MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
In the lead-up to World Water Day (Saturday 22 March 2003) I am pleased to
announce the launch of Making every drop count, Australia's water aid
policy.
Making every drop count sets out how the Australian Government will help
address water challenges facing developing nations, particularly in the
Asia-Pacific.
In our immediate region 2 billion people do not have hygienic sanitation and
around 700 million do not have access to safe drinking water.
Globally, some 1.1 billion cannot access clean water, 2.4 billion live
without decent sanitation and an estimated 10,000 people, the majority children
or infants, die each day from water-related illness. It is the poor that suffer
most.
Water is essential for health, food production and poverty reduction. Over
the past century, the world's population has tripled and water use has increased
six-fold. As demand for water increases, so does the potential for tension
between users within and between countries, which has implications for stability
in our region.
These are good reasons why our aid program is strengthening its focus on
water issues.
Australia is well placed to take a leadership role in helping our developing
country partners to build their capacity to manage and plan water resources. Our
expertise comes from our own experience as inhabitants of a dry continent and
from decades of water management work in developing countries.
Australia is undertaking water programs across our region, and today I am
pleased to announce two new major initiatives:
A seven year, $43 million water supply and sanitation reform program focused
on north-eastern India. The program will be implemented in partnership with the
World Bank and will initially benefit an estimated 400,000 people.
An integrated water management project assisting some 300,000 people on Vam
Nao island in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, to which Australia will commit $19.5
million and the Vietnamese government $18.4 million
Australia will also provide $1 million funding for a new Australian Water
Research Facility to undertake research on water issues in the Asia-
Pacific.
A further $1 million will make Australian experts available for World Bank
water programs.
Contacts:
Chris Kenny (Minister's office) (02) 6277 7500 or 0419 206 890
Jo Elsom (AusAID) (02) 6206 4960 or 0412 804 489