|
The
year 2002 will be a landmark year for the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry. Through integrated governance we are delivering a better life
for all.
This year sees the confluence of a number of programmes and events that
will
expediteservice delivery, consolidate policy and focus on safe water
supply and
sanitation as both a basic human right and a key to poverty reduction.
Our Free Basic Water Programme makes
available 6 000 litres of safe water
per household per month to 58% (26 million) of our people as at February
2002.
Our Communication and Education Campaigns will
continue to develop awareness around
integrated, sustainable water resource management and highlight the links
between water,
sanitation and basic human needs.
Our Women in Water Award will be
launched this year. It will acknowledge the
participationof both professional and community-based women in the water
sector by
recognising their contributions to research, policy, management and
community
development.
Our Cholera Prevention Campaign will
continue to target communities at risk with
support and education, emphasising the three barriers to water-borne
diseases:
safe water, sanitation and hygiene awareness.
Our Public Consultation Process will this
year focus on two major
issues: our Water Services Policy Review and our National Water
Resource Strategy, the latter is key to the development of industry
and agriculture.
Our Delivery of Basic Water Services remains on
target to
reach 14 million people by 2008. Over 7 million people
already have access to safe water where there was no service
before. Water, sanitation and hygiene are entry points for
poverty alleviation. Safe water and sanitation facilities are
basic human rights that safeguard health and human dignity.
Yet there remain 1,1 billion people on Earth without access to safe
water supply and over 2,4 billion people without adequate sanitation.
This
year we launch the WASH Campaign (Water,
Sanitation &
Hygiene for All) in South Africa. By doing so we join the UN's Water
Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council in a global alliance for
making
safe water, sanitation and hygiene a reality for all people on earth.
Finally,
the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development
is an opportunity to interrogate and consolidate our approach on the
global
development stage. Our premise is that sustainable development globally
can
only be achieved through poverty eradication in the developing world.
Ronnie
Kasrils
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry
|
