The simple value of fresh water

The simple value of fresh water

27 March 2013 - by BY DAVID TELFORD

STRANGFORD woman Celine Rodgers was in India recently to witness how money raised in Northern Ireland is helping improve the lives of people in the Madhya Pradesh region.

Celine, who works for Northern Ireland Water, was selected to represent the organisation along with representatives from 11 other water companies across the UK on a trip organised by international charity WaterAid.

The Strangford woman witnessed how the charity, which is supported by NI Water, is helping to provide people with clean water and improved sanitation in the Gwalior and Bhopal areas.

Celine spent time with families in rural villages and urban slums, sharing their experiences and learning about their daily routines.

With a population of one billion people, diseases are common throughout India due to contaminated drinking water sources and poor sanitation. It’s estimated that only 31 per cent of India’s population has adequate sanitation and that around 320,000 children under five die every year as a result of this.

In the village of Jonhar — where WaterAid has yet to start work — Celine met community members who have to walk over a kilometre to fetch water from the only local water source which is an unprotected, open well.

“It was shocking to feel the weight of the water pots on my head and to know that women and children make the arduous trip to collect water up to five times a day,” recalled Celine.

“Those of us on the trip learnt how family members are often sick and children miss out on school because of the poor quality of the water.

“It’s terrible to think that 2,000 children across the world die every day from diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation when we take these vital resources for granted back.”

The Strangford woman also met primary school children in the village of Padli and found out how the safe water supply and hygienic toilets installed by WaterAid are transforming their lives.

And Celine got the opportunity to roll up her sleeves and help out with the construction of new household latrines in the village of Amrod.

She continued: “It was really inspiring to see first-hand how the money we’ve raised means that WaterAid can help communities to take control and access the resources that they are entitled to.

“It’s great to know that latrines we were helping to build meant that the villagers will have somewhere safe and clean to go to the toilet rather than having to walk miles away from their village, often in the dark when they are at risk from attack, just to go to the toilet.”

Celine said she hopes to use her experiences to inspire even more people at NI Water and other companies in the Province to get involved and raise funds for the work of WaterAid.

The charity’s Indian trip leader, Isabelle Herszenhorn, said the visit provided a chance for Celine to see how the fundraising efforts of NI Water employees are making a real difference to communities in India.

“The money raised by fundraisers like Celine helps WaterAid change the lives of some of the world’s poorest people, bringing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education,” she added.