Making a splash on world water day - Main contents

Preserving water, preserving life itself

As we get ready to commemorate World Water Day this Sunday, March 22, I would like to recall the importance of this vital resource - one we often take for granted, but still too many people lack: there are almost 1 billion people without access to safe water; which is simply intolerable in this day and age (and let us remind ourselves that the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution recognising access to clean water as a Human Right.)

There has been some progress. Since 2004, the EU has helped more than 70 million people in developing countries to gain access to drinking water. The MDG for access to safe water has been reached ahead of schedule, although with great disparities, with sub-Saharan Africa lagging behind.

Water is necessary for vital purposes; but it is also essential in many cases to gain an income and have a decent life. This is the case of Husen Mohamed Jimie Shibot, an Eritrean farmer who has to face the dry climate of his country (the average yearly rainfall in the region is now below 300 mm, less than half that of Germany) to make a living out of his coffee trees. For a while he depended on rain-fed agriculture, but the limited rainfall and deforestation led to poor harvests which didn’t allow for any commercial activities.

Mr Husen is now one of the 400,000 beneficiaries of an EU-funded project which has helped to build numerous smaller dams, hillside terraces and irrigation structures, to solve this problem. Thanks to the project, the construction of a dam close to his farm has replenished the ground water and he can draw water from his well once again. He has also learnt how to effectively irrigate his land and fight soil erosion.

Irrigation is just one example of the value of water for sustainable development - others are its potential to become a renewable energy source; and the importance of having access to sanitation facilities, too, which cannot be dissociated from safe water.

Preserving water means preserving life itself. The EU is ready to play its part, and I hope that we will be able to gather momentum with all partners to achieve universal access in the not too distant future.