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Water for Children and Nature

Release date: 20 January 1998

NEWS-IN-BRIEF

WWF and UNICEF have combined forces to safeguard a future for children and nature. Today, they have launched an initial report that highlights the emerging water crisis in India.

SHORT VERSION

The international conservation organisation WWF and the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF have combined forces in India to safeguard a future for children and nature.

Today, they have launched an initial report that highlights the emerging water crisis in India.

Mr. Rupert Talbot is Head of the Water & Sanitation Program of UNICEF-India

I/V: Rupert Talbot, Chief Water & Sanitation Program UNICEF-India

"`The study shows that groundwater levels are declining in many parts of the country, and that water quality is deteriorating. This means that the low-cost handpump will soon become defunct, unless we will take measures that will reverse the trend."

Here in the state of Gujarat, ground water tables have been lowered by excessive extraction for irrigation of cash crops. This causes severe drinking water shortages in the dry season.

Because of increasing urbanisation, cities compete with rural areas for fresh water.

Water scarcity has a significant impact on the lives of women and girls, as they are the ones who have to carry the burden of bringing water into the home.

Dr. Claude Martin is the Director-General of WWF

I/V: Dr. Claude Martin, Director-General of WWF

"UNICEF and WWF are two large strong organisations. If they join hands in addressing the global watercrisis, in India and later on in other continents, I think that will be an important factor in addressing the crisis of the future."

The future of nature and children cannot be separated. Therefore protecting the environment and fulfilling people's basic needs must go hand in hand. (Duration: 1 min 30 secs)

LONG VERSION

The international conservation organisation WWF and the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF have combined forces in India to safeguard a future for children and nature.

Mutual concern for the protection of freshwater resources has created a natural basis for co-operation between the two organisations.

Today, they have launched an initial report that highlights the emerging water crisis in India. It is the result of a joint study on the freshwater availability in 5 different eco-regions of India.

Mr. Rupert Talbot is Head of the water & sanitation program of UNICEF-India

I/V: Rupert Talbot, Chief Water & Sanitation Program UNICEF- India

"`The study shows that groundwater levels are declining in many parts of the country, and that water quality is deteriorating. This means that the low-cost handpump will soon become defunct, unless we will take measures that will reverse the trend."

The situation in India shows dramatic water shortages in many parts of the country. Urban areas, industry and agriculture compete for the natural water resources.

Here in the state of Gujarat, ground water tables have been lowered by excessive extraction for irrigation of cash crops. In some areas, electric pumps exploit fossil water from 200-400 meters deep. The uptake of groundwater exceeds the limits imposed by natural renewal levels, causing severe drinking water shortages in the dry season.

Increasing urbanisation has led to large volumes of water being collected and transported over great distances by canals and pipelines. The rural-urban shift has resulted in cities competing with the rural areas for drinking water.

Water scarcity has a significant impact on the lives of women and girls, as they are the ones who have to carry the burden of bringing water into the home. This takes two to three hours a day. This daily effort also undermines the education of children, as the house-hold chore prevents them from attending school.

Dr. Claude Martin is the Director-General of WWF.

I/V: Dr. Claude Martin, Director-General of WWF

"The co-operation became evident when we realised that we had a common purpose in water management questions. UNICEF is concerned with health questions, health of children, we are concerned with the health of the environment. And both have, of course, water as a principle resource. So it is evident that you have to join hands if you want to preserve water for nature as well as for human beings"

In the hills of Rayalseema, in Andhra Pradesh, the local communities harvested rainwater for centuries by building water reservoirs. Now nearly 50% of these so-called community water tanks have either breached or silted. The repair of these huge traditional water-collecting systems should receive active promotion.

On the household and community level, awareness-raising, capacity support and empowerment of local institutions, should contribute to the solution. Communities ultimately have to manage and control the competing demands for their water resources.

The new association of UNICEF and WWF in India aims to work together with local communities and the government to ensure water in adequate quantity and quality throughout the year.

I/V Mr. Rupert Talbot, Chief water program of UNICEF- India

"The main message that emerges from these 5 case-studies, conducted between UNICEF and WWF, is that we must do something to protect the environment. We need to work together with government and other sector partners to ensure that policies, strategies, and technologies are adapted to ensure that water tables are replenished. And we should move away from the technologies that draw the water down deeper and deeper."

Reforesting hills and special soil conservation measures can increase water availability and at the same time protect nature.

The future of children and nature cannot be separated. Protecting the environment and fulfilling people's basic needs must go hand in hand for a healthy planet for generations to come. (Duration 4 min 30 secs)

B-ROLL Duration

1/ Location graphics 13 secs

2/ Landscape, Animals and Plants 1 min 27 secs

3/ Residents and Local activities 1 min 56 secs

4/ Women and Children 55 secs

5/ Water 2 mins 46 secs

6/ Urbanisation 1 min 9 secs

7/ I/V Dr. Claude Martin, Director-General of WWF

English 53 secs

"What is of course a very important aspect of what people call the emerging water crisis, is the fact that we are confronted with a very rapid urbanisation. In about 30 years from now, we will have a human population in mega-cities equivalent to the present world population. These people need water. More water in fact than a rural citizen will need somewhere in a village. The consequence of this is that mega-cities will draw immense quantities of water. And from where?! Obviously from rural areas. We will have to look in a very integrated and strategic manner into where all of this freshwater should come from in the future, in order not to damage ecosystems or the health of rural people."

English 24 secs

"Humanity is confronted with an emerging water crisis, a global water crisis, and we need strong partners. UNICEF and WWF are two large strong organisations. If they join hands in addressing the global water crisis, in India and later on in other continents, I think that will be an important factor in addressing the crisis of the future."

French 23 secs

"Nous sommes certainement des organismes diffrents: le WWF comme un organisme de conservation de nature, l'UNICEF un organisme humanitair, mais nous partageons en fait les mmes buts, c'est a dire la sant de la plante, la sant de la nature, et ainsi aussi la sant des enfants."

"We are certainly two different organisations: WWF is a conservation organisation, UNICEF a humanitairian organisation. But we share the same goals, that is the health of our planet, the health of nature and so the health of children."

German 20 secs

"Die Kombination der beide Organisationen, in ihr Partnerschaft ist bestimmt von strategische Bedeutung. Weil wir ja, obwohl wir verschiedene Organisationen sind, in principe das gleiche Problem ansprechen; nhmlich die Gesundheid dieses Planeten in nchste Millenium."

"The combination of both organisations in this partnership, surely has strategical importance. Because, although we are different organisations, we address the same problem in principle: that is the health of this planet in the next millennium."

8/ I/V Rupert Talbot, Chief Water & Sanitation Program UNICEF - India

English 16 secs

"UNICEF's support to the rural water supply program in India started in 1966, when we introduced hard-rock drilling and handpumps, which now serves millions of people throughout the country. Today we are worried about declining groundwater levels and deteriorating water quality."

English 22 secs

We see the co-operation between UNICEF and WWF very positively; in some way's it's a natural alliance. UNICEF has three decades in working with communities and developing their drinking water sources. WWF has many years experience in protecting the environment. Today we are faced with environmental degradation. Unless we address it together, we will not be able to respond to the need of communities."