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“WATER FOR THE WORLD ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H8731 on Dec. 13, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WATER FOR THE WORLD ACT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. As America prepares for the holiday season and the new year, it is important to pause to reflect on our good fortune and, on this season of goodwill, what we can do for others. I hope that Congress will give the gift of life, hope, and economic prosperity to people around the world, a gift most Americans take for granted: safe water.
Almost a billion people around the globe lack access to safe drinking water, and over 2\1/2\ billion don't have access to adequate sanitation. This is why the number one health challenge is water-
related disease.
Half the people who are sick today anywhere on this planet are sick unnecessarily from waterborne diseases that are particularly brutal on their impact on children. Ninety percent of the deaths caused are children under 5. The 1.8 million lives that are lost are more than AIDS, TB, and malaria combined.
It's also a major cause of the struggle for economic security. For example, in India, the estimate is over $50 billion a year, more than 6 percent of its economy, is lost due to inadequate water and sanitation. How does this happen? Children cannot attend school if they are sick from unsafe drinking water. People with illnesses overwhelm the few hospitals and clinics and they can't go to work. Hours spent looking for and carrying clean water, usually by girls and women, means that they're not adding either to education or the economic well-being of their families.
Historically, water's been a source of conflict, and with over 260 river basins that cross country borders, managing this very finite resource without conflict will be one of the world's greatest security problems.
In this season of good tidings, there is good news about water. The solutions are cheap and easy. We're not required to search for a cure. Helping people understand the need to wash their hands or providing them with simple, commonsense technology is key.
Churches, parishes, and synagogues have already taken up this challenge, and hundreds of thousands of people have benefited. It's time for Congress to act.
In 2005, the bipartisan Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act helped us get our act together. Now we have new legislation, Water for the World, which will be introduced tomorrow with my colleague and friend, Congressman Ted Poe from Texas, the chief Republican cosponsor. It builds on current United States efforts--not by increasing funds. Make no mistake, I hope some day we do increase the investment around the globe. But right now, this legislation will increase aid effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. Given the strains on Federal resources and the depth of the need, it is essential that we target our efforts as efficiently as possible.
The Water for the World Act gives the State Department and USAID tools to leverage investments. It helps elevate positions within the agency to coordinate diplomatic policy and implement country-specific water strategies.
The House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, under the leadership of Kay Granger and Nita Lowey, has done the best it can in this difficult budget climate with resources for poor people with water around the world. Now Congress needs to step up to make sure these precious resources are used as effectively as possible.
I sincerely hope my colleagues will join Congressman Poe and me in cosponsoring the Water for the World Act and then work to enact it as soon as possible.
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