The Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), a charity associated with the country’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), has extended a lifeline to water-poor parts of Africa. Donations from Turkish people are converted into water wells across the continent where accessing clean water is often difficult.
Founded some five years ago, the charity is primarily known for its construction of mosques but over time, it has expanded its operations to humanitarian aid across Turkey and the world. In Africa, it focuses on drilling water wells. With its two projects –one for water wells and the other for the construction of public fountains – TDV provided 7 million people access to clean water in 25 countries through 890 wells and fountains. It plans to increase this number to 1,200 by the end of the year.
Most recently, it inaugurated a water well in the Maradi region of Niger. "We witnessed the excitement of locals and happiness of children," Abdurrahman Çetin, deputy director of TDV, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday. It marked the 73rd well opened in the western African country by the charity.
"In Maradi, the water well will serve some 3,000 people," he said. The well has a depth of 60 meters (197 feet) and runs on solar panels. Çetin said the organization will complete setting up 10 more water wells across the world by the end of March. "All of them are drilled at the deepest level possible and cost a lot but they are all sustainable. They do not run out of water for up to 20 years," he said.
Little of Africa's wastewater is treated, water for drinking and hand-washing is scarce for hundreds of millions of people and water-related disasters like flooding are on the rise, particularly in West Africa.
The issue was the theme of a new report by United Nations University, which earlier this month ranked 19 African countries – home to a half-billion people – as water insecure and lacking basic access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, with Somalia, Chad and Niger having the most severe problems.
Egypt, Gabon, Mauritius and Tunisia are among the top nations facing water insecurity. Of particular concern across much of the continent is wastewater treatment, with no country treating more than 75% of its wastewater and two-thirds treating less than 5%. That is expected to become a far bigger health risk as more Africans move to cities and the continent's population continues quickly rises. These factors are projected to cause "a sharp decline in water availability" in most countries.
Turkish charities are active on the continent in terms of providing disadvantaged communities access to water, especially those in rural areas, and have built hundreds of water wells across Africa in recent years.