WWD2024

The 2018 Kerala floods is an unforgettable incident in my life of 32 years. Experiencing the agony in and around me still has not vanished the unpleasant memories of greenery underwater. Kerala witnessing a similar event after 94 years left us almost unprepared to overcome it. It was the time when the fishermen’s community and Indian forces worked hand in hand helping lives to find safe shades.

For about thirty years, I frequently journeyed to our family’s rural coastal retreat, nestled in a village that my parents established for their eventual retirement. However, this serene haven was not always as idyllic as it appeared. Initially, the land lay barren, stripped of vitality by generations of corn cultivation and the excessive use of fertilizers.

I feel a profound connection to the environment around me that would shape my journey in ways more harmonious with nature. My transformative experience began when I joined an international environmental project called “Out to Sea: The Plastic Garbage Project.” I was aware of the extent of the damage we face as approximately 80% of all marine pollution is composed of plastic…

The problem of drinking water has been a major concern for local rural populations in south-west Togo. For this reason, drinking water is becoming a commodity, as water sources such as large-diameter reservoirs and rivers are so far from human settlements. Even so, there are certain days of the week dedicated to the search for drinking water for all households.

Growing up, one of my biggest weekly challenges was to plan for the weekend. Yet, this was not in the traditional Western sense; rather than discovering new places to go out with my friends and family, this planning consisted of determining which springs and wells to drive to in order to get 7 days worth of fresh drinking water!

When I was a child, I used to live in one of the suburbs in Mexico City, a place in the middle of the mountains and outside of the city. Close to my friends and family’s neighborhood, there was a conservation area with a lot of trees and a river. We could not afford vacations; for that reason, we spent a lot of our free time in this beautiful place.

On a frosty winter day, I went out for a walk to escape depression. I found myself standing at the edge of the crystal-clear waters of Lake Ontar:io, its surface reflecting the cloudy sky above. As the clouds shifted, the sun emerged, casting its beautiful sunset shades across the scene.

Embarking on a bus journey to Cà Mau, the southernmost tip of Vietnam, is to venture into the heart of the Mekong Delta—a place that resonates with a unique charm and unassuming sincerity. Ca Mau encapsulates this essence perfectly.

Water holds utmost significance to the average Indian – the primordial spiritual symbol. It is the vessel that carries one from life to death and through everything in between… Even as an atheist living in my hometown, it was impossible to not be enveloped by water in its philosophical and spiritual wholeness.

SARO, meaning “ONE” in my Dad’s native Bikol language, is the word that rings in my heart when thinking of the ocean. And my memory always directs me straight back to one particular seaside town in the Philippines