Want raise, build toilet at home, says Chamba order
Times of India: Yudhvir Rana, TNN, Feb 22, 2011, 04.18am IST
AMRITSAR: A word of caution from the Himachal Pradesh government for its employees. They can lose their annual increment, face penalty and be charge-sheeted if they do not have a toilet at their homes.
With a view to make Total Sanitation Campaign Scheme a result-oriented drive, the Chamba administration instructed all its government employees to ensure that they construct a toilet in their homes if they wanted to avoid penalties and departmental action against them.
Full story: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Want-raise-build-toilet-at-home-says-Chamba-order/articleshow/7543963.cms
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Two new papers from the group
Bacterial hand contamination among Tanzanian mothers varies temporally
and following household activities
Amy J. Pickering, Timothy R. Julian, Simon Mamuya, Alexandria B.
Boehm, Jennifer Davis
Abstract
Objective: To characterize mechanisms of hand contamination with
faecal indicator bacteria and to assess the presence of selected
pathogens on mothers’ hands in Tanzania.
Methods: A household observational study combined with repeated
microbiological hand rinse sampling was conducted among 119 mothers in
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. All hand rinse samples were analysed for
enterococci and Escherichia coli, and selected samples were analysed
for genetic markers of Bacteroidales, enterovirus and pathogenic E.
coli.
Results: Using the toilet, cleaning up a child’s faeces, sweeping,
cleaning dishes, preparing food and bathing were all found to increase
faecal indicator bacterial levels on hands. Geometric mean increases
in colony forming units per two hands ranged from 50 (cleaning dishes)
to 6310 (food preparation). Multivariate modelling of hand faecal
indicator bacteria as a function of activities recently performed
shows that food handling, exiting the household premises and longer
time since last handwashing with soap are positively associated with
bacterial levels on hands, while bathing is negatively associated.
Genetic markers of Bacteroidales, enterovirus and pathogenic E. coli
were each detected on a subset of mothers’ hands.
Conclusions: Escherichia coli and enterococci on hands can be
significantly increased by various household activities, including
those involving the use of soap and water. Thus, faecal indicator
bacteria should be considered highly variable when used as indicators
of handwashing behaviour. This work corroborates hands as important
vectors of disease among Tanzanian mothers and highlights the
difficulty of good personal hygiene in an environment characterized by
the lack of networked sanitation and water supply services.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02677.x/full
The Effects of Informational Interventions on Household Water
Management, Hygiene Behaviors, Stored Drinking Water Quality, and Hand
Contamination in Peri-Urban Tanzania
By Jennifer Davis, Amy J. Pickering, Kirsten Rogers, Simon Mamuya, and
Alexandria B. Boehm
Abstract: Safe water storage and hand hygiene have been shown to
reduce fecal contamination and improve health in experimental
settings; however, triggering and sustaining such behaviors is
challenging. This study investigates the extent to which personalized
information about Escherichia coli contamination of stored water and
hands influenced knowledge, reported behaviors, and subsequent
contamination levels among 334 households with less than 5-year-old
children in peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. One-quarter of the
study participants received information about strategies to reduce
risk of water- and sanitation-related illness. Respondents in another
three study cohorts received this same information, along with their
household's water and/or hand-rinse test results. Findings from this
study suggest that additional work is needed to elucidate the
conditions under which such testing represents a cost-effective
strategy to motivate improved household water management and hand
hygiene.
http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/2/184
and following household activities
Amy J. Pickering, Timothy R. Julian, Simon Mamuya, Alexandria B.
Boehm, Jennifer Davis
Abstract
Objective: To characterize mechanisms of hand contamination with
faecal indicator bacteria and to assess the presence of selected
pathogens on mothers’ hands in Tanzania.
Methods: A household observational study combined with repeated
microbiological hand rinse sampling was conducted among 119 mothers in
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. All hand rinse samples were analysed for
enterococci and Escherichia coli, and selected samples were analysed
for genetic markers of Bacteroidales, enterovirus and pathogenic E.
coli.
Results: Using the toilet, cleaning up a child’s faeces, sweeping,
cleaning dishes, preparing food and bathing were all found to increase
faecal indicator bacterial levels on hands. Geometric mean increases
in colony forming units per two hands ranged from 50 (cleaning dishes)
to 6310 (food preparation). Multivariate modelling of hand faecal
indicator bacteria as a function of activities recently performed
shows that food handling, exiting the household premises and longer
time since last handwashing with soap are positively associated with
bacterial levels on hands, while bathing is negatively associated.
Genetic markers of Bacteroidales, enterovirus and pathogenic E. coli
were each detected on a subset of mothers’ hands.
Conclusions: Escherichia coli and enterococci on hands can be
significantly increased by various household activities, including
those involving the use of soap and water. Thus, faecal indicator
bacteria should be considered highly variable when used as indicators
of handwashing behaviour. This work corroborates hands as important
vectors of disease among Tanzanian mothers and highlights the
difficulty of good personal hygiene in an environment characterized by
the lack of networked sanitation and water supply services.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02677.x/full
The Effects of Informational Interventions on Household Water
Management, Hygiene Behaviors, Stored Drinking Water Quality, and Hand
Contamination in Peri-Urban Tanzania
By Jennifer Davis, Amy J. Pickering, Kirsten Rogers, Simon Mamuya, and
Alexandria B. Boehm
Abstract: Safe water storage and hand hygiene have been shown to
reduce fecal contamination and improve health in experimental
settings; however, triggering and sustaining such behaviors is
challenging. This study investigates the extent to which personalized
information about Escherichia coli contamination of stored water and
hands influenced knowledge, reported behaviors, and subsequent
contamination levels among 334 households with less than 5-year-old
children in peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. One-quarter of the
study participants received information about strategies to reduce
risk of water- and sanitation-related illness. Respondents in another
three study cohorts received this same information, along with their
household's water and/or hand-rinse test results. Findings from this
study suggest that additional work is needed to elucidate the
conditions under which such testing represents a cost-effective
strategy to motivate improved household water management and hand
hygiene.
http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/2/184
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Toilet envy?
Toilet Worship
By KUMIKO MAKIHARA
Published: February 1, 2011
“There’s a beautiful, beautiful goddess in the toilet. Clean it every day, and you’ll be beautiful like the goddess.”
Tokyo So sings Kana Uemura, her rich, melodious voice soaring in the ode to her deceased grandmother. In a nearly 10-minute-long ballad, Uemura describes her regret over drifting apart from the old woman who encouraged her to overcome a reluctance to scrub the bowl.
Despite the scatological subject matter, that song was one of the biggest hits in Japan last year. Or perhaps I should say, because of the subject matter.
Toilets hold a special place for the Japanese. They are pinnacles of high technology, personal comfort and even national pride. At last year’s Shanghai Expo, INAX Corporation displayed their gold-plated Regio model in an exhibit titled “World’s Top Lavatory.” According to a government survey, more than 70 percent of Japanese households have a high-tech toilet, commonly called a Washlet after the brand name of the major manufacturer TOTO.
Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/opinion/02iht-edmakihara02.html
By KUMIKO MAKIHARA
Published: February 1, 2011
“There’s a beautiful, beautiful goddess in the toilet. Clean it every day, and you’ll be beautiful like the goddess.”
Tokyo So sings Kana Uemura, her rich, melodious voice soaring in the ode to her deceased grandmother. In a nearly 10-minute-long ballad, Uemura describes her regret over drifting apart from the old woman who encouraged her to overcome a reluctance to scrub the bowl.
Despite the scatological subject matter, that song was one of the biggest hits in Japan last year. Or perhaps I should say, because of the subject matter.
Toilets hold a special place for the Japanese. They are pinnacles of high technology, personal comfort and even national pride. At last year’s Shanghai Expo, INAX Corporation displayed their gold-plated Regio model in an exhibit titled “World’s Top Lavatory.” According to a government survey, more than 70 percent of Japanese households have a high-tech toilet, commonly called a Washlet after the brand name of the major manufacturer TOTO.
Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/opinion/02iht-edmakihara02.html
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
ATMs & public toilets
Study: ATMs as Dirty as Public Toilets
Samples taken from public restrooms and ATMs were found to contain pseudomonads and bacillus, bacteria that are known to cause sickness.
ATM keypads are as dirty as public toilet seats, according to a recent study by British researchers. Researchers first took swabs from keypads of ATMs around England then took similar swabs from the seats of public toilets and compared the bacteria.
The samples from both locations were found to contain pseudomonads and bacillus, bacteria that are known to cause sickness.
''We were interested in comparing the levels of bacterial contamination between heavily used ATM machines and public lavatories,” said Dr. Richard Hasting, microbiologist for BioCote. “We were surprised by our results because the ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria; to the same level as nearby public lavatories.
''In addition, the bacteria we detected on ATMs were similar to those from the toilet, which are well known as causes of common human illnesses.''
BioCote carried out the swab tests after they conducted a survey which revealed people consider public lavatories to be the biggest health risk. ATM pin pads and cash machines ranked tenth place in the survey as health risks.
''It's ironic that while people perceive chip and pin pads to be the least dirtiest, our swabbing experiments have actually shown them to be dirtier than public lavatories,” Hasting said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8250930/Cash-machines-as-dirty-as-toilets.html
Samples taken from public restrooms and ATMs were found to contain pseudomonads and bacillus, bacteria that are known to cause sickness.
ATM keypads are as dirty as public toilet seats, according to a recent study by British researchers. Researchers first took swabs from keypads of ATMs around England then took similar swabs from the seats of public toilets and compared the bacteria.
The samples from both locations were found to contain pseudomonads and bacillus, bacteria that are known to cause sickness.
''We were interested in comparing the levels of bacterial contamination between heavily used ATM machines and public lavatories,” said Dr. Richard Hasting, microbiologist for BioCote. “We were surprised by our results because the ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria; to the same level as nearby public lavatories.
''In addition, the bacteria we detected on ATMs were similar to those from the toilet, which are well known as causes of common human illnesses.''
BioCote carried out the swab tests after they conducted a survey which revealed people consider public lavatories to be the biggest health risk. ATM pin pads and cash machines ranked tenth place in the survey as health risks.
''It's ironic that while people perceive chip and pin pads to be the least dirtiest, our swabbing experiments have actually shown them to be dirtier than public lavatories,” Hasting said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8250930/Cash-machines-as-dirty-as-toilets.html
Saturday, January 15, 2011
It takes all kinds.
Toilet-themed restaurant in China flushed with success
Times of India
Beijing Diners in China are overcoming their reservations by flocking to a new toilet-themed restaurant where business is booming.
Customers at the Modern Toilet restaurant, in Kunming, Yunnan province, eat on seats converted from toilets.
Urinals hang on the walls as decorations and signature dishes include 'excrement ice cream', 'toilet bowl hot pot' and 'fried poo sticks'.
Owner Xu Liang says the restaurant has proved more popular than expected with students, in particular, keen to try the experience.
"We had a survey before opening, and 20 per cent of people wanted to try it, 60 per cent weren't sure, while only 20 per cent found the idea unacceptable," he said.
"Sometimes unusual combinations can work. A toilet and a restaurant are complete opposites but combined together they make for a unique experience."
Regular customer Yang Siwen, a university student, has eaten at the restaurant three times since it opened two weeks ago.
"I originally went in because I thought it was a toilet but then discovered it was a restaurant and decided to give it a try," she said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/art-culture/Toilet-themed-restaurant-in-China-flushed-with-success/articleshow/7290970.cms
Times of India
Beijing Diners in China are overcoming their reservations by flocking to a new toilet-themed restaurant where business is booming.
Customers at the Modern Toilet restaurant, in Kunming, Yunnan province, eat on seats converted from toilets.
Urinals hang on the walls as decorations and signature dishes include 'excrement ice cream', 'toilet bowl hot pot' and 'fried poo sticks'.
Owner Xu Liang says the restaurant has proved more popular than expected with students, in particular, keen to try the experience.
"We had a survey before opening, and 20 per cent of people wanted to try it, 60 per cent weren't sure, while only 20 per cent found the idea unacceptable," he said.
"Sometimes unusual combinations can work. A toilet and a restaurant are complete opposites but combined together they make for a unique experience."
Regular customer Yang Siwen, a university student, has eaten at the restaurant three times since it opened two weeks ago.
"I originally went in because I thought it was a toilet but then discovered it was a restaurant and decided to give it a try," she said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/art-culture/Toilet-themed-restaurant-in-China-flushed-with-success/articleshow/7290970.cms
Friday, January 14, 2011
News post
Kenya
Panic as water supply cut over a Sh70m debt
The water supply for the entire lower Coast Province was on Friday disconnected over a Sh70 million debt.
The Water Resources Management Authority disconnected supplies at the Baricho Water Works, sparking panic. Beach hotels, currently enjoying more than 95 per cent bed occupancy, were particularly hard hit.
Coast Water Services Board (CWSB) chief executive Andy Maro Tola told journalists that the authority was owed more than Sh40 million.
The authority, however, said it is owed Sh70 million.
“We are disputing this amount,” said Mr Tola. The authority descended on the water works in the morning and cut off supply.
The Baricho Works supply water to Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Mtwapa and parts of Kisauni District.
On Thursday, the authority disconnected supplies at the Marere, Msambweni and Tiwi water works, which serve the South Coast.
Mr Tola said the CWSB is owed millions of shillings by government institutions.
Paid outstanding bills
But the authority’s chairman, Mr Francis Nyenze, said: “The board collects lots of money from district water companies, why don’t they pay their debts?”
Malindi Water and Sewerage Company chief executive Johnson Randu said they had paid all their outstanding bills to the water board.
“We are caught between a rock and a hard place,” he said.
Kenya Hotel Keepers and Caterers Association National chairman Titus Kangangi said the authority and the board should engage in talks since water consumers pay promptly on demand.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Panic%20as%20water%20supply%20cut%20over%20a%20Sh70m%20debt%20/-/1056/1089890/-/14k4hrp/-/
******
U.S. orders more testing of chromium-6 in tap water
The Environmental Protection Agency has asked local US communities to test more carefully for hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen.
After preliminary health studies, the EPA opted Wednesday to classify the chemical known as chromium-6 as one likely to cause cancer in humans when ingested over the course of a lifetime.
It adopted a rule of a maximum 100 parts per billion, and urged managers of water systems with their source in ground water be tested two times a year, versus four times a year for systems with surface water sources.
"EPA's latest data show that no public water systems are in violation of the standard," the agency said in a statement.
Still, a private US environmental group has found that drinking water in many American cities contains hexavalent chromium, The Washington Post reported last month.
The study by the Environmental Working Group — the first nationwide analysis measuring the presence of the chemical in US water systems — found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of 35 cities sampled.
Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California, which has been aggressively trying to reduce the chemical in its water supply.
Hexavalent chromium has long been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, and scientists recently found evidence that it causes cancer in laboratory animals when ingested. It has been linked to liver and kidney damage in animals, as well as leukemia, stomach cancer and other cancers.
A widely used industrial chemical until the early 1990s, hexavalent chromium is still used in some industries, including chrome plating and the manufacturing of plastics and dyes. The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores.
The chemical compound was first made famous in the hit 2000 Hollywood movie "Erin Brockovich" about the eponymous environmental crusader.
http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/us-orders-more-testing-of-chromium-6-in-tap-water
*******
Kenya: Researchers Seek Ways to Improve Water Supply Using Mobile Phones
Nairobi — Researchers are working to use the mobile phone to enhance water management in Kenya.
A team of experts from the University of Oxford, Rural Focus Limited (Kenya) and ZamDex in Zambia hopes to use the opportunities the handset presents.
The Smart Water Systems will exploit innovations in metering and communications to improve water supplies and management.
By the end of this year more Kenyan households would have mobile phones than access to enough safe water, but this can change.
"Africa may soon lead the world in the adoption of new technologies to address its oldest problem -- insufficient access to water," they said.
The group's work is financed by the UK through the Department for International Development.
The team has fingered Kenya and Zambia as being "particularly interesting case studies" and a workshop will take place today in Nairobi.
Present will include Ministry of Water and Irrigation as well as water services boards staff, service providers, mobile telephone operators, banks and donor agencies.
Water Services Regulatory Board CEO Robert Gakubia said the smart water systems could improve Kenya's water supplies.
"There is no transparency without information, which means that information is key to good governance in the water sector."Mr Gabukia is expected to deliver a keynote address.
The goal of the workshop is to provide a platform on how smart water system can lead to increased accountability and improved water supply and the problems in achieving these.
The experts reiterate that the approach would lead to smart metering and payment using mobile banking.
"Smart water system offers the potential to improve the lives of millions of Kenyans who are able to pay for their water provided they receive it in a sustainable, affordable and acceptable manner," an expert said.
The system would improve water conservation by discouraging waste since data would provide information on availability and use.
Finance and operations would be improved by reducing un-accounted revenue. A pilot phase is planned as the second stage of the project.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201101140168.html
********
Study Compares Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs to Traditional Hand Washing
Researchers conducted a study to see whether disinfection with an alcohol-based hand rub is more tolerable than traditional handwashing with mild soap and water, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The study was conducted through the summer and winter at nine healthcare sites and included 1,932 assessments. Results from the study showed traditional handwashing is a risk factor for skin dryness and irritation. On the other hand, alcohol-based hand rubs caused no skin irritation or dryness and could possible have a protective effect.
http://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553%2810%2900604-8/abstract
*******
Panic as water supply cut over a Sh70m debt
The water supply for the entire lower Coast Province was on Friday disconnected over a Sh70 million debt.
The Water Resources Management Authority disconnected supplies at the Baricho Water Works, sparking panic. Beach hotels, currently enjoying more than 95 per cent bed occupancy, were particularly hard hit.
Coast Water Services Board (CWSB) chief executive Andy Maro Tola told journalists that the authority was owed more than Sh40 million.
The authority, however, said it is owed Sh70 million.
“We are disputing this amount,” said Mr Tola. The authority descended on the water works in the morning and cut off supply.
The Baricho Works supply water to Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Mtwapa and parts of Kisauni District.
On Thursday, the authority disconnected supplies at the Marere, Msambweni and Tiwi water works, which serve the South Coast.
Mr Tola said the CWSB is owed millions of shillings by government institutions.
Paid outstanding bills
But the authority’s chairman, Mr Francis Nyenze, said: “The board collects lots of money from district water companies, why don’t they pay their debts?”
Malindi Water and Sewerage Company chief executive Johnson Randu said they had paid all their outstanding bills to the water board.
“We are caught between a rock and a hard place,” he said.
Kenya Hotel Keepers and Caterers Association National chairman Titus Kangangi said the authority and the board should engage in talks since water consumers pay promptly on demand.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Panic%20as%20water%20supply%20cut%20over%20a%20Sh70m%20debt%20/-/1056/1089890/-/14k4hrp/-/
******
U.S. orders more testing of chromium-6 in tap water
The Environmental Protection Agency has asked local US communities to test more carefully for hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen.
After preliminary health studies, the EPA opted Wednesday to classify the chemical known as chromium-6 as one likely to cause cancer in humans when ingested over the course of a lifetime.
It adopted a rule of a maximum 100 parts per billion, and urged managers of water systems with their source in ground water be tested two times a year, versus four times a year for systems with surface water sources.
"EPA's latest data show that no public water systems are in violation of the standard," the agency said in a statement.
Still, a private US environmental group has found that drinking water in many American cities contains hexavalent chromium, The Washington Post reported last month.
The study by the Environmental Working Group — the first nationwide analysis measuring the presence of the chemical in US water systems — found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of 35 cities sampled.
Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California, which has been aggressively trying to reduce the chemical in its water supply.
Hexavalent chromium has long been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, and scientists recently found evidence that it causes cancer in laboratory animals when ingested. It has been linked to liver and kidney damage in animals, as well as leukemia, stomach cancer and other cancers.
A widely used industrial chemical until the early 1990s, hexavalent chromium is still used in some industries, including chrome plating and the manufacturing of plastics and dyes. The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores.
The chemical compound was first made famous in the hit 2000 Hollywood movie "Erin Brockovich" about the eponymous environmental crusader.
http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/us-orders-more-testing-of-chromium-6-in-tap-water
*******
Kenya: Researchers Seek Ways to Improve Water Supply Using Mobile Phones
Nairobi — Researchers are working to use the mobile phone to enhance water management in Kenya.
A team of experts from the University of Oxford, Rural Focus Limited (Kenya) and ZamDex in Zambia hopes to use the opportunities the handset presents.
The Smart Water Systems will exploit innovations in metering and communications to improve water supplies and management.
By the end of this year more Kenyan households would have mobile phones than access to enough safe water, but this can change.
"Africa may soon lead the world in the adoption of new technologies to address its oldest problem -- insufficient access to water," they said.
The group's work is financed by the UK through the Department for International Development.
The team has fingered Kenya and Zambia as being "particularly interesting case studies" and a workshop will take place today in Nairobi.
Present will include Ministry of Water and Irrigation as well as water services boards staff, service providers, mobile telephone operators, banks and donor agencies.
Water Services Regulatory Board CEO Robert Gakubia said the smart water systems could improve Kenya's water supplies.
"There is no transparency without information, which means that information is key to good governance in the water sector."Mr Gabukia is expected to deliver a keynote address.
The goal of the workshop is to provide a platform on how smart water system can lead to increased accountability and improved water supply and the problems in achieving these.
The experts reiterate that the approach would lead to smart metering and payment using mobile banking.
"Smart water system offers the potential to improve the lives of millions of Kenyans who are able to pay for their water provided they receive it in a sustainable, affordable and acceptable manner," an expert said.
The system would improve water conservation by discouraging waste since data would provide information on availability and use.
Finance and operations would be improved by reducing un-accounted revenue. A pilot phase is planned as the second stage of the project.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201101140168.html
********
Study Compares Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs to Traditional Hand Washing
Researchers conducted a study to see whether disinfection with an alcohol-based hand rub is more tolerable than traditional handwashing with mild soap and water, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The study was conducted through the summer and winter at nine healthcare sites and included 1,932 assessments. Results from the study showed traditional handwashing is a risk factor for skin dryness and irritation. On the other hand, alcohol-based hand rubs caused no skin irritation or dryness and could possible have a protective effect.
http://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553%2810%2900604-8/abstract
*******
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
5th Annual Water for the Poor Report
U.S. State Department Releases Fifth Annual Water for the Poor Report
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC, August 16, 2010
On August 13, 2010, the U.S. Department of State released the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor 2010 Report to Congress describing U.S. efforts to expand access to safe drinking water and sanitation, improve water resources management and increase water productivity in developing countries.
The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, to submit an annual report to Congress outlining the U.S. Government’s strategy and progress in achieving the objectives of the Act.
The United States is committed to reducing water-related diseases and to increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation in countries with critical needs. As Secretary Clinton noted on World Water Day (March 22, 2010): “It’s not every day you find an issue where effective diplomacy and development will allow you to save millions of lives, feed the hungry, empower women, advance our national security interests, protect the environment, and demonstrate to billions of people that the United States cares, cares about you and your welfare. Water is that issue.”
Key Results: In FY 2009, the United States (primarily through USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation) invested about $774 million for all water sector and sanitation-related activities in 62 developing countries. Of that amount, USAID invested more than $481 million in drinking water and sanitation-related activities. As a result of USAID investments, some 5.7 million people received improved access to safe drinking water and 1.3 million received improved access to sanitation during FY 2009. Other U.S. Government agencies made unique contributions to water and sanitation that greatly magnify our overall effectiveness. In many cases these agencies made both programmatic and non-financial contributions. From 2005 to 2009, the United States invested more than $3.4 billion for all water sector and sanitation related activities.
In her 2010 World Water Day speech, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton asked Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah to review current efforts and identify specific steps to strengthen the United States’ capacity to deliver sustainable, measurable results. This process is underway.
This and previous reports in response to the 2005 Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act can be found at:
http://www.state.gov/g/oes/water/index.htm.
For more information on the Department’s efforts on water, visit: http://www.state.gov/g/oes/c36032.htm
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC, August 16, 2010
On August 13, 2010, the U.S. Department of State released the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor 2010 Report to Congress describing U.S. efforts to expand access to safe drinking water and sanitation, improve water resources management and increase water productivity in developing countries.
The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, to submit an annual report to Congress outlining the U.S. Government’s strategy and progress in achieving the objectives of the Act.
The United States is committed to reducing water-related diseases and to increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation in countries with critical needs. As Secretary Clinton noted on World Water Day (March 22, 2010): “It’s not every day you find an issue where effective diplomacy and development will allow you to save millions of lives, feed the hungry, empower women, advance our national security interests, protect the environment, and demonstrate to billions of people that the United States cares, cares about you and your welfare. Water is that issue.”
Key Results: In FY 2009, the United States (primarily through USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation) invested about $774 million for all water sector and sanitation-related activities in 62 developing countries. Of that amount, USAID invested more than $481 million in drinking water and sanitation-related activities. As a result of USAID investments, some 5.7 million people received improved access to safe drinking water and 1.3 million received improved access to sanitation during FY 2009. Other U.S. Government agencies made unique contributions to water and sanitation that greatly magnify our overall effectiveness. In many cases these agencies made both programmatic and non-financial contributions. From 2005 to 2009, the United States invested more than $3.4 billion for all water sector and sanitation related activities.
In her 2010 World Water Day speech, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton asked Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah to review current efforts and identify specific steps to strengthen the United States’ capacity to deliver sustainable, measurable results. This process is underway.
This and previous reports in response to the 2005 Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act can be found at:
http://www.state.gov/g/oes/water/index.htm.
For more information on the Department’s efforts on water, visit: http://www.state.gov/g/oes/c36032.htm
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