Italian Ambassador Placido Vigo and Chancellor Fernando Huanacuni signed an agreement to implement the “National Programme for the Collection of Water for Life”, an initiative financed by the Italian Development Cooperation service through 25 million euros in tied aid, at an official ceremony held at the Tiwanaku Hall of the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Agreement stands to confirm Italy’s strong commitment to assuring universal access to water, one of the goals of the 2030 Agenda, by supporting a significant project in the water supply sector, aimed at making safe water accessible and available to rural communities, schools and health facilities in the Departments of Oruro and Potosí, which are in conditions of extreme poverty and are particularly vulnerable to climate change. The project will involve 25 municipalities and 136 communities of the Bolivian Plateau, where chronic water shortage and the scarcity of secure sources of water are phenomena that often threaten agricultural production and seriously undermine the health of the population, who are often affected by diseases and infections originating from water that take a high toll on the most vulnerable population segments, especially old people and children. At present, water is only accessible to 4% of the communities. Thanks to the intervention financed by the Italian Cooperation service and implemented by Bolivia’s Ministry of the Environment and Water, more than 20,000 direct beneficiaries will be able to access water, accounting for 84% of the population. More specifically, the programme will focus on building and installing rainwater catchment, stocking and treatment systems (with 6,000 rainwater tanks), as well as providing training on how to use and maintain tanks and on sanitation systems and the environment. In his address, Ambassador Vigo recalled the importance of Italy’s contribution towards achieving the goals set by the National Development Plan 2016-2020 in this sector, in addition to further strengthening bilateral relations. The Bolivian Chancellor expressed great satisfaction over the Agreement and thanked Italy for the support given to a programme of primary importance for the Bolivian government and also of top priority for President Morales, who defines water as “la sangre de la Madre Tierra” (“The blood of Mother Earth”), said Chancellor Huanacuni: a universal and inalienable human right. Original source: Esteri Published on 15 June 2018