{"id":103635,"date":"2019-03-15T22:38:47","date_gmt":"2019-03-16T02:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stg.savethewater.org\/?p=103635"},"modified":"2022-03-26T02:45:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-26T06:45:11","slug":"women-in-water-decisions-three-ways-you-can-make-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/women-in-water-decisions-three-ways-you-can-make-waves\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Water Decisions: Three Ways You Can Make Waves"},"content":{"rendered":"

By April Day, Director of Publishing for Save The Water\u2122 | March 15, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Including women in water decisions results in more clean water for all. Access to enough clean water for personal and domestic use is a basic human right.1<\/span> You would think that caregivers, mainly women, who amplify the effects of water would get access to clean water. They don\u2019t. Many countries, cultures, and religions identify women as caregivers, and many are. But for many women and girls around the world, access to clean water is a dream. And they work hard for that dream. They collect, store, use, and reuse water. After that, they get rid of dirty, used water. In sum,<\/span>\u00a0to increase everyone\u2019s access to clean water, women need to be included in the water decision-making process at all levels.<\/p>\n

Women in Water: Getting Water<\/h2>\n

Access to clean water is a human right. This means 20 liters per person per day within one kilometer walking distance and a safe way to get rid of human waste.1<\/span> However, not everyone\u00a0has this. As a result, one gender suffers more: women and girls. For example, in Zimbabwe, 53% of rural communities don\u2019t have clean water. Therefore, women and girls travel 4 km on average to fetch water every day.2<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, some girls, such as Precious in Zimbabwe, walk 3 km to collect water in a 20-kilo bucket. Then, she treks back.2<\/span> Fetching water makes up one part of their caregiving duties. It can be very dangerous for them. Many girls end up quitting school because of time consuming duties such as collecting water.2<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Women in Water: Contact with Domestic Water<\/h2>\n

After getting water, women\u2019s responsibilities include both the disposal and reuse of wastewater. Wastewater is dirty water after it\u2019s been used (e.g. toilet bucket). Again, women are more likely to be exposed to health risks and toxins because of their roles as caregivers. For example, they come into contact with dirty water from taking care of children and reusing wastewater to grow food.3<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Also, women and girls suffer without sanitation. For example, one girl came home crying to her dad. Kids teased her at school because she smelled bad. Her dad said, \u201c\u2018I know she smells, but we do not have water in our place.\u201d Because of this, she wanted to quit school. What did the dad do? He said, \u201cThe only thing I could do was to hug her and cry with her.\u201d4<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, women in water take care of households. For example, in Nile Delta Villages in Egypt, many households have tap water or public water taps. But they don\u2019t have toilets connected to a sewer system. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before 2004, wastewater was thrown into the canal or street. Women often used water from the canal for washing clothes and dishes. They had several reasons for this: less time fetching water, cleaner looking dishes, and cost.5<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

After the Egyptian national water authority phased out public standpipes and charged people for using water at home, women switched to canal water. In short, families simply couldn\u2019t afford water. After all, the cost of water increased in a few months by 250%.5<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of this change, families didn\u2019t have the luxury of considering the risk of diseases.5<\/span> These diseases include diseases caused by parasitic worms that can damage the liver.6<\/span> Women in water exposed themselves to these types of risks every day to care for their families. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Women in Water: Contact with Floods<\/h2>\n

According to a previous article<\/a> by Save the Water<\/span>TM<\/span><\/span> Researcher & Writer Erin Fee, any contact with floodwater could be dangerous. Add to this many women\u2019s roles as caregivers. First, let\u2019s look at cooking. For example, in the Mozambique floods of 2000, many women couldn\u2019t access clean water. As a result, they had to use floodwater for cooking. Therefore, they had to increase the risk of a disease outbreak.1<\/span> Keep in mind: many women aren\u2019t cooking just for themselves. When women can\u2019t access clean water for cooking, the whole community suffers. <\/span><\/p>\n

Second, let\u2019s look at taking care of the home. According to the United Nations, in Bangladesh in 2004, national agencies set out to identify best practices for three responses to floods: (1) preparing for floods; (2) reducing risks; and (3) spreading information, particularly to women at home. Floods impacted men less because they left home for work, whereas women were at home.1<\/span> The agencies had found out that women often weren\u2019t getting flood warnings.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the study, the national agencies decided to use several approaches: <\/span><\/p>\n