[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 192 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE WATER FOR THE WORLD ACT OF 2012

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2011

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, as America prepares for the holiday 
season, it is important to pause and reflect on what we can do for 
others as well as ourselves. I hope that Congress will give a gift of 
life, health and hope by helping people around the world with something 
that most Americans take for granted: safe drinking water.
  Nearly 900 million of the world's poorest don't have clean drinking 
water, and fully 2.6 billion lack access to improved sanitation. This 
shortfall poses a significant challenge for development and security 
around the world, reinforcing a cycle of poverty and instability that 
represents both a humanitarian disaster and a national security threat.
  Water-related diseases are particularly brutal in how they target 
children: 90% of all deaths caused by diarrheal diseases are children 
under 5 years of age, mostly in developing countries. In all, 1.8 
million children under the age of 5 die every year, more than from 
AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. The economic impacts are 
devastating: inadequate sanitation in India alone costs that country 
$53.8 billion, or 6.4 percent of its GDP every year.
  What's more, dirty water directly affects every area of development. 
Children cannot attend school if they are sick from dirty water, and 
adults suffering from water-borne illnesses overwhelm hospitals and 
cannot go to work. Hours spent looking for and collecting clean water 
mean hours not spent adding to a family's economic well-being. In 
short, the best intentioned efforts at development fail if the basic 
necessity of clean water is not met.
  In this period of good tidings, there is good news with water. The 
solution to this problem is cheap and relatively straightforward. We 
don't have to spend millions searching for a cure. Sometimes something 
as simple as teaching the value of hand washing, or providing access to 
technology we already have is all it takes to save millions of lives 
and increase economic development. What we lack is leadership and 
accountability.
  It's time for Congress to act again. The Water for the World Act of 
2012 builds on current U.S. efforts to provide those in need with 
greater access to clean water and sanitation. And in this period of 
tight budgets, it is important that the Water for the World Act doesn't 
ask for any increase in funding, but rather improves the effectiveness, 
transparency and accountability of international aid programs. Given 
the strains on federal resources and the depth of need, it is essential 
that we are able to target our efforts more efficiently.
  The Water for the World Act also gives the State Department and U.S. 
Agency for International Development the tools needed to leverage the 
investments they are already making by elevating the current positions 
within the State Department and USAID to coordinate the diplomatic 
policy of the U.S. on global freshwater issues and to implement 
country-specific water strategies.
  There is nothing more fundamental to the human condition and global 
health than access to clean water and sanitation. More needs to be 
done, and it needs to be done well. Taxpayers are rightly demanding 
better results and greater transparency from foreign aid. This bill 
provides the tools and incentives to do just that.

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