IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 196 
Supporting the goals and ideals of World Water Day. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2007 
Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of World Water Day. 
Whereas the global celebration of World Water Day is an ini-
tiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Con-
ference on Environment and Development in Rio de Ja-
neiro; 
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly, via resolu-
tion, designated March 22 of each year as World Water 
Day; 
Whereas although water is the most widely occurring sub-
stance on earth, only 2.53 percent of all water is fresh-
water and the remainder is salt water; 
Whereas freshwater resources are further impaired by various 
forms of industrial, chemical, human, and agricultural 
pollution; 
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•HRES 196 IH 
Whereas climate change will increasingly pose a challenge for 
ensuring the availability of sufficient water supplies at 
the appropriate times; 
Whereas approximately one in six people in the world lack ac-
cess to safe drinking water and approximately two in 
every five people lack access to basic sanitation services; 
Whereas water-related diseases are among the most common 
causes of illness and death, afflicting primarily the poor 
and very poor in developing countries; 
Whereas up to five million people die each year from prevent-
able water and sanitation related diseases, including one 
out of every five children in the poorest countries; 
Whereas every $1 invested in safe drinking water and sanita-
tion yields an economic return of between $3 and $34, 
depending on the region; 
Whereas increasing access to safe drinking water and sanita-
tion advances efforts towards other United States devel-
opment objectives including fighting poverty and hunger, 
promoting primary education and gender equality, reduc-
ing child mortality, promoting environmental stability, 
improving the lives of slum dwellers, and strengthening 
national security; 
Whereas the participants in the 2002 World Summit on Sus-
tainable Development in Johannesburg, including the 
United States, agreed to the Plan of Implementation 
which included an agreement to work to reduce by one- 
half from the baseline year 1990 ‘‘the proportion of peo-
ple who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking 
water,’’ and ‘‘the proportion of people without access to 
basic sanitation’’ by 2015; and 
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•HRES 196 IH 
Whereas Congress passed and the President signed into law 
the ‘‘Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 
2005’’ (Public Law 109–121) which was intended to 
‘‘elevate the role of water and sanitation policy in the de-
velopment of U.S. foreign policy and improve the effec-
tiveness of U.S. official programs’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of World 
Water Day; 
(2) recognizes the importance of increasing ac-
cess to safe drinking water and sanitation, as well 
as the conservation and sustainable management of 
water resources, to human health and quality of life 
across the globe; 
(3) urges an increased effort and the invest-
ment of greater resources by the Department of 
State, the United States Agency for International 
Development, and all relevant Federal departments 
and agencies towards providing sustainable and eq-
uitable access to safe drinking water and sanitation 
for the poor and very poor; and 
(4) encourages the people of the United States 
to observe World Water Day with appropriate rec-
ognition, ceremonies, activities, and programs to 
demonstrate the importance of water to humanity. 
Æ 
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