Rotary Peacebuilding Summit

1. Ron Denham, Chair-emeritus
Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group,
Rotary PEACEBUILDING Summit 2018
Peace through Water:
Rotarians making a difference

6. How can there be peace with such disparity?
 750 million people (one in ten) lack access to
safe water.
 2.5 billion have no safe sanitation.
 20,000 people dying every day from lack of access to safe
water.
 250 child deaths every hour from unclean water.

7. Or, when:
 African women spend an estimated 40 billion hours annually
collecting and hauling water.
 Women and children (usually girls) spend up to six hours per
day fetching water.
 Families often spend up to 25% of their income to purchase
water.
 440 million school days are lost each year to water-related
illness!!!

8. And increasingly, when:
 Industrial development takes water from crops and
livestock, threatening the life and livelihood of the
people.
 Mining and industrial development pollutes the water
supply of the village.
 Those that have water, pollute and waste it
indiscriminately.

9. “Many of today’s conflicts around the
world are being fuelled by water
shortages… Increasingly fights are
erupting over such basic human needs
as water and arable land.”
Ban Ki-moon, February 2008

10. For example:
 300,000 farmers in Orissa march against water allocation.
 Riots in New Delhi over water scarcity.
 Nairobi; fighting and deaths over access to water.
 People v Coca Cola over water supply in Kerala.
 Herders v Farmers causing deaths in many countries.
 Riots in Cochabamba after privatization.
 Egypt v. Sudan v. Ethiopia over Nile dams.

11. And:
 Ongoing conflict in Mali over grazing disputes.
 Riots in Bangalore over water for Tamil Nadu.
 Women assaulted in Pakistan for taking water from well.
 2500 killed among Fulani people over stolen water.
 70-80% of conflict in Yemen about water.
 Vandalism in Uganda school over water jealousy..
 The basic cause of the Syrian crisis.

12.  Convene discussions among adversaries.
 Strengthen and train Water Users Committee (WUC).
 Facilitate cooperation between groups to find effective,
affordable, sustainable solutions.
 Advocate for equitable access for all stakeholders.
 Implement training programs for operation and maintenance.
 Create Rotary Community Corps (RCCs) to involve the
community.
Rotarians can mitigate the conflict:

13.  Insufficient water had led to conflict.
 With Rotarian guidance, local people dug wells.
 Women shared in the inauguration with libations and thanks
to ancestors and to God.
 Availability of sufficient water eliminated conflicts; peace
prevailed.
In Togo Rotarians brought peace where previously
there was hostility:

14.  Severe drought and development created conflict between
farmers, native tribes, government over water shortage.
 Bankruptcies, suicides, death threats destroying community.
 Rotarian brought community together to develop trust, and
take action.
 Result: instead of hostility - friendship, mutual understanding.
 Accord-agreement among 40 groups gives hope to the
community to restore river.
In Klamath Falls, Oregon, Rotarians brought
harmony out of conflict:

15.  5000 villagers in perpetual conflict over shortage of
resources.
 Rotarians met with community leaders and agreed on the real
needs.
 Result: an $80,000 irrigation scheme bringing water to 300
acres and benefitting 100 families.
 Peace came with Rotary intervention in a community water
project.
A Rotary irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh
created harmony in the village:

16.  The women of Nakuru trekked miles for water each day.
 The local Rotary club helped the community to launch a
rainwater harvesting program.
 Obliged to share resources and work together, the villagers
cooperated to install the systems.
 Harmony replaced hostility; communities are at peace.
A Rotary water-based development program in Kenya
brought peace to the region:

17.  A community eking out a bare existence growing rice, were at
the mercy of seasonal monsoon rains.
 The Rotary club of Mumbai built check dams, stopped the
water and recharged the wells.
 Villagers now grow three high-value cash crops annually.
 This prosperity enabled the community to open a clinic and
launch micro-businesses – the community is at peace.
Quality of life for Indian villagers dramatically
improved by a Rotary water project:

18.  Focus on community needs, not just supplying water and
sanitation.
 Understand and build on local culture.
 Involve ALL stakeholders - especially the women.
 Bring together and empower the community.
Rotarians’ focus on water for domestic use is a good
start, we:

19. But, water for domestic use represents less than 10% of
usage.
Domestic Use 8%
Industrial
15%
Agriculture 77%
To truly build peace we must do more – a lot more!

20. A holistic view helps us be more effective:

21. Harmony and peace depend on all stakeholders working together
to increase supply and reduce demand for water:
Increase Supply/Conservation
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Rehabilitate village ponds
• Wastewater/greywater
recovery
• Desalination
• Check dams, sand dams
• Reduce pollution
• Fix leaks/losses
Reduce Demand
• Public awareness
• Population planning
• Appropriate tariffs/pricing
• Manage illegal wells
• Rationing
• Efficient agriculture:
- Drip irrigation
- Change crops
- Reduce evaporation
• Water-saving fixtures
Better Life & Livelihood—Less Risk of Conflict

22.  Catch the rain, recharge aquifers and ponds.
 Rehabilitate village ponds.
 Recover waste water & grey water.
 Build gully plugs, check dams, sand dams.
 Reduce pollution of water sources; minimise chemical run-off.
 Reduce evaporation, install drip irrigation and other
technologies.
Agriculture is the largest user of water;
promote effective use, reduce waste:

23. And focus on higher value crops with lower
water usage
1.2 0.9 1.3
4.7
3.1
0.4
0.8
3.0
4.6 4.1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Poultry
Potatoes Citrus
Corn
Wheat
Rice
Dates
Bananas
Pork
Sugar
beet
Beef
Tomatoes
Nuts
Ground
nuts
3.4
15.5
0.2 0.1

24.  Understand the critical nature of the challenge-read and learn
 Create awareness, everywhere, of ways to reduce demand.
 Take action to reduce water usage—change habits, technology.
 Implement local WASH projects to increase water supply
 Mediate local issues between rival users.
 Invite Vocational Training Team (VTT) experts to advise local
farmers.
 Advocate water-efficient policies at local, district and national
level.
As Rotarians, we can play a major role in
reducing water-driven conflicts:

25. You can help to bring peace to the world!
Click on: www.wasrag.org
Join thousands of Rotarians bringing PEACE
to their communities through better management
of water resources