Tikkun Magazine, November/December 2008 

Thirsty World Needs Global Marshall Plan

By Jahangir Valiani

What would you do if you turned on the tap and no water came out? There is no debate about the central role water plays in sustaining life. There is also little debate about the severity of tensions sparked by shortages of such a necessary resource. But in arid areas from California to Central Asia, population increases and the effects of climate change leave local governments struggling to find enough water for their people to perform their daily activities. The difference between California and poorer parts of the world is that the former has the institutional and built infrastructures, as well as the resources, to bring water to dry communities. In the developing world, water scarcity, typically arising from poor management, has driven many from their homes.

Developing sustainable solutions to address the issue of water scarcity requires a spiritual context to go above investments in built infrastructure. It requires recognition that while those living at the margins have the moral right to society's compassion, they also have the right to preserve their dignity by being given the tools to control their own future. Through the framework of the Network of Spiritual Progressives' Global Marshall Plan, those with the skills and resources can help to create sustainable solutions to the problem of water shortages in the developing world.

Every plan that is created to help break the cycle of poverty in the developing world includes a provision for financial aid. The role this aid plays should not be underesti mated. While rumors of vast amounts of foreign aid dollars being channelled into the pockets of corrupt governments and their friends are not unfounded, the instances of aid building much-needed infrastructure, as well as funding studies necessary to efficiently direct future aid, are plentiful as well. The NSP's Global Marshall Plan is unique in increasing aid and simultaneously recognizing that goodwill breeds goodwill. In the instance of water scarcity in Central Asia, significant dollars have already gone to fund important studies on glacial movement in the Himalayan Mountain Range, on the implementation of meteorological stations to track precipitation, and on the existing, locally developed water delivery and storage systems. But much more is needed. Funds to purchase materials to improve the local water delivery and storage systems to protect them, not only from water losses but also from contamination from their surroundings, are necessary. High-altitude weather stations will allow scientists, environmental managers, and nongovernmental development organizations to gain a better understanding as to the climate trends in these areas and allow the villages that rely on the runoff from snowmelt and glaciers to manage their water resources more efficiently.

While technology is important, without skilled human resources, materials and technology are irrelevant. To gain an understanding of the complex interactions that result in regional water scarcity, trained hydrologists, geologists, and engineers are all necessary. It is easy to persuade young college students to uproot their lives for four months to go aid in development, but getting trained professionals to do the same is not as easy. Worries about the mortgage, children's security, and job security all take precedence over the plight of the developing world. The GMP provides immediate security for highly qualified professionals so that they may become conscious of those who enter the world impoverished and unable to improve their lot.

The greatest benefits of foreign aid are realized when the communities being helped are engaged in the development process. This engagement bolsters participants' confidence and hope, thereby fostering individual enterprise and determination. This in turn allows local people to play a larger role in community development, creating a natural exit strategy for the foreign agencies. Local knowledge of the region is also useful to maximize the efficiency of western technology. The Aga Khan Rural Support Program in northern Pakistan is an excel lent example of the benefits of working directly with communities. In a little over two decades, the village organizations that have been established throughout northern Pakistan to help fund and collectively manage new infrastructure have helped to spur increases in local income and employment. The village organizations are also active in developing new irrigation schemes drawing on local knowledge of glacial movement to ensure that the channels could provide a reliable source of water year-round, an accomplishment that many western-funded irrigation projects cannot boast in this region.

The World Health Organization expects that within the next generation 2 billion people will be living in regions with absolute water shortages. The Network of Spiritual Progressives' Global Marshall Plan provides the framework for governments of the developed world to ad dress the issue of water scarcity in a sustainable manner that allows those affected by the crisis of water scarcity to eventually direct their own destinies, to ensure that their taps are always flowing.

Jahangir Valiani is currently a Program Development Manager with Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, Pakistan. His focus includes working with villages to develop long-term water security initiatives.

Source Citation

Valiani, Jahangir. 2008. Thirsty World Needs Global Marshall Plan. Tikkun 23(6): 31.