The 2022 World Water Day Appeal: Making the invisible, visible.

Groundwater accounts for nearly half of the world’s drinking water.

40% of crops rely on groundwater to grow and thrive and around ⅓ of the water used in industry is supplied by groundwater.

These numbers are even higher in India where 80% of the 1.35 billion population depend on groundwater for drinking.

Yet groundwater is invisible. Unlike the rivers, lakes and ponds it feeds, groundwater is hidden below the earth in natural storage containers called aquifers. Hidden below the surface, groundwater is what keeps the world’s water supplies flowing freely.

But out of sight often means out of mind. And groundwater levels are fast depleting thanks to population growth, economic activity and climate change. As groundwater stores diminish, levels of contamination become more concentrated too – which means what little water there is may not be safe to drink.

With your support, Frank Water is changing this. Together, we’re making the invisible, visible.

Our work centres around ‘the water balance.’ We don’t simply drill wells or install taps. Instead we focus on the importance of putting back in what you take out. This approach is called Integrated Water Resource Management (or IWRM). With every community, we start by mapping the water ‘landscape’. That includes existing water sources – springs, ponds, rivers – the people that use them and what they use them for – crops, livestock, industry etc. 

We take into account the geography and terrain and we talk to villagers to understand what changes they’ve seen over the years.  Armed with this information, we can develop a roadmap that includes actions to reduce demand for groundwater, recharge underground stores and change behaviour. This could include making ponds deeper to capture rainfall, building check dams that encourage water to percolate back into the ground, planting trees or growing different, less thirsty crops. This roadmap varies from village to village but the outcomes are always the same:  a community with access to safe, reliable water AND a step towards our vision of a water-secure world.

This year, we’re raising £22,500 – enough to provide 1875 people with clean, reliable water, for life. And, thanks to match funds from our partners at Blue Sky Botanics plus a small group of incredible philanthropists, the first £7,500 donations will be TRIPLED!*

Give to our World Water Day Appeal now and change more lives with safe water.

*Update 22.03.22 All match funds have now been used but you can still donate to our World Water Day Appeal and change more lives with safe water.