Transcript What do we use water for? - Engineers Without Borders UK

“Water for the
World”
Water: Who cares + why.
•How long can we live without food?
•How long can we live without water?
•Really?! How much do we need per day?
•Okay… How much do we use?
•What?! That is crazy! Where does it all
go???
1 week
1 day
30 – 50 L
140 – 50 L
Where does it go?
At home:
•Drinking
•Cooking
•Shower + washing hands
•Flushing the toilet
Where else is water used?
Farming + Industry
How much water do we use?
Brushing teeth :
1L
Washing hands and face :
4L
Flushing the toilet :
19 L
Having a shower :
35 L
Having a bath :
80 L
140 L
Blimey!
Where does your
water come from?
Why can’t we drink straight
from the Avon?
• micro organisms
• dissolved chemicals
• Particulates
(small bits)
Where does drinking water come
from?
River “source”
Add chemicals
Stir
Distribute
Settle
Store
Filter
Disinfect
Fail Proof?
•North Wales Diarrhoea Crisis, 2005
–231 people infected!
• If this can happen in the UK, imagine what it
is like to live in a developing country…
Quick quiz…
1. How many people are there in the world?
a)
b)
c)
d)
1 billion
6 billion
3 billion
10 billion
B
2. How many people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking
water?
a)
b)
c)
d)
100 million (about 1 in 60 people)
500 million (about 1 in 12 people)
1.1 billion (about 1 in 5 people)
3 billion (about 1 in 2 people)
C
3. How many times more water do we each use everyday, compared to a
person in a developing country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
10
30
50
70
–
–
–
–
30
50
70
90
times
times
times
times
B
Quick quiz…
4. What percentage of illnesses in developing countries are waterrelated?
a)
b)
c)
d)
10%
30%
50%
80%
D
5.How many people die everyday from diseases related to bad water?
a)
b)
c)
d)
100 - 1000
1000 – 10 000
10 000 – 100 000
100 000 or more
C
6. What action is most likely to reduce diarrhea?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Improved water supply
Improved sanitation
Improved household water treatment
Hand washing
D
Who here likes rain?
Rain = Survival! Not everyone has the resources
and technology to make drinking water like us.
School vs Heavy Water
Buckets
Who most often
collects water in
developing
countries?
Women and children
What’s wrong with
that?
Education for women
Time for employment
Time for growing food
The Filtration Challenge!
The Challenge
- In groups, make a WORKABLE
water filter
- Each group = country
- Follow the instruction sheet
- Buy supplies from front
- 20 minutes ONLY!
- Demonstrate filter at end.
The Filtration Challenge!
The Rules:
- Only 1 person per group buys at a time.
- You can ONLY buy in the first 20 minutes.
- You can talk and deal with other groups.
- No stealing! – Not that you would …
Hint hint, wink wink:
- Think of the “bigger picture” here
- Amount of money = GDP
- Amount of info. = literacy
How does this relate to
the real world?
Activity
Real World
Money difference
•
Based on actual country’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
Illegible instructions
•
•
Based on actual country’s illiteracy rate
Lack of education and access to
information
Resourcefulness
•
People in poorer countries have their
own ways of coping
Countries share
•
Richer countries may offer “Official
Development Assistance” (ODA) to
poorer countries
Countries form groups like the G8,
OECD, or Group of 24
•
Respect
•
Goes with power.
The Real World
In 1970, countries agreed that 0.7% of GDP
should go to aid
Okay, but that was AGES ago!
(sorry teachers). Surely we are doing better now!
Today, the average is 0.22%
Say what?! What about us?
In 2004, the UK donated 0.33% of GNI to aid
WE COULD BE DOING MORE!
“Appropriate technology”
It’s not just about giving money and technology…
… it’s about using the best long-term solution for the
problem!
e.g. A Ferrari won’t last long in a desert
(unfortunately)
Thinking about “technology”
more broadly…
Social Issues – who wins + who loses?
Cultural Issues – Some people see water as
sacred.
Training – who will fix it?
Cost – can the local customers afford to buy
and run it? Cheaper to make locally?
Ownership – Are they going to care if
everything is done for them? Is it going to last
long?
What can we do to
make a difference
from Bristol?
Action
Turning off the tap when you
brush your teeth or wash your
face
Free Flush Saving devices are
available at: http://www.thameswater.com/waterwise
Water saved
5L/min
5000L/person/year
300L/week
140L/week
Fix leaky taps in your home
500L/week
Other actions
Keep a cold jug of water in the fridge so you don’t have
to run the tap
Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need
Buy grade “A” dishwashers and washing machines
Only do full loads of laundry – a full load uses less water
than two half loads
Install a water butt in the garden to collect rainwater
for flowers and grass
You could also help developing
countries!
- Fundraise money for charities like Water
Aid and Water For Children Africa
-Keep up to date with developing countries
by signing on at:
http://www.wateraid.org