Water and human wellbeing

• This resource is of significant value in supporting the Geography curriculum for year 7 particularly for the content descriptions in Water in the world referring to the forms that water takes as a resource; and the ways that flows of water connect places as it moves through the environment and the way this affects places; and the nature of water scarcity and ways of overcoming it in a sustainable way. The resource provides a case study about a project on Flores, an Indonesian Island, to improve their source of drinking water from limited amounts of well water to a constant flow of clean spring water. It explains how a pipeline was constructed to gravity-feed water from a spring 27 kilometres away and describes negotiations between the communities to benefit from the access to running water and the leaders of the village who own the spring. It is also of significant value in supporting the Geography curriculum for year 10, particularly for the content descriptions in Geographies of human wellbeing referring to reasons for and consequences of spatial variations in human wellbeing on a regional scale within a country of the Asia region; and the interconnections with international and national government and non-government organisations; initiatives in improving human wellbeing in Australia and other countries. The case study illustrates how the difference between regions in their access to clean water can lead to inequalities in health and other indicators of wellbeing. It describes the roles played by AusAID and World Vision Australia in a project that improved the wellbeing of villagers on Flores and details positive outcomes including the economic benefits of brick-making, made viable by access to a plentiful water supply. The resource supports the Sustainability cross-curriculum priority, particularly the organising ideas referring to sustainable patterns of living relying on the interdependence of healthy social, economic and ecological systems; the sustainability of ecological, social and economic systems being achieved through informed individual and community action that values equity; actions for a more sustainable future reflecting values of care, respect and responsibility, requiring us to explore and understand environments; and designing action for sustainability requiring an evaluation of past practices, the assessment of scientific and technological developments, and balanced judgments based on projected future impacts. It is also relevant to the Asia and Australias engagement with Asia cross-curriculum priority, particularly the organising idea about Australians playing a significant role in social, cultural, political and economic developments in the Asia region.

7; 8; 9; 10