Catalog

The Water Boys

An Uzbeki family gathers water at a common hand pump on a chilly winter day. In Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia, overuse of scarce water from the shrinking Aral Sea has aggravated shortages. Some areas are suffering the most severe drought experienced in more than a century. Five basin countries and the Aral Sea itself are competing for this nearly exhausted supply, and Afghanistan is also expected to claim a share of the scanty resource. For many years thousands of people have been forced to drink brackish and polluted water. The Asian Development Bank is working with Central Asian Republics to improve the management of their water resources.

This painting is one of a series of watercolors by artist Dave Parker painted with water sourced from rivers, standpipes, rainwater, floodwater, public faucets, and commercial outlets in developing countries across Asia and the Pacific to raise awareness of water scarcity and quality. The original was painted using water collected from a community well in Kabul, Afghanistan. To learn more about the WaterColors series send an email to water_colors@adb.org (Image inspired by a series of photographs by Amy Leung.)

NOTICE:
The WaterColors images are exclusive property of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). ADB encourages users to print, download, or copy them for personal and non-commercial use. Users are restricted from reselling, redistributing or creating derivative works for commercial purposes without the express, written consent of the ADB.

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