guarantee the chlorination of drinking water for over 29,000 families, working in collaboration with municipalities, funding partners, and communities, our current Water Project has facilitated 50 water system rehabilitations and 11 new water well projects, improving Water Accessibility for over 60 Communities and almost 10,000 people since 2017.

On this World Water Day, we recognize not only the Value of Water, but of Water Security. Priceless. 

 

Central America and the Caribbean In The Field Nicaragua Water water