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Did you know that clean water is a basic human right?
The United Nations declared in July 2010 that access to clean water and basic sanitation (toilets that are safe to use) is a human right.
It is thought that 1 billion people worldwide don't have access to clean water and 2.6 billion don't have access to basic sanitation.
In the UK we can turn on our taps to get clean drinking water, but there are lots of children in other countries who cannot do this. Every year, millions of children become ill because they don't have clean water or toilets in their houses.
 Having to walk long distances makes it difficult to get enough clean water. It is a tiring job and often it is girls and women who have to do this. Girls especially fall behind in their education because they have to collect water instead.
We all need clean water to drink, prepare food and keep ourselves and our environment clean. Even if there is a ready supply of clean water it is very precious. In some parts of the world water is scarce, and it is particularly important that the water sources are protected and any leaks from water pipes are minimised.
Some parts of the world are experiencing drought at the moment. It's especially a problem in hot countries - when not enough rain falls, the water supply can quickly run out. Some countries have to ration the water people are allowed to use. Ana's story tells what it's like to live with water rationing.
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Hello, my name is Ana.
I live in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. There is a drought in my country at the moment - the worst drought for 118 years! The rivers and reservoirs are running low, but that doesn't just mean we are running out of drinking water. A lot of our power is hydro-electricity, meaning it is created by running water. When the rivers run low, we don't have enough power.
We have water rationing here. This means that two days a week, we don't have any water coming into our homes. Different parts of the city lose their water at different times. Sometimes the water doesn't come back when it's supposed to so you always have to have to be prepared and have plenty saved.
We don't realise how much water we use every day. Sometimes I forget that water won't come out of the taps when the water is being rationed. You can't have a shower. The toilets don't flush. You can't clean your clothes or wash up. You have to save water so that you can wash your hands after you go to the toilet, or for cooking.
Some people have tanks so they can store water to use in their house when the normal water is switched off. You have to be very careful with this water, because you don't know how long it will take to run out. Other people save water when it is available. They store big containers of drinking water and washing water. Sometimes I have to wash from one of these containers. It's very difficult! You have to be very careful not to waste any.
 The poorest areas of the city don't have their own running water. Tankers visit these parts several times a week so that the people living there can fill up containers with water. This is also rationed now, which makes things difficult for them.
Because a lot of our power is hydro-electric, many parts of our country have power cuts. Some places have power cuts every day. This is really difficult because it doesn't happen at the same time every day! It gets dark around 7pm so kids have to make sure they've done their homework before then! Otherwise, they won't be able to see. It can be a bit boring if you lose power in the evening, because you can't read or watch TV or go anywhere.
Schools, shops and offices have been told to save power. Sometimes my school doesn't turn the cooling system on so it gets really hot in the classrooms. It is hot here for a lot of the year, usually over 25 degrees celsius, so we get really hot in our classrooms. This makes it harder to concentrate.
Even though it is difficult for me, I know that some people never have any clean or running water.
We should all be careful not to waste water.
Thank you for reading my story.
Ana xx
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There are lots of little things you can do every day which will save water. Just doing little things will make a big difference after a while.
- when you brush your teeth, only turn the tap on when you need it
- when you boil the kettle, make sure you only use the amount of water you need
- only stay in the shower for as long as you need to!
- if you have a dripping tap, mend it quickly
- you can collect water in a container when it rains and use this water in the garden or for other things that don't need clean water
Did you know that clean water is a basic human right?
The United Nations declared in July 2010 that access to clean water and basic sanitation (toilets that are safe to use) is a human right.
It is thought that 1 billion people worldwide don't have access to clean water and 2.6 billion don't have access to basic sanitation.
In the UK we can turn on our taps to get clean drinking water, but there are lots of children in other countries who cannot do this. Every year, millions of children become ill because they don't have clean water or toilets in their houses.
Having to walk long distances makes it difficult to get enough clean water. It is a tiring job and often it is girls and women who have to do this. Girls especially fall behind in their education because they have to collect water instead.
We all need clean water to drink, prepare food and keep ourselves and our environment clean. Even if there is a ready supply of clean water it is very precious. In some parts of the world water is scarce, and it is particularly important that the water sources are protected and any leaks from water pipes are minimised.
Some parts of the world are experiencing drought at the moment. It's especially a problem in hot countries - when not enough rain falls, the water supply can quickly run out. Some countries have to ration the water people are allowed to use. Ana's story tells what it's like to live with water rationing.
|
Hello, my name is Ana.
I live in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. There is a drought in my country at the moment - the worst drought for 118 years! The rivers and reservoirs are running low, but that doesn't just mean we are running out of drinking water. A lot of our power is hydro-electricity, meaning it is created by running water. When the rivers run low, we don't have enough power.
We have water rationing here. This means that two days a week, we don't have any water coming into our homes. Different parts of the city lose their water at different times. Sometimes the water doesn't come back when it's supposed to so you always have to have to be prepared and have plenty saved.
We don't realise how much water we use every day. Sometimes I forget that water won't come out of the taps when the water is being rationed. You can't have a shower. The toilets don't flush. You can't clean your clothes or wash up. You have to save water so that you can wash your hands after you go to the toilet, or for cooking.
Some people have tanks so they can store water to use in their house when the normal water is switched off. You have to be very careful with this water, because you don't know how long it will take to run out. Other people save water when it is available. They store big containers of drinking water and washing water. Sometimes I have to wash from one of these containers. It's very difficult! You have to be very careful not to waste any.
The poorest areas of the city don't have their own running water. Tankers visit these parts several times a week so that the people living there can fill up containers with water. This is also rationed now, which makes things difficult for them.
Because a lot of our power is hydro-electric, many parts of our country have power cuts. Some places have power cuts every day. This is really difficult because it doesn't happen at the same time every day! It gets dark around 7pm so kids have to make sure they've done their homework before then! Otherwise, they won't be able to see. It can be a bit boring if you lose power in the evening, because you can't read or watch TV or go anywhere.
Schools, shops and offices have been told to save power. Sometimes my school doesn't turn the cooling system on so it gets really hot in the classrooms. It is hot here for a lot of the year, usually over 25 degrees celsius, so we get really hot in our classrooms. This makes it harder to concentrate.
Even though it is difficult for me, I know that some people never have any clean or running water.
We should all be careful not to waste water.
Thank you for reading my story.
Ana xx
|
There are lots of little things you can do every day which will save water. Just doing little things will make a big difference after a while.
- when you brush your teeth, only turn the tap on when you need it
- when you boil the kettle, make sure you only use the amount of water you need
- only stay in the shower for as long as you need to!
- if you have a dripping tap, mend it quickly
- you can collect water in a container when it rains and use this water in the garden or for other things that don't need clean water
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