[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 114 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1208-E1209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE IMPACT OF U.S. INTERNATIONAL WATER PROGRAMS ON HEALTH

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, two years ago, the subcommittee 
that I chair held a hearing on U.S. Africa programs and found that the 
unitary water budget line item had been ``zeroed out.'' Needless to 
say, members of our subcommittee were astonished that such an important 
segment of our foreign policy was seemingly being abandoned. We were 
assured that the money for international water programs did not 
disappear, but was merely redistributed among several programs. The 
hearing that we held yesterday was intended to look at how effective 
this strategy has been and to look at how our government's 
international water programs will be implemented in the future.
   Water is undeniably important to health and the very survival of 
human beings. Water comprises more than two thirds of human body 
weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. The human brain 
is 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body's 
water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, 
trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such 
as a computer screen. Water is important to the mechanics of the human 
body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without 
gas and oil.
   It is, therefore, troubling that so many people in the world do not 
have ready access to water. According to a 2012 report released by the 
World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund, 
roughly 780 million people around the world lack access to clean 
drinking water, and an estimated 2.5 billion people (roughly 40% of the 
world's population) are without access to safe sanitation facilities. 
Tainted water and unsanitary practices are at the root of many health 
problems in the developing world and are hindering U.S. and 
international global health efforts.
   In a June 27th hearing on neglected diseases, the subcommittee heard 
testimony on the WHO list of 17 neglected tropical diseases--three of 
which are primarily water-borne. However, there are dozens of other 
diseases transmitted through contaminated water, including botulism, 
cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, polio and SARS.

[[Page E1209]]

   WHO estimates that more than 14,000 people die daily from water-
borne illnesses, which cause:
   More than 1 billion cases of intestinal worms, 1.4 million child 
diarrheal deaths and 500,000 deaths from malaria.
   Moreover, water is at the root of international conflict. A growing 
number of conflicts are exacerbated by limited access to water. 
Increasing demand and greater variability in rainfall can inflame 
tensions, such as the concern Egypt has expressed about the impact of 
the Nile's flow due to Ethiopia's proposed Grand Renaissance Dam.
   Although water circulates, returning to availability through various 
natural processes as evaporation, clouds and rain, only about 2.5 
percent of the planet's water is fresh rather than salty, and less than 
half that amount is available in rivers, lakes and underground 
aquifers. Pollution consumes some of the available water from 
industrial or agricultural runoff. An estimated 40 percent of U.S. 
rivers and 46 percent of U.S. lakes are considered unfit for fishing, 
swimming or drinking, and we are a developed country with significant 
resources. Developing countries too often don't keep adequate track of 
the extent of pollution nor have the ability to adequately do something 
about it. Other constraints on the global supply of water include 
efforts to privatize water systems in the developing world and the 
encroachment of salt water into fresh water systems.
   The challenges to ensuring that clean water is available to people 
in developing countries are serious. That is why new legislation is 
being developed--The Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 
2013--intended to support the original 2005 act by strengthening and 
refining its implementation. The new bill calls on USAID to continue to 
observe the Water for the Poor Act of 2005 in the implementation of its 
Water and Development Strategy. The bill would elevate the positions of 
our first two witnesses today--the USAID Global Water Coordinator and 
the State Department Special Advisor for Water Resources to report 
directly to the Administrator of USAID and Secretary of State 
respectively. Among other provisions, the bill requires local 
consultation on water management and usage and encourages local 
contracting on water, sanitation and hygiene projects. I am co-
sponsoring this legislation because water is life, and we must be as 
efficient as possible in our efforts to provide clean water to those in 
need worldwide.

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