Water, an essential commodity and scarce

Water is essential for life good and access is a human right
recognized by the international community. However, it is a scarce resource and
So every drop counts. Currently in the world, one in six people do not
access to drinking water and two in five lack adequate sanitation.
Only one fact: it takes on average 3,000 liters of water per person
generate the necessary products for our daily diet. And another:
only in Madrid, the average daily spending per capita is almost 300 liters.
Is not it a clear waste?

Today, water is an element of easy access,
for almost all the Spaniards who have it in
house requires only a gesture as simple as opening a tap, and
there it is: clean, abundant and inexhaustible appearance. However, water
It is a scarce commodity and a valuable resource that we must protect and not waste at all.
To do this, also in our hands performing other simple gestures.

Through an itinerary, wherein the information is
organized using water as a single thread, aspects develop more
directly related to water consumption in our daily lives
and saving measures that can be put into practice in the
housing and gardens.
 
Through the different thematic areas, world leaders (UN), as Europeans or
locals have clear the situation, although it seems often
not learn. But we must act now, individually and collectively, even starting
simple technologies, small changes in our habits
consumption and obviously taking a responsible approach, making it possible to use water
more efficiently in our homes without giving up the many services
provides.

Serve as an example, this fact: in the Community of Madrid,
in recent years, the average daily water spending
inhabitant was about 300 liters.

In our hands it is to reduce this amount (this information matches the content of the
exhibition of the same name, "Water: A scarce resource" produced by IFAD in 1999).

A global challenge.

The data are compelling and reflect a situation at all
lights, each day more scarce and injustice. Thus, and despite
the commitments made in the context of Objectives
Goals, on progress in coverage of services
supply and sanitation, the result is clearly
insufficient. Enabling the right of countries to water
drinking is a fact remains a chimera, and will be for
time, if we do not admit this fact collectively and individually
as a global challenge that concerns us all, more
or lesser degree. They talk about these data:

Every day, 3,800 children die from diseases associated
the lack of potable water and sanitation, while holding back
learning potential of over 150 million.

-Access To water and sanitation should be approached with criteria
equity, social participation and without commercial expectations in view of their consideration
as a human right. In this sense we must denounce some poor households reach
pay up to ten times more for water than those in the richest sectors.

-increasingly Regions dragging a situation of chronic water shortages there: almost all
the Near East, Pakistan, large areas of China and India, Mexico and Africa.
 
-The Water insecurity related to climate change threatens to increase
malnutrition figures, with a decrease of more than 25% in food production
various regions of the world. These data and many others refer to the need for greater cooperation
to ensure sustainable management that is fair and efficient, both internationally, nationally
home.
 
Therefore, on World Water Day 2007, member organizations CONGDE
(NGO Coordinator for Development Spain), made these demands on all actors involved in cooperation Spanish:
 
1. Comply with the special responsibility of the United Nations states in General Comment 15
2002 that developed countries are enjoined to assist countries with higher
deficit supply and sanitation "in providing technical and financial assistance and
the necessary assistance is requested ".

2. To promote in international fora implementation
effective human right to water, through international initiatives or legislation
Nationals of all countries, especially of those in
deficits in coverage are more extreme. In this sense, it is assessed as very positive
the initiative of the Ministry of Environment aimed to ensure a minimum water supply
Guaranteed residents in Spanish territory through consideration by the Act
Waters.

3. Integrate policies on water and sanitation in cooperation documents and reduction
poverty, mobilize resources and support planning processes national initiative.

4. CRETE, finally, a specific strategy for the sector
water supply and sanitation, as explicitly Plan
Director of the Spanish Cooperation.


The water should be good for everyone, something still far from reaching. Already in 2002, the Council
Economic and Social United Nations recognized in the General Comment 15, the Right
Human to Drinking Water and basic sanitation