Women Economists Call on U. S. Policy Makers to End Global Sanitation Crisis

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "The United States is a global leader in international development and global health, including water, sanitation and hygiene. These programs not only save lives, but improve national and global economies and increase the well-being of us all. It is critical that USAID continue to scale up its water, sanitation and hygiene programs, and at the same time. We must protect our current investments in developing countries' welfare; and ensure that the programs the U.S. supports are efficient, integrated, equitable, and inclusive, targeted well to those who will benefit most. With its impact, efficiency and leveraging power, water and sanitation are a critical starting point," Dr. David Winder, Chief Executive of WaterAid in America.

A new report Off-track, off-target: Why investment in water, sanitation and hygiene is not reaching those who need it most is being published by the international non-profit organization WaterAid for World Toilet Day on November 19. Accompanied by a letter from 34 female economists from around the world expressing support for safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene as a sound investment—for every $1 invested in $8 is returned in saved health care costs and increased economic productivity—the report shows that there are more people in the world today lacking adequate sanitation services than there were in 1990. Unless urgent action is taken by national and donor governments, nearly all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and many in South Asia will fail to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) pledge they made to halve the proportion of people without sanitation by 2015. Globally, around 2.6 billion people currently lack access to safe sanitation.

Based on WaterAid projections, it will be 2029 before Bangladesh meets its target on sanitation, while Nepal will not reach it until 2030 and India not until 2047. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa will not reach the sanitation target for another 200 years. All of this has massive consequences for child mortality: 4,000 children die worldwide every day from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

The Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act (S. 641), sponsored by Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Corker (R-TN) (forthcoming in the House, led by Congressman Blumenauer, D-OR), builds upon a 2005 law defining water, sanitation and hygiene as a U.S. foreign policy priority. The bill would use existing funds to improve the integration, equitability, and efficacy of current investments. WaterAid calls on Congress to prioritize this effort to improve ongoing international aid and address the global water and sanitation crisis.