World water day manuscript

"World Water Day" is another festival decided by mankind at the end of the 20th century. In order to meet the needs of people's daily life, commerce and agriculture for water resources, the United Nations has long been committed to solving the global water crisis caused by the rising demand for water resources. 1977 The "United Nations Water Conference" issued a solemn warning to the whole world: water will soon become a profound social crisis, and the next crisis after the oil crisis will be water. 1993 65438+1October 18, the 47th UN General Assembly made a resolution to designate March 22nd as World Water Day every year.

Water saving day date: March 22nd

The purpose of World Water Day:

I. Addressing issues related to drinking water supply

Second, raise public awareness of the importance of protecting water resources and drinking water supply.

Third, strengthen the participation and cooperation of the government, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector by organizing World Water Day activities.

The Origin of World Water Day

Water is an indispensable and irreplaceable important natural resource and environmental factor for all life and social and economic development. However, the rapid development of population growth, industrial and agricultural production activities and urbanization in modern society has had a great impact on limited water resources and water environment. On a global scale, the pollution of water quality, the sharp increase of water demand and the unreasonable utilization caused by competing development among departments have further shortened water resources, worsened water environment, seriously affected social and economic development and threatened human welfare.

In order to arouse the public's water awareness and establish a more perfect system of sustainable utilization of water resources and the corresponding operating mechanism, the 47th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 193 on June 8, according to the suggestions put forward in the Agenda for Action in the 20th century formulated by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. March 22nd every year is designated as World Water Day to promote the comprehensive planning and management of water resources, strengthen water resources protection and solve the increasingly serious water shortage problem. At the same time, through extensive publicity and education activities, enhance public awareness of water resources development and protection.

The General Assembly recalled the relevant provisions of Chapter 18 of Agenda 2 1 Century adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Considering that although all social and economic activities depend on the supply and quality of fresh water to a great extent, people generally do not realize the role of water resources development in improving economic productivity and social welfare; Others believe that with population growth and economic development, many countries will soon fall into the predicament of water shortage, and economic development will be limited; Further considering that promoting the protection and sustainable management of water resources requires public awareness at local, national, interregional and international levels.

1. According to the proposal put forward in chapter 18 of Agenda 2 1 century, starting from 1993, March 22nd of each year is designated as World Water Day.

2. Invite countries to carry out some specific activities on this day, such as publishing and distributing publicity materials, holding conferences, round tables, seminars and exhibitions. , according to their own national conditions, in order to raise public awareness.

3. Requests the Secretary-General to make suggestions on how the United Nations Secretariat can help countries to organize World Water Day activities as far as possible under the existing conditions without affecting existing activities, focusing on specific themes related to water resources protection and making necessary arrangements to ensure the success of the activities.

4. Recommends that the Commission on Sustainable Development give priority to the implementation of chapter 18 of Agenda 2 1 century in carrying out its tasks.

1996, the World Water Council, composed of experts and scholars on water issues and relevant international institutions, was established and decided to hold a large-scale international conference, the World Water Forum, every three years before and after World Water Day.

Background of the establishment of World Water Day

The establishment of World Water Day has a background: all social and economic activities depend heavily on the supply and quality of fresh water, but people generally don't realize the role of water resources development in improving economic productivity and social welfare; With population growth and economic development, many countries will fall into the predicament of water shortage, and economic development will be limited; Promoting water protection and sustainable management requires public awareness at local, national, interregional and international levels.

World water day theme

1994: It is everyone's responsibility to care for water resources.

1995: women and water

1996: Water use in water-deficient cities

1997: Water shortage

Groundwater-intangible resources.

1999: We (human beings) live in a state of water shortage forever.

2000: water and health.

200 1 year: 2 1 century water (2 1 century water).

2002: Water for Development

2003: Water of the Future.

2004: Water and disasters

2005: Water of Life

2006: Water and Culture

2007: Coping with Water Shortage

2008: Water sanitation

Theme of China Water Week

1996: control water according to law, control water scientifically and strengthen water saving.

1997: water and development

1998: managing water according to law-promoting the sustainable utilization of water resources.

1999: River regulation is the basis of flood control.

2000: Strengthen conservation and protection to realize sustainable utilization and protection of water resources.

200 1: building a water-saving society and realizing sustainable development.

2002: Supporting the sustainable development of economy and society with the sustainable utilization of water resources.

2003: Harness water according to law and realize sustainable utilization of water resources.

2004: Harmony between Man and Water

2005: Ensure the safety of drinking water and ensure life and health.

2006: change the concept of water use and innovate the development model.

2007: Water Conservancy Development and Harmonious Society

2008: Develop water conservancy and improve people's livelihood.

Correlation of World Water Day

In order to alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources in the world, according to the principle of water resources protection, development and management in chapter 18 of the UN 2108 agenda, 193 was adopted by the UN 18 General Assembly on108. The resolution invites governments to carry out some specific publicity activities on this day according to their national conditions in order to raise public awareness.

The Ministry of Construction of China also decided to take the second week of June every year as the national publicity week for urban water conservation, with the aim of conscientiously implementing the Water Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Regulations on Urban Water Conservation of the State Council, and enhancing people's planning and water-saving concepts.

Speaking, the earth's water reserves are very rich, * * * with 65.438+0.45 billion cubic kilometers. However, seawater accounts for 97.2%, land fresh water only accounts for 2.8%, and fresh water such as rivers, freshwater lakes and shallow groundwater, which are closest to human life, only accounts for 0.34% of fresh water reserves. What is even more worrying is that this extremely limited fresh water is being polluted more and more. According to scientific estimates, more than half of the countries and regions in the world lack drinking water, especially in the economically underdeveloped third world countries. At present, 70% of people, that is, 654.38+0.7 billion people, do not need clean water, and nearly 80% of the world's population is threatened by water shortage. China's per capita fresh water quantity is a quarter of the world's per capita level, and it belongs to a water-deficient country. More than 300 cities in China are short of water, and 29% people are drinking bad water, among which 70 million people are drinking high fluorine water. Every year, the economic losses caused by water shortage reach more than 654.38+0 billion yuan, and the economic losses caused by water pollution reach more than 40 billion yuan.

The above data fully shows that the shortage of water resources has become a major problem facing the world today. Not long ago, the United Nations Conference on Human Environment and World Water Resources issued a warning: After the oil crisis, the next crisis for mankind is water. Therefore, it is an urgent task for governments all over the world to protect and utilize water resources more effectively and reasonably. From the environmental point of view, the most perfect measures are water interception and water transfer. Change the temporal and spatial distribution of water resources and make full use of water resources. At the same time, it pays attention to saving water and improving the utilization rate of water resources: in industry, it advocates water-saving industry, controls pollutant discharge and strengthens wastewater treatment; Advanced irrigation methods (sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation) should be adopted in agriculture. Water is the foundation of life, which not only relates to the quality of human life, but also affects human survival ability. We must enhance the awareness of water crisis, cherish water, save water and protect water resources.

"Water Law Publicity Week" and "National Urban Water Saving Publicity Week"

"Water Law Publicity Week", March 22-28.

The development and utilization of water resources and the prevention and control of water disasters are related to the national pulse and the people's movement, and water must be controlled, managed and used according to law. 1988, the promulgation of "People's Republic of China (PRC) Water Law" marked that the development and utilization of water resources and the prevention and control of water disasters in China embarked on the legal track. At present, in addition to the Water Law, People's Republic of China (PRC) Soil and Water Conservation Law, People's Republic of China (PRC) Water Pollution Prevention Law, Measures for the Implementation of Water Intake Permit System, Regulations on River Management and other laws and regulations, a large number of local laws and regulations have been promulgated, and a relatively scientific and supporting China characteristic water has been established for the first time in the history of China.

In order to overcome the phenomenon of non-compliance with laws and lax enforcement, enhance the people's awareness of water law and legal concept, and consciously use legal means to regulate various water activities, the Ministry of Water Resources of China starts from 1989 and takes July 1 day to July 7 every year as "Water Law Publicity Week". Since the birth of 1993 World Water Day, the Ministry of Water Resources has decided to take March 22nd to March 28th as "Water Law Publicity Week" every year.

"National Urban Water Saving Publicity Week", the week of May 15.

In order to improve urban residents' awareness of water conservation, the week of May 15 is the "National Urban Water Conservation Publicity Week" starting from 1992. Through this activity, it will help improve the society's understanding of the important practical significance and long-term strategic significance of water-saving work; It is conducive to increasing investment in the development, popularization and application of new water-saving technologies, technologies and instruments; It is helpful to improve the comprehensive utilization level of urban water.

Water, not just H2O.

First, ancient people and modern people have different definitions of water

Humans have known and used water for a long time. Water is colorless, tasteless, odorless and transparent, and it is the most common liquid in nature. Ancient philosophers believed that water was the source of all things, and all things returned to water, so water, fire, air and earth have always been regarded as the four basic elements that constitute all things in the world.

It was not until 1784 that cavendish, a British scientist, proved that water is not an element, but a product of the combination of two gases. 1809, the French chemist Grusack determined that 1 volume of oxygen and 2 volumes of hydrogen were hydrogenated to generate 2 volumes of water vapor. Later, scientists determined the molecular formula of water: H2O.

From this point of view, all water in the world is the same. But in the eyes of China people, water and water are absolutely different. In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu defined water as three grades in the Book of Tea: "above the mountains and rivers, in the river and underground"; According to legend, he once wrote "Water Products" (or "Spring Products") to evaluate the world's famous springs and waters, and divided the water suitable for decocting tea into twenty grades according to its quality. Another person who loves to comment on springs, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, even made an anecdote about the second spring in the world.

In the eyes of China people, water, not just H2O, is naturally divided into three grades.

Second, the discovery of British scientist Hamilton's research team.

There is a saying in ancient China that is deeply rooted in people's hearts, that is, "one side of the soil and water will support one side." People in China think that water quality is very important to human body. What kind of water breeds what kind of people, and places with good water are also easy to produce beautiful women. Modern natural science has found a scientific basis for this simple conclusion of the ancients.

The research team of British scientist E Hamilton found that there are more than 60 chemical elements in human blood that are consistent with the content and distribution of chemical elements in the earth's crust. There is a close correlation between the two, that is, the human body and the crustal material are in a relatively balanced state, so the human body can adapt to the external environment and live normally on the earth.

Drinking water is one of the important ways to provide essential minerals and trace elements for human body. The proportion of these elements in natural water is basically the same as that in human body, and they are easily absorbed by human body. If these minerals are too little to meet the physiological needs of the human body, or too much, which exceeds the limit that the human body can absorb and excrete, that is, when the dynamic balance of some mineral exchanges between the human body and the environment, food and air is destroyed, the human body cannot adapt to this external environment, and some diseases will occur.

Three, two popular sayings: Why don't you need minerals in water?

There is a saying that we mainly get most minerals from our daily diet, but modern people are generally overnourished, so there is no need to haggle over the little minerals in the water. Another way of saying it is that we admit that natural minerals in raw water are beneficial to people, but that's because the previous water was clean and there was no industrial pollution. Therefore, it is better to drink pure water that is hygienic, pollution-free but does not contain minerals.

It is precisely because of this concept that 1994, the pure water (or ultra-pure water or distilled water) that began to rise in China, has occupied a dominant position in the drinking water market in China. Tens of thousands of enterprises in Chinese mainland use reverse osmosis technology to produce large quantities of purified water. Most of them use city tap water as their water source. In the production process, impurities in water are removed, and mineral elements necessary for human body are filtered out at the same time.

But more scientists and authorities do not agree with these views. In July 2000, Xinhua News Agency reported that "experts warned" that "pure water" should not be used as ordinary drinking water for a long time, especially for infants and children. In March 2003, China Consumers Association also issued the same consumption reminder: most people are suitable for drinking weakly alkaline water, and the elderly and children should not drink pure water for a long time.

Fourth, the neglected role of water.

To know the function of minerals in water, we must first understand the real function of water. From the research progress of molecular biology and nutrition, water not only plays the role of quenching thirst and carrier, but also directly participates in biomass metabolism, energy metabolism and genetic information transmission. Therefore, minerals in water not only supplement essential nutrients for organisms, but also play a major role in maintaining the normal structure of water.

Water physiology experts clearly pointed out that after the loss of mineral elements in pure water, the structure and function of water also changed and deteriorated. Water molecules are excessively connected in series and become linear structures, which are not easily absorbed by the human body through the cell membrane. However, what is even more unsatisfactory is that this ultra-pure water does not contain any minerals, and its solubility is extremely strong, which leads to the reverse osmosis of vital elements in human cells and the loss to the outside world.

Five, the close relationship between minerals in water and human pH value.

Minerals in water, in addition to supplementing nutrition for human body, maintaining osmotic pressure of body fluids and maintaining water balance, also have a very important role, that is, maintaining neutralization of body fluids and maintaining acid-base balance.

In the long-term life evolution, the human body has formed a relatively stable and slightly alkaline internal environment. Normal blood pH should be around 7.35-7.45. Human cell activities must be carried out in this environment. That is to say, the pH of the internal environment of human body is accurately adjusted, and the equivalent total concentration of the main positive and negative ions in human body fluids is equal, thus maintaining the neutralization of body fluids and being in a weakly alkaline state. On the contrary, in the words of Professor Leon, an American medical scientist and Nobel Prize winner, acidic constitution is the root of all diseases.

The technological process of purified water is to gather mineral cations such as calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium in water and harmful substances such as heavy metals to the cathode for separation and precipitation, while the decomposed acidic elements such as oxygen, sulfuric acid and sulfur remain in the water, thus increasing the concentration of hydrogen ions (H) to become acidic water.

Similarly, on the basis of pure water, it is difficult to maintain the weak alkalinity of human body by artificially adding mineral water containing artificial mineralized liquids such as potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate to pure water. On the contrary, it may be because these acidic artificial mineralized liquids decompose in water to produce a large number of chloride ions and sulfate ions, which reduces the acidity.

What kind of water should we drink?

Water experts call for: We should drink pollution-free water, non-degradable water and water that meets human physiological needs.

They emphasized that "drinking water" and "drinking water" are two different concepts. Beverage water is biased towards the economic benefits of commodities, and consumers mainly satisfy their thirst, not daily necessities. Drinking water is a necessity for people and must be drunk every day. As drinking water, the United Nations Health Organization has a strict meaning, that is, people can drink 1 ~ 3 kg per day on average from birth to 70 years old, without any problems.

Water is very important to meet this requirement. For millions of years, the human body and the natural fresh water resources in nature have formed a harmonious dependence. This is unmatched by water treated by science and technology, pure and pure, far from natural attributes. Therefore, famous drinking water brands in the world, from Evian to Fuweike to Nongfu Spring, a famous brand in China, are proud of their natural water sources, and their water sources will be marked on the bottle labels.

Cherish every drop of good water from nature, because it is in harmony with life and nature.

Global water resources situation

Water is a precious resource for human survival and development. Although the earth is divided into three parts and seven parts, the total water resources is 65.438+0.4 billion cubic kilometers, but seawater accounts for 97.2%, fresh water only accounts for 2.8%, and the reserves are only 370 million cubic meters, most of which are contained in Antarctic ice sheets and Arctic icebergs, and the surface fresh water available for human production and life is only 654.38+0.05 trillion cubic meters.

Since the 1990s, the world's fresh water resources have become increasingly scarce, pollution has become increasingly serious, and floods and droughts have intensified, which has destroyed the balance and stability of the earth's ecosystem and directly threatened the survival and development of mankind.

With the growth of population and economic development, the demand for water is getting faster and faster, and many countries are caught in the predicament of water shortage, and economic development is also restricted. However, due to the multi-sectoral nature of water resources development, various departments have different policies on water resources development and management, which hinders the comprehensive utilization of water resources and intensifies the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources.

By March, about199.4 billion people did not have sufficient clean drinking water supply. Worldwide, 60-35,000 children die every day due to the lack of drinking water or the consequences of water shortage, especially in Africa.

On the other hand, people generally don't realize the seriousness of the destruction of water resources by human activities. In order to promote the comprehensive planning and management of water resources, strengthen the protection of water resources and solve the increasingly serious water problem, we should not only take technical measures, but also pay attention to social publicity and education. In addition to strengthening water resources management from the aspects of policies, laws and management systems, publicity and education should also be carried out to raise public awareness of water conservation. It is for the above reasons that the 47th session of the United Nations General Assembly decided on World Water Day according to the recommendation made by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Chapter 2 1 Agenda, aiming at making the whole world care about and solve the water resources problem. People must be soberly aware that the water crisis is likely to come earlier than the grain machine or oil crisis.

Status of Water Resources in China

There are two main problems in China's "water": one is the shortage of water resources, and the other is the serious water pollution.

According to some data, China is a country with severe drought and water shortage. The per capita freshwater resources are only 1/4 of the world average, ranking 1 10 in the world, and it is one of the countries with the poorest per capita water resources in the world. The per capita available water resources are only 900 cubic meters, and the distribution is extremely uneven. At the end of the 20th century, more than 400 cities out of more than 600 cities in China were short of water, among which 1 10 was seriously short of water, with a total water shortage of 6 billion cubic meters.

According to monitoring, the national wastewater discharge increased from 310.50 billion tons in 1980 to 63/kloc-0.50 billion tons in 2002. Groundwater in most cities has been polluted to varying degrees, and it is getting worse year by year. The increasingly serious water pollution not only reduces the use function of water bodies, further exacerbates the contradiction of water shortage, but also seriously threatens the drinking water safety and health of urban residents.

In order to alleviate the severe water resources situation: First, give priority to water conservation. This is mainly reflected in controlling demand and creating a water-saving society. In the process of national development, we should choose suitable development projects, establish the concept of "how much water is used", and put an end to the waste of water resources. At the same time, good management and technical means should be adopted to improve the utilization rate of water resources. Actively develop water-saving industrial and agricultural technologies, vigorously promote the application of water-saving appliances, and find and eliminate water leakage, including water appliances and water pipe networks.

The second is pollution control. This requires that China's water pollution control strategy should be adjusted as soon as possible, from end control to source control and whole process control. Qian Yi believes that a large number of industrial enterprises in China are still in extensive production mode, and the treatment of industrial wastewater is not ideal. Even if the standard discharge is achieved, a large number of pollutants are discharged into rivers and lakes, and the pollution degree has exceeded the environmental capacity of rivers and lakes themselves. With the development of economy, the discharge of industrial wastewater will increase, and so will the pollutants. If cleaner production is vigorously promoted and source control and whole process control of pollutant discharge are implemented, pollutant discharge will be greatly reduced, and industrial production can also increase production without increasing pollution.

The third is multi-channel open source. This mainly refers to the development of non-traditional water resources. Qian Yi pointed out that in order to improve water supply capacity, in the past, we mainly focused on developing traditional water resources, namely local surface water and groundwater. When we found that the groundwater level continued to drop and the surface water gradually dried up, we thought of long-distance water transfer. Long-distance water transfer not only requires very expensive infrastructure investment and operating costs, but also has difficulties in construction and management. At the same time, ecological impact is another important issue that people pay attention to in recent years. Now all countries in the world are turning to developing non-traditional water resources. Non-traditional water resources include rainwater, reclaimed sewage, seawater and air water resources.

According to reports, at present, the reuse rate of industrial water in China is only 60%, and urban sewage is almost unused. In Israel, the utilization rate of urban sewage reaches 90%, and in Los Angeles, the treated urban sewage is also used to water green spaces. The reuse of urban sewage not only reduces pollution, but also alleviates the contradiction of water shortage. In addition, with the development of technology, the cost of seawater desalination tends to decrease, and seawater can be directly used as industrial cooling water and washing water. Many public health places in Hong Kong use seawater to flush toilets.

Since the promulgation of People's Republic of China (PRC) Water Law (1988), the water administrative department of China government has designated July 1 ~ 7 as "China Water Week" every year. Considering that the themes and contents of "World Water Day" and "China Water Week" are basically the same, starting from 1994, the time of "China Water Week" is changed to March 22 -28 every year, so as to further raise the awareness of caring, cherishing, protecting and managing water resources in the whole society and promote the development, utilization, protection and management of water resources.

World Water Day: Liquid to Save Life on Earth

The theme of World Water Day on March 22nd, 2005 is "Water for Life". Water, as the liquid of life, nurtures human beings and millions of creatures between heaven and earth. However, in the 2 1 century, because of population growth, unreasonable use, pollution and global warming, the liquid of life on earth has shown a yellow card to mankind.

Food is the most important thing for the people, and food production cannot be separated from adequate water sources. A study conducted by FAO on 93 developing countries shows that the speed of water use in many countries exceeds the speed of water regeneration, resulting in an increasing shortage of water resources. The shortage of resources brings harm to food security and human survival.

Water is essential to ensure human health, and the improvement of health status is an important prerequisite for economic growth. Claudia Sadof, an official of the World Bank, pointed out: "Water problem is a priority for a country to achieve economic growth." However, the relevant data provided by the United Nations are not optimistic: at present, there are 1 1000 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean water, and about 6,000 children die of diseases caused by unsanitary water and substandard sanitation and cleanliness conditions every day, which is equivalent to 20 large passenger planes crashing every day. In developing China countries, unsanitary water and unclean environment have become the main causes of people's illness. A UNICEF spokesman said earlier this year: "Half of the schools in the world lack the most basic sanitary conditions, such as safe drinking water and clean toilets."

Water resources is not only an environmental and economic issue, but also a social and political issue. Due to the exhaustion of life fluid, the number of "environmental refugees" in the world is increasing. Since 1990s, three-quarters of farmers and 1.5 urban population in the world have not got enough fresh water all the year round, and more people have been forced to leave their homes because of water than refugees who fled because of war. At present, half of the world's population lives in countries that share rivers and lakes with their neighbors. Due to the insufficient supply and uneven distribution of water resources, tensions have emerged in some areas. The dispute over water resources has become the potential source of regional or global conflicts and the fuse of war.

Solving the problem of water shortage is a global movement. Searching for new water sources, redistributing water resources, raising people's awareness of water conservation, developing new technologies for recycling and strengthening international cooperation all require the participation of all mankind. The protection of water resources is inseparable from the whole environmental protection work. WWF warned on March 14 this year that global warming is causing Himalayan glaciers to retreat rapidly, threatening hundreds of millions of people in China, India and Nepal who depend on glacial meltwater.

Happily, the world has reached a consensus on this life-saving liquid. In 2005, the United Nations Millennium Summit decided that by 20 15, all countries in the world should halve the population without access to clean drinking water. The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002 added a commitment to halve the number of people without access to adequate health services by 2065. On the eve of World Water Day this year, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Water Association and the Beijing Qingshui Alliance issued the Clear Water Declaration in Beijing: "Cherish water resources and make water clearer."

The liquid that saves life on earth waits for no one.

World Water Day: There is no life without water.

March 22nd is World Water Day-on this day, we should take time to think: 65.438 billion people can't get enough clean water; Every month, as many people die from drinking polluted water as from the Indian Ocean tsunami. However, it is difficult for these people's misfortunes to get the attention that natural disasters can attract.

Water is a natural thing for westerners, but it takes an average of 65,438+0/3 days for a Sudanese to get the daily ration. A European uses about 135 liters of water every day, while residents in developing countries usually only use 10 liters of water every day. In Asia and Africa, women traditionally carry water for their families. They have to walk an average of 6 kilometers to reach the nearby river. If you can't bring enough water home alone, the children will come to help-they spend their time fetching water instead of going to school. However, water is often insufficient, leading to frequent diarrhea and malaria. In the past 10 years, children who died of diarrhea exceeded the total number of victims of all armed conflicts after World War II. For example, because of lack of water, the whole family washes their hands in the same basin. Starting with the oldest male, when it's the youngest child's turn, the washed hands are dirtier than before. Children eat with these dirty hands.

Before the Red Cross started the water supply project, the sanitary conditions in Macha, a small town in Zambia, were already very bad: malaria and dysentery were particularly prevalent among children. Because of the imperfect public health facilities, local schools have to be closed. Many villagers urinate in the bushes because there are not enough toilets. Especially in the rainy season, when sewage is washed away by the river, there is a danger of plague. For women in the village, they can only get 10 to 20 liters of water for their families every day. Life is really sad. The river is far from home, and they can never get enough water every day. The Red Cross launched a large-scale aid project: drilling wells near houses, repairing and building new toilets, so that villagers can understand the importance of health habits. The school can be reopened. Pupils even wear clean school uniforms now. Volunteers from Zambia Red Cross Society contributed to the project, which will be expanded next year.

Chronic water shortage and lack of sewage treatment facilities are also major obstacles to the development of poor countries. Health is the engine to promote good economic operation. In order to alleviate people's suffering and support the development of third world countries, government organizations and non-governmental organizations must pay more attention to water problems. The International Federation of Red Cross intends to make use of its experience in providing clean water and creating a hygienic environment. On February 24th, 2005, it adopted a plan 10, aiming at halving the number of people without access to clean water by 20 15.