The importance of clean water for sustainable development is the focus of World Water Day on 22 March. Despite positive developments concerning the access to drinking water and sanitation, more than two billion people still lack safe access to drinking water, according to the United Nations World Water Report 2020. Over four billion people, more than half of the world’s population, lack safe access to sanitation services. The pressure on our planet’s most precious resource continues to grow.
COVID-19, climate change and steady population growth have further worsened access to clean water and sanitation in the poorest regions of the world. This makes cooperation within the international community in this area all the more important. Austria is making a significant contribution internationally and on site to help achieve a breakthrough for the human right to clean drinking water,
says Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
Girls and women who are responsible for fetching water are particularly affected by water scarcity and shortages – leaving them less time for attending school or paid work. Each year, nearly one million people die from a disease that can be attributed to the lack of access to clean water and sanitation services. Every day, nearly 1,000 children lose their lives because of preventable diarrhoeal diseases.
The World Water Day puts the spotlight on the sixth of the 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to lead to universal and equitable access to clean water for all.
The projects and programmes we support in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene contribute to achieving this goal by 2030. This year, we have 6.8 million euros available for the water sector,
emphasises Martin Ledolter, Managing Director of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the agency of the Austrian Development Cooperation.
Drought, floods and a devastating locust plague in 2020 caused massive damage in Ethiopia, a priority country of the Austrian Development Cooperation. The conflict in Tigray, the protracted IDP situation and COVID-19 further aggravate the existing challenges. With financial support from Austria, the aid organisation CARE helps to alleviate the concerning situation of Ethiopians chronically affected by food insecurity and drought.
For example, between October 2017 and February 2021, CARE built 134 water points and installed twelve solar-powered water supply systems in East and West Belesa in the northern Amhara region, and 208 existing systems were expanded. 43 representatives of local authorities and 3,839 members received training. They are now improving the management of water resources and the operation/maintenance of the supply systems. A total of 115,438 people benefit from the improved water supply.
In the Republic of Moldova, too, ADA is helping to expand access to clean water and set up sanitation systems. In this other priority country of the Austrian Development Cooperation, only about 2.3 percent of the rural population is connected to a functioning sewage system. Untreated sewage is a major environmental problem. To change this, ADA is currently implementing a four-year project with a budget of over seven million euros for the European Union. The aim of the initiative is to improve drinking water supply and sanitation services in the small town of Cantemir and its surrounding villages. Specifically, a functioning sewage system including a wastewater treatment plant and sewerage system is being built and the drinking water supply optimised. The project is intended to serve as a model for sustainable wastewater disposal and sanitation services for other regions in Moldova. Around 5,000 people benefit from the improved sanitation infrastructure.
