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Water is Life in the Developing World
by Susan Lynn
What would and could we possibly do to survive if we didn't have water? Without the existence of water there cannot be life. We could go for 40 days or more without food, but we would die of thirst in a mere three days!
On the evening of December 31,1999, were your barrels or bathtubs filled with water? For a brief time, people in the developed world feared that water would no longer be available at the turn of a spigot.
In most of the developed world, people manage to control their water sources through reservoirs, dams, etc. But in the developing world, most people don't have even a bathtub in which to store extra water.
In this part of the world, water can cause great damage through its abundance (floods) or through its absence (droughts). This month, we will pray for people who are suffering from droughts, floods, water borne diseases, and other crises related to water. Most of the examples that we cite have come from recent news sources.
Water and Civilization, Then and Now
A January 25th, 2004 article in the Los Angeles Times tells us that water pollution is ruining the Euphrates River as it passes through Baghdad.
The1 3,415-mile Yellow (Huang He) River winds its way from the N.E. mountains of Tibet through western China to the Bohai Sea in the east. This River provides water to 12 percent of China's teeming population. Xie Zhenhua, head of the state Environmental Protection Administration says, "China is a country that lacks water resources, and the problem with water pollution remains severe." According to the March, 2004 edition of National Geographic, China's water is usually tainted with raw waste products. This has led to a higher rate of liver and stomach cancer.
China's Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtse River in Hubei Province closed it's gates after decades of bitter debate, and years of and heavy construction uprooting 700,000 people. June 1, 2003 marked the closing of this Dam. 2009 will see the resulting lake surface raised by another 130 feet. The dam will support China's development and replace dozens of large coal or nuclear plants, which is an environmental plus. The 1.4-mile wide Dam will tame the floods that have devastated the Yangtze basin. By 2009, officials plan to have the entire project completed.
New Delhi, heir to the Ganges River civilization, has suffered a water shortage for several years. This struggle is most acute during the weeks just before the summer monsoon rains. There are about 400,000 wells in this huge city of 14 million, but these wells are of no use unless there is water.
The Scarcity of Water
Though it's possible to convert salt water into fresh water, it's an extremely expensive process. For all practical purposes the world cannot increase its supply of fresh water. All it can do is change the way it uses it! Why is it that people in rich countries use 10 times more water than those in poor countries? How can Westerners be better stewards of our water supply and use and consume less? For example, could the people who live in the Southwestern United States learn to use less water so that the southbound rivers have enough water for neighboring Mexico?
In the Middle East, water is the most valuable resource even more precious than oil! Per capita water availability there has become the worst in the world. In each of the three major waterways in the Middle East, the Tigris-Euphrates, Nile and Jordan River, there is a shortage of available quality water. Even Israel has her problems with water supplies.
The prophet Isaiah wrote "...the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose". (Isaiah 35:1) Today, Israel's desert has blossomed. They are having success with some of the crops grown in the desert. But obtaining the water for these valuable crops comes with a price; it has resulted in one more point of contention between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The latter group wants more of the available water, some of which comes from the disputed West Bank.
In the nations to the north and south of the Sahara Desert the scarcity of water is becoming the cause for major conflict and tension. The nomadic Tamacheq tribes are often at odds with the settled peoples who make the decisions regarding water use in countries like Niger and Mali.
Desertification in Africa
Desertification also leads to soil nutrient depletion, which threatens farming in many parts of northwestern Africa, especially those parts bordering the Sahara and Sahel Deserts. The deserts continue to move south, leaving less useful land for farmers and livestock herders.
Severe droughts are very common in the Sahel Desert of northwestern Africa. The Sahel drought that began in 1968 was responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 people and 12 million cattle. Increased livestock and population on marginal lands has accelerated desertification. The main cause for the destruction was the burning and the slashing of the natural forest and bush land to clear for the agriculture use.
Flooding
Makarim said, "The disaster was exacerbated by extensive illegal logging in the area, which has stripped the hillsides." If these illegal loggers had not logged, the flooding would not have been as severe. Environmentalists say that the logging has stripped the area of much of the tree covering which would normally absorb the water during the rainy season. Trees also prevent priceless topsoil from being eroded from lands that could otherwise be used for agriculture. Unfortunately, Sumatra is hard hit by floods just about every year.
Likewise, Bangladesh gets hit with floods almost every year. It's no wonder; this nation of 147 million lies on a river delta. People living on low elevation frequently get killed when the monsoons flood the rivers and wash away homes. Those who survive the floods are vulnerable to typhoid fever, dysentery and other waterborne diseases.
Bangladesh is not alone in suffering in this way. Waterborne diseases kill one child every eight seconds throughout the world. Basic education in third-world countries could help alleviate this problem. A few drops of iodine in the water would prevent some of the most prominent water diseases from occurring.
What do Christians have to offer?
Are there Christian engineers who can help non-Christian countries like Bangladesh design and build dams and dikes to prevent flooding? Are there agricultural experts who can help the peoples of the Sahel Desert grow crops and raise livestock when little water is available?
Christians can give of their time and invest finances in projects in the developing countries. Several non-profit organizations like World Vision are involved with well digging projects. They have the expertise, but they need more qualified people to work with them. Their efforts improve the lives of thousands, and Christ is glorified by their efforts.
Perhaps you cannot go to the developing world, but you can pray. By staying prayerfully in tune and keeping alert to world climate concerns, believers can pray afresh for necessary changes. Like the Prophet Elijah, you can learn to pray for specific climate changes. You can pray for rain to be released or to be stopped as needed so that lives may be changed for the better. CNN, BBC, and other reputable news media are all good sources to stay in tune with upcoming prayer needs in the developing world.
Prayer Points
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