Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-03-11-Speech-3-459"
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"en.20090311.40.3-459"2
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substitute; Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America (2007-03-14--2009-07-13)3
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"Madam President, the majority of us can take free access to water for granted. We use large amounts of water every day. It is worth remembering, however, that according to estimates of the World Health Organisation, one sixth of the Earth’s population, that is to say, over one billion people, do not have access to water which meets basic, minimal standards of cleanliness. This means that in the civilisation of the 21
century, millions of people are suffering thirst and dying as a result of diseases caused by drinking contaminated water. Recently I was in Lagos, the largest city in Africa, where barely 1% of the people have access to running water.
Statistics of this type are horrifying, but nonetheless the problem of water does not make the front pages of newspapers, does not excite the general interest of the media, and is not the subject of discussions and disputes, as is the case, for example, with AIDS, the fight against malaria or global warming. This surely results from the fact that the problem concerns only 2% of Europeans, whereas it concerns 27% of people in Africa. It is estimated that in Africa alone, more people die each year from diseases caused by drinking dirty water than from AIDS and malaria put together.
It can, therefore, be said that lack of access to drinking water does not kill in a spectacular way likely to be given prominence in the media, and does not generate as broad interest as a disaster like an earthquake, a tsunami, flooding or armed conflicts. As Mr Ribeiro e Castro has already said, however, the facts are that, on average, every day 6 000 children die from diseases caused by a lack of water. This means that one child dies every 15 seconds. Can you imagine the reaction of the world, the response, the degree of mobilisation and determination, if this were happening in Europe, and not in Sub-Saharan Africa or Asia?
Consequently, the problem of access to water is not only a problem for developing countries, but also for developed countries. Universal access to drinking water is an essential condition for the development of countries and the fight against poverty. Unless this need is met, there is no point in talking about improving healthcare or developing education. Unless water for the needs of farming or simple industry can be guaranteed, whole societies are condemned to a battle for daily existence. This leads to armed conflicts, migration and destabilisation. In other words, it hinders development and increases developmental inequalities.
Politicians will also be present at the Forum we are debating. They will discuss matters of current importance. One of these matters is the situation in Darfur, where President al-Bashir is expelling organisations which, among other things, have been helping to ensure that the people of Darfur have access to water. There will therefore be an opportunity to persuade, amongst others, President al-Bashir, to allow international organisations to supply water to the people of Darfur."@en1
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