World Water Day 2005, Bannu - NWFP

Mashal-Bannu NWFP, Pakistan and World Young Water Action Team , Netherlands
Bannu, Pakistan, 22 Mar 05

http://www.ywat.org

The international observance of World Water Day (WWD) on 22 March is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. States were invited to devote WWD to implement the UN recommendations and set up concrete activities as deemed appropriate in the national context. The United Nations General Assembly at its 58th session in December 2003 agreed to proclaim the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life", and beginning with World Water Day, March 22, 2005.

This year, WWD was the starting day for the new International Decade for Action “Water for Life 2005 – 2015”. The goals of the Water for Life decade are aimed at having “a greater focus on water-related issues, while striving to ensure the participation of women in water-related development efforts and further cooperation at all levels to achieve water-related goals of the Millennium Declaration, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development and Agenda 21.”

The first water decade from 1981 to 1990 brought water to over a billion people and sanitation to almost 770 million. Much more still needs to be done. Safe water supply and adequate sanitation to protect health are among the basic human rights. One of the major targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Today, there are still almost 700 million people who have inadequate access to safe drinking water in Asia and 2 billion without adequate sanitation. This means that half of the population living in the Asia Pacific region does not have adequate sanitation, and one in five lacks access to safe drinking water.

Communities have complex priorities for the use of water for economic activity and for household use. Men and women often have different priorities and responsibilities. A gender focus is not simply about ‘involving women’. Now it is a need to conserve and protect water by promoting water-efficient use education in communities.

Water is critical for sustainable development, including environmental integrity and the alleviation of poverty and hunger, and is indispensable for human health and well-being. The observance of WWD is meant to raise awareness on water issues at local level. With this focus in mind, WWD was celebrated in Bannu (North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan) by students, sudents’ parents, teachers, doctor et. al with joint collaboration of Mashal-Bannu (Youth Task Force) NGO. Students of City school raise their voices in streets, parks, main roads and bazars by stressing on the efficeint use of water at all three levels (Domestic, Agriculture and Industrial). Furthermore, students had highlighted the importance of water education (Water-borne deseases, sanitation, water-efficient use and hygiene behaviour) in curricullum. A lady doctor Ms. Dr. Neelam had addressed the importance of water in our daily life and issues regarding the water-borne diseases.

A meeting was held by Mashal-Bannu Board od Directors, Youth Task Force, City School teachers and administration to formulate and agree on concerted agenda to conitue activities this year. Agenda is given below:

Inputs:
1st Step.
Gathering general information of water
2nd Step.
Gathering water-efficient use tips and precautions tips to prevent water-borne diseases
3rd Step.
Promoting gathered information to Local NGO
4th Step.
Interpretation into local or required language
5th Step. Promoting processed information to School

Possible ways to change students’ mind-set towards sustainable development:
•Lectures by teachers
•Presentations by class prefects (leaders)
•Encouragement by launching “Prize” techniques
•Poster competitions among students
•Water quizzes and games
•Celebration of Water events (World Water Day and World Water Monitoring Day)
•Involving students in water related activities (World Water Monitoring)

Targets:
Water-efficient use
Prevention of water-borne diseases
Motivation towards education by increasing attendances
Sharing of information and ideas among student-student, student-teacher, teacher-teacher, student-family and teacher-family
Participation in “Virtual Discussion Forums”

•Youth World Water Forum
•World Water Forum 4 (Virtual Local Workshops)
•UNICEF Youth Discussion Forum
•Personal website launching and creating discussion forum by students

Expected Objectives:
•Water-efficient Use in community
•Project Sustainability
•Attracting other schools and stakeholders
•Electronic and print media coverage to successful practice around the country

We Would like to express our appreciation to Chief Water Resources Section, UNESCAP for providing us Water-Efficient Use Book being published by United Nations. It will help us to promote water-efficient use methodologies in community.

Contact: Muhammad Taimur Ali Khan <tali@ywat.org>