Journey to Water

A walking meditation

March 26 - 28, 2021

Science-Climate-Action Project

University of Michigan

Nichols Arboretum

Gillian Moore

Anjali Thakker

Nick Tsichlis

About

Climate change is exacerbating water stress globally, with roughly one third of the world's population facing physical or economic water scarcity. Rural, low income communities will be disproportionately affected by this worsening situation, and the women in these communities face particular hardship.

The undue burdens of water scarcity fall to women and girls in the world's arid regions, who are responsible for procuring daily water for the home. Women must walk increasingly long distances to access water, which makes it more difficult to pursue occupational and educational opportunities, and also exposes them to an increased risk of violence as well as other health hazards.

In sub-Saharan Africa two thirds of women must leave their home to collect water, and because many rural water systems are non-functional over 13.5 million women currently endure collection times longer than 30 minutes. Because water collection requires considerable time and energy this can lead to negative health outcomes, and undue physical stress through pressure on the skeletal system often results in spinal pain and early arthritis. Women also report domestic hardships which result from the rationing of water, such as only having the capacity to cook one meal a day. Furthermore, it has been determined that the distance that a population is from a clean water source is directly related to its hygienic health outcomes.

Climate change is causing an uptick in catastrophic weather events that threaten to destroy or contaminate water sources. Rising ocean levels can salinize freshwater sources worldwide. Warming temperatures promote contamination of water supplies with dangerous water-borne pathogens. Regional decreases in rainfall is projected to exacerbate water scarcity in already arid regions.

The U.N. estimates that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience severe water scarcity while 5 billion will contend with water stress in their daily lives.

Additional Resources

Abedin, Md Anwarul, Abedin, Md Anwarul, Collins, Andrew E, Collins, Andrew E, Habiba, Umma, Habiba, Umma, Shaw, Rajib, et al. (2019). Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and Health Adaptation in Southwestern Coastal Bangladesh. International journal of disaster risk science, 10(1), 28–42. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press.

Graham, J. P., Hirai, M., & Kim, S. (2016). An analysis of water collection labor among women and children in 24 sub-saharan african countries. PLoS One, 11(6) doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0155981

Sultana, F. (2018). Gender and Water in a Changing Climate: Challenges and Opportunities.

Zolnikov, Tara Rava. (2016). My Walk to Water. American journal of public health (1971), 106(4), 623–624. Editorial, United States: American Public Health Association.