WATER FOR LIFE Providing Clean Water to the World Fred Soldwedel District 5300 Coordinator, Water Resources International Clean Water Initiative

WATER FOR LIFE Think of all the ways the Industrialized World takes water for granted We have clean drinking water wherever we go We bathe in clean water every day We wash our clothes in clean water We wash our cars with clean water We water our plants and lawns We swim in it in swimming pools

WATER FOR LIFE How do they get their water?

WATER FOR LIFE Where do they get their water?

WATER FOR LIFE Why is this such an important issue? Diarrheal Diseases (dysentery, cholera, typhoid) Diarrheal Diseases (dysentery, cholera, typhoid) – Estimated 1.2 billion cases of water-related diarrhea each year. – Responsible for 7.7% of all deaths in Africa each year. – Leading cause of death among children under 5 years old in developing countries: million/year. Blindness Blindness – Trachoma: leading cause of preventable blindness – not waterborne, but spread by lack of clean water. Simple face washing can prevent it. Parasitic Organisms Parasitic Organisms – Guinea worm – Water contaminated by larvae ingested; mature into worms up to 3 feet long. – Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) – worms from snail hosts.

WATER FOR LIFE Parasites from unclean drinking water

WATER FOR LIFE What’s the extent of the water problem? According to the United Nations World Health Organization: – – What percent of disease in third world countries is caused by contaminated water? 80%! – – How many people in the world have no access to clean water? Over 1 billion worldwide – – How many children die from waterborne diseases? One every 8 seconds! 150 during a 20 minute presentation

WATER FOR LIFE How do we help? There are many ways to provide clean drinking water to those in need!

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide clean water to a single individual! Pay for a personal “drinking straw” $3-6 each

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide clean water to a whole family! Pay for a family “drinking straw” $20-25 each

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide clean water to a whole family! Pay for a family “bucket filter” system $25-50 each

Provide clean water to dozens of people! Build a cistern for a house/hut $ WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help?

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide water to a school full of children! Build a rain harvesting system $1,500-2,500

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide water to hundreds of people in a remote village!! Drill boreholes and install hand pumps $2,000-5,000

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide water to thousands of people in rural or urban settings! Drill boreholes and install electric pumps to fill large central water tanks $10,000-50,000

WATER FOR LIFE – How do we help? Provide water to tens of thousands! Build a water distribution system for an entire community $50, ,000

WATER FOR LIFE

Providing Clean Water to the World Fred Soldwedel and Hassan Kheradmandan or District 5300 Coordinator, Water Resources International Clean Water Initiative