Seven Weeks for Water 2026 | Week 7 - Power and gender dynamics in a water-scarce world

The seventh and last reflection of Seven Weeks for Water 2026 is jointly authored by Hella Tangu and Dinesh Suna. Hella Tangu is a Ugandan sustainability professional, working as a Land, Water, and Food advocacy fellow at WCC. She is passionate about circular economic principles in an urban developing world, and the land, water, food nexus and its role in climate change mitigation. Dinesh Suna is the programme executive for Land, Water, and Food and coordinator of the Ecumenical Water Network of the World Council of Churches. 31 March 2026 Women cooking in the Southern Sudan village of Yondoru. Families here are rebuilding their lives after returning from refuge in Uganda in 2006 following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and south. NOTE: In July 2011, Southern Sudan became the independent country of South Sudan Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth Pictures This reflection focuses on the current state of conflict in the world, emerging risks to water scarcity, and how these situations exacerbate already existing gaps in water governance inequality. Drawing from Micah 6:8 and Psalm 107:35-36, this reflection calls on faith communities to remain vigilant in their work especially at the community level, creating opportunities for education and inclusion for all—especially women and girls—in shaping an inclusive future for water governance. Text:  Micah 6:8, Psalm 107:35–36 "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  Micah 6:8 "He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle."  Psalm 107:35–36 Reflection The year 2026 has come with unprecedented times, with conflict intensifying in multiple regions of the world affecting various demographics of people regardless of religion, social status, age, etc. Along with this, more and more regions are experiencing water scarcity and announcing predictions of water bankruptcy in the near future. The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, in its 2026 report on water bankruptcy, explains that the water crisis has transcended into a new state, one in which we are spending more and faster than the water basins and aquifers are able to return to their non-stressed levels. The report likens this to depleting both savings (long-term water sources) and current accounts (renewable water sources) as one would find in a bank. Regions such as the Middle East and North Africa are experiencing high water stress on groundwater sources coupled with climate vulnerability. Globally, water bankruptcy is only made worse by the growing need for water brought on by population growth, urbanization, and privatization of water supply. Currently, 50% of global domestic water is now derived from groundwater and 40% of irrigation water is drawn from aquifers being steadily drained.  Meanwhile, emerging risks are intensifying the crisis, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and subsequently AI data centres that require large volumes of water for cooling. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that AI data centres used a total of 560 billion litres of water in 2023, with an expected increase relative to the growth of AI in the past few years. These centres are frequently located in regions already experiencing water stress, and their water use competes directly with the needs of surrounding communities. The communities that bear this burden are rarely the same ones benefiting from the technology, highlighting how profit is often placed above justice. Power, as always, determines who pays the price. In situations like this, critical questions are raised— who is tasked with making this “right”? Who benefits from these detrimental systems and how can it shifted to benefit all? The theme of World Water Day 2026 calls us to reflect, “Where water flows, (gender) equality must flow with it - for a more just, resilient, and sustainable future for all.”  This vision challenges systems that concentrate power and instead calls for inclusive, rights-based approaches. One of the key messages emerging from global conversations is clear: women must not only participate but actively shape the future of water governance. As the conversations surrounding this theme have expressed, around the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, women suffer the burden of sourcing water while being excluded and underrepresented represented in policy discussions and educational spaces. As such, often their needs are misrepresented as power tends to favour the privileged minority versus those who suffer the consequences. In conflict zones, where water infrastructure is often deliberately targeted, women face compounded risks, violence at water collection points, displacement from familiar water sources, and the near-total collapse of sanitation services that disproportionately affect their health and dignity. These situations inevitably highlight the gender inequality gaps in water governance. The 2026 theme calls for systematic and purposeful change. FAO supports the adoption of gender-responsive and inclusive governance of land and water resources in line with the Voluntary Guidelines for Governance and Tenure.  Psalm 107 shows us God who turns desert into pools of water, not as a passive act of nature, but as a deliberate response to the hungry and the wandering, those society has left behind. Micah 6:8 does not ask us to observe injustice from a distance. It calls us to act — with justice, with mercy, with humility. These scriptures in focus reflect contexts of power imbalance and resource scarcity much like in our current times; they depict what it meant for the powerful to control water and what it cost the vulnerable when they did not.  Faith communities have always existed at the intersection of the spiritual and the material, however more work is needed to be done to ensure that the two are not separated. It begins at the community level. These communities can open their spaces for water literacy education, ensuring that women and girls understand their rights, the frameworks that govern water access in their countries, and the local laws that are put in place to protect them. Worship centres can actively create pathways for women's leadership in local water committees and discussions, advocating not just for women's presence at the table, but for their voice to carry weight once they are there, breaking detrimental gender norms. Practically, community involvement can lead to construction of rain water harvesting systems in communities to prevent having to move long distances.  Acting justly, as Micah says, requires faith communities to practice this both within their communities as well as solidarity across borders. The water crisis is not happening to distant others. The conflicts straining water systems in Sudan, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others, are connected to the global systems in which all of us participate. Our prayers must become policies, and our policies must reflect our prayers, catering to the marginalized and normalizing discussions on gender inequality in water and all the activities it impacts.  Water is sacred, however water governance is political and affected by imbalanced power dynamics. Where water flows, let justice flow with it. Where power concentrates, let faith communities be found, asking hard questions, making space, and refusing to look away. Questions for reflection How are water issues addressed in my community? How can I start conversations in my community to advocate for inclusion and innovative water saving techniques? What available resources exist to encourage water literacy in my faith community? Resources UNU-INWEH Report: Madani, K. (2026). Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. DOI: 10.53328/INR26KAM001  The value of water and gender equality: https://youtu.be/mFGcMhP21VU?si=MVK9kUfaqFeMLtAx Faith in water: A faith based organisation working towards dignity for girls in water in Uganda: https://www.faithinwater.org/dignity-for-girls.html Hella Tangu is a Ugandan sustainability professional, working as a Land, Water, and Food advocacy fellow at WCC.  Dinesh Suna is the WCC programme executive for Land, Water, and Food and coordinator of the Ecumenical Water Network. See more

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