The Soliloquy of a Postage Stamp #17: FROM DRINKING MILK TO DRINKING WATER !: Fouad Kronfol

This week we feature a different topic ! Whether it is called WATSAN, WASH, W&S etc. it is still a major area of UNICEF programme involvement and has played an important role in policy, strategy and implementation in many countries of the world.. It has not attracted much interest in the philatelic world, unfortunately, but I was still able to accumulate a few items related to water, notably the 1965-1974 Hydrological Decade (UNESCO sponsored) and the UN 1977 International Conference on Water in Argentina.

It was interesting to learn that the International Hydrological Decade, 1965-1974, was under the sponsorship of UNESCO. This scientific movement was meant to coordinate research, planning and management of water resources in the world. Here we have two stamps issued by the Republic of Guinea in 1966 to commemorate the Decade. They show the design/logo adopted for the subject and the UNESCO logo underneath it.

The same subject of the Hydrological Decade is shown in this Syrian Arab Republic stamp of 1966. This stamp is also issued to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of UNESCO, 1946-1966.

Brazil issued this stamp in 1966 also to commemorate the Hydrological Decade, but with a very different design inspired by the logo for the Decade. UNESCO is also inscribed on the stamp.

Another stamp issued for the Hydrological Decade comes from the Republic of Togo. Issued in 1968 the stamp shows the Decade logo in the top right corner, but the stamp has a stylized design showing industrial cogs, plants and waves..all areas where water resource management is considered to be important.

Another variation on the subject of water this stamp from Zambia shows a rural woman with a child on her back fetching water from a well by using a pail and pouring the contents into her basin. The inscription is "CLEAN WATER" and it is viewed as an element of "preventive medicine"

This stamp from the Republic of South Africa, issued in 1970, was meant to commemorate a national campaign on the use and management of water resources. Its design is a drop of water surrounded by greenery and the brown earth, a simple but effective messaging on the relationship between these areas.

A similar campaign on water was carried out in South West Africa, what is now the independent republic of Namibia. This 1970 stamp shows what looks like a series of water waves, with the inscription of "water 1970" on it.

Issued in 1972 this stamp from Laos commemorating UNICEF shows a child's drawing of a woman approaching a river in order to fill her two pails, which she carries on a crossboard on her back... a typical method of transporting loads in Indochinese countries. From a personal experience let me assure the reader that the weight of two pails full of water, which the woman may have to carry for a long distance, is really very heavy and a remarkable feat considering the relatively small size of most Lao women.

This block of four stamps from Argentina show the official logo designed for the International Water Conference held at Mar del Plata from 14-25 March 1977. It was the first large scale UN sponsored conference of its kind and was attended by 116 governments at the highest decision-making levels in the water field and. which designated the "International Decade of Water and Sanitation from 1981-1990 ...with the slogan of "universal access to Water and Sanitation by 1990 !."

This is one corner of an envelope with three stamps from Argentina. The interesting part is the post mark dated 15 March 1977 with the design of the UN sponsored international water conference held in Mar del Plat, Argentina.

Here we have a stamp issued by Haute Volta, (now Burkina Faso ) commemorating the UN International Decade of Water & Sanitation, 1981-1990. As indicated in the previous stamp this was one of the main actions that came out of the Mar del Plata Conference in Argentina. The 1983 stamp shows a Burkinabe woman carrying a receptacle full of water on her head. The logo at bottom right is a variation of the UN Decade's logo, but simulates a drop of water also. The stamp was designed by Lougue Kou and printed by Delrieu in France.It was mailed from Ouagadougou.

This two stamp set from Senegal was issued in 1984 to commemorate the country's emergency water resources plan. The first stamp shows a dam and a faucet from which is flowing water which is meant for irrigation of agricultural lands. The second stamp shows a well from which water is being pumped into a reservoir which also has a small pond next to it from which some cattle are drinking.

I am not sure why, but this set of three stamps from the Central African Republic is the most expensive of all the other items with a catalogue value of over $100. The set was isssued in 1987 and actually commemorates UNICEF (see acronym in upper right corner).The stamps are to commemorate the International Decade of Water & Sanitation as well as village water supply.All three stamps show a rural scene with a hand pump installed on a platform. The first stamp shows one person filling her receptacle from the pump, the second stamp shows two women filling their water containers, and the third stamp shows three women pumping water into their containers.

This 1990 stamp from India shows the Mark II ? pump being used by an Indian woman who is filling her two water containers . The inscription is "Safe Water".

A quite similar design to the stamp above, this stamp from Pakistan also shows a woman carrying a water receptacle she has filled from the handpump, which is filling two other receptacles of hers. The interesting aspect of this stamp is that it celebrates the 50th anniversary of UNICEF in Pakistan, in 1998.

Italy issued this stamp in 2002 as its official commemoration of the" World Food Day", an occasion sponsored by the FAO, WFP IFAD and IPGRI, with their respective logos shown. The inscription reads " Italy and the UN against Hunger in the World". The relation with our today's topic is the bannerhead on top of the stamp which reads " Water, the Basis of Food Security ".

From my friend and XUNICEF colleague Horst Cerni I obtained this very attractive envelope with the Mar del Plata Conference stamp on it. The letter was addressed to Mrs. Isabel Cerni and was air mailed from Mar del Plata to Santiago, Chile where the Cernis were posted. The cachet of the cover has two designs; one shows a skier coming down the mountain and the other shows a beach resort with a city backdrop,a sailing boat and the roulette table of a casino.

Our last item is the First Day Cover from the UN Postal Administration in New York with two stamps commemorating the UN Conference on Water held in Mar del Plata Argentina. The stamps were designed by Elio Tomei from Italy.and were printed by the Government Printing Bureau in Japan. The design is that of a funnel collecting five water drops .The cover is postmarked 22 April 1977. The cachet shows a pair of cupped hands filled with water against a back drop of white clouds in the sky. The message in both cases is that the world should make all efforts to efficiently and effectively use this precious natural resource.

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