22 U.S.C. § 2152h : US Code - Section 2152H: Assistance to provide safe water and sanitation

Search 22 U.S.C. § 2152h : US Code - Section 2152H: Assistance to provide safe water and sanitation

(a) Purposes
The purposes of assistance authorized by this section are -
(1) to promote good health, economic development, poverty
reduction, women's empowerment, conflict prevention, and
environmental sustainability by providing assistance to expand
access to safe water and sanitation, promoting integrated water
resource management, and improving hygiene for people around the
world;
(2) to seek to reduce by one-half from the baseline year 1990
the proportion of people who are unable to reach or afford safe
drinking water and the proportion of people without access to
basic sanitation by 2015;
(3) to focus water and sanitation assistance toward the
countries, locales, and people with the greatest need;
(4) to promote affordability and equity in the provision of
access to safe water and sanitation for the very poor, women, and
other vulnerable populations;
(5) to improve water efficiency through water demand management
and reduction of unaccounted-for water;
(6) to promote long-term sustainability in the affordable and
equitable provision of access to safe water and sanitation
through the creation of innovative financing mechanisms such as
national revolving funds, and by strengthening the capacity of
recipient governments and communities to formulate and implement
policies that expand access to safe water and sanitation in a
sustainable fashion, including integrated planning;
(7) to secure the greatest amount of resources possible,
encourage private investment in water and sanitation
infrastructure and services, particularly in lower middle-income
countries, without creating unsustainable debt for low-income
countries or unaffordable water and sanitation costs for the very
poor; and
(8) to promote the capacity of recipient governments to provide
affordable, equitable, and sustainable access to safe water and
sanitation.
(b) Authorization
To carry out the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, the
President is authorized to furnish assistance for programs in
developing countries to provide affordable and equitable access to
safe water and sanitation.
(c) Activities supported
Assistance provided under subsection (b) of this section shall,
to the maximum extent practicable, be used to -
(1) expand affordable and equitable access to safe water and
sanitation for underserved populations;
(2) support the design, construction, maintenance, upkeep,
repair, and operation of water delivery and sanitation systems;
(3) improve the safety and reliability of water supplies,
including environmental management; and
(4) improve the capacity of recipient governments and local
communities, including capacity-building programs for improved
water resource management.
(d) Local currency
The President may use payments made in local currencies under an
agreement made under title I of the Agricultural Trade Development
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to provide
assistance under this section.