Water is the blue thread that connects us all

Dear Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Minister Anneliese Dodds,

This letter is not a plea but a reminder of the reality that far too many people around the world are living today.

This year, many countries have been witnessing unprecedented weather events – from deadly heatwaves to destructive cyclones. These have affected millions of people and destroyed water, sanitation and hygiene systems. While a climate emergency might feel like a distant issue to some, it is a daunting reality for so many.  
 

The impact on women and girls

Every cyclone brings harrowing winds and devastating rain, but what follows is even worse. In some parts of the world, it’s not rare that young women my age (28) and girls are trapped inside their homes for days, deprived of safe drinking water and access to toilets. During their menstrual cycles, this struggle intensifies; there’s barely enough water to drink, let alone to maintain menstrual hygiene. 

Even in calmer times, increased salinity due to climate change is making water sources unusable. In desperation, some girls start taking contraceptive pills at an early age to stop their periods and avoid the risk of infections, something that in the long run could have associated health risks.

The stories of water crises vary across countries. In some areas of the world, water sources are drying up drastically. You open the tap and there’s no water to drink or use. This is leading to desperate cries for help. 

Girls like Sandra and Novia who live in the remote village of Maumeta Liquiçá, Timor-Leste, wake up at 3am during the dry season to start the three-hour round trip along steep mountain paths to collect water from the river. Carrying two full jerrycans each is exhausting, and, despite rising before dawn, they’re late for school most days. In some villages across Africa and Asia, it’s common for women to walk long hours every day, just to get to their nearest water source. 

The water crisis is a global issue

This crisis is not confined to remote villages. In urban settings, like Dhaka in Bangladesh, Kampala in Uganda, or Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, water supply disruptions are becoming more frequent, and waterlogged streets a regular phenomenon. I have navigated these flooded streets, seen the stagnant water breeding disease, and witnessed the devastating impact on my community. 

The struggle for clean and accessible water has been a constant refrain in my life and in the lives of people living in countries most affected by climate change. It is not only our struggle – the consequences are global. Floods and other extreme weather events risk fuelling bacterial resilience to existing drugs, meaning that essential medicines the world has relied on for many years risk becoming ineffective. This is a global health emergency.

Empowering young women

All too often, these challenges disproportionately impact women and girls like me. But we are rising and uniting to fight back, and we want to make our voices heard in global decision-making so that policies can reflect our needs and those of the most affected communities.

At WaterAid Bangladesh, I am leading WaterWomen – a network that I co-founded dedicated to championing young women professionals in the water and climate sector. This initiative has already brought together over 100 young women professionals across the country, connecting and empowering them as leaders and agents of change. 

The UK Government needs to step up

In climate-vulnerable countries where WaterAid works, we’re asking our governments to prioritise and scale up water security and climate resilience. And they are listening – from Bangladesh to Mozambique, from Pakistan to Madagascar, these are among their national priorities. But global crises require global responses. 

We need all countries to urgently step up and fulfil the promise they have made to the world when they adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. In the UK, your newly elected government is the last that can make a major impact on ensuring access to clean water, good hygiene and decent toilets for all – especially in climate-vulnerable countries – before the deadline of the SDGs in 2030.

As climate change intensifies, if we don't join efforts and address the water crisis together, the devastating reality we live in countries currently most affected will become increasingly normal for millions more across the world.

Hence, I ask you to lead by example and commit to ensuring the world has a water-secure future. Your prompt actions in prioritising clean water across your international policy and investment decisions will have a ripple effect throughout society, from unlocking the potential of women and girls across the world to ensuring societies are healthy and thrive whatever the future holds.

With hope and determination,
Samia Anwar Rafa, WaterAid Bangladesh, and co-founder of WaterWomen