Although it was a few years ago, I still remember vividly just how serious the problem of clean and potable water was and I imagine, still is. Long before bottled water became a fashionable commodity in North America, it was a fact of daily life in Latin America. Even today, I understand, water supply and wastewater treatment accounts for almost three quarters of the environmental market in your countries. We all know that life expectancy for most people in the world has risen dramatically during the 20 th century. I believe that most of us are also aware that the main reason for this increase, more important even than medical advances, better nutrition, and greater economic well-being, has been the development of infrastructures to deliver clean water for drinking and removing contaminated water through sewage and drainage systems.
Poor water has significant health care costs.
And it has other, societal costs as well. Families that have to spend a major proportion of their income on water may not have the money needed to educate their children. They may not have the money for adequate housing. Clean water doesn't just make health sense. It makes economic sense.