EXCLUSIVE: Stockholm Water Prize laureate calls for fairer distribution of water funding

LONDON, England, May 25, 2010 -- There should be more funding to help with the development of drinking water supplies and an equal amount split between the provision of safe water and the distribution of vaccines in developing countries, a leading researcher on the prevention of waterborne diseases has said.

Speaking to Water & Wastewater International (WWi) as part of a wide-ranging interview, Dr Rita Colwell, the recently named 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate (see WWi story) called for more scientific-based methods even in developed countries to ensure drinking water safety.

The distinguished professor from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States, told WWi: "It's time for us even in developed countries to be using molecular techniques for determining the safety of our drinking water. The funding has been tangential to safe drinking water, which is a pity.

"There should be funding for providing drinking water technology that's appropriate for developing countries, from the most remote regions of these countries to the most sophisticated countries...it's not only safe drinking water but it's the disposal of sanitary waste. I really wish we could develop a modern biotechnology processing approach for treating our waste so we can recover the metals, methane and gases which could be used for heating and biofuels instead of dumping all of this waste, even though rudimentary treated, into our rivers and lakes."

Answering the question of whether there should be more international funding from the European Investment Bank or the World Bank directed towards drinking water and sanitation based projects, Dr Colwell said: "I do indeed and think the Gates Foundation [Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation] is only now reluctantly being dragged into providing modest funding for safe drinking water. I wish that an equal amount of investment that is being made for vaccines could be made for safe water."

In April a US$5 million grant was approved by the World Bank, acting as administrator for the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA), to expand access to water supply for poor households living in peri-urban areas of Yemen not currently served by the water network (see WWi story)

Dr Colwell, 76, is widely recognised as one of this century's most influential voices in science, technology and policy associated with water and health. Her contributions towards solving the world's water and water-related public health problems, particularly her work to prevent the spread of cholera, were recognised by the Stockholm Water Prize Nominating Committee in its citation.

The full length interview with Dr Rita Colwell will be published in the June/July issue of WWi. To receive your free copy of the magazine, please subscribe by clicking here

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