World Health Day is an annual reminder, an alarm set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to remind the world of both the increasing health burden and attention required for public health. This year, 7th April, is a day that marks 68 years of the WHO’s effort in preventing, arresting, and reporting on public health issues and incidents globally, the spotlight is on depression.

The quiet temperament of depression is often the reason that it goes unnoticed till it’s too late. Keshav Desiraju, Former Union Health Secretary and Chairperson of the Population Foundation of India said, “Mental health cannot be divorced from physical health – in fact people suffering from major depression have a 40 – 60% chance of dying prematurely due to physical health problems that are left unattended or suicide. Suicide is the second most common cause of death among young people worldwide. The Mental Health Care Act, 2017 that has just been passed in the Indian parliament is a significant step towards destigmatising psychological disorders, recognising an attempt at suicide as an act committed under severe mental stress.”  Population Foundation of India (PFI) is an NGO, which promotes and advocates for the effective formulation and implementation of gender sensitive population, health and development strategies and policies.

Depression is also unbiased about who suffers. In a study examining the prevalence of depression in adolescent students of a public school, three to nine per cent of teenagers met the criteria for depression at any one time. Towards the end of adolescence, as many as 20% of teenagers report a lifetime prevalence of depression.

“Adolescence entails a time of change and acclimatisation before young people can settle into adulthood and participate in society to their fullest potential. Physical changes can adversely impact the psychological well-being of a child if they are not given adequate guidance. To support this work, the Saathiya Kit includes games, films and materials for Saathiyas – a new, revamped league of adolescent peer facilitators. We want our girls and boys to know about health, nutrition, gender, sexuality, substance misuse and many other issues covered in the kit, which are fundamental for their empowerment and development. They need to know, for example, that it is fine for boys too cry and for girls to play outdoors” said Diego Palacios, UNFPA Country Representative for India.

In India, approval of the Mental Health Care Bill in the parliament has steered the debate in a positive direction. Psychiatrist and researcher Dr Vikram Patel said, “The passage of the Mental Health Care Bill by the Lok Sabha is a momentous milestone in the struggle for the realisation of the rights of people with mental health problems in India to a life with dignity and access to community based care. Now, the responsibility falls upon all concerned sectors in the government, health professional communities and civil society, to join hands towards converting the high ideals of the Act into reality.”

Mental health is integral to the health and well-being of an individual as defined in the Constitution of the WHO – “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely in the absence of disease or infirmity.” WHO also recognises the damage caused by the silence that surrounds depression and mental illness, and raises the slogan ‘Depression: Let’s Talk’ to mark the day. Albeit a little late, it’s now time to talk.

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The CSR Journal Team

An ‘Open Situation Room’ on ‘Water Security in India: Towards Innovative Solutions’, as part of the ‘Humanitarian Diplomacy Lab’ event was held by Vestyn Partners, an accelerator for global businesses in India in association with BMW Foundation and Swiss, German and Israel Consulates.

It was hosted by Jasdeep Randhawa, a water expert, who has consulted for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Government of India, the World Bank, Gates Foundation, and the Water Security Initiative at Harvard along with Rasesh Seth, COO, Vestyn Partners.

Open Situation Room brings together experts and practitioners from many fields, the OSR supplements the classical crisis meeting with an open forum to discuss foreign and humanitarian policy challenges. The OSR in Mumbai combined the specific know-how and skill sets of social entrepreneurs, tech developers and designers, along with that of academics, youth, water experts, social enterprises, NGOs and businesses to ‘hack’ traditional diplomatic problems in start-up style groups. The participants discussed the ongoing water crisis, and identify innovative solutions to address the problem. Particular emphasis was on the application of digital technology, social media and financing such initiatives.

Commenting on the occasion, Jasdeep Randhawa, water expert said, “Water security is among the top global risks in terms of development impact. It is also an integral part to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meeting the SDGs would require improving management of water resources and ensuring access to reliable water and sanitation services.”

“A World Bank report suggests that water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could cost some regions up to 6% of their GDP, spur migration, and spark conflict. The combined effects of growing populations, rising incomes, and expanding cities will see demand for water rising exponentially, while supply becomes more erratic and uncertain,” added Randhawa.

In India, more than 330 million people, around a quarter of the population, are facing acute water shortage. 75.8 million Indians, currently lack access to clean water, with children in 100 million homes lacking access to clean water.

Climate change resulting in drought and water mismanagement due to corruption has further exacerbated the crisis. Evidence shows that agricultural production for essential food grains has declined in the last two decades, as a result of fall in groundwater, lack of investments in agriculture and irrigation.

Over the past twenty years over 300,000 farmer suicides have been reported, with the number being the highest in 2015 with two years of continuous drought. Water conflicts at each level and competing demands among a multitude of users, has resulted in intense violence, litigation, riots, damage to public property, and deaths.

Over 21% of the country’s diseases are water related, as water sources are contaminated with bio and chemical pollutants. With 50% of India’s water contaminated by sewage, Indians purchase water at 72 cents for 50 litres.

Rasesh Seth, Vestyn Partners commented, “Water security is a core issue faced by our country in topical times. It is imperative that solutions available globally must be implemented locally in order to unravel the situation we currently are in. Contemporary technology in the space, backed by proficient implementation, I believe is the call of the hour. ”

Water scarcity in India is expected to worsen as the overall population is expected to increase to 1.6 billion by year 2050. To that end, global water scarcity is expected to become a leading cause of national political conflict in the future, including for India. Therefore, taxed infrastructure, urbanisation, corruption, water mismanagement, failed service delivery, and climate change are just some of the many causes for the exacerbating humanitarian water crisis in India.

Other dignitaries present at the event were Suresh Kulkarni, Secretary, Maharashtra Water Regulatory Authority, David Akov, Consul General of the state of Israel, Gabriele Boner, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Nimrod Assouline, Deputy Chief of Mission, Consulate General of Israel, Dirk Walther, Project Director, Support to National Urban Sanitation Policy and Adi Bhujle, Director, German Water Partnership.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team