CARE Calls on Congress to Break Down Barriers to Water and Sanitation in Africa

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 16, 2007) - In congressional testimony today, CARE called on Congress to break down the barriers to water and sanitation for poor communities by providing expanded funds for the Water for the Poor Act and strategically prioritizing water and sanitation in areas of great need, like sub-Saharan Africa.

"The U.S. government must make bolder, additional investments in water and sanitation," said Peter Lochery, director of CARE's water team.

The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health convened today's hearing, "Africa's Water Crisis and the U.S. Response," in the face of the increasingly serious situation on the continent.

Click here to download the full text of Peter Lochery's testimony (PDF, 129KB)

Globally, 1.1 billion people lack access to sufficient clean water, and more than double that number — 2.6 billion people — lack access to adequate sanitation services. In sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion of people without access to an improved water source is over 50 percent, and almost 70 percent of the population lacks access to improved sanitation. This lack of access has a devastating impact on people's health, their livelihoods and their futures.

The U.S. government took an important step by passing the visionary Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. "However, the current system of policies and institutions is not conducive to the United States developing and carrying out a responsive agenda that will bring meaningful change in the water and sanitation sector in Africa," Lochery said.

"There are precious few resources for increasing access to water and sanitation, yet these services are key to reducing poverty and unlocking progress. In order to make a lasting difference in Africa, the U.S. government must increase the level of funding for water and sanitation and target it where it will have the greatest impact," Lochery told the subcommittee. 

The first State Department Water for the Poor Act Report, released in June of 2006, revealed that in FY 2005, the bulk of U.S. funding went to countries and regions of strategic interest (like Afghanistan, Iraq, and the West Bank and Gaza), while only roughly $15 million in sustainable water supply and sanitation funding went to sub-Saharan Africa, indisputably one of the areas of greatest need. The report also counted the amount spent in the emergency sector — which receives over 50 percent of total funding — toward what the United States is spending on water and sanitation.

"The United States should continue to invest in relief efforts because these are essential to saving lives, but emergency response will only go so far in addressing the issue of lasting access to safe water and sanitation," said Lochery.

Lochery told the panel that there is no substitute to increasing funding for developmental water and sanitation, which is why the Water for the Poor Act explicitly called for the United States to help "expand access to safe water and sanitation in an affordable, equitable, and sustainable manner." However, this Act has not been backed by the increased appropriations it needs to carry out its stated goals.

"We must close the gaps in addressing the water and sanitation needs of poor communities in Africa and other under-served areas," said Lochery.