On November 10, Indonesia celebrates the National Heroes Day in remembrance of the Battle of Surabaya in 1945 and to commemorate the services of the heroes in maintaining the independence ad sovereignty of the country.
In today's post-colonialism era, there are still many individuals who are willing to make sacrifices for others, even for their communities and their country. They are the contemporary heroes.
One example of the modern-day heroes are those who fight for the basic right to clean water based on the deep understanding that societies depend on water for human survival. The following are water heroes from around the globe:
5 Clean Water Heroes
1. Colonel Is Priyadi (Indonesia)
Colonel Is Priyadi is a commendable figure for his contributions to the preservation of the Citarum River, one of the longest rivers on the island of Java, which plays a vital role in the known as one of the most polluted rivers in the world.
As the chief of Staff of Korem 062/Taruma Nagara, Colonel Is led a team involved in collecting data on water quality, water sustainability, and the impacts of pollution in the Citarum river. He also initiated various river conservation and cleaning programs, such as the "clean Citarum Movement."
2. Abby Bramman (United States)
Moving to the United States, there is a clean water champion named Abby Bramman. Her love for water and nature inspired her to advocate for the preservation of the Pearl River in the Mississippi and Louisiana regions.
Through the "Take2Miss" campaign, Abby encouraged people to collect two pieces of trash found on the streets to prevent theme from polluting the Pearl River. This clean-up effort was later established as an annual activity and successfully removed over 10,000 pounds of trash from the river.
3. Charlene Ren (China)
No one willingly chooses to live in areas with water scarcity. Unfortunately, some people have no choice but to survive in such conditions. This inspired Charlene Ren to establish MyH20, a non-profit platform for mapping water-scarce rural areas in China.
Charlene was inspired by the struggle of her own parents, who has to fight for drinking water from a young age. Currently about 1,000 villages through her MyH20 platform.
4. Ncube (Zimbabwe)
African countries have faced prolonged drought in recent years, leading to severe water shortages. A hero named Ncube emerged in Zimbabwe, fighting for access to clean water and sanitation facilities for the people.
Ncube is known for his significant contributions to well rehabilitation and the installation of clean water facilities like boreholes. Thanks to his efforts, people in the arid regions of Zimbabwe can access clean and safe drinking water.
5. Bhagwati Agrawal (India)
Despite a successful career in a large American company, Bhagwati Agrawal never forgot his homeland, India. Still fresh in his memory, Bhagwati fought for 12 years against a water crisis in his birthplace. Not wanting other children to suffer as he did, he founded Sustainable innovations.
Through this non-profit organization, Bhagwati created rainwater harvesting systems that now serve as a source of cleaning drinking water for over 10,000 people. The local community refers to this water technology as "Aakash Ganga," which in Hindi means "River from the Sky."
Becoming a Hero from Home
Clean water champions are not limited to the five individuals mentioned above. we can all become heroes by adopting water-saving habits:
- Turn off the tap when not in use.
- Reduce water use during showers.
- Maintain water pipes, taps, and storage properly.
- Be cautious while doing in the summer.
- Reduce water usage in the summer.
- Monitor water bills.
- Harvest rainwater.
Join the 10th World Water Forum
The 10th world Water Forum (WWF10), which will be held in Bali on May 18-24, 2024, is a golden opportunity for us to unite and advocate for water access for all. It is time for us to contribute to making clean water a global priority.