COULD YOU SURVIVE ON 13 LITERS OF WATER A DAY?
COULD YOU SURVIVE ON 13 LITERS OF WATER A DAY?
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He
explained to me that water was cut off as a way to kill families or displace
them. Now a UNHCR worker described this area as “not at war, but not quite at
peace,” and water remains to be an issue.
In
the camp of Mai-Aini, we met with multiple leaders from different cultural
units within the camp. It was clear that water was on the top of everyone’s
minds. Members of the camp
are living with as little as thirteen liters a day for drinking, bathing, and
washing.
To
put this in context, Americans use 300 liters of water a day. UNHCR has a goal to provide at minimum 20
liters a day and hopes for at least 35 liters.
Mulugaba
Lemma is the head of the water system in Mai-Aini. He tracked me down in the
camp when he heard I was asking questions about water.
He
explained that the ground in this area is unusually hard and almost impossible
to dig wells to access the water. For the current thirteen liters a day, they
devised a system to pull water off a mountain top where a water source was
found and pipe it 12 kilometers to camp, where it is distributed from three
taps.
Because
the ground is so hard, the pipe cannot be buried. Instead, it lies above the
ground all the way from the top of the mountain, leaving it exposed to elements
that can burst the pipe. It also needs to be monitored at all times. Refugees and paid workers walk the pipe
every day to ensure their single source of water stays safe.
This
is not just a refugee issue, but a countrywide issue. All water systems put in
place by UNHCR are for both refugees and Ethiopian host nationals.
In
the entire country of Ethiopia, the
average woman walks six hours a day for water. They carry
containers that can weigh up to 40 kilos. This activity often keeps girls from
attending school because they have to fetch water for their family.
From
every vantage point, you can see women and children carrying water in either
plastic jugs or clay pots. And if you are seen drinking out of a plastic water
bottle, you will have twenty kids following you begging for your empty bottle.
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