Washington, DC - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson welcomed today’s international focus on clean water and water resources as part of World Water Day. This year’s theme as chosen by the United Nations is “Clean Water for a Healthy World.”

“Water is life,” said Congresswoman Johnson, “As Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, I have and will continue to work toward having at least an adequate supply of clean, potable water for not only those in United States, but for people worldwide.”

Currently, an estimated 1.1 billion, or two out of 10 people rely on unsafe drinking-water sources. Additional statistics from the United Nations include:

•  Waterborne diseases cause the death of more than 1.5 million children each year.
• An estimated minimum of 2.5 billion people world-wide live without adequate sanitation.
• An estimated 6.4 billion people will be living in urban areas by 2050, up from 3.4 billion today, posing a further challenge to water quality and infrastructure.
• In some regions more than 50 percent of native freshwater fish species are at risk of extinction, and nearly one-third of the world’s amphibians are at risk of extinction.
• Naturally occurring arsenic pollution in groundwater now affects nearly 140 million people in 70 countries on all continents.
•  70 percent of untreated industrial wastes in developing countries are disposed into water where they contaminate existing water supplies.

More information on World Water Day and water resource issues, can be found at: www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.