June 5th 2008: speech of the Governor-general on the occasion of the International Conference on Desalination of Seawater

Distinguished participants of the Conference hosted by the Caribbean Desalination Association, ladies and gentlemen.

We all know that clean and healthy drinking water is extremely important to us as human beings. Roughly 68% of the human body is made up of water. While the nineteenth century German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach stated “man is what he eats”, it may be more correct to say “man is what he drinks”.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As Governor-general of the Netherlands Antilles, it is with pleasure that I stand before you today on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of seawater desalination in Curaçao. 80 years ago, on the 1st of January, 1928, my predecessor Governor Brantjes signed the incorporation documents for the National Water Works (in Dutch: Lands Water Voorziening).

In the 1920’s, Curaçao was facing major problems with respect to its water supply. Rainfall was insufficient, the dry season had extended from six to eight months and well water was becoming increasingly scarce. Supplying sufficient drinking water thus became a major issue for the government and, in particular, for the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles: Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. Additionally, the establishment of the oil refineries in the early 1920’s made ensuring the availability of sufficient drinking water imperative. As a result, the executive board of the Colonial Government approved the national water supply plan as proposed by Professor Dr.Versluys in 1927.

Based on this plan, the National Water Works were established on January 1st, 1928 and, sometime later that year, seawater desalination in Curaçao became a reality. Shortly thereafter, a new water distribution system was also developed. Today we can say that we are very proud to have a modern, reliable and safe supply of drinking water. In this world, it is a luxury to be able to drink safely from a tap. In many places, people are not able to do this, while we have been doing it for decades. Certainly, this is an achievement that fills us with pride and the determination to continue to not only maintain this high standard, but also share it with others.

It is for this reason that I applaud the initiative to establish a Caribbean Desalination Association. In their vision statement, we recognize the same spirit of our predecessors:

Quote: ”To be the Caribbean platform where members can share experiences, knowledge and resources on desalination, desalination technology or water reuse and to promote its appropriate use; this, to contribute to the social and economic development of the Caribbean region and to increase the quality of life of inhabitants of the Caribbean and to contribute to the safeguarding of our environment. “unquote

“The wellbeing of inhabitants and the safeguarding of our environment”: that is certainly what this is all about. And it is a fortunate coincidence that the United Nations has proclaimed this year 2008, our 80th anniversary year, as the International Year of Sanitation.

On November 21st, 2007, the United Nations officially launched 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation in an effort to accelerate progress for the 2.6 billion people worldwide who do not have access to proper sanitation facilities. Every year, inadequate and poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene contribute to the deaths of 1.5 million children.

In the words of  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon: quote “Access to sanitation is deeply connected to virtually all the Millennium Development Goals, in particular those involving the environment, education, gender equality and the reduction of child mortality and poverty,”. “An estimated 42,000 people die every week from diseases related to low water quality and an absence of adequate sanitation. This situation is unacceptable.” unquote

As you may already know, our own Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is also deeply engaged with the issue of water. He is chairman of the World Water Forum and of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB). He stated that “It is vital that progress accelerate if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goal target on sanitation, and indeed the other development goals.”

Having access to a clean and healthy water supply is thus crucial in our efforts to develop proper sanitation.

Although, between 1990 and 2004, more than 1.2 billion people in our world have gained access to improved sanitation, still an estimated 2.6 billion people - including 980 million children – have lagged behind. Clearly, the world needs to accelerate progress if we are to meet the Millennium Development Goal target to, by 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people that do not have access to basic sanitation, such as simple latrines.

If current trends continue, we can expect that, in 2015, 2.4 billion people will still have no access to basic sanitation. If this is the case, children will continue to pay the price in lost lives and missed school, and in disease, malnutrition and poverty.

This year – 2008, the International Year of Sanitation, will be a year in which major regional conferences on sanitation will take place as part of capacity building initiatives. There will even be a conference that focuses on school sanitation. 2008 will also be marked by the encouragement of public and private partnerships that tap into the comparative strengths of each sector and, in doing so, accelerate progress, advocate and raise awareness on sanitation, leverage additional funding, and develop country-level road maps.

Progress requires widespread cooperation through public and private partnerships, community involvement and public awareness. By investing approximately $10 billion a year, we can, by 2015, halve the number of people who do not have access to basic sanitation. If sustained over an additional decade or two, the same investment may also be able to achieve basic sanitation for the entire world. While $10 billion may seem like a lot, it is, in actuality, less than one per cent of what the world devoted to military spending in 2005, a mere third of what is spent globally on bottled water, and about equal to what Europeans collectively spend on ice cream each year. While the funding needed for sanitation is not overwhelmingly large, the return on that investment is potentially great.

We can also help to make that difference.

We congratulate Curaçao and Aqualectra on 80 years of success in supplying clean and healthy drinking water to our population. Furthermore, we welcome and commend the initiative of the Caribbean Desalination Association to expand knowledge and experience by going beyond borders and by taking a more global approach to this issue.

Before I close, I want to draw your attention to a local, small scale desalination project called AWA NOBO, which means new water. This project was developed here on Curacao by volunteers and is, in my opinion, worthy of admiration. While Aqualectra does contribute to this project, AWA NOBO is still in need of support. Mr. Peter Meijer, former Commissioner of Ermelo from the Netherlands will discuss this project further this morning.

In conclusion, I want to congratulate you all and, with these words, I officially launch the Caribbean Desalination Association and wish them all the best for the future.

And, Aqualectra, we hope that you can continue to do the good work you do and wish you another 80 years of success in producing what we proudly call “the world’s best water”.

I herewith declare this conference officially open and I wish you very fruitful discussions and a happy stay on our island.

Thank you very much.