key to the healthy development of children
16 November 2006
The South African government has supplied safe drinking water to some 16
million people since 1994. This has had a huge impact on the quality of life of
rural women and children. The Free Basic Water Scheme, which allows each
household 6 000 litres per month free of charge, has brought further relief,
especially in urban areas.
However, the provision of piped water and sanitation to those communities
that still do not have these services remains a significant challenge.
The urgency in addressing this challenge is reflected in the impact on the
health and education of children.
* In 2004, according to Statistics South Africa's mortality figures, an
average of 12 children aged 0-14 years died every day from intestinal
infectious diseases, many of which are water-borne. These diseases were the top
cause of natural deaths among children aged one to four years.
* An earlier Statistics South Africa study, done in 1999, found that 200 000
children were at risk of missing school because they had to carry water for
more than 24 hours a week to meet their households' survival needs. The extent
to which this figure has altered with the ongoing supply of water is not clear.
However, 97% of these children lived in remote areas of former homelands where
provision of services is most difficult.
Last week, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Kemal
Dervis highlighted the extent to which a lack of access to clean water blights
the lives of the world's children. Speaking during the release of the 2006
World Development Report in Cape Town, Dervis pointed out that:
* Around the world, nearly two million children die every year because they
are denied access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
* Globally 443 million school days are lost every year because children are too
weak from diarrhoea and other water-related diseases.
South Africa is facing major challenges in its drive to provide basic water
to all by 2008, and basic sanitation to all by 2010. In the light of this,
clear priorities need to be set regarding which communities should benefit
first. A key factor that should be taken into account in setting such
priorities is the extent to which provision of water will relieve children of
undue hardship and give them a better chance of survival.
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) has been working with
the programme 'Towards the Elimination of Child Labour' (TECL) to develop a
tool that will facilitate "child-beneficial" prioritisation of water services.
TECL is a joint programme between the South African Government and the
International Labour Organisation, implementing key elements of the
government's Child Labour Programme of Action.
A very large number of South African children routinely fetch water for
household use. In most cases, the time devoted to this work is limited and
unlikely to interfere with the children's schooling or harm their health.
"However, a particular group some 200 000 in 1999 spend so much time on
fetching water and doing other household chores that this is deemed to harm
their development and education. They sometimes miss school, get to school late
or are too exhausted to benefit from schooling," Barbara Schreiner, DWAF's
Deputy Director General: Policy and Regulation explains. "It is this group of
children in the deep rural areas that we are concerned about and that we want
to assist by expanding services."
"For our project on prioritising water provision, we have done surveys in
four areas in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, where the distances between
communities and their water supplies are great. In these areas, over 80% of the
water needed is physically fetched by children. The survey showed that the
children spending long hours on water fetching are behind in school compared to
their peers."
A pilot project is now being run in Nongoma and Ugu in KwaZulu-Natal. Apart
from working with local officials and councillors to develop the prioritisation
methodology, the project includes assisting children who have been
disadvantaged through carrying water. This assistance could take the form of
extra lessons at school or different social and health services to assist the
children in catching up.
"We believe that this project, focusing specifically on children, is the
first of its kind in the world," says Schreiner. "If it works in Ugu and
Nongoma, it could have huge value for similar areas in our country and boost
our efforts to reduce harmful work by children under our national Child Labour
Programme of Action. The project will also be valuable to other countries
facing the same problem."
During the launch of the World Development Report, the UNDP chief urged
South Africa not only to continue expanding access to water and sanitation, but
also to engage communities to identify the "most appropriate and sustainable
solutions" possible given the existing constraints.
"We believe access to water is a basic human right and we remain committed
to universal access to clean water," says Schreiner. "Without compromising this
long term goal, we are ready to explore methods that will bring more immediate
relief to our children, protecting their health, relieving them of harsh work
and giving them an equal chance of education."
Enquiries:
Thandi Mapukata
Chief Director Communication
Cell: 082 885 3324
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
16 November 2006
