The White Gold

Ethiopia is rich in water resource, the second largest in Africa after the D.R.C. The unfortunate truth though is the lack of adequate potable water for Ethiopia’s eighty million plus population. Statistics tell us that only 41% of households nationwide have access to potable water and from this meager number 30-60% are non functional. So in reality less than a 20% of our population has access to drinking water. And most of this 20% is provided in urban areas, even here, in a big city like Addis Ababa, its residents face shortage of what we refer to as the “white gold”. Waterborne diseases led by Cholera, typhoid and dysentery are a top health problem in this country.

According to a report an estimated 3900 children die every day because of poor sanitation and lack of safe drinking water, particularly in Africa and Asia in particular. The government of Ethiopia is trying to implement the Universal Access Plan, an initiative to attain 100% coverage of water and sanitation supplies to the population. Providing the population with safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities, can curve infant mortality; under five mortality and maternal mortality, all being related to water-borne diseases.

The Ministry of Health has started implementing the health extension package across the country and the vision is to set up health extension posts in every kebelle (the lowest level of administration) of the different woreda’s (every state is divided into administrative zones) of all states. These health posts have health officers that carry out awareness campaigns in the fields of hygiene, STD and in particular HIV/AIDS, malaria prevention, pre and post natal care and many more. The most effective practice has been found to be the house to house visits every week in the respective Kebelles.

In a recent field trip to the Amhara regional state, to a place known as Dur Bete some 60 Km south of Bahir Dar, the shear magnitude of the scarcity of potable water is appalling. The area lies within the Nile basin and yet its people have been craving for potable water for a long time now. It was right then that it hit me the Amharic proverb that translated says: “The son of the Nile is thirsty”.

UNICEF has dug two wells in the Debub Achefer Woreda area that have left the beneficiaries ecstatic with joy. A young woman, Beintbirhan, told us that she used to walk every day for 2Kms across the forest to fetch water from a stream nearby; and because of that she used to miss class most of the days. She goes on to say “diseases like giardia, amoebae,diarrhea were no strangers to the people here, now Thanks be to God, we are healthy, our children are healthy”. 

Traditionally it is the woman that does the house chores and fetching water is considered as a woman job. Most interestingly the women of this rural area said that times have changed and that there is no such thing as a woman’s job or a man’s job. Likitu Yihalem, a married 22 year old woman said: “when my husband comes home and I am busy preparing supper he goes to get the water and at lunchtime while he eats I work the land, time teaches you to change! We help out each other”.

With more than 80% of the Ethiopian population living scattered in the rural area, provision of safe potable water is not an easy job, but keeping in mind that water is a primary necessity, it should always be given the priority in any development scheme.

Article Topic

• Year of African Youth