182. No Life without Water, Worshipful Company of Plumbers 39th Annual Lecture, Carpenters’ Hall

Eileen, my Consort and I were invited to a lecture by Gareth Owen from Save the Children, organised by the Plumbers, Company.  Gareth has worked in the Aid Sector for 30 years and for Save the Children since 2002.  He trained initially as a civil engineer, which continues to help him in his humanitarian work.  Gareth has been directly involved in the immediate response to many global emergencies, in Asia (2004 Tsunami), Iraq, Haiti, and many other places.  He recounted saving life with water in a humanitarian crisis.

He described himself as an emergency responder - no flashing blue light but going there when asked.

The messages were hard-hitting, with so many grounds for despair, but also hope.

Here are some snippets of what he said.

In Africa, school enrolment rates have declined by 20% in regions affected by drought.  Lack of water and poor sanitation are killers.  Poor sanitation is a major reason why children, especially girls, do not go to school.

2.2 billion people – one-third of the world’s population - lack access to safe drinking water.  More people have access to a mobile phone than to sanitation

There are two million avoidable deaths every year due to lack of access to water.  Diarrhoea causes more than two million deaths each year, compared with malaria which causes a quarter of a million.  We consume on average 140 litres per person per day: 15 litres is the emergency minimum.

Save the Children was started in 1919 by two sisters in the UK, and now has 120,000 staff round the world.

Water is increasingly a weapon of war, a tool of politics but an essential for life.

Save the Children have been in Gaza since 1953.  Gareth then used the issues in Gaza to demonstrate the challenges they face.  They have 12 international staff and 58 local staff on the ground.  Tragically they have lost a member of their team, his wife and four children in the conflict.  They are succeeding by having effective relationships with local partners.  They have a good working relationship with the Egyptian Red Crescent.

It is reported that there have been 35,000 deaths in Gaza since the recent outbreak of conflict, of which 14,000 have been children. Three-quarters of the population are displaced.  Four out of six water treatment plants are out of action.  About 90% of Gaza's water supply comes from the ground water in the coastal aquifer.  The water is very salty and contaminated due to seawater intrusion, over-extraction, and chemical infiltration.  Due to the war, water availability has reduced by 95% and what is available has been contaminated further and the salt level increased.  Only 2-3 litres of water per head are available.  The sewage pumping stations are shut down due to bomb damage or lack of fuel.  270,000 tonnes of waste remain on the streets.  Disease has increased significantly due to the lack of water.  Children are 20 times more likely to die from a lack of clean water or sanitation than violence.  There is a major risk from unexplored ordinances due to a 10% failure rate.

To encourage children to wash they use soap with a toy embedded in the soap bar.  It has increased use of soap four-fold.

Globally, clean water could be provided for £50 billion.  Globally ,we spend £300 billion on bottled water.

To provide water Save the Children desperately need equipment and funds.  Their turnover in 2023 was £2.5 billion.  US Aid has provided hundreds of millions of dollars and the UK £250 million.

The evening was a great testament to the commitment of the charity and its achievements in some of the most challenging places and circumstances in the world.  My thanks to the Plumbers for hosting.