The focus of World Water Day 2014 is energy. The United Nations designated March 22, 1993 World Water Day and it has been observed annually since then as a day to focus attention on freshwater resources. Each year, a different aspect of freshwater management is highlighted. This year’s focus is energy.
Organizers hope this year’s observance will raise awareness of the link between water and energy, contribute to the policy conversation in this area, and demonstrate how integrated approaches to these issues can achieve better results. “Particular attention will be paid to identifying best practices that can make a water- and energy-efficient ‘Green Industry’ a reality,” according to the UN ‘s Water website.
At least 780 million people throughout the world lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.5 billion people are without sanitation. Refugee camps are often places where safe drinking water and sanitation are not available. Disease from these conditions such as cholera and dysentery are among the primary causes of illness and death for refugees especially those who are children.
In Kenya, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been testing solar sanitation as inexpensive way to treat waste so it can be safely discarded. Incorporarting concentrated solar treatment of waste into an overall sanitation plan helps to keep the process of emptying, cleaning and maintaining latrines going, reducing open defecation and saving space.
