Water and Sanitation minister and Lower Shire firebrand politician, Abida Mia says access to clean water is an essential service to every citizen across the globe and it is a basic but important human right.
Abida Mia, who is also a Member of Parliament for Chikwawa Nkombezi made the remarks in an interview from New York where she has been delegated by President Lazarus Chakwera to the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, US at the invitation of the United Nations leadership.
Mia in New York for UN 2023 Water Summit
The Water and Sanitation minister who worked so hard in helping the people in Southern Malawi after Cyclone Freddy hit the south-east African country said while in New York for the meeting she will urge developed countries and organisation to help Malawi with resources that will enable the country to access clean water.
She said: “Water, as they say is life and therefore without clean water, there is no life and this is the reason why I would like to urge the developed countries, the international aid organisation and investors in water and sanitation related projects to assist Malawi with resources so that every citizen in every corner of the country access clean water.
Mia stated that a well managed water cycle is critical to human society and the integrity of the natural environment.
“With what has happened to Malawi as regards the Cyclone Freddy which has ravaged the country especially the southern part of the country, we will face huge problems in terms of access to clean water and sanitation.
“Many people lost their lives and many people have been displaced, many people lost their homes and lavatories. They lost everything but all they need now is clean water and a well sanitised environment. Without clean water and sanitation we risk having a serious outbreak of cholera. We need help,” pleaded Mia.
Mia said that government is doing everything to ensure that the people affected by the Cyclone Freddy are supported to get back to their feet adding that President Chakwera is fully committed to ensure that all Malawians affected by the devastating Cyclone Freddy are duly supported.
The death toll in Malawi due to the exceptionally long-lasting tropical Cyclone Freddy has reached a staggering 438 and the country’s president, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has since declared a 14-day national mourning period on Thursday last week.
There are hundreds of evacuations centres set up across the country for survivors with tens of thousands in Malawi left homeless and it is estimated that approximately 345,000 people are affected by the heavy rains, floods and landslide.
Mia was among the first prominent people in the commercial city of Blantyre to respond to the disaster as she was seen in worst hit Chilobwe squatter township helping out the victims.
The UN 2023 Water Conference – formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028) – will take place at UN Headquarters in New York, 22-24 March 2023, co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
Water and sanitation flow through every aspect of sustainable development and access to these essential services are human rights.
Water is also at the heart of adaptation to climate change, serving as the crucial link between the climate system, human society and the environment.
Without proper water governance, there is likely to be increased competition for water between sectors and an escalation of water crises of various kinds, triggering emergencies in a range of water-dependent sectors.
The physical world of water is closely bound up with the socio-political world, with water often a key factor in managing risks such as famine, epidemics, inequalities and political instability.
According to the UN, the conference will include an opening and closing session, six plenary sessions, and five interactive dialogues, as well as side events organized by participants.
It will result in a summary of proceedings from the UNGA President that will feed into the 2023 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
In support of the preparations for the UN 2023 Water Conference, UN DESA with the support of UN-Water, has developed a Technical Advice on the possible themes for the interactive dialogues of the Conference.
Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other stakeholders were asked to contribute proposals for the themes of the interactive dialogues through a global online consultation.
Abida Mia, who is regarded as one of the strongest female politicians of the modern generation, will address the delegates at the UN 2023 Water Conference on Thursday, March 23rd 2023 at a round table and she is expected to tell the delegates what is Malawi doing and especially how the newly established Ministry of Water and Sanitation by the Chakwera administration is handling water and sanitation issues in the country.
