World Water Day is one of the United Nations’ international observances dedicated to highlighting the importance of freshwater. Since 1993, it has been observed on March 22 and is designed to draw attention to the vital role that water plays in life and also to raise awareness about the 2.1 billion people who live without access to safe water. It serves as a call to action to to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: clean water and sanitation for all.
This year, the United Nations has chosen “Water and Gender Equality” as the theme of World Water Day in order to spotlight an issue that has, in many ways, remained hidden from global view for centuries: the relationship between water, women, and gender equality.
“Wherever water flows, equality follows” is the central focus of this year’s United Nations Water Conference, which emphasized the relationship between women and water. Access to water is a defining challenge for millions of women and girls, and one with direct consequences for their health, education, and economic participation. According to Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, around one quarter of women and girls worldwide — roughly 1.1 billion people — do not have access to safely managed drinking water.
At the same time, women and girls spend approximately 250 million hours each day collecting water for their families — more than three times the amount of time spent by men and boys, according to the UN World Water Development Report. Although these statistics are global and cover 53 countries, it can be said with confidence that the situation in Afghanistan is far worse than the global average.
Given the distinct cultural norms that shape life across Afghanistan, roles within families are clearly divided between men and women. While men are largely engaged in activities outside the home, household responsibilities are considered primarily the duty of women and girls. Domestic tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and washing inherently require the use of a lot of water.
At the same time, women bear the primary responsibility for collecting drinking water for their families. According to data published by the World Health Organization in 2023, 1.8 billion people still lack access to drinking water at their place of residence, and in two-thirds of households, women are mainly responsible for water collection. Compared to global averages, two factors make water collection and management significantly more difficult for women in Afghanistan.
First, three-quarters of Afghanistan’s population live in rural areas and villages that lack reliable water supply systems. As a result, families are forced to collect water from kariz [underground tunnel] systems or from sources located far from their homes. Secondly, as noted earlier, as the responsibility for collecting water falls predominantly on women, water collection in Afghanistan — particularly amid the country’s devastating droughts — has become a key driver of gender inequality.
Unsafe water, lack of sanitation facilities, and poor hygiene practices contribute to the deaths of around 1,000 children under the age of five each day, according to a World Health Organization report in 2023. Given that women are the primary caregivers of children — and are themselves exposed to disease due to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation — it can be concluded that women are more affected than men by illnesses and harms caused by the consumption of unsafe drinking water. As well, waterborne diseases in Afghanistan are far more prevalent than the global average.
While the United Nations emphasizes gender equality and the role of women and girls in water resource management, women in Afghanistan are deprived of many of their fundamental rights, including access to safe drinking water. In violation of basic human rights standards, the Taliban have not only failed to establish any mechanisms to include women in policymaking, leadership, or water management, but have also stripped girls of their right to education, thereby excluding future generations from working in the sector as its future engineers and experts. In addition, the Taliban have neither acknowledged the importance of women’s role in managing natural resources nor developed any meaningful strategy to address climate-related challenges such as droughts and floods.
Given Afghanistan has experienced one of its most severe periods of drought in recent years, its water services must become more resilient to climate change, meet the needs of all, and designed for an inclusive, rights-based approach to addressing the water crisis. Such an approach must fully recognize the voices, leadership, and participation of women.
The current system and approach under the Taliban is not sustainable. Water resources will continue to dwindle and women, who perhaps know more about water than any other group in Afghanistan, will continue to be excluded from decision-making. The hope is that soon, the country will take heed of the message of this year’s water conference: “Wherever water flows, equality follows.”
Qayum Sabur is the pen name of an environmental activist in Afghanistan.
