Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the International Water Issues Category
Click here to view all posts

World Bank appeals for water investment

Posted by: Maven on March 17, 2009 at 4:22 pm

From the Associated Press:

ISTANBUL (AP) — The global economic crisis threatens to shrink investment in water infrastructure, an already underfunded sector vital to growth and public health, the World Bank said Tuesday

The first global economic contraction since World War II threatens to overshadow the scarcity of clean water in many poor regions, where inadequate sanitation is a major cause of deadly disease and a drag on economic development. The United Nations says the total cost of replacing aging water supply and sanitation infrastructure in industrial countries could be as high as $200 billion per year.

Jamal Saghir, director of energy, transport and water at the World Bank, said there were not significant funds earmarked for water investment in the stimulus packages of the United States and other countries fighting the economic meltdown. He appealed for greater efficiency in water management.

“We can do more with the same or even less,” he said in an address to a packed auditorium at the World Water Forum, a weeklong global conference that is held every three years to issue recommendations on how governments should conserve, manage and supply water. It ends March 22.

Read more from the Associated Press by clicking here.

March 17, 2009 · Filed Under International Water Issues

Comments

Leave a Reply