Pay more attention to activities that make water dirty, says Plan

19 March 2010: Plan is calling for people to pay more attention to the activities that they do that make water dirty.

The child rights non-governmental organisation is speaking out on World Water Day, 22 March, with the theme this year being ‘Clean Water for a Healthy World’.

From helping to set up innovative water systems in Mali to educating children on how to preserve water in the Philippines, Plan and its partner organisations are working with children and their families to show them the importance of keeping this resource clean.

Rain water harvest

In Bangladesh, Plan has initiated a ‘rain water harvesting system’ project to supply safe drinking water in 5 primary schools in and around the capital Dhaka city.

The project ensures a supply of fresh water in schools and raises awareness among school children and their families on the benefits of rainwater harvesting as a sustainable alternative source.

Roxana Kamal is 30 years old and lives in a slum in Dhaka where the rain water harvest system has been implemented.

Affordable and available

Roxana said: “We were in search of pure drinking water for a long time. I used to believe that rain water is holy water, it comes from God and it is used as medicine of many diseases. After installation we got rain water for 2 months. During that period, I experienced an affordable and easily available source of water from rain water harvesting. I will use water from rain water in future and for this I need to find a way to store it.”

Martin Keijzer is a water and sanitation expert with Plan. Martin said: “Plan is helping children and adults get unpolluted drinking water and showing communities how to keep it clean through improved sanitary and hygiene behaviour.

“Plan is also encouraging multiple sources for drinking water, provided that the water is safe to drink. Apart from the common borehole with hand pump, one should think of rainwater harvesting, spring water, and other sources locally available and clean.”

Notes to editors

Plan has become a significant stakeholder in the global water and sanitation sector. Between 2005-2007, Plan spent an average of US $42 million annually on its WES programmes in 45 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Case studies and images on our projects from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Mali and more are available. Footage from Benin is also available.

For more information, interviews or case studies please contact Stuart Coles on 07500 066 891.