Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

,

The Importance of World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health DayWorld Mental Health Day is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) that is observed on October 10 every year. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017. World Mental Health Day has an “overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.”

In other words, it is an opportunity for practitioners, scholars and everyday citizens alike to share their successes in the field of mental health and discuss what still must be done.

What was this year’s theme?

A yearly theme is set by the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH). The theme for 2017 was mental health in the workplace. According to the WFMH, mental health issues lead to increased rates of employee absenteeism, lower rates of productivity and increased costs to businesses.

Potential solutions involve raising awareness to reduce the stigma, appreciating employees and fostering a supportive environment that is mental health-friendly. Further, individuals should remain aware and be able to identify signs of undue stress and burn-out, so they can be addressed by stress management programs.

How does mental health relate to poverty?

People who live in poverty are at a higher risk for a variety of mental illnesses. Further, people living in poverty often face mental illnesses that are more severe, last longer and have overall worse outcomes. Conflict and violence can further exacerbate mental illnesses, in particular anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An overwhelming majority of people in such situations are living in poor physical health and are subject to human rights violation.

The prevalence of mental illness cannot be considered without other areas of development, including education, employment, responses to emergencies and/or natural disasters, etc. These are all issues that are also intrinsically linked to poverty.

The psychological burden of poverty, which includes anxiety and stress, and of witnessing trauma or violence is the main contributing factor to mental illness for those living in poverty. The long-term mental health effects of poverty are even more egregious for children. Long-term exposure to stress hormones triggered by trauma, food insecurity and poor physical health irreversibly affect brain development in children.

Potential Solutions

In 2013, the WHO created and committed to a mental health action plan with the goal of increasing access to services for mental illnesses in 135 countries. The goal was to increase access by 20 percent and reduce suicide rates by 10 percent by 2020.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force in 2006, has also been instrumental in raising awareness of the unique ways in which poverty and human rights violations can cause disabilities and exacerbate the symptoms of pre-existing disabilities.

Other potential solutions include integrating mental health services into all physical health services and codifying mental health policies alongside other health policies. This would include mental health awareness and policies in emergency response scenarios, as well as providing a mental health curriculum to schools.

World Mental Health Day may not be the final solution to reducing stigma and increasing access to mental health services across the world, but it is an important step in legitimizing and validating mental health on the world stage.

– Olivia Bradley

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Cassava Root Can Pull Regions Out Of Poverty

Cassava RootThe cassava root is such a versatile ingredient in the fight against poverty that some scientists are calling it a ‘miracle crop’.

It’s likely that even you have come across cassava, as it makes up the small balls in bubble tea and is the main ingredient in tapioca pudding.

While it lends a hand to some dishes in developed countries, the root is a vital component to diets in the developing world. Cassava is one of the leading food and feed plants of the world, ranking fourth among staple crops with a global production of about 160 million tons per year. The majority of cassava is grown in three regions: West Africa and the adjoining Congo basin, tropical South America and South and Southeast Asia.

The miracle crop was introduced into Africa in the 16th century by Portuguese traders from Brazil. Initially, it was adopted as a famine-reserve crop because of its nutritional value. The leaves can be prepared in a similar fashion to spinach and contain high levels of protein and vitamins A, B and C. Cassava root can be prepared in countless ways, but should not be consumed raw. They are often boiled and sliced, but they can also be dried and beaten into flour.

It is among the highest calorie value foods, containing 160 calories per 100g root. It provides more protein than sources like yams or potatoes and it is also a leading source of essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese and potassium. Potassium is an important component of a healthy diet, helping regulate heart rate and blood pressure.

In addition to its bountiful nutritious value, the crop is perhaps one of the world’s easiest to grow. Cassava root can be grown well in poor soil with a relatively low fertility and textures ranging from sands to clay. It is drought resistant and loses its leaves in order to preserve moisture in times of limited rainfall. The plant produces new leaves when rains resume. Additionally, cassava can be grown in extreme rainfall. For these reasons, the crop requires little labor and attention and the fruits of one harvest can be consumed 6 months to 3 years after planting.

Lastly, cassava has the potential to solve more than hunger. It is possible to transform cassava from a low-yielding famine-reserve crop to a high-yielding cash crop in order to raise income and draw poor regions out of poverty. The domestic market for cassava products continues to grow and export demands are increasing.

Cassava production presents enormous opportunities for solving domestic famine and malnutrition. It could also promote economic stability and reduce poverty through trade between areas with a food surplus and a food deficit.

– Jamie Enright

Photo: Flickr

 

,

4 New Technologies That Can Help End Poverty

Technologies that can help end povertyDespite gloomy predictions for the future among pessimists, humanity develops the tools for a brighter tomorrow. At the Lisbon Web Summit on November 6, 2017, physicist Stephen Hawking discussed the pros and cons of artificial intelligence. Though Hawking is aware of how new technologies threaten jobs, he also believes that such advances can alleviate disease, global warming and poverty. Artificial intelligence isn’t the only gadget in development. Here are four technologies that can help end poverty, provided they’re used the right way.

  1. Blockchain
    Blockchain records transactions made in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin. These ledgers are publicly available. Brian Singer, a William Blair partner, predicted in 2015 that access to a cheap and transparent payment system through Blockchain would serve emerging markets well. How have Bitcoin and Blockchain helped the world so far? By allowing a transparent ledger, Blockchain prevents falsified land deeds from stealing the land of small farmers. With no need for a physical building, Blockchain can save foreign aid money; through the data provided, Blockchain can optimize a developing economy. Cryptocurrency provides a small, but significant, step in helping impoverished people begin their own businesses.
  2. Smart Survey boxes
    The World Bank reported how Smart Survey boxes in Tajikistan monitor energy usage. These boxes collect data on energy quality and power outages. At first glance, Smart Survey boxes seem an unlikely candidate for technologies that can help end poverty. But having the right data in a crisis ensures that the right cure can be provided. Automated information collection leaves little room for human error and little reason to put volunteers in unsafe areas.Utz Pape, a World Bank economist, summarizes the impact of data collection on poverty: “It can help improve data quality of existing surveys, it can help to increase the frequency of data collection to complement traditional household surveys, and can also… improve our understanding of people’s behaviors.”
  3. Genetically Modified Crops
    The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in farming has led to fiery debated in the past decade. But the results are clear. Using seeds designed to resist pests and herbicides, GMOs led to more yields, fewer applications of pesticides, and more profits for farmers, according to a study by Penn State. Stephen Hawking warned about the careless application of technology, and GMOs are no exception. The impact of GMOs on other organisms has not been well documented. But when Penn State concludes that “The technology may be more appropriate for farmers that have difficulty spraying pesticides and herbicides,” it’s easy to see how developing nations benefit from the invention.
  4. Video Games
    Though considered fun distractions in America, video games have immense teaching potential. The United Nations described an initiative in India that taught English to children through mobile phone games. A similar project, in Somalia, taught money management skills to young Somali women. The Somali mobile game project boosted job training and placement for 8,000 people, both male and female, by 2015.

All these inventions— cryptocurrency, data collection, GMOs, and video games— destroyed the world in countless science fiction novels. In the real world, they’re technologies that can help end poverty.

In some ways, the brighter tomorrow has already arrived.

– Nick Edinger

Photo: Flickr

, ,

5 Coffee Industry Development Projects in Guatemala

5 Coffee Industry Development Projects in GuatemalaAfter oil, coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world. Although the coffee industry generates profits of over 60 billion dollars annually, it is estimated that less than 10 percent of those earnings end up in the countries where coffee is produced. Slightly less than 0.5 percent of the total earnings translate into wages for those who labor to produce coffee.

Thus, in a country such as Guatemala, where coffee is the nation’s largest export, extreme poverty and malnutrition are pervasive for a significant portion of the population.

According to USAID reports, an estimated 56 percent of the Guatemalan population lives in poverty, and around 20 percent live in extreme poverty. High poverty rates render infants and children especially vulnerable: infant mortality is among the worst in the region (39 per 1,000 live births), and maternal mortality is extremely high (153 per 100,000 births). Although statistics vary, it has been reported that 85 percent of children under five are malnourished in Guatemala.

Although the Guatemalan government mandated a legal daily rural minimum wage of $2.488, a rapid decrease in the global price of coffee has depressed laborers’ already low wages. The average daily wage for laborers in the coffee industry has fallen from around $3 a day to the current average of just $2 a day.

Experts highlight two primary catalysts to the drop in global coffee prices over the past decade.

In the 1990s, large American corporations such as Nescafé and Maxwell House began to adopt neoliberal economic policies that favored the abandonment of previous agreements with coffee growers that provided for protections against price variation. These agreements, which had maintained coffee prices within predetermined margins regardless of variable harvest qualities, were seen as contradictory to the values of “free trade”.

Then, when Vietnam was introduced to the market as a new, rapidly producing coffee country after the World Bank made significant contributions to the industry through loans, the flood of additional coffee crops caused the bottom to drop out of the market. Per the dictates of the economic principles of supply and demand, the sudden and significant increase in coffee commodity supply once Vietnam entered the market caused prices to plummet.

In addition to market destabilization, discrimination against rural workers, many of whom are of Mayan ancestry and are non-Spanish speakers, as well as the lack of workers’ rights have been identified as causative factors in the economic hardship experienced by most coffee industry laborers in Guatemala.

Many plantation owners hire temporary workers as a means of keeping wages low, avoiding paying any types of benefits and preventing worker organization. Coffee industry laborers don’t complain as they may lose the opportunity for any work at all.

Numerous international organizations have recognized the need for change in the Guatemalan coffee industry. The following are five development projects in Guatemala that have been implemented with the intent to support and advocate for the rights and livelihoods of coffee industry laborers.

  1. Manos Campesinas – The Association of Small Coffee Producers, “Farmers’ Hands” is an organization of small-scale coffee producers in the highlands of southwestern Guatemala that has created a supportive community for over 1,073 members. Unlike the temporary laborers who work on large plantations, these producers own their own smaller plots of land and have control over the entire production process. The Manos Campesinos initiative was formed to help these small-scale producers compete with larger plantations by providing them with technical and marketing support.
  2. Café Teresa – The UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) funds several small coffee producers’ associations in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango, where poverty is especially dire. Café Teresa, which also receives funds from the Italian government, is one of the supported development projects in Guatemala. This producers’ organization helps its members achieve certifications relating to sustainability and organic practices, which can sometimes be costly to obtain but have significant positive impact on the price that farmers can ask for their products. Café Teresa is exclusively organized by women, and is dedicated to helping Guatemalan women be successful in the coffee industry.
  3. Pueblo a Pueblo – This nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving the “health, education and food security of families in rural coffee-growing communities in Latin America through integrated community and school-based programs”. The foundation was established in 2001 in Guatemala, and its successes in ameliorating the widespread poverty, illiteracy and poor health afflicting the communities surrounding Santiago Atitlan have spurred it to expand across other Latin American nations. Its initiatives of this development project in Guatemala include providing funding for consistent access to healthcare for children, establishing libraries at schools and providing schools with additional learning resources.
  4. The Coffee Trust – This organization works with coffee producers and laborers in the Ixil region of Guatemala, where it provides trainers for those struggling to make a living in the coffee industry. These trainers are established members of the Guatemalan coffee industry that help their peers by sharing the agricultural practices that have made them successful. The Coffee Trust has found that their Farmer-to-Farmer techniques is an especially effective means of empowering individuals and creating a cohesive community.
  5. De la gente – This organization has partner communities in Guatemala in which is strives to create economic sustainability, empowerment in the coffee industry, healthy and thriving livelihoods, as well as resilience to shocks in the coffee industry and emergencies. It does this through programs that focus on capacity building through farmer-to-farmer training, leadership and business development, and funding access to industry conferences, knowledge-sharing platforms and networking opportunities. De la gente also has programs that foster access to credit and economic diversification.

These development projects in Guatemala are each doing a small part to address the serious issues facing the coffee industry and ensure future prosperity for the nation and its producers.

– Savannah Bequeaith

Photo: Flickr

, ,

The Need for Women’s Empowerment in Cambodia

Women's Empowerment in CambodiaSlightly smaller than the state of Oklahoma, the Southeast Asian country of Cambodia has a population of about 16 million, with over half being women. The country is rich in natural resources and has very low levels of unemployment. Despite the high levels of employment, there remains an economic gender gap and a need for women’s empowerment in Cambodia.

This gender gap is not only related to the unequal pay of women compared to men, but women in Cambodia often lack job opportunities and career versatility compared to their male counterparts. Women’s empowerment in Cambodia is paramount because it can have profound impacts on the number of individuals living in deep poverty.

Economic Inequality and Lack of Education

Women in Cambodia who fall under wage employment, make approximately 80.8 percent of men’s earnings. According to the World Bank, there is evidence that this wage gap is growing, from 20 percent in 2009 to 30 percent in 2011. Additionally, approximately 53 percent of women between the ages of 15 to 64, work in agriculture production. This is considered to be a vulnerable type of employment.

According to the International Labour Organization, vulnerable employment is the sum of own-account workers and unpaid contributing family workers. Vulnerable workers often have poor and inadequate working conditions and frequently live in deep poverty.

Women also often have less career versatility and opportunities compared to men due in part to a lack of education and low literacy rates.  In 2012, the literacy rate among women in Cambodia was 73.2 percent, an increase of nearly 13 percent in 2004. However, the literacy rates for men remain much higher at about 87 percent. Girls often tend to drop out of school in greater numbers compared to boys, in turn limiting their job potential later in life.

What can be done?

There are a number of obstacles to women’s empowerment in Cambodia, all of which are primarily related to education. In 2013, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) became more active in Cambodia, working to reduce poverty, improve health and raise educational levels for women. The goal of their work is to provide women with the necessary skills and resources and economically empower women in Cambodia.

The desperately needed economic women’s empowerment in Cambodia can be achieved through education. Once women are educated and empowered, more individuals and families can be lifted out of poverty and the livelihood of millions can improve.

– Sarah Jane Fraser

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Fighting for Women’s Empowerment in Mexico

women's empowerment in MexicoThe United States’ southern neighbor Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America, as well as the second most populated Latin American country. Over half of that population (52.2 percent) are women. Overall, the country has made major strides towards women’s empowerment in Mexico, but it faces several serious ongoing challenges.

Economic inequality is one of the biggest threats to women’s empowerment in Mexico. Women in Mexico produce 50 percent of the country’s food, but only 10 percent have control of property or land.

Mexico is known for its traditional, even patriarchal culture. Harassment of women and “machismo” are rife. More disconcerting is the violence women experience in Mexico. 63 percent of women in Mexico over age 15 have experienced some sort of violence. This violence can range from domestic abuse to street violence and abuse by criminal groups. 840 women were murdered between 2010 and 2013, and 1,258 women disappeared between 2011 and 2012 alone.

To make matters worse, Mexican law enforcement, be it federal, state or local, often does not follow through with investigating crimes, especially disappearances and murders. Many times, the authorities will not even take the most basic steps towards investigating incidents. It is not uncommon for people to be told by the police that they should investigate a crime. In fact, Mexican security forces often are the ones perpetrating the “enforced disappearances” and extrajudicial killings.

Despite the roadblocks to women’s empowerment in Mexico, change is on the horizon, especially on the legislative level. The National Development Plan and the National Gender Equality Policy are bringing gender equality into the government spotlight as well as setting aside funds and detailing specific goals to advance gender equality.

Activists have also stepped up to the plate to advance women’s empowerment in Mexico. One group, whose name translates to “May Our Daughters Return Home,” formed in response to the disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa, seeks to call out inaction on the part of Mexican society and government. More critically, groups like it are bringing the issue of violence against women to light and letting victims know they are not alone and have a voice.

Women’s empowerment in Mexico is still an uphill battle, but with more and more women making their voices heard, it is starting to look like a battle that will be won.

 – Andrew Revord

Photo: Flickr

The Steady Growth of Infrastructure in South Africa

Infrastructure in South AfricaSouth Africa has suffered from decades of apartheid, and is now focusing on improving its own infrastructure rather than that which was imposed on it. The expansion of infrastructure in South Africa is necessary to adhere to the demands of its improving economy and growing population.

In 2012, to improve the infrastructure in South Africa, the National Infrastructure Plan was implemented. The South African government hopes to invest nearly R827 billion ($58.4 billion) to improve multiple industries, including electricity, transportation, the Internet and water.

Eskom, a public electric utility in South Africa, has used money from this initiative to improve its old plants as well as establish new ones. One of their new plants, Ingula, is set to be completed by the end of 2017. Ingula will be a hydro-powered plant consisting of four units that will generate 1,332 megawatts. In addition to this hydro-powered plant, they are also expanding into coal plants. These two new coal-fired plants, Medupi and Kusile, will generate a combined 9,500 megawatts for South Africa.

Along with fixing its electricity problems, South Africa also has plans to increase its communication capabilities by 2020. One aspect of this will be to increase digital access to television and to move all South Africans from analog television to digital broadcasting. Along with television, Internet access is going to be a greater struggle. The government wants to provide fiber connectivity on a local level, as well as to establish networks in rural areas. These improvements aim to increase people’s connection to the news and to help them stay more well informed. On top of this, the South African government is also going to focus on establishing fiber Internet in 125 Dinaledi, which are schools focused on math and science, and 1,525 district schools. 

One of the most important new infrastructure projects in South Africa is the completion of three new bridges connected to the N1 freeway. President Jacob Zuma spoke on October 17 about the importance of these new bridges, and how “this project demonstrates the fact that the government responds to the needs expressed by communities and the priorities they identify.” One of these bridges is a vehicle bridge and the other two are pedestrian bridges.  They were designed and built to help people cross the highway in these high-traffic areas to access shops in the village.

These direct responses to help its citizens and make their lives better is one of the reasons that South Africa is a growing, prospering nation.

– Scott Kesselring

Photo: Flickr

,

Five Development Projects in Egypt

Five Development Projects in EgyptEgypt, a nation located in northeast Africa, has always been a country that has looked towards the future. In 2000, the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin nicknamed it the “Future Economic Powerhouse of the Arab World”, and it seems the future they were talking about is happening now. With five development projects in Egypt including housing, manufacturing and electrical infrastructure, Egypt is making its name in the modern world.

Egypt’s Growing Rail Infrastructure
Egypt’s Minister of Transportation, Dr. Hesham Arafat, spoke in March 2017 about its growing investments in the rail industry. Egypt will invest $16.73 billion into new high-speed rail projects that will link Hurghada to Luxor, Luxor to Cairo and Cairo to Alexandria.  The longest line, the one from Cairo to Luxor, will take five years to construct, while the one from Luxor to Hurghada will take four and the Alexandria to Cairo line taking three years.

Dr. Arafat stated that “These three lines are proposed for promoting tourist activity that is expected to reach more than 30 million tourists per year by 2025”. By providing quick and easy transportation, this will keep tourists off the roadways and allow tourists to more easily explore Egyptian culture.

Egypt Advances Its Solar Projects
With technology relating to solar energy becoming cheaper and more advanced, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker hopes to fund solar development projects in Egypt. Their goal by 2022 is to have 20 percent of Egypt’s energy supply come from renewable energy sources, including solar. ACWA Power, a Saudi Arabian electricity company, is developing and building three solar plants with a 120MW capacity in northern Aswan. These three plants alone will provide power to 80,000 households and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 156,000 tons per year.

New Jobs Through Manufacturing
Egypt has recently restructured its subsidies and liberalized the exchange rate, which has earned it attention from manufacturing companies, including General Electric. General Electric’s CEO in Egypt and North Africa, Ayman Khattab, announced that it will be providing 100 locomotives to the Egyptian Railway Authority.

The benefit to Egypt is not only the locomotives, but the fact with the help of the Arab Organization for Industrialization, 50 of these locomotives will be assembled in Egypt. This will provide Egyptians with jobs, and if things go well with this project, it opens the doors for Egypt to take on more manufacturing projects for other companies.

New Cairo Will House Five Million
By the year 2050, the United Nations predicts the nearly 6.5 billion people will be living in cities. To accommodate this change, Egypt is developing New Cairo Capital, a collection of 21 residential districts that can provide housing to five million people. Besides the housing, these districts will have 1,250 mosques and churches, 2,000 schools and colleges and 600 medical facilities. This project, costing $45 billion in total, will be completed by 2022.

Egypt Continues to Build Its New Roadway System
The last of the five development projects in Egypt is a new roadway system. Egyptian roads are crowded with those providing goods; providing alternate highways allows fast transportation for regular commuters. 1,154km of new roadways are in the process of design and construction, with 400km of this being dedicated to a link between Cairo and Assiut. A 37km link will be built alongside the Cairo-Suez highway to help take some of the traffic load off that highway. In total, this project is expected to cost $524.3 million.

– Scott Kesselring

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Quest for Women’s Empowerment in Sri Lanka Continues

Women’s Empowerment in Sri LankaOn November 2, the World Economic Forum released the 2017 Global Gender Gap Report. The report did not reflect well on the state of women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka.

The Global Gender Gap Report grades 144 countries on their progress toward attaining gender equality in four areas: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment. Sri Lanka has been declining from its position in the top 20 since 2010. The country slipped from closing 74.6 percent of the gender gap in 2010 to 66.9 percent this year.

The country’s gap in Economic Participation and Opportunity increased because it failed to improve conditions of wage inequality for similar work. Additionally, Sri Lanka now ranks 86th among 144 countries in the gender gap in Educational Attainment.

In Political Empowerment, Sri Lanka ranked 65th. The country compensated for low scores on the Women in Parliament and Women in Ministerial Positions indicators with high marks on the Years with a Female Head of State indicator. Sri Lanka has had a female head of state for 21 out of the last 50 years.

Despite these discouraging statistics, efforts to advance the state of women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka persist. Aitken Spence PLC, Jetwing Hotels Ltd., MAS Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd. and the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (Pvt.) Ltd. have signed on as partners of Women’s Empowerment Principles.

Developed through a partnership between U.N. Women and the United Nations Global Compact, the two organizations designed the principles to help companies review existing policies and practices and establish new strategies to promote women’s empowerment.

The principles include:

  • Establishing high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
  • Treating all women and men equitably at work by respecting and supporting human rights and non-discrimination
  • Securing the health, safety and well-being of all female and male workers
  • Promoting education, training and professional development for women
  • Implementing enterprise development and employing supply chain and marketing practices that empower women
  • Nurturing equality through community initiatives and advocacy

Participating companies must measure and publicly report their progress toward achieving gender parity.

In addition to economic measures, non-government organizations are implementing social programs to enhance women’s empowerment in Sri Lanka. Emerge Centre for Reintegration is the newest program sponsored by the Emerge Lanka Foundation, which supports survivors of sexual abuse aged 10-18. For 12 years, the foundation has helped countless exploited young women by providing training in life, financial and professional skills. Now, through the Centre for Reintegration, it offers assistance to young women who are over 18 as they face the challenging transition stage from living in shelters to thriving on their own.

Enabling women to participate fully in communities builds stronger economies, helps attain internationally agreed-upon objectives for development and sustainability and improves the quality of life for women, men, families and communities. The work being done in Sri Lanka can help counter its decreasing rankings and ensure empowerment for all women.

– Heather Hopkins

Photo: Flickr

,

Government Protection Key to Water Quality in Barbados

Water quality in BarbadosBarbados was an uninhabited island in the Caribbean until the British settled the island in 1627. Slaves were taken there from Africa to work in the sugar plantations. Slavery was abolished in 1834, but the economy remained largely dependent on sugar, rum and molasses during most of the 20th century.

Barbados has moved from an economy heavily dependent on agriculture to one focused on manufacturing and tourism. Although the economy has shifted, the sugar industry still plays an important role in the economy. Besides sugarcane, farmers also grow cotton, root crops and vegetables.

Water quality in Barbados can be compromised by pollution from agriculture, industry and urban development. The island nation is listed as a water-scarce country because of the depletion of the water reserves during the 20th century. To address this, strict standards were developed for the use of drinking water. Because of the high demand for water on the island coupled with an inadequate supply, the nation built a desalination plant in 2000. Despite this, the water quality in Barbados is still questioned.

The Daily Herald reported in 2016 that there were rumors circulating on social media suggesting that contaminated water was responsible for a string of deaths during the summer of 2016. According to the rumors, there was lead in the newly installed water meters.

The Barbados Water Authority responded with a statement saying that the meters contained no lead. They were made from plastic and brass and manufactured in Germany. The water meters were approved by the German Environmental Agency under the German Drinking Water Ordinance of 2013.

They also stated that the meters were being used in 22 other countries including France, Spain and Ireland. In addition, the water supply is tested twice a year for heavy metals and pesticides. Tests conducted in March 2016 showed that lead levels were under the limits and drinking water was within standards.

The government of Barbados created a policy that designated five Groundwater Protection Zones around the island. This helped protect public supply wells from contamination from bacteria, which is a significant step towards improving water quality in Barbados.

– Fernando Vasquez

Photo: Flickr