Watershed protection is vital

Photo: Erol Kekic/CWS

Story by Thomas Abraham/CWS

I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink...
- Matthew 25:35

Communities participating in the CWS Africa Initiative "Water for Life" program are gaining skills in ecosystem management, training in an approach that supports the earth's natural filtration systems. Such skills are vital if communities are to own and manage access to water, a cornerstone of the program.

The Center for Development Services (CDS), a Kenyan partner of CWS, is helping communities access and manage water supplies. CDS's work will serve as a pilot program for the Water for All advocacy campaign in East Africa.

Unlike many arid areas in Kenya, the Vihiga District receives high amounts of rainfall. But most of this rainwater runs into contaminated rivers and streams. Effluent from the Chavakali market in Sabatia drains into one of the springs from which women and children collect water, leading to a high incidence of waterborne disease.

The contamination of the Vihiga District's water sources overloads an already fragile ecosystem, according to a CDS study commissioned by CWS. Eucalyptus trees around the springs -- a non-native species planted for timber -- draw up large quantities of water, depleting underground springs. CDS also found that poor agricultural practices along riverbanks and excessive use of chemicals harm the community's clean water resources.

Loss of forests major problem

Even more devastating is the loss of forests that serve as the main catchment areas for water, according to CDS's Paul Maina. The international standard for forest coverage is 10 percent. In Kenya, timber logging, settlement building, and cultivation along riverbanks have reduced forest coverage to 1.7 percent, plunging water tables, drying up boreholes, and making rivers seasonal.

Environmental concerns are cropping up wherever water is at stake. In Malawi, for instance, watershed protection and reforestation is a key objective of the Christian Service Committee's Madzi = Moyo (water = life) program, supported by CWS. The program is aimed at reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases and relieving the burden on women and children to fetch water for their families.

Elsewhere, degraded soil and erratic rainfall have left Burkina Faso next to last in the Human Development Index of 2004. Malnutrition is a common problem. Over the last three years, with CWS support, members of women's and farmers' cooperatives have learned water retention techniques in Sawana, Boulba, and Rimassoum villages. Some 600 villagers planted 185 acres of vetiver grass to stem erosion and dug 170 compost pits to restore soil with the help of the Association for Peace and Solidarity.

You and your congregation's support for the CWS Africa Initiative can help to bring clean water to more rural African communities. Please call toll-free 888-297-2767 to learn more.