Geneva, 18 June 1999
WATER &
HEALTH
35 countries
sign new Protocol
On 17 June, on the occasion of
the Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health taking
place in London, 35 countries signed the Protocol on Water and
Health to the UN/ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of
Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.
These countries are: Albania,
Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian
Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
"Even in the member States of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) access to safe
drinking water cannot be taken for granted," says Kaj Bärlund, Director of the Environment
and Human Settlements Division of UN/ECE, as intensive
agriculture, industrialization and overexploitation of our water
resources take their toll. One in seven Europeans does not have
access to safe water. As a result several UN/ECE member States
have suffered outbreaks of water-related diseases such as
cholera, hepatitis A and typhoid fever in recent years. Apart
from contamination with microbes and viruses, water may also be
polluted with lead, arsenic, fluorides or nitrates. Agriculture
also affects water quality through run-off containing pesticides
and fertilizers.
The Protocol on Water and Health
will help countries to reduce such outbreaks by providing safe
drinking water and recreational water to people throughout
Europe. It was drawn up under the auspices of UN/ECE and the WHO
Regional Office for Europe. Its ultimate aim is to reduce,
control and prevent water-related disease.
For further information, please
contact:
Mr Kaj Bärlund or Mr Rainer
Enderlein
UN/ECE Environment and Human
Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 334
or 411
CH - 1211 Geneva 10
Phone: (+41 22) 917 23 70 - (+41
22) 917 23 73
Fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]