2.2 contribution of water to human development
Water contributes to human development overtly or by implication, to a number of declarations and conventions on human rights. For example: the
Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 article 24. This demonstrates the centrality of water
supply to the exercise of people‟s human rights.
Table 1: Relationship of water with other millennium development goals MDGs
Source: adapted from UNDP, 2008
Development Focal Area
KEY RESULT AREAS: LINKAGES TO WATER Poverty
Reduction
MDGs
Promoting inclusive growth Supporting MDG-based national development strategies
Access to water supply, sanitation and water resources assets main driver of poverty reduction and prerequisite to achieving most
MDGs Mainstreaming of water supply, sanitation and water resources
management into MDG-based national development strategies Addressing ruralurban, richpoor inequalities in access to water
services
Democratic Governance
Fostering inclusive participation Strengthen responsive institutions
Water crisis is principally one of governance, not of scarcity Inclusive participation in water resources management
Strengthening water governance institutions and mechanisms Integrating human rights gender equality in water governance
Crisis Prevention
Reducing the risk of crisis and systematic prevention of disaster Restoring the foundation for development after crisis
Reducing water-related risks and crises drought, floods, etc. through integrated water resources management and climate change
adaptation Water governance management entry point for conflict
prevention at local and transboundary levels
Environment Mainstreaming environment: policy, institutional, fiscal measures
integrating Integrated Water Resources Management into National Development Strategies, Poverty Reduction Strategies
Environmental finance market-based other financial mechanisms for water supply sanitation, sustainable management of water
resources and aquatic ecosystems cost recovery, public-private partnerships
Adapting to climate change measures to reduceminimize water stress and scarcity of clean water resulting from climate change
Expanding access to environment and energy services water supply and sanitation
– capacity for service delivery, community- government partnerships
One contribution of water to human development is by improving health. Water-related diseases are the single largest cause of human sickness and death in
the world, and disproportionately affect poor people DFID, 2000. The use of
increased quantities of water for personal hygiene can reduce faeco-oral transmission and prevent diseases such as scabies and trachoma Esray et al.
1999. Good water resources management and drainage can prevent malaria carrying mosquitoes from breeding. Water used for food production also
improves health, mainly by improving nutrition. Water related diseases that affect poor people are mainly infectious and parasitic diseases. These include
faeco-oral infections that cause diarrhoea and including cholera, typhoid and dysentery. Skin and eye infections, including trachoma which is a major cause of
blindness are included. Absence of water may also result in poor hygiene. Besides drinking water and sanitation, water management is essential for
improving the health and livelihoods of the poor, ensuring wider environmental sustainability, reducing urban squalor and eradicating hunger. It is also critical in
addressing gender inequalities and improving access to education for the poor. Livelihoods outcomes include increased income, reduced vulnerability, increased
well-being, food security, sustainable use of natural resources among others.
2.3 Problems of access to water in Zimbabwe