§ Mr. Don Foster:To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action has been taken on the recommendations made in the NAO report "Maximising impact in the water sector", published in January 2003, that his Department (a) should ensure that good quality information is available to assess progress towards poverty targets in those countries where it uses budget support to assist the water sector and (b) should give due weight to sanitation in developing its country assistance programmes. [177484]
Gareth Thomas:The information requested is as follows:
(a) Where DFID provides general budget support, our assistance to sectors such as water can best be assessed in terms of the proportion of budget going to particular sectors and in consultation with other donors. However, in terms of impact, progress in the sector is 677W best assessed by the data returned by the country departments themselves, supported where appropriate by technical assistance. For example, DFID have provided a water adviser to work with the Ministry of Finance in Uganda to assist in measurement of investment and impact in water and sanitation. Internationally, DFID provide support to the Joint Monitoring Programme of UNICEF and WHO, which assemble data on coverage by country, and DFID are currently supporting work to establish a better evidence base linking water and sanitation improvements to progress against the full range of poverty indicators using one of our Resource Centres.
(b) It is correct that sanitation often does not get the prominence it deserves, particularly at the national government levels. But there are some good examples of how greater importance can be focused on sanitation. In Bangladesh for example DFID is supporting WaterAid in raising the profile of water and sanitation in the Poverty Reduction Strategy and national sanitation strategy, as well as provided financial assistance in holding a regional sanitation conference for South Asian countries at the end of 2003 resulting in a declaration signed by ministers from nine countries. These examples show what can be done and how a higher profile for sanitation can be achieved. DFID are working with other countries and donors and our research centres to build on these lessons.
§ Mr. Bercow:To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of water scarcity in (a) Yemen, (b) North West India, (c) Western China and (d) parts of Mexico. [177404]
Gareth Thomas:In general terms, DFID agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg the target for all countries to develop Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency plans by 2005, with support to developing countries. DFID support the "Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment" reports of the UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme which include water availability data and work under the Global Water partnership on integrated water resource management. 678W These reviews assist in developing frameworks for better assessment, allocation and monitoring of water use, particularly in the water scarce areas mentioned.
(a) In Yemen recent DFID visits confirm that there continues to be very poor management of the water resource and a lack of action by government and others to prevent what is expected to be a severe water crisis in the next few years. The donor community has tried to intervene in this sector with little success due to the poor institutional arrangements. DFID is funding community based water supplies through its contributions to the Social Fund for Development and is considering more direct engagement in the sector once our Yemen programme is more established.
(b) In India DFID currently works in four focus states, none of which are in north-west India, as human development indicators for the NW states are relatively better than for other states where DFID work. As a result, DFID has not conducted specific examination of water scarcity in NW India nor undertaken specific projects there. However, our support to other programmes, notably through DFID-supported work with UNICEF, includes specific work on water scarcity in Rajasthan.
(c) There are substantial shortages of water in China, particularly in the west and north. In China as a whole, per capita water availability is a quarter of the world average. Almost one third of the world's population without access to safe drinking water and sanitation live in China. Water scarcity is increasingly seen as a factor limiting overall economic growth. DFID has developed a significant water related programme with a total commitment of around £30 million. This includes assistance in revising the national water law to promote more sustainable use; improving water demand management in the two provinces in the north-west and north-east; improving irrigation water use; and rural water supply and sanitation programmes in the southwest. DFID has a close collaboration with the World Bank and others in this area.
(d) DFID has no active water bilateral programme in Mexico although our support to international water programmes includes assistance to Mexico.