Water for the World

This area is very dry as the cracked water-parched earth suggests. The dam was visited after it had been used to irrigate rice, Sanankoro, in the commune of Tianfala, Mali.

In 2005, the U.S. enacted Congressman Blumenauer’s bipartisan “Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act,” establishing the Millennium Development Goal’s water and sanitation target as a major goal of US foreign assistance. This landmark legislation now reaches millions. With funding at $315 million in 2010, this legislation is providing millions of people in developing nations with safe, clean drinking water.

Although progress is being made through partnerships between the U.S. Government, NGOs, businesses, and local partners, more than one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and more than two billion people live without improved sanitation. By 2025, climate change, drought, and rapid population growth will further stress water resources, leaving 2.8 billion people in more than 48 countries facing severe and chronic water shortages. The world’s greatest health problem may become the most serious threat to global security.

In 2009, Congressman Blumenauer developed H.R. 2030, the “Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act ”(PDF), to redouble U.S. efforts to help provide an additional 100 million of the world’s poorest with first-time access to safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation by 2015. To achieve this, the Act:

Establishes an Office of Water within USAID to implement country-specific water strategies,

Creates a Special Coordinator for International Water within the State Department to coordinate the diplomatic policy of the US with respect to global freshwater issues,

Establishes programs in countries of greatest need that invest in local capacity, education, and coordination with US efforts,

Emphasizes cross-border and cross-discipline collaboration and the utilization of low-cost technologies, such as hand washing stations and latrines.

The Water for the World Act, S. 624/H.R. 2030, is endorsed by a number of global health and environmental advocates, including Water Advocates, the Natural Resources Defense Council, ONE, Mercy Corps, International Housing Coalition, CARE, and Population Services International.