How Water Management Is Important in Meeting the Mdg
a. Poverty Eradication
The provision of adequate water and sanitation are vital to improve living conditions and to ensure health, educational opportunities, gender equality and social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. Increased water and sanitation access and hygiene promotion create improvements in people’s health through better hygiene, improved water quality, and sanitation, but they also have an indirect positive effect on educational opportunities, gender equality, and the empowerment of women.
Safe water and sanitation also underpins economic growth and environmental sustainability. Income benefits (for both households and government) may result from a reduction in the costs of health treatment and gains in productivity. Poor water and sanitation result in compromised health status thereby affecting availability of labour therefore economic productivity of the nation. Good water and sanitation saves a million productive man-hours through reduced time spent on carrying for the sick. Productivity gains also stem from time saved from collecting water, the availability of water as an input to the productive sector, and a decline in water and sanitation related illnesses.
Poverty is greatly related to food insecurity within most parts of the world. Therefore in order to eradicate poverty there is need to improve food security, which is highly related to agricultural production. Great agricultural production is depended on adequate, reliable water systems. Water is a direct input to irrigation for expanded grain production, subsistence farming, nutritional gardens and livestock. Therefore, investment in water infrastructure is a catalyst for improved agricultural production for improved poverty levels. Small-scale technologies such as the drip kit have become important in the dry region in trying to combat poverty. These make the most of available water.
Improved water resources management, which maintains ecosystem integrity, serve to
The provision of adequate water and sanitation are vital to improve living conditions and to ensure health, educational opportunities, gender equality and social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. Increased water and sanitation access and hygiene promotion create improvements in people’s health through better hygiene, improved water quality, and sanitation, but they also have an indirect positive effect on educational opportunities, gender equality, and the empowerment of women.
Safe water and sanitation also underpins economic growth and environmental sustainability. Income benefits (for both households and government) may result from a reduction in the costs of health treatment and gains in productivity. Poor water and sanitation result in compromised health status thereby affecting availability of labour therefore economic productivity of the nation. Good water and sanitation saves a million productive man-hours through reduced time spent on carrying for the sick. Productivity gains also stem from time saved from collecting water, the availability of water as an input to the productive sector, and a decline in water and sanitation related illnesses.
Poverty is greatly related to food insecurity within most parts of the world. Therefore in order to eradicate poverty there is need to improve food security, which is highly related to agricultural production. Great agricultural production is depended on adequate, reliable water systems. Water is a direct input to irrigation for expanded grain production, subsistence farming, nutritional gardens and livestock. Therefore, investment in water infrastructure is a catalyst for improved agricultural production for improved poverty levels. Small-scale technologies such as the drip kit have become important in the dry region in trying to combat poverty. These make the most of available water.
Improved water resources management, which maintains ecosystem integrity, serve to
References: Draft SEI (Stockholm Environment Institute)., 2005. Sustainable Pathways to Attain the MDGs: Addressing the Key Role of Water, Energy and Sanitation. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden, digitally available at: http://www.ecosanres.org/PDF%20files/MDGRep/SustMDG31Auglowres.pdf Drescher, A.W. and Laquinta, D.L. 2002., “Food Security in Cities - A New Challenge to Development”. - In: Brebbia, C.A., J.F. Matrin-Duque and L.C. Wadhwa ., 2002. The Sustainable City II - Urban Regeneration and Sustainability. Advances in Architecture.“ - WIT Press, Wessex Institute of Technology, UK Duncker, L., 1998. Strategies for the Empowerment of Women in Water Supply and Sanitation Projects, for the South African Water Research Commission, by the Division of Water, Environment and Forestry Technology, CSIR. Leete, R, Burhani, A, and Schoch M., 2003. Achieving The Millennium Development Goals Population And Reproductive Health As Critical Determinants; Population And Development Strategies Series10. National Community Water and Sanitation Training Institute (NCWSTI)., 2000. Strategy Document for Discussion: Building Capacity for Mainstreaming Gender in Water Supply and Sanitation in South Africa. UN (United Nations)., 2005. “The Millenium Development Goals Report 2005.“ - United Nations Department of public information, New York, USA, digitally available at: http: //unstats.un.org/unsd/mi/pdf/MDG%20Book.pdf UNICEF., 2005. The Millennium Goals. http://www.unicef.org/mdg/gender.html World Water Vision., 2000. Results of the Gender Mainstreaming Project: A Way Forward