Day #3 – June 3, 2019
“The story of water is the story about life, so let us talk about life.”
By A. Kusi-Appiah, 2019 Queen Elizabeth Scholar, Carleton University.
Introduction:
Day three in beautiful Mzuzu began just like days 1 & 2, i.e., I got up early, dressed my bed and dressed up for my morning walk/jog. Today’s route was also similar – hills, hills and more hills. But that did not stop me from thinking about water. This time my mind was fixated on the *informal* mechanisms by which poor and marginalized periurban dwellers mobilize to gain access water for their daily chores *and how this impacts their health and wellbeing.*
According to WHO, over 3,000 children die from treatable diarrhea in Malawi every year. This is because most of the water sources for most people is contaminated. This sad situation should never happen, but sadly it is a reality in the second decade of the 21st century, the so-called information age, where *AI* is supposed to transform our world into a mega developed place of abundance. Unfortunately a world in which a big chunk of its population lacks access to potable water cannot claim to be progressive.
Changing the story requires more than finances
This narrative needs to change! In spaces we call *urban*, safe drinking water and toilets make profound contributions to health and quality of life beause fecal contamination causes many water-borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever. WHO estimates that over 1 million kids die every year from diarrheal diseases, yet this colossal challenge persist in spite of the enormous amounts of money and time thrown at the problem.
It is obvious to me that Homo Sapiens do not understand the issue confronting us. It seems to me that in order for humankind to successfully deal with these challenges, we need a full *understanding* of the challenges. No matter who we think we are, water can transform us in numerous ways! Water is complex, water is refreshing, water is sustaining, water can be muddy, it can be clean, it can be bloody, it is everything!
Improving access begins with *understanding* the challenges:
How people gain access to available water resources is less understood, and this can be an impediment to solving the age old water challenge. A few questions need answers:
- Who is most affected by the water crisis, why?
- In spaces where water is in abundance (e.g. places close to huge water bodies like Lake Malawi) why are people thirsty or why do people drink contaminated water?
- Is rapid urbanization exacerbating the water crisis in the urban centre?
- Will strict regulation of urban settlements solve the problem once and for all?
- Can *social capital* play a role in enhancing water accessibility issues?
- What is the role of culture in water accessibility issues?
- What role does neoliberalism play in accessibility challenges?
- Is privatization of water the solution to accessibility issues in the urban centre?
- Is informality a problem to solving classical availability issues?
- Can this challenge ever be solved?