It is a shame that in a place like Goa that is blessed with so much rain in the months of June/July/August that this is not being harvested adequately to serve the population through the dry spells of April and May. The citizens will do what they can - like those in Saligao. But the Government needs to take a lead here.
As Fred has said, the Govt. needs to FOCUS on this issue. Goa has sufficient human resources to be able to deal with this problem. We just need the will.
And, Oh! Yes!
VIVA GOA!!!
Tim de Mello [EMAIL PROTECTED] Goa, INDIA
From: " Cip" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Derek Almeida" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Gomantak Times" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"[EMAIL PROTECTED] Org" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Navhind Times" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Governments need to deliver water as a human right
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 22:05:23 +0100
Governments need to deliver water as a human right
"For the first time ever, World Water Day (22 March 2003) is being marked
this year with the knowledge that there is now a world-wide realization that
water is a human right. Human dignity is not possible without access to
clean water," said Didier Cherpitel, secretary general of the International
Federation.
Uli Jaspers, the head of the Federation delegation attending the World Water
Forum which closes in Kyoto, Japan, this weekend, said that the Forum needed
to signal to the world that governments are going to be held more
accountable on the provision of clean drinking water to the 1.1 billion
people who do not have access to it.
"Too little progress is being made in delivering water and decent sanitation
to poor households. It is hard to believe that in the 21st century 2.4
billion people do not have access to a safe latrine. If the World Water
Forum is to achieve anything then it must persuade the 145 countries who
have signed up to water as a human right to take all reasonable steps to
improve access to clean water," said Jaspers.
The International Federation's water and sanitation co-ordinators from
around the world are also meeting in Kyoto this weekend to discuss how the
Federation's 178 member National Societies can support implementation of the
UN's recent acceptance of water as a human right.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recently stated that "the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses." The 145 countries who are signatories to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights are required to "move as expeditiously and effectively as possible towards the full realization of the right to water."
"This encourages us all, particularly humanitarian organizations, to partner
with governments to ensure that they can deliver against this commitment
particularly to vulnerable populations. The Federation itself will then be
able to achieve more in this area where we are already delivering 20 million
litres of water per day to some one million people around the world," said
Jaspers.
Forwarded by: Cipriano Fernandes London
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