Water Quality in the Sudan

Pope Franciscus's encyclical

The research on this page was focused on paragraph 29 from Pope Franciscus's Laudato Si'. The following sentences were the main basis of which the research was focused.

29. One particularly serious problem is the quality of water available to the poor. Every day, unsafe water results in many deaths and the spread of water-related diseases, including those caused by microorganisms and chemical substances. Dysentery and cholera, linked to inadequate hygiene and water supplies, are a significant cause of suffering and of infant mortality. Underground water sources in many places are threatened by the pollution produced in certain mining, farming and industrial activities, especially in countries lacking adequate regulation or controls. It is not only a question of industrial waste. Detergents and chemical products, commonly used in many places of the world, continue to pour into our rivers, lakes and seas (Franciscus, 2015).

Causes of Water Pollution

Siltation Agriculture has affected the land by further turning it into a desert (Kundell 2008). When it rains the silt and dust gets swept into water ways and makes it undrinkable, as seen in Figure 1. Silt makes it hard to build hydropower plants because in order to clean the silt from the machines the plant has to be powered down (Kundell 2008). By powering down the plant this halts production and makes it resource consuming to have the plants.

Figure 1. A little boy getting water from a muddy stream (Lewis, 2015).

Agricultural chemicals – Chemicals were introduced in 1946 after the Gezira scheme made irrigation canals. Since then, around 200 chemicals have been allowed to be made into pesticides (Kundell 2008). As seen in Figure 2, over 600 different pesticides are used (Kundell 2008). Fertilizers use urea and super phosphate that can cause diarrhea and vomiting if ingested too much. Nitrite and Nitrate are the most common contaminants found in groundwater, but further testing needs to be done to find the source (Kundell 2008). .Ground water is not a safe alternative because bacteria and heavy metals are found in it. Septic systems and water pipelines can be too expensive to install and maintain (Lewis, 2015).

Figure 2. Sudanese farmers using pesticides on their fields (Khartoum, 2014).

How to help and support

The current cost for Water for South Sudan to dig a well is $15,000, which gives clean reliable water (Dut, 2015). Figure 3 shows the relation between the average Gross National Income Per Capita in Sudan and the steady increase over the last nine years. With the average income of the Sudanese being 1,710 in United States currency. It would take one family almost nine years to build a well without spending money on anything else assuming only one family member is working.

Figure 3. Gross National Income Per Capita in Sudan per year (Furtado, 2014).

Over 150 wells have been drilled by Water for South Sudan, but the demand is growing and the money is not always there (Dut, 2015). Roughly 33 wells have already been built in Sudan by The Water Project, but that only accommodates for roughly 16,500 people when Sudan has 36,108,853 people (Lewis, 2015). Water for South Sudan is always looking for donations and fundraising in order to build wells. The Water Project also has fun challenges and donation options for anyone to help. By visiting the website you can see wells that have already been finished and the impact that it has on the community.

(Dut, 2015)



References

Dut, Salva, 2015.Water for South Sudan. Retrieved on 10 September 2015 from http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/.

Franciscus, 2015. Laudato Si‘: On Care For Our Common Home. Retrieved on 25 August 2015 from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html laudato-si.html.

Furtado, Xavier, 2014.GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$). Retrieved on 12 September 2015 from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD/countries/SD?display=graph.

Khartoum, 2014. ‘Corrupt pesticides entered Sudan’: Plant Administration. Retreived on 7 December 2015 from https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/corrupt-pesticides-entered-sudan-plant-administration.

Kundell, Jim, 2008. Water Profile of Sudan. Retrieved on 1 December 2015 from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156995/.

Lewis, Lori, 2015.The Water Project: Rural and Urban Water Issues in Africa. Retrieved on 4 September 2015 from http://thewaterproject.org/water-in-crisis-rural-urban-africa.

Nations Online, 2015.Administrative Map of Sudan. Retrieved on 7 December 2015 from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/sudan-administrative-map.htm.



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