On next October 4th, as all the first October's Saturdays, the Inter-American Day of the Water (DIAA) will be celebrated, an initiative undertaken by AIDIS and the Pan-american Organization of the Health (OPS) along with other institutions, since 1992.
In fact, in an act into the XXIII Inter-american Congress of AIDIS celebrated in Havana, Cuba, the statement was signed where was officialized this program that considers the object to carry to the population, especially to children, adequate information to create a new water culture in the region. It is a matter of a "celebration of the water" in the Americas, and by this middle, search to sensitize the population for the importance to conserve, to protect and to utilize adequate this valuable natural resource.
There are two particular objectives of DIAA, in line with the Objectives of Development of the Millennium, they are to promote the fight against the contamination of the water, especially what's related to the control of parasitic and bacterial illnesses transmitted by the water, and to encourage to governments, not-governmental international agencies, private sector and communities in general to work as a team for the improvement of the sanitary conditions, the universal access and sanitary and to reach a better quality services in the Region.
The signatories institutions on that occasion were the Inter-american Association of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering (AIDIS), the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) and the Pan-american Organization of the Health/World Health Organization (OPS/WHO). Subsequently in 2002, on ten years of its creation, in the framework of the XXVIII Inter-american AIDIS's Congress, in Cancun, Mexico, joined the DIAA the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), the Organization of the American States (OAS) and the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Program of the United Nations for the Environment (PNUMA/ORPALC).
The statement signed by these 6 organizations compromises them to carry out or they educational support activities to promote a positive change in the water culture for its preservation, rational use, universal access and sustainability.
Along these 16 years, the DIAA has had impact in some countries of the region, without having reached the degree of cover and influence desired in a start. It is time to reinforce the Latin-American initiative, created before the most publicized World Day of the Water.
AIDIS is in negotiations with an important organization so that plunges to this program and contribute in a determined way to its takeoff and consolidation, in contribution with all the previous associates. In a few weeks expects to close the agreement and with it to organize the DIAA 2008 already with that new support.
In 2008, the motto will be "The pure water is…! Pure health!". The organization of the event has delegated to AmSa (Healthy Environments for Life) the arm of volunteerism of AIDIS.
Besides the DIAA, AIDIS has in contribution with the institutions already mentioned, the Inter-american Day of Quality of the Air, (DIAIRE) and the Inter-american Day of the Cleanless and Citizenship, known like DIADESOL. The first one is celebrated on second Saturday of August, and the second, the third Saturday of September; DIADESOL counts besides with the participation of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). The declarations for both initiatives were signed also in Cancun, in 2002.
In name of AIDIS and of the associates organizations of these regional initiatives, I do an attentive invitation to contact with the AIDIS's Chapter of your country and thus they plunge to the voluntary effort for the sake of the health and the life quality of our region.
Mexico, August 2008
Adalberto Noyola
AIDIS' President
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