Water Poverty Facts, Info & How You Can Help Reduce Water Poverty

– by Temi Odurinde . 1st of May 2019.

Water poverty is defined as a situation where a nation or region cannot afford the cost of sustainable clean water to all people at all times. Researching content for this page at my desk in Hereford,  water is literally on tap wherever it is needed. 

In the office: for a drink of water, you just need to turn on the tap in the kitchen. After using the loo,  press a button on the cistern  and that is that.  Walk a few paces, turn on the tap and you can wash your hands with clean water and soap, at the hand washing basin.

At home, it is exactly the same, water is available on taps at all the rooms where it is needed. And of course there is a standpipe in the back of the house, for watering the garden, washing the car and other outdoor chores that require water.

Travel a few thousand miles from Hereford,  to sub-saharan Africa, or other water poor region of the world and you could almost be on another planet. It can take several hours, for people, mostly women and children to find clean water. There are things we can do to help some of the communities worst affected by water poverty. There is also things we can do in the developed world, to reduce our water footprint.