‭Reflective Paper‬

T‭ opic: Water, Food and Agriculture‬

‭Issue: Is clean water a right or a privilege?‬
‭By: Muhammad Tameem Rao‬
‭ ater is a basic necessity for every human being, and its scarcity is increasing daily, making‬
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‭this issue critically important. The evidence of the action of our team project is a website‬
‭designed to shed light on this widespread issue. We chose a website to share extensive‬
‭content and display surveys and research more effectively than videos. It also allowed us to‬
‭gather visitor feedback through a "Leave a Comment" section, which helped us improve our‬
‭work. However, there are some drawbacks of choosing a website such as it is less interactive‬
‭than videos and requires links to attract visitors. Server issues can also cause crashes, but‬
‭despite these risks, we decided a website was the best option for our needs. We conducted‬
‭s everal campaigns both within and outside the campus, along with community service‬
‭initiatives. We distributed brochures and conducted a Google survey to gather insights. Some‬
‭campaigns outside school were conducted in Urdu to ensure better communication and‬
‭understanding among the local people of Multan.‬
‭Additionally, we created a social media page to share updates on all our activities. Our‬
‭s ocial media pages on Instagram and Facebook attracted a local audience. With this in mind,‬
‭I believe my team and I successfully achieved our goal, as the students and local people we‬
‭engaged with during our campaigns were eager to answer our questions. Through flyers,‬
‭interviews, surveys, and community services, the issue was addressed broadly and‬
‭s uccessfully. This shows that people gained knowledge and awareness of the scarcity of‬
‭clean water, however, we often faced time limitations issues as it was difficult to manage‬
‭campaigns outside.‬
‭I worked well with the team and ensured clear communication and collaboration. My team‬
‭members also encouraged open discussion and participation in the team project. However,‬
‭there were some challenges of the different opinions on the time for campaigns which‬
‭s ometimes led to delays of campaigns. Despite this, I tackled this issue by reaching on time‬
‭for every out-school or in-school campaign. I kept my team members on common ground by‬
‭valuing their opinions and perspectives. I also did all the tasks assigned to me by team‬
‭members properly and timely. My main focus was time management as I had a lot of burden‬
‭from other subjects and had to manage them too. Overall, my dedication and hard work‬
‭contributed to the project's success.‬
‭Through this team project, my understanding of the issue was deepened significantly. Firstly,‬
‭I only have little knowledge about the scarcity of clean water which I heard sometimes on‬
‭s ocial media. But when I along with my team conducted secondary research and met with‬
‭s takeholders including Commissioner Multan, MD WASA, and NGO owner, then I came to‬
‭know how much this issue is affecting the lives of people. Look out what UNICEF predicted‬
f‭ or the future according to water scarcity situations. “‬‭By 2040, roughly 1 in 4 children‬
‭worldwide will be living in areas of extremely high water stress.”‬ ‭(UNICEF, 2024).‬‭One of‬
‭the main things that I learned is the complexity of the issue. It is not only about the lack of‬
‭water but also due to unequal distribution and political factors. When I met with the ones‬
‭who are affected by the shortage of clean water in slums, they were suffering from various‬
‭types of diseases such as diarrhea and skin infections. Their situation made me concerned‬
‭about the issue and also boosted my interest in it. We also met with the M.D. WASA told us‬
‭about water management resources in Multan. He said,‬‭“ The Challenge WASA faces is the‬
‭contamination of water. Sometimes there is leakage in pipelines which is difficult to‬
‭handle.” (Managing Director of WASA 2024,)‬
‭Through this project, I realized that I have a hidden talent for editing skills when it comes to‬
‭making flyers and brochures. I designed flyers and brochures and also took the responsibility‬
‭of going to shops to get them printed. Along with this, I created online surveys and I also‬
‭contacted a local NGO to make a visit to an orphanage house and to conduct a campaign.‬
‭This improves my communication skills and boosts my confidence. However, I was not good‬
‭at capturing pictures and sometimes I did not capture accurately but my camera was often‬
‭used for capturing pictures and video during campaigns. Moreover, this project not only‬
‭s trengthened my skills but also highlighted the areas where I can improve myself and that’s‬
‭why it motivated me to improve myself in the future.‬
‭While I am proud of my efforts, I have to improve myself both individually and as a team‬
‭member. On an individual basis, I have to manage the workload and burden properly and‬
‭make a timetable which will improve my time management skills. As a team member, I feel‬
‭that we can improve our coordination and communication. It is because whenever we‬
‭arranged time for campaigns and meetings, there was a huge confusion on the time and‬
‭s ometimes a person was not available at the specified time. Lastly, I think that I have to‬
‭s peak more confidently during team discussions so that everyone can contribute to team‬
‭projects efficiently.‬
‭Working in a team was a great experience for me this time. It is because each of the‬
‭members has unique qualities. One was good at editing skills the other was good at‬
‭communicating. That’s why we divided all the tasks properly and accordingly. Another benefit‬
‭of teamwork is that it gives me a chance to grow. I found new ways to approach difficulties‬
‭and gained many skills. However, the challenges we faced during teamwork were the clash‬
‭of opinions leading to disagreements. Although my team had some disagreements, these‬
‭were resolved after elaborative discussion and collaboration. Along with this sometimes we‬
‭did not meet deadlines due to one person and this affected the whole team. However, these‬
‭challenges gave me lessons and advice on setting targets in the future. Another area of‬
‭improvement is that we can expand our research by interviewing foreigners or outsiders of‬
‭Multan city. Since we interviewed the Commissioner, the M.D WASA, and NGOs, they only‬
‭provided us with information related to Multan. So, we have to interview more experts to get‬
‭a broad perspective on the issue.‬
‭ s we came to the end of our project, we all had enough knowledge about the issue. Urban‬
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‭areas often have better access to water resources, while rural regions face severe shortages.‬
‭Land pollution worsens the crisis by contaminating limited water sources, leaving‬
‭communities struggling for clean water. We came to know that this issue can be resolved by‬
‭huge awareness and practical solutions. By taking small measures in daily life we can save‬
‭water daily. I learned plenty of lessons from this project along with the importance of water.‬
‭Once John F. Kennedy said,‬‭“Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy‬
‭of two Nobel prizes” (35th President of US 1962, )‬
‭The overall impact of this project on my personal life was beneficial.‬

‭(1065 Words excluding citations and bibliography)‬

‭The link to our evidence of action is‬

‭https://freshflow.unaux.com/?i=1‬
‭The link to our Instagram page:‬
‭https://www.instagram.com/freshflow.pk/‬
‭The link to our Facebook Page:‬
‭https://www.facebook.com/share/19tXvCFoGA/‬

‭Bibliography:‬
‭Managing Director of WASA. 2024. (10) .Accessed November 15, 2024.‬

‭https://freshflow.unaux.com/?i=1‬

‭35th President of the US. 1962. 1962.‬

‭“Water scarcity.” 2024. UNICEF.‬

‭https://www.unicef.org/wash/water-scarcity‬

‭“Water Scarcity.” n.d. UN-Water. Accessed November 17, 2024.‬

‭https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-scarcity‬

‭“National Drinking Water Policy” Accessed November 14, 2024.‬

‭https://mocc.gov.pk/PolicyDetail/YTA0ZDNkYjEtZTdlNC00N2M3LTg4YjgtNTIzMzUxYzg0MjEy‬