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The
late Bob Hope and his six brothers grew up in an old house
with only one toilet.
"That's
where I learned how to dance," he recalls. And 2400 experts,
from 130 countries, are now in Sweden discussing the water
and sanitation crisis, including a major study titled "Hurry
Up! 2.6 Billion are Queuing to Use the Toilet!"
The
World Water Week conference sweeps in inter-linked issues:
from emerging crisis in water and it's impact on sanitation,
environment to food. World demand for rice and other cereals,
for example, increased by 40 percent since the late 1990s.
But the limited supply of water can no longer meet widespread
river depletion and relentless groundwater overexploitation.
"The
key is more bang for the drop," explained a Food and
Agriculture Organization expert. "We must produce more
food using less water, and ensure, at the same time, that
biodiversity losses do not threaten ecosystems."
Sanitation
and hygiene are the "orphan child" of the water
sector. Out of every 100 Asians, 66 get to toilets, pit latrines,
sewerage systems, etc. "This is three-quarters of the
2.6 billion who lack these facilities," Asian Development
Bank notes. Thus, many resort to "wrap-and-throw"
methods for their waste.
The
pollution exacts a grim toll: More than two million impoverished
children die yearly from diarrhea worldwide - more than TB
or malaria. "Cities such as Jakarta and Manila have lower
levels of sewerage coverage (8 to 10 percent) than West African
cities such as Dakar and Abidjan," the UN's "Human
Development Report 2006" points out.
"Montezuma's
Revenge" remains a top killer in the Philippines:.1,997
per 100,000 population are affected. Most water-borne disease
victims are children under five. Small unpainted coffins,
hefted on countryside roads, are so common, they blend unnoticed
into the scenery. Yet, these deaths are largely preventable.
A simple latrine can cut illnesses by more than half.
The
picture is not uniformly bleak. The percentage of people worldwide,
who have access to improved sanitation facilities, rose from
49 percent in 1990 to 58 percent in 2004. This progress came
both within cities and farms.
But
far more needs to be done. "Institutions, set up to manage,
these issues are simply not meeting the challenge." Thus,
poor people lack basic sanitation because they can't get enough
water. In parched countries of Asia, some people make do with
ten liters of often murky polluted water. But in North America,
an individual splashes through 400 liters of clean potable
water. Of 81 Philippine provinces, 28 don't have "improved
water systems"
"It's
not the same old story anymore with water," Stockholm
organizers warn. Water has always been a scarce resource but
essential for life. Less than three percent of the world's
water is potable; the rest are the oceans. It has no substitute.
But
more people draw from the same well today. When the headcount
from the current census (overdue by two years) comes in, Philippine
population - which was 7.63 million in 1903 - could well exceed
87 million today. "We're in for a few rude surprises,"
Filipino demographers think. A country that has muddled from
an era of water abundance into a period of scarcities better
prepare. "Dig the well before you get thirsty,"
says the old Pilipino proverb.
The
Stockholm meeting insists that good governance is crucial
in the study: "From A Drop to A Splash". Don't be
fooled by this attention-grabbing title. What follows is a
riveting success story: How Singapore - a tiny city state
of 4.2 million people, short of aquifers, lakes or even land
to "harvest" rain - produces enough water today
for a population of 6.5 million projected two decades from
now. Yet, in the 1960s, Singapore was a city of polluted smelly
rivers and water rationing.
The
country invested in a water policy that, over 40 years, added
supplies, ensured conservation and brought scientific knowledge
to bear. Singapore's water sector budget, for the next five
years, is euro 160 million (S$330 million).
The
city piped into wells of neighboring Johore state. Simultaneously,
it blanketed most of the island with rain-harvesting devices.
And it recycled water. By 2011, recycled water alone will
meet a third of Singapore's needs by 2011. It built a desalination
plants.
Money
begets money. Water projects attracted international water
companies such as GE Water, Siemens Water, Black and Veatch
Water and Delft Hydraulics. Rivers have been rejuvenated and
waterscapes are being developed, transforming the island into
a City of Gardens and Water The vision now extends to become
"a wellspring of water solutions for Asian cities".
The
bill for delaying curbs to polluting water far exceeds the
cost of building infrastructure to dispose of waste. Shanghai
spent $1 billion to clean up Suzhou Creek - far in excess
of what was needed to prevent contamination earlier. "The
real horror is the outbreak of typhoid and cholera caused
by failure to act on sanitation and wastewater."
"Politicians
need to see sanitation as paying its way and not as being
either unaffordable or a luxury." Arjun Thapan, Chair
of ADB's Water Committee told the Stockholm meeting. "They
must also to understand that postponing action is not an option.
To do so, will cost a great deal more.
(E-mail: juan_mercado@boholchronicle.com) | 
