CHENNAI: As one environmental disaster after another hammers the planet and wreaks chaos, the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities needs to be addressed with the seriousness it deserves.
Even within vulnerable communities, women are more likely to feel the impact of climate change as compared to men. A recent UNICEF-UN report states that in seven out of 10 households that don't have a source for potable water at home, women and girls are responsible for fetching it.
India is in a better position now as 60% of rural households have been provided piped water connections across the country since the launch of a Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019.
Gender inequality and climate change are tethered together in a complex manner. Over the past decade, many researchers have tried to showcase the ripple effects of climate change and how it impacts the livelihoods of women.
In contrast to men, women depend more on natural resources. Women hailing from low- to middle-income households are generally involved in the agriculture sector as men of the family take jobs in cities and towns. Thus, out of the sheer process of elimination, it is up to the women to do odd jobs like fetch water for households.
However, as nearby water resources decline steadily, women have to make longer journeys just to fetch water. As they put more effort into procuring this necessity, they tend to neglect other important activities like education and work. Moreover, they put themselves in harm’s way as the route they walk on, sometimes, is fraught with danger which could even result in physical harm.
Girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to bear this responsibility and they spend more time doing it each day, the report said. Women and girls aged 15 and older are primarily responsible for water collection in 7 out of 10 such households, compared with 3 in 10 households for their male peers. Girls under 15 (7%) are also more likely than boys in the same age group (4%) to fetch water. But how does this affect their health?
Archanaa Seker, a Chennai-based activist states, “During natural disasters the burden becomes twofold. As it is, women have to walk miles just to fetch drinking water. However, when disaster strikes women still have to make the same long journey but this time they have to make the commute in the middle of a disaster. This has repercussions of its own as women would be more prone to diseases, which occur in the aftermath of a disaster. In addition to soaring temperatures and flooded streets, the risk of disease complicates matters.”
The report also highlights the absence of safe sanitation facilities for women. As they make long journeys to collect water, restrooms along the way are either severely unhygienic or are not there at all. Girls have also reported that they feel unsafe using facilities outside their homes.
Additionally, more than half a billion people still share restrooms with other households thereby compromising on women's hygiene, safety and dignity. Recent surveys from 22 countries show that among households with shared toilets, women and girls are more likely than men and boys to feel unsafe walking alone at night and face sexual harassment and other safety risks.
“Climate change definitely reduces access to clean sanitation facilities. The people most affected by climate change are those who have the closest relationship with the natural ecosystem,” says Seker.
Vulnerable communities living in areas near polluting industries also have difficulties in storing water. “The driving factor of climate change is polluting industries. People who inhabit areas which are situated near such industries are impacted severely by it as they are exposed to higher levels of pollution thereby also impacting their capacity to store water for daily uses like drinking, washing and sanitation,” Seker adds.
She further highlights that as long as we don’t cut down on our pollution, these communities will always take the first hit and within these communities, women will bear the brunt of climate change. So how do we address these issues?
“At a basic level, we can have multiple primary healthcare systems which are climate resilient situated in the centre of communities. They can become safe spaces where people from all walks of life can access basic sanitation facilities and drinking water,” says Seker.
Climate change causes somewhat of a butterfly effect. Each and every strata of society is affected in innumerable ways. Moreover, gender inequality, which is embedded in our society, accelerates the problem. Our first job must be to introduce gender equality across water, sanitation and hygiene in households and focus on increasing healthcare facilities.