WHO: the world’s drinking water

With a week to go before COP27 in Egypt, this timely report from the World Health Organization stresses the centrality of water to health and wellbeing.

It’s shocking that 1.5 million people die of diarrhoea alone each year.

The report also emphasises the role played by pollution, industry, urbanisation and climate change in depriving people of safe, secure water. These factors continue to impact communities where good work has already been done.

As we well know at Frank Water, long-term solutions that focus on monitoring and maintenance are essential to meaningful work. Its main recommendations are no surprise but we’re giving ourselves a pat on the back that these are deeply embedded in our particular methodology and ethos.

• Strengthen existing institutions: we do this through engaging communities to build user groups and improve knowledge, as well as to liaise with local governments.
• Increase funding from all sources dramatically: as well as fundraising in the UK, we help communities access local government funding.
• Build capacity within the water sector: we work with local partners to implement projects and develop our research and learning.
• Ensure relevant data and information are available: our infrastructure work is strongly based on evidenced need and on sophisticated technical knowledge.
• Encourage innovation and experimentation: as an agile organisation, our ways of working can be and are ahead of the curve.

It’s good to see COP27’s Water Security Round Table reiterate the urgency and needs.