Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza has lasted over half a century, and the dire humanitarian situation is at breaking point. On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, it is crucial to highlight the denial of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to the Palestinian people, not only as a human-made political crisis, but also, as a human rights issue.
Photo: WaterAid/ Chileshe Chanda
Whilst many initiatives led by governments and NGOs have done a great deal to improve the rural water supply in Africa, DFID Malawi estimates that up to 40% of all water points are non-functional at any one time. They end up abandoned when they break down, even though a simple fix could put the pump back into operation, this puts over 7 million Malawians at risk to waterborne diseases.
Vincent Casey, a Senior WASH Advisor at WaterAid, looks at how comparison of two completely different services can offer new angles and provide lessons for reaching everyone everywhere with safe water. Blog post originally written on 11 October 2016 and posted online on WaterAid's website.