Access to safe water in Darfur is one of the hardest tasks that its people face on a daily basis. This initiative is directed at raising awareness and committing the financial resources to drill 1001 wells in strategic locations.
UN Proposal - Background
Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, has pointed out that water shortages are the root cause of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur region of northwestern Sudan. This statement was based on a 2007 report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Sudan Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment. The report provided indisputable evidence of the consistent decrease in the amount of rainfall in the region during the past four decades. Furthermore, meteorological data show that the region experienced repeated cycles of unrelenting droughts during the past 20 years.
Why Water?
Water is the very substance of human life. The 2006 UN Human Development Report calls for 20 litres of clean water a day for all as a universal human right. Due to the uneven distribution of water in our planet, people attach different values to water. In Darfur, clean water is in short supply, and its scarcity represents a limitation to the life of humans, animals and the meager vegetation. The proposed project is distinct and crucial because it will provide water to people who are willing to risk everything they own for a small amount of it.
1001 Wells for Darfur - New Website Coming Soon
Dr. Farouk El-Baz is leading a charitable initiative to solve the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The conflict is fundamentally rooted in the scarcity of clean water. Access to safe, clean water in Darfur is one of the hardest tasks that its people face on a daily basis as there is minimal year-round surface water supply. Most exists as groundwater only accessible via wells. In order to directly tackle the problem, Dr. El-Baz is leading an initiative to drill groundwater wells throughout Darfur based on recent satellite image data analysis.