Empowering youth to lead the way toward a future with accessible clean water for all
UNICEF South Sudan Young Reporter’s perspective on the importance of water
Imagine a world without water. It could be a terrifying thought. Water is not only essential for our survival but also plays a crucial role in every aspect of our lives. From drinking and sanitation to agriculture and industry, water is the lifeblood of our planet.
As we commemorate World Water Week, it is important to reflect on the significance of this precious resource. UNICEF Young reporters in South Sudan have taken the initiative to shed light on the importance of water and its impact on communities around the world.
Through their stories, they aim to raise awareness about the challenges faced by children, young people, and their families living in areas in South Sudan where access to clean water is limited or non-existent.
Their narratives paint a vivid picture of the lack of clean water and the necessity for more actions to improve access to water around the world.
Water and Sanitation
A tale of water, a story untold, where people suffer, and their lives unfold.
With the catastrophic floods, families lack clean water, a daily plight where children suffer and have no respite. The spread of diseases through dirty water, a force that needs to be curbed.
Poverty, a factor that denies us South Sudanese access to clean water.
“Will I eat or buy clean water? My pockets filled with holes! Where is money for clean water?” I ask. A need for action is what we must do to ensure there’s clean water for me and you.
Let us join hands and make this right and make clean water accessible and free day and night.
Water conservation
Water conservation refers to policies and different strategies put in place to sustainably manage the natural, fresh resources of water, protect water reserves, and meet the current and future human demands for water to avoid scarcity. With the current population growth, negligence, incorrect preservation, and abuse of groundwater of the Nile will cost us as a Nation.
To conserve water, rainwater should be collected, treated with chlorine, and properly boiled for use. We should also avoid dumping human waste, and rubbish in our waters. This is because careless dumping leads to waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and bilharzia.
Climate Change
What is a world without water? It is a world without plants, animals. It is a world without a proper functioning ecosystem. The loss of water would also have a profound impact on the earth’s climate. Water plays a key role in regulating the planet’s temperature, without water, we will have drier lands, which will ultimately contribute to dysfunction throughout the water cycle and undermines progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace.
Drought as it is known today is something we as South Sudanese struggle with, a factor fueled by climate change. We must work hand in hand to reverse the effects or rather build resilience to the harsh weather-changing patterns.
This World Water Week, let us remember that every drop counts. Through collective action, we can make a difference in the lives of millions of children and families who are still deprived of this basic necessity.
By amplifying these young voices who are raising awareness about the importance of clean water access for all, we can work towards creating a sustainable future for every child.
Happy World Water Week!
