Water: Global Concern, Dominican Effort

In December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring March 22 of each year as the World Day of Water. States were invited to devote that day to activities which promote to the public the importance of conservation and the development of water resources.

To bring even more attention to the topic, the U.N. named 2003 as the Year of Fresh Water.

For many, an entire year or even a day devoted to water may be a puzzling concept. For many, it is a foreign idea to consider water conservation and the development of water sources. For many, the only effort required to obtain drinkable water is turning on the faucet. For many, watering plants, watering a lawn or washing a car is carried out without hesitation.

So many others, however, are not as fortunate. MSNBC.com lists some somber statistics:

In Africa, more than half of the population has no access to safe water and almost half of the citizens suffer from water-related diseases;

In Asia, nearly a third of the region has no access to safe water; per capita availability of water has dropped by 70 percent;

In Australia, water use increased by 25 percent in the mid-1990s, compared with the mid-1980s; at the same time the water supply has been degraded.

A Vatican document presented at the World Water Forum held in Kyoto, Japan in 2003 stated that more than 1 billion of the world’s people do not have access to adequate supplies of drinking water and twice that many lack adequate sanitation. This lack of safe drinking water and sanitation systems all too often results in disease, poverty and conflicts.

Others agree that water is and will continue to be a basis for conflicts. As Vice President of the World Bank, Ismail Serageldin said in 1998, "the wars of the next century will be about water."

One U.N. report on the state of the world’s water predicts that access to water may be the single biggest cause of conflict and war in Africa during the next 25 years. In cases where countries share the resources of rivers and lakes and where populations continue to rise, the competition for control of water could be especially intense.

According to the U.N., there are numerous reasons for the world’s water problems. One of these is a major increase in world population. During the past century, Earth’s population has tripled which has dramatically increased water usage. In the last century, half of the world’s wetlands disappeared and some rivers significantly receded, no longer reaching the sea.

Though the problems are not considered at crisis stage in the United States, this country does have serious problems with its fresh water supply. Within the U.S., the concern lies with excessive development, overuse of rivers and pesticide runoff.

Sr. Sharon Zayac, a Springfield Dominican, believes many in America are unaware of the enormity of this issue and its effects in this country. She notes the declining aquifers that support our agriculture and animals for meat production and says our water sources are polluted and our wells are being pumped dry to provide bottled water.

Sr. Sharon knows Americans will not be forever ignorant of the water crisis, because soon we, too, will feel the consequences of inappropriate and unsustainable use of water.

"Water is no longer considered a renewable resource. We can’t make new water. It is reusable, and the water we have to reuse is no longer fresh or pure," said Sr. Sharon.

Organizations such as the Nature Conservancy are trying to keep the U.S. from getting to crisis stage. With the help of experts in bio-hydrology, aquatic ecology, water law and public policy, the Nature Conservancy is attempting to maintain the integrity of key river systems while making sure the water needs of the communities are met.

By the year 2015, the U.N. hopes to reduce by half the number of those without access to safe drinking water and sanitation. This will not be an easy task. However, the word is beginning to spread about the global need to care for our waters.

Carole Rossi, OP, with the Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine, Kentucky, knows very well the importance of clean water. Sr. Carole helps to run the programs at Crystal Spring Learning Center, a project of the Dominican Sisters. Located in Plainville, Massachusetts, the center focuses on teaching others about our shared responsibilities to planet Earth and ways to live an ecologically-friendly life.

Sr. Carole said that due to sloping lands, the natural springs at the learning center were at one time flooding and flowing down the street and causing problems for the neighborhood. At the same time, the center had begun to use its front lawn for vegetable gardens. This gave them an opportunity to put the wasted water to use. Today, the overflowing water is redirected to a newly dug filtering pond and is used for the gardens. Water iris, mint and other cleansing plants were added to help purify the water.

Worldwide problems with water supply touch more than just humankind. Many other species are directly affected. According to the U.N., twenty percent of freshwater fish are endangered.

To help protect other species, the staff and volunteers at Crystal Spring are on the lookout for vernal pools. A vernal pool is a basin depression that fills with water as the water table rises. According to vernalpool.com, these pools can range from very small to over an acre in size and all are relatively shallow.

Sr. Carole said these pools serve as birthing places for salamanders and frogs. The group has not found any for sure yet but if found, the pool would be noted with the town and protected from development.

Shepherd’s Corner is the ecology program of the St. Mary of the Springs Dominicans in Columbus, Ohio. The program extended its work to the local community through its affiliation with the Friends of Blacklick Creek, a protection organization that monitors the waterway. Sr. Jane Belanger, who has worked with Shepherd’s Corner since its beginning, asserts that the role of the organization has become increasingly important. The group makes sure developers and construction companies building in the area follow necessary regulations to protect the creek.

Members of the Dominican Alliance’s Eco-Justice Committee plan to focus their attention on the Earth’s water supply. Recently the committee has focused on genetically-modified food as their first major project. The committee traveled to different congregations within the Dominican Alliance to educate others on modified foods. The group even performed skits while dressed up as different foods to promote the message.

Now, with their next meeting in May, the Dominican Alliance Eco-Justice Committee will concentrate on water. With the dedicated and passionate members of the Eco-Justice Committee, all Alliance members will soon learn ways individual citizens can help to improve the lives of all species by improving our waters.

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