IFRC: keeping water issues in public eye
Reuters 7 Apr 2003 00:00:00 GMT Website: www.ifrc.org
Clean water is an increasingly scarce commodity in many parts of the world. The United Nations has designated 2003 the International Year of Freshwater. In March, professionals in the water supply and sanitation field met in Kyoto, Japan, for the third World Water Forum. On the occasion of World Water Day (WWD) on March 22, Panama-based Fidel Peña of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) discussed the issues with AlertNet.
AN: What is World Water Day about? FP: It is about keeping the issue of water shortages in the public eye. WWD is a reminder to our national (Red Cross) societies, governments and the public that the problem is a great one. On March 22 every year we send out that reminder for people to take care of our scarce water supplies. This year it is especially important because the U.N. has declared access to clean water a human right. We want governments to know that.
AN: What is the IFRC's role in World Water Day? FP: WWD is a U.N. initiative. We are adding our voice to that of the U.N. and the other agencies involved in the launch of the initiative. It is something we have been involved in every year. Here in the Americas we are doing two types of work. One in the field with our national societies who are currently involved in emergency operations or those that have development programmes for water supply and sanitation. We are also working with them to help make the whole issue a lot more high-profile. We help them with press conferences, promotions and events to celebrate this day. We try to do it at community level firstly, because that is where most of our work happens, but we also work with universities and governments.
AN: What is the work you are doing in universities? FP: We have agreements with universities to provide technical education in exchange for students who will work with us in the field to get experience. Apart from those groups we also work very closely with other NGOs like Oxfam and Médecins sans Frontières and, usually, we establish contact with governments and link up so we can run our programmes together.
AN: How long have you been involved in this type of work? FP: Personally I have worked with the Red Cross for 18 years, since I was 20 years old. I am a chemical engineer by trade but have been with the federation three years as the water and sanitation delegate. In Mexico, I spent six years working in a water institute. It is not huge experience but we are trying to do our best. The federation started work on water sanitation in the African crisis of 1993. But our projects have intensified over the last four years. Here in the Americas we started our first big operations in 1999 following Hurricane George and Hurricane Mitch in Central America and the landslides and floods.
AN: What is it like in areas where water supplies are bad? FP: It is very sad. I have been to areas of Paraguay where there is no water for the crops or cattle. You see the crops ruined and the cattle starving. The people are mainly indigenous Indians and they have lived on their land for generations and don't want to leave. The conditions force them to use unsanitary water and that leads to problems with dysentery, malaria and diarrhoea.
AN: Do you think your work has made a difference? FP: Yes. In two ways. It has increased the capacity of response of our national societies. Ten years ago, societies such as Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela did not think they could do anything about the problems of water and sanitation but now they all have programmes running. Not only in emergency response, but rehabilitation and development also. Secondly, with the community. Our main task is to get in touch with the community. Together with our national societies, local governments and other NGOs we assist in more integrated programmes.
AN: When will your work be finished? FP: It is not easy to answer that question We want to have safe drinking water and proper sanitation for all the vulnerable people we are assisting. But it is a very big problem.
AN: Just how big is the problem of unsanitary water supplies? FP: We have found that less than three percent of the world's water is drinkable. In Latin America, there are at least 55 million people that don't have access to clean water. On a daily basis they need a minimum of 15 litres a day in an emergency situation. Sometimes it is difficult to reach that target but we are trying. In emergency cases we will bring in clean water to disaster areas but we are keen to help local people develop sustainable boreholes, wells and simple water distribution systems, for example gravity distribution. But we do not just want to deal with emergency responses and giving water to the people. We are trying to increase their capacity so they have systems they can manage. When we are with communities that have the chance to develop their water systems we always look at the situation very carefully and try to give them that chance.
AN: What is your particular role in the IFRC? FP: I am the regional delegate for water and sanitation in the Pan Americas. I am part of a bigger section of the IFRC's health department. In the federation's Geneva headquarters there are four engineers, and there are four regional delegates -- in Bangkok, Harare, Nairobi and me here in Panama.
AN: The U.N.'s Millennium Development Goal is to halve the number of people without access to clean water by 2015 and stop the unsustainable exploitation of water supplies. Do you think that is feasible? FP: No, unfortunately not. It is not really achievable but we are trying to do everything possible to reach that target. The world has changed since the targets were set -- the global climate for example. This causes different problems. There are more floods, hurricanes and droughts and we have to change to meet those needs.