By protecting our ecosystems we protect our critical water sources

Access to drinking water and basic sanitation is a right and one of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

It is a condition for human life. However, up to two billion people on the planet do not have access to a safe source of water at home, and up to 2.3 billion people suffer from lack of sanitation.

Approximately 260 million people—more than entire population of Brazil—must walk more than thirty minutes to gather water. Guaranteeing access to water is one of the main challenges of our time. Brazil has 12 per cent of the planet’s fresh water—but we are not immune to water-related problems.

Major cities in Brazil have been enduring water shortages. An unacceptable sanitation deficit persists, and the suffering caused by drought to the people of Brazil’s northeast region is a well-known fact. The search for answers to such urgent issues has led us to host the 8th World Water Forum in Brasília this week.

This traditional protagonism on the world stage is anchored in solid measures on the domestic side. Brazil knows water and sanitation are synonymous with environmental preservation, and we made water security a pillar of our environmental policies.

To preserve our waterways, we implemented the River Planting programme, which uses digital tools to protect our springs and permanent preservation areas. We have also made significant progress towards protecting our forests.

By protecting our ecosystems we protect our water sources. Getting water to those who need it is what the transposition of the São Francisco River is all about. The long-awaited project, now in its final stages, will benefit 12 million people in Brazil’s northeast. Our attention, once again, is focused on sanitation and the great deal that must still be done.

We are putting the final touches on a bill of law aimed at modernising our regulatory framework in sanitation and encouraging new investment in the area. What inspires us is the need to make this basic service universal.

This is the Brazil hosting the World Water Forum: a country in search of common solutions to global problems; a country that will continue to do its part in preserving our most precious resource.