EC launches drive to provide safe water

The European Commission (EC) launched a massive drive on Tuesday to help millions of Ethiopians gain access to safe water. Tim Clarke, head of the EC in Addis Ababa, announced the €180 million (US $238,932,000) package, for which, Ethiopia is one of ten priority countries being targeted. "Ethiopian needs are paramount," he said. Some 25 million people in the country do not have access to safe water. Dirty water has a serious impact on the health of the country and causes thousands of deaths each year. To overhaul the entire water sector, it is estimated, would cost the government about $2 billion, while a further $3 billion would be needed for improving sanitation. According to the UN Children’s Fund, only six percent of Ethiopians have access to basic sanitation facilities – fuelling diarrhoeal and other water borne diseases. Less than a quarter have access to clean water. "The biggest problem in Ethiopia in addressing these water security issues is finance," Clarke told reporters at the launch. The EC initiative, he added, proved the commission’s commitment to helping developing countries achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. To meet the 2015 goals, Ethiopia must half the number of people without access to safe water. "The problem is greatest in the rural areas," Clarke said. "I think this initiative is a major step in achieving these goals. There is a real need to mobilise extra resources to make these figures achievable." He said that the growing population, which is expected to top 95 million by 2015, is an extra burden on the already overstretched water system. "There is a real challenge to the Ethiopian authorities," Clarke noted. "Safe water also means safe health." The funding is part of €500 million ($663,700,00) from the commission, of which €50 million ($66,370,000) will be used to support the Nile Basin Initiative, that is available to the 78-nation strong African, Caribbean and Pacific group, although priority countries like Ethiopia are being specifically targeted.