On Saturday, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the UAE Water Aid programme to deliver clean water to five million people. It is indeed an ambitious programme if you consider that every 21 seconds, a child dies somewhere around the world from a water-related disease as a direct result of poor sanitation or a lack of adequate purification equipment. This worthy target will be overseen by the Emirates Red Crescent and it will assist in having new wells dug, proper distribution systems put in place, and ensuring that there is effective purification in place to deliver clear water.
Already, the response to the programme has been impressive, with Dh32 million being donated within less than 24 hours of its launch. The programme also coincides with Ramadan, a time of reflection and giving. Giving clean and safe drinking water is a precious gift considering that the young are most at risk from diseases, bacteria and parasites that can thrive in areas where water is scarce and resources to improve the drinking water supply are nonexistent or not a priority in the face of other struggles.
Whether is on the plains of Somalia, the hill villages of Afghanistan, the parched landscape of the Sudans or in tribal areas of Pakistan divided by conflict, the UAE Water Aid programme will ensure that there is always clean water at the end of a tap or coming from a village pump.
