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United Nations

WATER FOR ALL: NO ONE TO BE LEFT BEHIND

by Staff Correspondent March 22, 2019

Ashish Saurabh | The TrickyScribe: Water, according to leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm Goldman Sachs, is the ‘petroleum of the next century’ and is one of the most immediate prerequisites for the survival of the humanity, has been the cradle for civilizations since time immemorial.

Disputes around the issue of water are too numerous to be encapsulated here. Be it Indus or Cauvery. Issue remains the same. No exceptions! The intermittent water disputes, plaguing the sub-continent, need to be addressed in a comprehensive way; at the earliest.

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Latest spike, however, in the number of water dispute in the South Asian sub-continent is a reflection of larger global trend that is casting its shadow on the hitherto water sufficient region of the globe. With India threatening Pakistan for using the share of Indus water that ‘rightfully belongs to India’; the domestic water war has plagued India itself for too long.

In India, the federal fabric happens to be under severe strains owing to surge in the number of inter-state water disputes. Many of the disputes that surfaced recently have a long duree, nonetheless, the intense passion and jingoism that was put on show is alarming. The larger issue, however, is still to be framed in the debate, the issue of water intensive lifestyle.

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Modern day technology has been a transformative experience in Anthropocene. The tremendous impact has affected us in many ways. Right from our daily chores to agriculture, we have been adding many ways to enrich our water intensive lifestyle.

Sugarcane, for an example, was grown in areas that had high water supply. Blessed with irrigation facilities, areas that were hitherto water deficient have started growing the water intensive crop, thereby increasing the water appetite for the region.

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From car washes to frequent flushes in restrooms, we have been wasting waters in numerously creative ways which our forefathers didn’t. It is not to say that these habits are to be forbidden but to mark that our water appetite has grown humongously. Equilibrium is nowhere close to the horizon.

Politics of freebies

From waving of water rent to supply of free electricity for the pump sets, political elite has always been hand-in-gloves with our water intensive lifestyle and has further incentivised it. Often to gain extra marks from the potential voters, political parties especially those with regional orientation fuel the issue and provoke passion.

World Water Day

As a mean of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources United Nations designated as World Water Day. The theme this time is ‘Leaving no one behind’. It aspires at reminding people about the significance of fresh water and to promote sustainability for fresh water resources’ management. It’s a day designated to prepare for how we manage water in the future; a day to celebrate water. Interestingly, the theme in 2020 will be about Climate change.

Water for All!

Once the Agenda 2030 was adopted by the UN back in 2015, countries and stakeholders set out an ambitious agenda envisaging a world free of disease, hunger and poverty; a world where lifeforms can thrive with no one is left behind.

‘Water for All’ implies that all including those elderly, disabled, marginalized and poor get access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation as mentioned in Sustainable Development Goals. Billions of people are doomed to live without access to safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive.

Marginalized groups – women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.

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March 22, 2019 0 comments

Public Health & Nutrition

Between India & Swachch Bharat, 80 million toilets constructed

by Editor's Desk August 15, 2018

written by Editor's Desk

Aditya Vaibhav | The TrickyScribe: Sanitation is by no means a small talk topic: what happens in the bathroom is meant to stay there. Let us take a closer look at the speed and direction of the same in India this Independence Day.

India is experiencing a revolution in toilet-building. Just under 40 percent of the country’s population had access to a household toilet when Narendra Damodardas Modi swore in as Prime Minister, a situation he vowed to change by investing billions of rupees. He launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan marking Gandhi Jayanti in 2014 with the goal of eliminating open defecation and manual scavenging within five years.

Over 80 million toilets have been built in India since then. As many as 419 districts are now marked open defecation free. The share of the population with access to a toilet has also been climbing steadily and stands at 89 percent while going to press, as per the data made available by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Sanitation has been a topic shrouded by misconceptions and is often considered forbidden across societies. People just don’t open up. They neither ventilate their own feelings nor are they open to suggestions. It is, however, exactly the same taboo that the UN attempting to tackle – the consequences of this silence are severe. Close to 3.5 lakh children, aged under five, died from diarrheal diseases due to poor sanitation in 2013. Women and girls are especially vulnerable when it comes to lack of improved sanitation facilities.

Together with Statista, The TrickyScribe had a glance at how access to sanitation improved within past ten years and where more progress is needed. While Eastern Asia shows significant improvement, the situation in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa is different. Here, the improvements were outpaced by population growth.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the population almost doubled since 1990 while in Eastern Asia, it increased by a fifth. It is also due to these numbers that despite (moderate) efforts on sanitation being made, almost as many people (even more in Sub Saharan Africa) lack access to proper sanitation as ten years ago.

Chronic lack of toilets

There is still a chronic lack of toilets, driving people to defecate outdoors across countries. Just under a billion people defecate in open across the globe and it’s a problem that results in widespread disease and millions of deaths. (Worldwide data depicting open defecation rates in 2015)

The UN in 2015 called for putting an end to open defecation by 2030. Countries like Vietnam have had considerable success eradicating it. Others are still struggling.

According to a 2015 World Bank study, 40 percent Indians defecated outdoors. Farmlands, railway lines and areas adjoining water bodies being the favourite locations. It is also common across Africa where the highest rates were recorded. Eritrea had the highest rate at 76 percent, followed by Niger (71 percent) and Chad (68 percent).

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August 15, 2018 0 comments

Using social media, mobilizing youth

by Editor's Desk May 16, 2017

written by Editor's Desk

With a key focus to empower youth to break free of societal shackles through the dual platform of technological innovation and entrepreneurship, former international-level swimmer, UN Youth Ambassador and founder of Ignite-India – an innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem for young people in 7000 schools across India, Agnishwar Jayaprakash, conceptualized and produced Ezham Arivu on Doordarshan TV which has now gained a daily viewership of 3.6 lakh households.

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(Source: Facebook)

News outlets, around the world, focus on the general lack of youth engagement in important issues, stereotyping young people as victims, protesters and problems, rather than as leaders and innovators who are using their knowledge, passion, and commitment to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One such innovator using his influence on social media to challenge this negative stereotype is Agnishwar Jayaprakash.

The present global population of almost 1.8 billion young people is the largest ever, according to the UN Population Fund. This number seems to harbour sizable potential for tackling the world’s many problems, but not if you believe the media industry as of now.

The key focus of his campaign is to empower youth to break free of societal shackles through the dual platform of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. Agnishwar Jayaprakash conceptualised and produced Ezham Arivu, the first ever talent hunt television show that showcases students’ innovations, giving young innovators further voice to communicate their solutions, seek mentorship and support while also being the catalyst of change in their own rural communities, on Doordarshan TV.

Ezham Arivu in collaboration with UNIC, India and Bhutan aired 130 episodes, was ranked number 2 on its channel with a daily viewership of 3.6 lakh households. It further supported a number of creative technologies developed by young people, such as the ambulance drone, which delivers medical supplies to the scene of an emergency without the risk of traffic delays.

“Showcasing these stories on television inspires young viewers to pursue their ideas and elevates the general population’s attitudes about youth engagement,” said Rajiv Chandran, CIO, UNIC, India and Bhutan.

For the service rendered towards the youth community through novel initiatives, this 26-year-old was conferred the prestigious “Outstanding Youth delegate Award” at the Winter Session of the United Nations Youth Assembly at the UN Head Quarters in NYC, USA.

“It was one of the most proudest moments of my life to not just receive the award in front of my peers who all deserved the award as much as I did but it was the opportunity to deliver a speech at the iconic General Assembly Hall where great leaders who I admired as a child have spoken in the past,” recollects Agnishwar adding, “The opportunity gave me a profound sense of purpose and commit further to igniting the young minds of India while also having the chance to meet and be mentored by legendary role models who have served the world for decades like Ravi Karkara.”

Serving as the Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy to the Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director UN Women, Karkara has been a Global advocate for human rights of women, youth and children for past 20 years.

Supported by over 1 Lakh followers on Facebook and 1.65 Lakh followers on Twitter, Agnishwar has expanded the reach of the innovation conferences in India into a global movement, using social media to mobilise youth to create social change in their communities.

“The youth of India responded overwhelmingly in attending the conferences over the seven days and many thousands more engaged through Facebook and Twitter,” said Agnishwar, who believes has engineered a new kind of media outlet to ensure that local communities understand the importance of adopting the Sustainable Development Goals.

“After the success of the Ezham Arivu TV show my well-wishers at the United Nations have connected me with Hollywood producers who are very interested in scaling the TV show into a global model airing on a mainstream TV channel in the US,” said the Youth Icon who was initially apprehensive about taking up such a large project as he had just started a year-long program at Harvard Business School in Boston, USA.

“However the opportunity of collaborating with international change makers like Karkara and promoting the SDGs globally through media is a dream come true,” signs off Agnishwar who reaffirms his passionate towards achieving the United Nation’s Agenda of a Sustainable World by 2030 through media, innovation and youth.

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May 16, 2017 0 comments