Program Amman Imman
I received the following comment from Debra Kahn and I thought it deserved attention. Check out Program Ammam Imman and the good work they are doing.
Please tell your readers about Program Amman Imman, dedicated to improving and saving the lives of one of the poorest and most poor abandoned populations in the world who live in the Azawak of Niger. The Azawak is a vast region without infrastructure, and most importantly, inhabited by ethnic minorities with no access to water. The region is so vast that children have to travel as much as 35 miles a day to find water for their families and animals.
Amman Imman has been established to change the situation for the people in this region, at their request, by building deep borehole wells, and also working with them to manage their water sources once they are built. The hope is that once two wells are completed larger organizations will find it safe enough to bring in their aid workers to build more wells.
Program director Ariane Kirtley founded Amman Imman in 2006 after proposals to large humanitarian organizations to bring aid to the region were turned down due to the danger to aid workers working in such a vast region without water. This was a catch-22 and Ms. Kirtley could not turn her back. She endeavored to begin a pilot project to build two wells in the hopes of acting as a catalyst for other organizations to bring aid.
This is an effort fueled by compassion, sensitivity and persistence. Ms. Kirtley took it upon herself to change what was not right even when others would not support her.
As of today, Amman Imman has completed one borehole well in the Azawak. Once the first well became operational, the people immediately began to make bricks to build a school. Please find out more about Amman Imman’s work and long-term goals by visiting the website http://www.waterforniger.org/.
Also, Ms. Kirtley’s work has attracted the attention of students from age three through the University level. Yale Unicef students are partnering with her. Montessori students around the world are collaborating to raise funds for Amman Imman. Please read about the student partnership with Amman Imman on the blog that has been set up to track their efforts: http://montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com/.
Your readers can also see Ms. Kirtley’s beautiful photographs that capture the spirit of the people and hear her speak about the project on this video posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ngVd1AUS4A
Thank you for taking the time to find out about the people living in the Azawak of Niger, and how Amman Imman is helping.
Environment 2010 in New Zealand
In October 1994 the government of New Zealand outlined in its Environment 2010 Strategy, nine environmental issue the country needs to address to be able to claim the status of a “clean green” country. Those issues include biodiversity, ozone, climate change, energy, fisheries, pests and weeds, pollution, land use and water use.
Water issues New Zealand faces include contamination from agricultural stock, preserving high quality fresh costal waters, unsustainable land practices, and changing natural waterways through hydroelectric development.
According to Environment 2010 goals have been set to address these issues:
To manage the quality and quantity of water so that it can meet the current and future needs of ecological systems, communities (including Maori), agriculture and industry by:
- ensuring surface freshwaters and coastal waters are of a quality suitable to meet national and community needs for swimming, fishing and shellfish gathering, and that aquatic life is not significantly affected by discharges;
- preventing degradation of quality and flow of identified water resources of national importance to New Zealanders for recreational, scenic, scientific or cultural reasons; and
- retaining sufficient water in water bodies to meet the community’s in-stream recreational and cultural needs, and ecological and other values.
News from the Future
A sarcastic look at a possible future in Australia.
Water a cure for disease?
According to alternative health physician Dr. F. Batmaghelidj, not drinking enough water may be hurting your health. He believes water many be a natural cure for ailments such as arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, back pain, diabetes, high cholesterol and migraines, among other diseases. Arthritis, for example, could be caused by chronic dehydration leading to a shortage of water in the joints.
An exerpt from Dr. Batmaghelidj’s website, Water Cure:
I discovered that histamine is a vital chemical messenger in the brain. Histamine has a most important function not written about in medical textbooks. It is in charge of water intake and drought management in the body. It is less active when the body is fully hydrated, and becomes increasingly active when the body becomes dehydrated. This was the connection I was looking for. In short, histamine produces pain when an area in the body is suffering from drought!
More information, including a series of books on the connection between water and proper health, can be found at Water Cure.
Community Scorecard
If you live in the United States Scorecard provides a searchable database for Clean Water Act and watershed issues in your area. Enter your zipcode and find out the status of water in your area. According to the site the state I live in is in the second lowest 20% of states when it comes to clean water levels. Sounds pretty good. But my county has pollution levels higher than the national average, and has the second highest levels in the state! Now that I know my community’s status the site has a discussion board and links to contact the EPA about my concerns. Check out your community report card. You might be surprised at the results!
Scorecard will also give you reports on many other local sources of pollution.
Galway Water Crisis
This public protest addresses concerns over clean water in Ireland.
30 Year Water Battle Ends in California
Finding a balance between water needs and environmental protection is always difficult, but the challenge increases when a large population center is also plagued with drought. After a 30 year legal battle, environmentalists and government officials finally came to an agreement over water use in California’s East Bay and Sacramento County.
Debate centered around a plan by the East Bay Municipal Utilities District to divert water from the American River to protect 1.2 million customers during times of drought. Instead it was agreed to use water from the Sacramento River, which will result in a lower environmental impact than taking water from the American. The compromise was reached after environmental groups and the EBMUD reached an agreement out-of-court, saving continued legal costs.
According to California Lt. Governor John Garamendi the state needs to find new ways to deal with water shortages. “Climate change is real. It will change everything we know about water in California. We know we will have 30 to 70 percent less snowpack. We know we will have greater floods. Every reservoir in California’s water system will have to be modified, we’ll have to engage in different water management techniques, we’ll have to redesign for capacity and flow. The change is happening today — right now the snow melts 2 weeks earlier than it did 10 years ago.”
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Polluted Water Causes Illness in Pakistan
In Lahore, Pakistan, doctors are reporting twice the usual number of illnesses caused by stomach viruses due to polluted water and unwashed food. According to Dr Basit of the Mayo Hospital’s Emergency ward, children are the hardest hit by the recent spike in disease. Bacteria and viruses are growing in sewers and garbage dumps, and it is advised that people not buy chopped fruit from street vendors. Even the sale of ice bars might be banned until the problem is under control.
It is usual for cases of stomach pain, vomiting, diarrohea and typhoid to increase during the summer, and even though polluted water is often the cause, it is vital that people stay properly hydrated. Dr Inam-ul-Haq, Executive District Officer for Health said the government is taking measures to improve the sanitation of water, including chlorination. In the mean time it is advised that drinking water be boiled.
Source: “Doctors stress hygiene as stomach patients double”, Daily Times, May 7, 2007.
The Police support Water Aid
An announcment from the WaterAid website:
Internationally renowned rock band The Police announced today that they will contribute a portion of the proceeds from their highly anticipated worldwide tour to WaterAid.
This will help generate much needed public awareness and raise funds to support WaterAid’s efforts to address the global water and sanitation crisis.
The Police made the following statement:
“In Western societies, the idea of not having clean and plentiful water is unthinkable. And yet there are millions of people who are suffering and dying from disease because they lack access to this most basic resource. We are proud to support WaterAid in their mission to improve access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education in the world’s poorest countries. We hope the funds and awareness raised during the tour will help to shine a light on WaterAid’s efforts to bring help to millions of people in need.”
WaterAid, based in London, is supported by independent alliance members in the United States and Australia. It delivers water, sanitation and hygiene education through its offices in 17 African, Asian and Pacific nations.
Speaking on behalf of WaterAid, CEO Barbara Frost commented that “WaterAid is honored and delighted to receive the support of The Police during their forthcoming world tour. Our collaboration with The Police will help us deliver water, sanitation, and hygiene education to people living in extreme poverty and help raise awareness about this urgent humanitarian crisis.”
Happy Earth Day
On this earth day, take a few moments and think about the way you use water. Conservation is the easiest and most cost-effective way to reduce water use. Below are links to pages with valuable tips on how to save water.
Water Conservation Tips
Water: Use it Wisely
Water Information Program
Conserve Water
Earth 911
Every drop you save counts, and every one of us can make a difference!
Water Is . . . 
