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- 10/05/2011: Presentation by Christian Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator, at The Water Institute, University of North Carolina - Turning Impossible Challenges into Solvable Problems
- 09/23/2011: Presentation by Christian Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Water Security for Women and Girls
- 09/23/2011: Better Irrigation Brings Better Life: USAID rebuilds karezes in Daman to improve agricultural output
- 09/22/2011: Podcast interview at CSIS with Chris Holmes on USAID's current work on Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Programming
- 09/22/2011: Presentation by Christian Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies - Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Programming
- 09/19/2011: Remarks by Christian Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator, at the Center for Environment and National Security - Water Security, Climate Change and Finance
- 09/16/2011: Remarks by Christian Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator, Meeting Global Water Needs: Challenges and Solutions
- 09/08/2011 Hand Washing Hygiene Saves Lives
- 09/07/2011: Health and Wealth Filter Through
- 07/19/2011: WASH for Life
- 07/05/2011: Photo Essay: Establishing the Lake Niassa Reserve in Mozambique
- 07/2011: Your Voice: Peru’s Melting Glaciers Teach Community “to Be Strong in the Face of the Changes”
- 06/13/2011: Remarks by Christian Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator, Water for People Founders Award Address
- 03/22/2011: Secretary Clinton on World Water Day (Department of State website)
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“Safeguarding the World’s Water":
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USAID invested nearly $490 million in the water sector in 2008, improving the lives of more than 19 million people.
>> Read the full report [pdf 9.4MB]
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USAID’s 2008 water sector report [pdf 9.4MB] is now available for downloading. USAID’s total investments in all aspects of the water sector reached almost $490 million in 2008. USAID provided more than 7 million people with improved water supply, more than 4 million of whom received first-time access to an improved water source. More than 6 million people received access to improved sanitation, more than 2 million of whom received first-time access. The Agency fulfilled its worldwide water earmark with FY 2008 funding of $296.65 million “for safe drinking water and sanitation supply projects, including water management related to safe drinking water and sanitation”.
The Agency’s water sector activities implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act; these include water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WSSH), water resources management (WRM), water productivity (WP) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
More than 1 billion people worldwide lack access to improved water supply, and more than 2 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, undermining efforts to generate economic growth, promote social development, and protect public health. In many developing countries, the time and effort required to obtain water for daily use detracts from time and activities that could be devoted to education and other productive employment. Girls, who are usually tasked with the duty to fetch household water, suffer the greatest burden of education lost to the pursuit of water, while young children are particularly vulnerable to water-and sanitation-related threats to health. The economic, social, and health consequences of limited access to clean water and improved sanitation services are enormous. In 2008, USAID provided support for water supply, sanitation, and hygiene activities in all of the 15 countries in Africa and Asia where the majority of the deaths of children under five years of age take place. During FY2008, USAID invested almost $390 million in WSSH activities.
Every country and community depend on sustainable fresh water of sufficient quantity and quality to meet society’s needs, sustain economic growth, and maintain ecosystems, and all countries and communities face the challenge of how to best use and protect this finite but renewable resource. Water resources and hydrologic systems are under enormous pressure today from population growth, environmental degradation, and climate change. The latter may exacerbate water scarcity problems, potentially forcing shifts in human settlements and agricultural practices and dramatic changes in livelihoods. Most countries share water resources with others (transboundary rivers, lakes, aquifers and estuaries), further complicating the management of this essential resource.
In FY 2008, USAID reported nearly $58.6 million in WRM, with Africa reporting $12.7 million, or 22 percent of this total, with the largest project dealing with agricultural soil and water management and watershed conservation in Ethiopia, mixed with water productivity and improved efficiency of water use. Asia reported $24 million (41 percent), and the Middle East reported $8.4 million (14 percent).
Economic activities ranging from agriculture and mining to industrial production require a dependable water supply. Food production in particular is completely dependent on predictable and high-quality supplies of freshwater or healthy estuarine and marine waters. Approximately 80% of all human freshwater use in the world is devoted to agricultural production, often in irrigation systems that are inefficient and environmentally unsustainable. As industrial and commercial water consumption continues to increase, the tradeoffs between water allocations for domestic use, agriculture, industry and ecosystem services will only intensify. Improving the productivity of available water, particularly in the face of climate change, is thus crucially important for essential economic development.
The U.S. Government (USG) water productivity (WP) improvement programs seek to maximize the efficient and productive use of water in agricultural (including aquaculture and fisheries), industrial and other production sectors, and to support pollution prevention programs, and programs that reduce water losses.
USAID water productivity (WP) activities in 2008 included support for irrigation improvements, livestock water supply improvements, improved water-related agricultural soil and water management practices, aquaculture and fisheries management. WP investments in 2008 totaled almost $39 million, representing about 8% of USAID’s overall Water Sector funding.
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