USAID to Bring Clean Water, Sanitation to More People

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Workers fuse water pipes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Washington — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) aims to bring sustainable access to clean water to 10 million people and improved sanitation to 6 million people by 2018.

“The impact of water on all aspects of development is undeniable,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said at the launch of the agency’s five-year water and development strategy May 21. Better water resource management “can help change the lives of millions,” he said.

“The economic benefits of improved sanitation can increase productivity, reduce health care costs and prevent illness, disability and early death,” USAID says.

The benefits of having access to clean water and sanitation go beyond better health. USAID states that people who have access “experience greater dignity, privacy and security.” These benefits are especially important for women and girls who may miss work or school, or risk assault when they don’t have access to safe sanitation facilities.

The agency says that the interdependence between food security and sustainable water resource management is significant.

Globally, agriculture consumes 70 percent of available freshwater resources and is often used in inefficient and environmentally unsustainable irrigated systems. Good water-in-agriculture management incorporates more efficient irrigation systems and more use of rainfall, USAID says. It includes expanding the reuse of treated wastewater and planting water-efficient and drought-resistant crops.

 

USAID said it will use science, technology and innovation to achieve its goals. It said it will work cooperatively with nongovernmental groups, academic institutions, the private sector and host governments “dedicated to providing a better life for their citizens.”

USAID also said that it will integrate its water, food and energy programs and include training in hygiene behaviors.

The agency notes that getting a water management strategy in place must happen soon, as impacts of climate change on the world’s water resources “can be seen from oceans to mountain tops.” By 2025, it projects that two-thirds of the world’s population could live in areas under severe water stress.

“Rapid glacier melt and decreased snowpack will increase variability of stream-flows and may contribute to a long-term decline in supplies,” the agency says. Moreover, rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion in river deltas and storm surges will change both the quality and quantity of water available for drinking and for agriculture, it adds.

GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIP

USAID on May 21 also signed a Global International Health Partnership agreement in Geneva, joining more than 50 countries and organizations that have promised to coordinate their delivery and monitoring of foreign aid for health programs.