The biggest mistake we make in addressing the challenge of water scarcity

In 2018, the United Nations declared “access to water and sanitation is a precondition to life and a declared human right.” But, according to the UN, 2.1 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water services.

In James Thuch Madhier’s native South Sudan, that lack of access is even graver, with only half the country’s population having access to water. It’s why he founded The Rainmaker Enterprise, an organization that believes water is the divide between poverty and prosperity.

As part of our series on climate and health, we spoke to Madhier, who explained why decentralizing the world’s water infrastructure is essential, if we are to give people a chance at better nutrition and health. He also shared what he thinks is the biggest mistake we make in addressing the challenge of water scarcity.

You are from South Sudan, where 50 percent of the population lacks water – and where many others lose access to it seasonally. What does this lack of water do to a population’s health and the environment?

Madhier: Water is life. Without water nothing can grow. This is the case in South Sudan where water scarcity is a driving factor behind food insecurity, health challenges, inter-communal conflicts and forced migration. Climate change shocks such as floods and slow-onset events, such as droughts, have made access to clean water a major challenge in South Sudan. Over the last five years, millions of lives have been at risk from these shocks.

Extreme droughts hamper vegetation growth and lead to death of livestock, a lifeblood for most rural communities in South Sudan. Extreme floods, which destroy crops, increase the number of waterborne illness, and increase the number of deadly snake bites across the country.

The Rainmaker Enterprise says water is the divide between poverty and prosperity. It also says water is the way to creating a “peaceful and resilient future.” Tell us about the connection between water and peace and prosperity – and how it intersects with health.

Madhier: Water challenges affect food production levels and livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Communities that thrive and live healthier lives are those with enough safe and sustainable access to clean water. In rural communities in South Sudan, where smallholder farmers and livestock keepers depend on limited water sources, access to water becomes an existential issue. Communities fight over these limited water sources. The intercommunal conflicts over access to water causes forced displacement, food insecurity, and loss of lives and livelihoods. This is why we believe water is the divide between poverty and prosperity. With sustainable access to water, communities can be more peaceful, healthy, and resilient.

What is the best way to deliver water in a climate-smart and market-based way, particularly in challenged environments?

Madhier: In challenged and remote environments, such as in most parts of South Sudan, it is critical to address the sustainability question. It is easy to drill a water well, but challenging to keep water running sustainably. At Rainmaker, we have committed ourselves to address this challenge through installation and management of adaptive solar-powered water supply systems that provide water for the irrigation of fresh food produce sold in local markets. The revenue generated from the sale of irrigated food produce helps sustain water supplies for the public health and livelihood of everyone in the communities we serve. This way, Rainmaker ensures the water continue to flow sustainably.

What role do data, technology, and communications play in addressing water in our climate-challenged world? And what are some of the innovations that you are seeing deliver results?

Madhier: I believe that without data, we cannot understand the gravity of the challenge our world is facing. Data ensures that we have a visual view of the water stress that is before us. Data also enables us to target more water-stressed parts of the world. Of course, raw data without analysis and sharing of the analyzed facts cannot create the scalable impact we desire. Proper outreach ensures we share or amplify the voices of communities that are most vulnerable to water stress. Finally, the water challenges that our world is facing now require innovative thinking. I believe best innovations within the water sector are already out there. It is a matter of deploying them in an integrative manner. That’s what’s missing.

What are the biggest mistakes made in addressing the challenge of water scarcity? And how does your organization work differently to overcome them in a sustainable manner?

Madhier: The biggest mistake many make in addressing the challenge of water scarcity is in the lack of a holistic sustainability approach. At Rainmaker, we believe that to address the sustainability issue, we must begin and end our work with the affected communities at the center of action. Second, we believe that without a financial sustainability plan, interventions cannot last, and may likely not scale. This is why we attach a revenue generation model to every water well we drill. We believe, also, that without the local capacity to maintain the water system, solutions cannot be sustained. Finally, we believe that to address the water scarcity challenge, we must invest in environmental regeneration, while being efficient at using available water.

Your organization says it engages the world to find local solutions to the global challenge of water scarcity. Tell us why a local approach is essential.

Madhier: We believe local people are proximate to the problem of water scarcity. They have a deeper empathy and understanding of best approaches to address the challenge. The global actors must be there to facilitate the sourcing, implementation, and sustainability of solutions generated by the locals. We have used this approach in our programming, and it works.

As with many of the world’s biggest challenges, women, girls, and marginalized groups on the frontline of the water scarcity crisis are among the hardest hit. Why is it important to address this problem through the lens of protecting the most underserved, and through a lens of delivering health and wellbeing?

Madhier: Access to water is a public health challenge. If communities in remote settings are forgotten when designing water solutions, I believe we are setting ourselves up for a global crisis that will affect everyone. Just like it happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, a problem ignored in one corner of the earth just because it does not affect us all, will eventually grow out of control and affect everyone. There is no denying any longer that we live in an interconnected world, and a problem happening on the fringes will still get to the epicenter, and affect us all.

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a framework for governments to align water use patterns to the demands of different users. What are best practices that all governments should consider for broadening access to water, while also protecting the environment?

Madhier: Governments must acknowledge that water touches on every aspect of our existence. Thus, water solutions must be integrated and sustainable. One of the best practices I recommend to governments is to decentralize the supply of water. We have seen enough about the inefficiencies and vulnerabilities of centralized water supply systems. I believe the future of water supply is in decentralized systems that are adaptable to shocks and that create equity for all.

Water is a finite resource – but our global population keeps growing. What is the best way to explore and protect water for generations to come

Madhier: We believe in regenerative water management as way to survive global water stress that is engulfing the whole world. This water management method must be incorporated into every operation of every industry. For example, agriculture can either deplete or replenish the water cycle, depending on the methods used. Regenerative agriculture, for example, has shown a lot of promise on regenerating the health of soils, and thus the health of the whole environment, including freshwater bodies.

Your personal history is filled with challenge and triumph. How did your experiences witnessing famine and being displaced inform your embarking on this life quest to help safeguard water for so many?

Madhier: When the famine that I witnessed in 1998 happened, it was due to a combination of conflict and extreme drought. Crops had failed during the previous year, in 1997, due to an extreme drought, while the civil war also intensified, cutting off food supply chains. Even people with money to buy food had nowhere to go and buy food. It meant they too had to die with money at hand. This experience showed me that how we design solutions matters a lot. This is why I am committed to creating a decentralized water infrastructure for remote communities and possibly for any country. Decentralized water infrastructures will enable decentralized food production and decentralized public health services for vulnerable populations at anywhere.