CCBI News – Water for Health / Water of Life

March 24, 2023

Dear Friends of CCBI,

Water for Health / Water of Life

Just two days ago on March 22, World Water Day took place. It was easy to miss in the media, although its point is to raise awareness of the two billion people, globally, who do not have access to enough clean water. Added to the world’s failure to ensure the provision of this primary need for health and survival, global climate changes show increasing drought in some areas, while floods are occurring in parts of the world unused to their devastation.

To take one example, Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa are experiencing the longest drought on record, having endured five consecutive dry seasons with predicted loss of livestock and crops, resulting in starvation, illness and the death of millions of people. One charity estimates that close to ten million people have little or no food, meaning that over two million children face starvation, stunted growth, developmental problems and sometimes death. Lack of water does not seem so important to most of us in western and other countries, but it can have serious consequences for the health and lives of many others.

The opposite is also true: the BBC reports that, “Millions of people remain under flood watch as the 12th atmospheric river this season pummels the state.” The station was speaking of California, where unusual rainstorms are following years of historic droughts. Apparently ‘tens of trillions of gallons of rainwater’ have fallen on the state since December, causing deaths, loss of crops, property and infrastructure. The United Nations organization has been vigilant in warning the world of more crises resulting from climate change but is also increasingly warning us about seemingly oblivious water consumption in some countries. A recent report describes this as “vampiric overconsumption and overdevelopment.” A strong statement, but will it be effective?

Pope Francis reminded Catholics and the world in general in his statement for World Water Day that water “…must never be the object of waste or abuse, or provide the grounds for war, but must be preserved for our benefit and that of future generations.” During Canada’s struggles with the effects of COVID-19, CCBI reported on the situation of some indigenous communities affected by tainted water. In our message of March 8, 2021, we said:

A report that some First Nations still have water-boiling advisories in effect, decades since promises were made to resolve this problem, highlights the extended danger that the pandemic presents to those without the most basic necessities of life and health, in this case, water. Essential safeguards against disease include frequent handwashing yet even this is difficult. Granted that quantities of bottled water are delivered, surely this can only be a stopgap measure! Look at how much water it takes to flush toilets and wash hands, far less in cooking, in laundry, in looking after a sick baby, or in dealing with COVID-19! The pandemic is highlighting pre-existing problems yet again, showing where change in truth, reform, is imperative. If an exploratory vehicle can be sent to Mars at the cost of billions of dollars, why can’t people have clean water? It’s not as if we’re short of water, per se, in Canada. We appear to be short of the will to fix this.

Fully two years later, it is necessary to repeat this message even although the worst of the pandemic seems to be over. The Canadian government department responsible for these matters, ‘Indigenous Services Canada,’ issued this statement on World Water Day: “Yet it is striking that many of these communities remain without clean drinking water, and it is clear that more needs to be done. The Government of Canada has committed to eliminating all remaining long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves and making the investments necessary to prevent future ones. We will do this work transparently and continue to report on the government’s progress on a publicly available website.”

The department reported: “As of March 22, 2023, 138 long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted in First Nations communities. Work is ongoing in 28 First Nations communities to resolve the remaining 32 long-term water advisories, and over 245 short-term drinking water advisories have been prevented from becoming long-term. We will continue to work directly with First Nations to support them in lifting all remaining long-term drinking water advisories on public systems across the country.” In fairness, some progress has been made, but the fact remains that many Canadians continue to experience health and other problems because of their restricted access to a basic necessity of life – clean water.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in their report, Northern and Indigenous Health and Healthcare, included a chapter focused on water, stating:

Without piped, safe and sustainable drinking water, the daily activities and livelihoods of people on reserve are threatened. Economic burdens, inadequate water for practicing proper hygiene, and loss of cultural practices result from drinking water poverty. In the past, these issues were under-represented in federal government policy and action plans for drinking water on reserves. Our goal as a nation should be to remedy these inequities and reconcile our ways of knowing, valuing, and managing water. The goal of health practitioners should include better understanding the health challenges related to poor drinking water provision so that we can advocate for improved health care promotion and prevention, as well as delivery.

The last sentence is not only a bioethical but an enormous social challenge.

Catholics may remember the striking photograph of Pope Francis seated in his wheelchair gazing over Lac Ste Anne during the papal visit last summer. I don’t know about you, but I also found myself praying that somehow his presence there and his prayerful attitude would awaken us once more to the healing power of that lake, so dear to indigenous spirituality, but also to water in general – clean water, not only to wash away our sins and restore us to spiritual health, but also to restore and maintain our physical health. Water is a gift from God, and in Canada we need to recover that gift for the sake of the common good.

Save Lives – (hopeandhealing.org) 

California battles heavy floods, high winds and rain – BBC News 

Pope on World Water Day: No to water wars, abuse and waste – Vatican News

CCBI Resources for Covid-19 – March 8, 2021

Statement on World Water Day 2023  – Canada.ca

Indigenous Water Poverty: Impacts Beyond Physical Health – Northern and Indigenous Health and Healthcare (usask.ca)

Pope Francis’ Intentions for march

For Victims of Abuse
We pray for those who have suffered harm from members of the Church; may they find within the Church herself a concrete response to their pain and suffering. We pray that parishes, placing communion at the centre, may increasingly become communities of faith, fraternity and welcome towards those most in need.

Moira and Bambi