WWD 2001 Event
WHO/SEARO WWD Web site
The World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia has established a World Water Day 2001 web site http://w3.whosea.org/wwd/index.htm.
“I urge everyone not to look upon World Water Day celebrations as just another event, but as an occasion to renew their commitment to water and health. I hope that you will find these materials useful”, says Dr Uton Muchtar Rafei, Regional Director in his message.
The theme of Water for Health is well-chosen for this year's World Water Day. Water is essential for life, and safe water is essential for health. There is a close relationship between the quality of water and health in the countries of the South-East Asia Region.
A major achievement of this Region was the eradication of guinea-worm disease in 2000. This is an example of what can be achieved with the multi-sectoral collaborative efforts of health, water and sanitation, supported by social mobilization. However, other important water-related concerns still remain in the Region:
Over three million people worldwide, most of them children, die each year of diarrhoeal diseases linked to inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Nearly one-third of these fatalities happen in this Region. Availability of safe drinking water, improved sanitation and personal hygiene can significantly reduce the burden of water-related diseases.
The large-scale exploitation of groundwater, usually considered to be safer than surface water, has inadvertently resulted in widespread exposure of the population to arsenic, fluoride, nitrates, and other chemicals in some countries. Simple, time-honoured water quality surveillance procedures that evaluate the safety of drinking water are now being given a new impetus.
The term sanitation gap in Asia highlights the fact that sanitation coverage has lagged far behind water supply coverage on this continent. Among SEAR countries, nearly 1.3 billion people have access to improved water supplies but the number of people enjoying access to basic sanitation facilities is less than half that number, at 615 million. Provision of basic, low-cost sanitation facilities would be an important element to alleviate poverty and promote development among this group.
Excess water, as in floods, or the lack of it, as in droughts, is also linked to health emergencies in the South-East Asia Region. Many of the Member Countries have also been affected by other natural disasters like earthquakes and cyclones. These disrupt water supplies, put a heavy strain on sanitation systems and increase the vulnerability of populations to water-borne diseases. This highlights the urgent need to improve disaster preparedness measures and reduce the vulnerability of water and sanitation systems.
Contact
Terrence Thompson
Regional Adviser, Water, Sanitation and Health
World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia
World Health House, Indraprastha Estate
Mahatama Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 002, India
Telephone +91 11 331 7804 to 7823 ext. 26376
Fax: +91 11 3318607, +91 11 3327972
E-mail: thompsont@whosea.org