“Access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right”
We have a moral obligation to ensure everyone has access to enough clean water to meet their fundamental human needs. Yet increasing numbers of people lack reliable supplies of water, especially the poor. We can ensure access to safe drinking water, sanitation for all, and sustainable use of water in agriculture and industry by treating it as a precious resource and conserving and managing it in a fair and sustainable way.
Building a Community of Care in Samoa by Improving Water Security
Tauiliili Maria Anasetasia Tuli Tarcko, age 61, lives with her daughter and 3-year-old granddaughter in the village of Amaile on the west side of Upolu Island in Samoa. In the village of Amaile, families rely completely on a natural pool of spring water next to the ocean.
Due to climate change and sea-level rise, ocean waves now reach the pool of freshwater contaminating it. For the past few years, the spring has suffered from saline water intrusion, leaving the village without a reliable source of freshwater.
Just like all other families in the village, Tauiliili would walk a long distance and down a cliff to the freshwater pool every day to fill her buckets, in hopes that the water was not too salty. This has now changed after the completion of the Ready Environments Addressing COVID-19 and Hygiene (REACH) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Under the REACH project, Caritas Samoa worked with the community to install a 10,000-liter water tank to increase community access to clean water for handwashing, disinfection of surfaces, and other healthy behaviors.
Tauiliili and her family now collect water from the newly installed tank, which is closer to her house. “I’m really happy to be using clean rainwater rather than the sometimes-contaminated water from the pool,” Tauiliili says. She also shares that she has seen other families collecting water from the tank and that it is considered a great asset in the community.
Tauiliili’s daughter has even joined the Caritas Samoa volunteer group. Tauiliili expressed her gratitude and a higher sense of security. “I feel less worried now because I understood ways to prevent spreading disease like proper handwashing,” she says.
“We have a better understanding, and we are now better prepared in terms of keeping the house clean to avoid spreading germs and spreading disease.” Tauiliili’s hope is that all other families reached through this project are now safer.
Tauiliili Maria Anasetasia Tuli Tarcko and her daughter from Amaile Village, Samoa have increased access to freshwater due to a water tank built under the REACH project. Photo credit: Caritas Samoa.
What needs to change?
Water must be treated as a scarce and precious resource. We need to use less of it and use it more efficiently. Education on conserving water is crucial for helping people change the ways they use it.
Wasteful irrigation practices must be tackled. We must reduce pollution in rivers, groundwater and seas and cut overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture.
We can save resources by recycling rainwater and wastewater, and by protecting forests we can also protect watersheds and rivers. And because global warming is a cause of water shortages, these issues need to be tackled together.
Let’s take action
What does the Bible say about water, and how do we use it in our Christian worship, rituals and sacraments? Do you realize water is holy and treat it with respect?
Water is life-giving. How can we stop wasting water and protect this precious gift in our daily lives?
How can we build community resilience through water-saving practices? Examples include installing low-flow fixtures in households, and planting buffer zones along coasts and rivers.
Our Common Home
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A joint initiative of the Holy See and the Stockholm Environment Institute.
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