“Almost 1.4 million people die every year due to diseases linked to polluted drinkable water ; 3 persons out of 10 don’t have access to clean water and 6 persons out of 10 don’t have access to proper sanitation services. The lack of drinkable water or its contamination are responsible for the death of the highest number of children on a global scale. Thus we destroy hope » declared Italy’s Environment Minister Sergio Costa during his participation in UNESCO’s International Water Conference in Paris.
« Water crises are responsible for the displacement of 70 million peoples each year, and this figure has doubled over the last 50 years. The latter also cause bloody conflicts, with a 150% increase between 2000 and 2018. Access to water is a basic human right, however it is still treated by some as a commodity on which one can speculate like another average good on the market ».
“Water management is a challenge which requires an engaged and joint action from institutions and citizens, just like air pollution » .
«We must – declared the Minister –develop a control system for water supply, management and distribution in order to fight aggregation mechanisms among water management entities which tend to push for its extreme privatization with severe consequences for local populations ; curb water waste with state-of-the-art technologies; encourage investment for the modernization of water networks; make water management data available for the population. Last but not least, it is crucial to plan and approve international and national laws to make sure that water is an inalienable public right. Italy is fully engaged to this end on an international, European and global level. Such a draft provision is currently debated by Italy’s parliament – declared the Minister. Water is life and those who speculate on water are against mankind. Italy doesn’t want to be responsible for such suffering in the world”.
For more information:
