MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Billson
The Australian Government's aid program, AusAID, has released a Safe Water Guide aimed at saving lives by improving the quality of drinking water in developing countries, the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Bruce Billson, announced today.
'Although Australians enjoy a high standard of drinking water, more than 1.1 billion people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water and nearly two and a half billion do not have adequate sanitation,' Mr Billson said.
'With the Australian government having invested more than $260 million since 2003 in water related projects, the Safe Water Guide brings together all we have learned and aims to make a real contribution to communities in need of improved water quality.
'The Safe Water Guide aims to address critical clean water shortages by adopting a risk management approach to water quality, incorporating best practice principles from the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the World Health Organisation,' Mr Billson said.
'With the launch of the Guide, developing countries tackling water challenges can not only benefit from our direct financial support, but by drawing from the know how we have gained over many years of practical construction work in this important field.
'Poor quality drinking water is a major cause of sickness and even death in some countries and is closely linked to causes of poverty,' Mr Billson said.
'The guide shows ways of identifying where problems are likely to occur in the water supply chain and suggests how problems can be averted by careful planning and management.
'The Australian Government initiative contains important information to protect people from harmful pathogenic microorganisms and develop systems with early warning signals for possible contamination points.
'Australia has extensive experience through the aid program, working with developing countries to bring clean, safe drinking water to communities. The Safe Water Guide will further enhance this knowledge and improve lives in the region,' Mr Billson said.
In 2004-05, Australia will spend an estimated $135 million on water and sanitation programs, mainly in the Asia Pacific region.
Media inquiries:
Shane Fairlie (Mr Billson's office) 0408 680 442
AusAID (Public Affairs) 0417 680 590