New water and sanitation policy launched
28 October 2008
Cleaner living for millions across Africa and Asia
Twenty-five million people across Africa could gain access to safe water and
basic sanitation over the next five years as a result of a new policy launched today by International Development Secretary Douglas
Alexander.
The policy will see DFID work to meet its £200 million commitment to address the serious water and sanitation
challenges that condemn people in the developing world to poverty, hardship,
disease and death. The steps that will be taken are set out in the paper
Water: An increasingly
precious resource, Sanitation: A matter of dignity
(1373kb).
Essential to development
Water and sanitation are essential to development, underpinning and impacting upon other issues like health, education, conflict and economic growth. The new DFID policy was unveiled in London at a photographic exhibition that imagines what the UK capital would look like today if, 150 years ago, at the time of the "Great Stink", parliamentarians had not pushed to transform its sanitation system (see images, above and below left).
Douglas Alexander spoke at the launch about how the conditions that prompted MPs into action in 1858 are still a reality for people in developing countries in 2008:
"Sewage running through the streets of London and the stench of the River Thames led to the closing of Parliament in 1858. One hundred and fifty years on this is still a living reality for communities across Africa and Asia. Steps were taken to transform the lives of Londoners at the time – now it is time for us to bring about change globally and give that same access to the millions currently living without toilets and clean water to wash and drink. It’s been a long enough wait."
Worldwide help
As well as providing crucial support in Africa, the new policy will help 30 million people in South Asia to gain access to sanitation.
Half the population of the developing world still lives without basic sanitation, while almost 900 million people go without safe and reliable water supplies.
The Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation - which DFID is focused on achieving - aim to halve these proportions by 2015.
Among the countries who will benefit from the new water and sanitation policy are Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Mozambique, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and India.
Links
- Great stink, great disgrace - Press release, 28 October 2008
- Millennium Development Goal 7: Water and sanitation
- How we fight poverty: Water
- EU raises profile of African sanitation 27 September 2008
- Millions to benefit from UK-Dutch water initiative 25 September 2008
