Australians All

The Silent Humanitarian Crisis in our Neighbourhood

Tim Costello

First published in The Age

Australia may be an island [but] we will not remain insulated from the global problems that changing weather patterns could produce. And with evidence that many of the poorest nations in our region will be the hardest hit by climate change, there is a strong argument of self-interest that we should come to their aid.

With Australia in the grip of a 100-year drought our minds are firmly focused on the importance of water.

Large parts of the nation are under severe water restrictions and in many cases these restrictions have been the norm for years. It is so bad that some towns in Australia are facing the very real prospect of literally running out of water. The drought across Australia will inevitably dominate our thoughts on this World Water Day.

In the past such a devastating drought might have only been perceived as something that happens ‘over there’. A disaster in some far away country that has devastated crops and left countless people facing starvation and disease.

It is to our credit as a nation that when such overseas disasters break, Australians are quick to respond with sympathy and generosity.

But in the past these disasters have often also served to underline how lucky we are as a nation that is blessed with boundless resources and wealth.

Yet today’s water crisis hammers home to us that we are not immune from such problems. The desperation of countless Australians – from farmers to city residents – underlines the fact it has never been so urgent or important for us to look at the importance of water on a global stage.

Indeed warnings of the impact of climate change have served to underline the fact that while Australia may be an island, we will not remain insulated from the global problems that changing weather patterns could produce. And with evidence that many of the poorest nations in our region will be the hardest hit by climate change, there is a strong argument of self-interest that we should come to their aid.

For while the drought in Australia is devastating, it is pertinent to reflect on just how severe the problems posed by the lack of water and proper sanitation are to our nearest neighbours in the Asia Pacific region.

Despite the scarcity of water here in Australia we still on average use almost 250 litres a day, per person.

In contrast in the Asia Pacific millions are struck down by disease because they lack access to clean water and sanitation. As little as 20 litres a day is all it would take to save a life. The same amount many of us use every day to flush the toilet.

There is a silent humanitarian crisis in our neighbourhood. In the Asia Pacific 100 million people – five times our population – do not have safe water to drink.

It means every seven minutes dirty water kills a child in our region – 80,000 children a year.

And tragically, in many parts of the world water quality is decreasing. Poorer countries are hardest hit.

One of the more worrying water-related problems is the lack of adequate sanitation. About 185 million people in Asia Pacific alone – nine times our population – do not have adequate sanitation. Deaths from diarrhea are increasing and worldwide have topped 1.9 million people a year.

Sanitation was recently nominated the most important milestone for health benefits in the British Medical Journal.

Sanitation means disposing human waste appropriately and protecting water sources. Otherwise typhoid, cholera, hepatitis and diarrhea run rampant and in poor countries, without adequate health care, are deadly.

In our own country we have witnessed mortality rates drop dramatically with the advent of sewers and basic hygiene education.

And there are solutions to the problems in our region.

World Vision and WaterAid Australia has released a new report Getting the Basics Right, that shows how simple and affordable investment such as building simple pit latrines and teaching basic hygiene education can work.

The report calls for coordinated action between national and provincial governments, donors, non-government organisations and the public. It also calls for Australia to take a leadership role in the region and to increase investment in this critical area.

If all the nation’s richest countries delivered in aid what they have promised (to reach 0.5% of gross national income by 2010) we could slash in half the proportion of people in Asia Pacific without access to clean water. It would be a global investment of $6.4 billion a year.

Australia’s share would be $350 million each year to achieve the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals – the United Nations blueprint for halving chronic poverty by 2015.

So far we’ve given $50 million a year in water and sanitation projects – less than a fifth of our share to achieve the goals.

Such an investment would not simply be charity. This investment would give us an 8-fold economic net benefit. It would lead to 42 million fewer cases of diarrhea every year in the Asia Pacific, 18 million more schools days for children and 167 million workdays.

In total we would achieve health savings of $936 million and total economic benefits of more than $15 billion to the region.

AusAID policy statements already recognise the crucial link between safe water, sanitation and economic growth.

The only step we need to make now is to commit to an already agreed plan through the Millennium Development Goals to helping our neighbours.

World Water Day represents an opportunity for Australia to play a leading role in bringing its resources and expertise to this critical global issue – the effective use of one of our most precious natural resources.