Just close by to the Indian Ocean, lies a small island Sri Lanka. But how much of Sri Lanka’s water is clean? Many vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka and India end up having to collect murky drinking water and wash themselves in polluted water. Before Sri Lanka’s limited clean water begins to run out after 2015, charities will be working together to raise funds and find ways to provide clean water.
In February 2015 MGA Cover Services are going to pledge £0.01 per passenger who takes out a protection cover, therefore giving a minimum donation of £1,000 to International Water Aid charity, Just a Drop. The MGA Cover Services have recently partnered with this charity and on World Water Day on the 22nd March 2015, MGA will announce how much money they have collected.
MGA’s Head of Commercial Partnership, Lawrence Assock said: “At MGA we are always keen supporters of worthy causes and after careful consideration we decided to support Just a Drop for 2015. MGA has pledged £0.01 for each passenger declared on all financial protection products received for February 2015.”
Just a Drop, claims they have supported the Seethapuram tribal colony in Tamil Nadu. This charity has provided this colony with 2 male and 2 female bathrooms, toilets and a pumped water supply. It is usually thought that children in this colony frequently pick up viral infections as many still use open grounds for their daily routine.
This charity also claims that the Sri Lankan government hopes that 60% of the population in their country will have access to clean pipe-borne water by 2020. In 2010, only 37% of the population had access to pipe-borne water.
Another charity which is working on clean water scarcity is the WWF International. The WWF is working with the HSBC Water Programme to protect the rivers in 5 priority freshwater locations. One of these rivers is the Ganges River. This 2,525km river runs through Bangladesh and India. HSBC’s programme aims to improve water resources by bringing safe water and sanitation to many people. HSBC’s Water Programme is currently on and will still be running till 2016.
UK’s WWF Head of Freshwater Programme, Dave Tickner, said: “WWF is proud of our longstanding partnership with HSBC and we are thrilled to be working on the new Water Programme. This five year commitment provides the support we need to deliver large scale and long lasting impact for people and nature. Together we will work towards healthy flowing rivers which are vital to the health of the businesses and communities around them.”
But how can some of the Sri Lankan villagers who live on the 1,300km coastline, have access to clean water? Any type of water including salty water can be distilled using the water distiller. The West Midlands charity, Practical Action is using this simple method for Sri Lanka. Practical Action has had their water distillers tested. These water distillers produce 8 to 10 litres of clean water a day. However, according to the research by Just a Drop, 2.2 million people in Sri Lanka are still looking for a clean water supply.
