Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-02-Speech-1-135-000"
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"en.20120702.20.1-135-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, although 71% of the world’s surface is covered by water, only 0.008% of the total amount can be used as drinking water. The use – at times unnecessary – of this resource has led to a further potential loss of approximately 40% of the amount available. Today, almost 2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, and a good 20 million children die each year because of this lack of access.
Quality of water is fundamental in places where protecting citizens’ health must be a priority. In Europe, there are still vast areas where this quality is seriously undermined by industrial and agricultural pollution. We can no longer tolerate the fact that many cities discharge wastewater into the environment without purifying it in any way. The 27 Member States need to make a combined effort so that we use water rationally, particularly water intended for humans. It is vital to identify and reclaim areas polluted by industrial sites and by hazardous waste landfills that are illegal or no longer safe.
At a time of economic crisis in which resources are precious, we need to invest to safeguard an asset that is in danger of becoming increasingly precious by developing transparent pricing schemes and applying the ‘polluter pays’ principle. I will end by stressing that drinking water can only be public, and must be protected from speculation of all kinds."@en1
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