(From Left to Right: Tom Brake MP, Don Foster MP, Sue Doughty MP, Norman Baker MP, Tom Fewins (Researcher to Norman Baker MP))
Lewes MP and Lib Dem Shadow Environment Secretary Norman Baker has today called for the Government to act over gross disparities between the developed world and the Third World in both access to and the use of water resources. Norman's comments follow his recent debate in the House of Commons on access to clean water in developing countries, and also to mark this week's UN World Water Day.
Norman was joined today at Westminster by fellow Lib Dem MPs to highlight the incredible disparity between countries in their use of water resources where the average household in the United States uses 589 litres per person, per day, whilst their Ethiopian counterparts use only 1.2 litres.
Commenting on this Norman said:
"In 2000 more than 1 billion people worldwide did not have access to safe water and 2.5 billion people had improper or no access to sanitation. Moreover, as I raised in my debate earlier this month we are witnessing wide-scale environmental destruction which not only endangers many fragile econsystems but also imperils water supplies. That situation will get worse unless we take drastic action as a planet.
"We have a very disparate approach to water. While many in the Developing World struggle to have even the basic requirement for life, others in the UK, America and elsewhere treat it as if it were endlessly replenishable.
"It is not sufficient for the Government to think the right thing, nor just to publish documents saying the right thing. The scale of the problem is such that the Government must take action now - and Tony Blair employ his love of trotting the world stage - to ensure that there is a big turnaround in how the world deals with water."
|Home
Contact Norman at:
Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
Printed and hosted by Pipex Communications UK Ltd, Humber Buildings, Humber Rd, Beeston, Notts, NG9 2ET. Published and promoted by Norman Baker MP, House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 1AA. The views expressed are those of Norman Baker, not of the service provider.
