U.A.E.’s water projects worldwide surpass Dh 1 billion in 61 countries: MICAD

Dubai (WAM): Despite the notable progress in achieving the seventh goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Ensure Environmental Sustainability, which aims to reduce the loss of the environmental resources and biodiversity, improving access to water supplies and sanitation services, and improve the livelihoods of the slum dwellers; there are, still, 748 million people around the world don’t have access to safe and clean drinking water, according to a report issued yesterday by Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (MICAD). 1,400 children are dying, every day, because of the water-borne diseases due to the contaminated water or insufficient sanitation facilities. The report, which MICAD issued simultaneously with the recent initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai, U.A.E. Water Aid (U.A.E. Suqia), indicated that more than 40% of people who don’t have access to clean drinking water lives in Africa according to sources in United Nation Development Program (UNDP) and UNICEF. The report also reviewed U.A.E.’s efforts in providing foreign water aid, which included basic water supplies projects, digging wells, developing rivers basins, general hygiene, large scale water supply systems, large scale general hygiene systems and conservation of water resources in more than 61 countries, during the period from 2009 to 2013, at a cost exceeded Dh1 billion. Top recipient countries of water projects includes: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Somalia and Sudan. In addition to water projects in West Africa countries, such as Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Burundi, who have received assessed support for water projects. The report indicated that the impact of U.A.E.’s funded water projects is not limited to reducing the time taken for bringing water only, rather it goes beyond that to the healthy, social, economic and educational aspects. Whereas, U.A.E.’s funded water projects have contributed in improving the enrolment rates of the school students, and for girls and women joining rates to adult literacy classes. In rural areas around the world, children, especially girls and women, are engaging in a daily journey searching for water, and spending long hours that force them to miss opportunities of education and improving their livelihoods. The report also showed that U.A.E. funded water projects helped in improving the personal hygiene, which reduced infections of hygiene related diseases. In addition, the availability of water resource saved some time for women to take care of their children and families, which led to improve maternity and child health, and providing more time for the family to engage in income- generating activities. Also water availability helped in reducing the struggle over the water. As U.A.E. has provided more water resources in over 61 countries around the world, this helped in reducing conflicts, providing security and peace. The report, which was issued by Ministry of International Cooperation and Development, has commended the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, U.A.E. President, for implementing the U.A.E.- Pakistan Assistance Program, which included implementing 76 water projects, with a cost of Dh 25 million, including digging wells, installing water desalination and purifying plants, building water pumps and reservoirs, extending pipe networks for providing water to inhabitants, providing safe drinking water to some of 19,729 homes, inhabited with around 118,374 people. U.A.E.’s aid for establishing dams and major water projects are not limited to drinking water only, but for agriculture and hydroelectric power too. These projects had a great impact, for example, Merowe Dam in Sudan, which U.A.E. has contributed in its funding, is providing energy of 1250 MW and irrigating 300,000 hectare of cultivated land. – Emirates News Agency, WAM