Water - "a blessing and a curse"
21 March 2002

Water is often the most pressing issue on the humanitarian agenda in disaster situations, said the world's largest disaster response network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in a statement to mark World Water Day (March 22).

"For us water is both a blessing and a curse. Last year we responded to the needs of over three million people whose lives were destroyed by floods and drought. We also brought water to about one million people living in poor communities. It is in communities like these where most of the 3.4 million deaths from water-related disease occur each year," said Uli Jaspers, water and sanitation expert with the Federation.

There are one billion people living in the world today who lack adequate access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion who live without basic sanitation.

"We are putting more resources into community-based water projects which reduce disease and also lift the burden on women and children who are often responsible for collecting water for the household in poor communities," said Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, Head of the Federation's Health Department.

Examples of the Federation's work world-wide, include the construction of 300 community dams to hold water for 500,000 people whose lives were direly affected by last year's earthquake in Gujarat, India. The International Federation is also responding to other water related emergencies around the world such as the cholera epidemic in Southern Africa and the on-going drought in Central America.

*Water and sanitation experts from the Federation's world-wide operations are currently in Geneva to review on-going activities and plan for the future. Interested media organisations can have interviews in English, French, Spanish and German. ISDN line available.


Read more about the Federation's water and sanitation activities

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Denis McClean, Head of Media Service Tel.: + 41 22 730 4428 / + 41 79 217 33 57

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.