Water empowerment key

We all have the responsibility and a role to play in ensuring women have access to safe water to enjoy their rights and be empowered.

As South Africa is a water scarce and dry country, we all have to use the available water in a wise and sparing manner to ensure that everyone has access to this source of life. We also have to protect our water supply infrastructure and water resources to ensure women have access to a reliable supply of quality water.

The government must accelerate the universal access to water for all to ensure that women enjoy their basic rights.

Access to water will relieve women of most of the hardships they face and give them the chance to empower and develop themselves.

The government also needs to fast track and intensify water supply infrastructure development in rural areas to ease the burden of fetching water from rivers and streams by the women.

This will go a long way in providing an equal footing for rural women to compete and take the available opportunities aimed at women’s development and empowerment.

Water is life and sanitation is dignity. Let us empower our women by ensuring access to quality water and sanitation. Without water, the Women’s Month theme will just be a slogan and a pipe dream for the majority of our women.

Access to water is a realisation of basic human rights and the true empowerment of women.