IIMSAM Middle East Office Marked World Water Day
IIMSAM Middle East Director & Goodwill Ambassador Dr. Naseer Homoud's message on World Water Day. He urged for better water management and preservation policies. He maintained that water is the most precious element available for mankind and urged for global partnership to preserve this precious gift of nature for mankind.
- (1888PressRelease) March 22, 2011 - Observing the World Water Day Dr. Naseer Homoud, Goodwill Ambassador and Director of Middle East office for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), the Permanent Observer to the United Nations Economic and Social Council said "World Water Day highlights how the work of improving and sustaining the world's water quality is everyone's responsibility. We reflect on the importance of water and what we can do as individuals, and as a group, to protect this life-sustaining, fundamental resource".
Addressing the gathering assembled to mark this day Dr. Homoud said "his day has been celebrated since 1992 in order to focus attention on the critical importance of the planet's freshwater resources and to strongly advocate the cause of sustainable management of these resources. The quality of our freshwater resources is an important parameter to assess the status of our eco-systems and human well-being as it impacts upon human and animal health, food production, economic activity and biodiversity". Dr. Homoud urged that to safeguard our water resources the governments should implement the comprehensive approach to water, an approach that includes significant investments in water quality and quantity monitoring and science, contributions to addressing problem areas and the building of partnerships. "Water management is a shared responsibility, involving all levels of government and the international community so these partnerships are of great importance to us", said Dr. Homoud.
The availability of water and its access are fundamentally important conditions which help to guarantee not only the health of many children but also the development of communities. Until water is a right given to all, is difficult to imagine progress in health conditions and survival for millions of families Water will become even more endangered by environmental and climatic change. If the global community is not determined to resolve the problem of climate change, whole territories will become deserts without water. There will be a greater frequency and intensity of floods, and torrential rains will increase the incidence of illnesses that are carried in water and which are often deadly for children", stated Dr. Homoud. He underlined that water quality is key to human and ecosystem health, but lack of awareness on water quality issues and lack of capacity to safeguard water quality are major hurdles in addressing the problem".
The Millennium Development Goals have helped to highlight the importance of access to safe drinking water supplies and adequate sanitation, which undeniably separates people living healthy and productive lives from those living in poverty and who are most vulnerable to various life-threatening diseases. Making good on the global water and sanitation agenda is crucial to eradicating poverty and achieving the other development goals.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Homoud said "I look forward to the great news of the people from all across the globe working together in partnership to ensure that no child dies from a preventable water-related disease and that no girl fears going to school for lack of access to a separate toilet, that no family goes hungry because they can't grow the food they need to survive, and that those who are most in need have access to water, that most precious element of life."
He mentioned that in our rapidly urbanizing world, clean water is a precious commodity whose economic value is greater than the money gained from clearing the forests and wetlands that provide it. Several reports underline that intact forests and wetlands ensure clean and reliable drinking water. Poor environmental management of these ecosystems, however, tends to result in poor water quality. Significant amounts of money are spent rectifying this problem - often through expensive water treatment infrastructure. "Recent trends in water availability and its quality give significant cause for alarm. More than one in six people worldwide still do not have access to safe drinking water. Estimates suggest that by 2025 two thirds of the world's population will be living in areas of high water stress, with some 1.8 billion people living in regions with absolute water scarcity" said Dr. Homoud.
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