Declining Fresh Water in Poor Nations Worry Donors
Declining fresh water in poor nations worry donors
NAIROBI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — Seven major international organizations including the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) on Thursday announced a multimillion-dollar partnership to address declining supplies of fresh water and the lack of access to clean water by the world’s poorest people.
In a statement, the organizations said the 15 million U.S. dollars Global Water Initiative (GWI) will work in 13 countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, and Senegal.
“This partnership comes at a critical time, when climate changethreatens to reduce water availability in many parts of the world where people already struggle to access adequate supplies,” said Camilla Toulmin, director of IIED.
“The organizations involved all have different strengths which,when combined and employed in partnership with local organizationsand government agencies, will help to improve the management of water resources for millions of people.”
The GWI brings together a group of seven leading international organizations: Action Against Hunger-USA, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, The World Conservation Union, IIED, Oxfam America and SOS Sahel – UK.
The announcement of the GWI comes at a time when more than 1 billion people lack access to improved water sources, and more than 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation.
Water resources are under increasing pressure from human use while communities are frequently affected by floods and droughts.
Funding for the GWI is provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation which already funds water projects in 19 countries.
“This initiative is designed to recognize and meet the needs ofboth domestic and productive water uses, while combining integrated watershed management with environmental accountability,” stated Howard Buffett, president of the foundation.
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