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Harrow campaigner demands government action to Stop Water Wars Photo opportunity
7 March 2008
Friday 7 March, 11.15am at Gareth Thomas’ office: 132 Blenheim Road, Harrow, HA2 7AA (gmap).
Local campaigners will be handing in over 1,500 cards calling for the government to stop water wars and a photo petition in which 800 people sent in a self portrait photo.
On Friday, campaigners from the North West London World Development Movement group will demand that Gareth Thomas MP for Harrow West takes notice of the thousands of people from across the UK, who are calling on the government to Stop Water Wars.
In the run up to World Water Day on 22nd March, Nadia Idle from Rayners Lane, Harrow is meeting with Gareth Thomas, Minister for International Development. She will urge him to ensure that the government signs the UN Water Convention which will help to reduce political tension between countries which shared water resources.
Nadia Idle, from the North West London World Development Movement group said, “The World Development Movement has gathered over 2000 calls from people across the UK demanding that the government Stop Water Wars. It is important that the government takes notice of this and that’s why I am meeting with Gareth Thomas today.”
An example of political tension over shared water resources is in the Middle East, where Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have a tense relationship over the limited water supplies of the Jordan River. The Euphrates River has been a source of tension between Turkey and Syria, and Iraq and Syria have come close to war over plans to dam the river.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange interviews with Nadia Idle in please call:
Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email:
Notes to Editors
- Nadia Idle is 27, lives in Rayners Lane, is an active member of the World Development Movement and has campaigned on water issues for several years.
- The World Development Movement is calling on the UK government to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses. · WWF-UK have produced a briefing with the World Development Movement on the issue: ‘Why the UK government must support the UN Watercourses Convention’ available at http://www.wdm.org.uk/stopwaterwars
- The World Development Movement is calling on people to sign their online petition to Stop Water Wars, to Gareth Thomas, Minister for Water at: http://www.wdm.org.uk/stopwaterwars
- Nearly four billion people live in countries where there is ongoing political tension over shared water resources with other countries. These are countries through which the following rivers flow or where lakes are situated: the River Nile Basin; the Tigris – Euphrates Basin, Lake Chad Basin; Mekong Basin; River Ganges Basin; Aral Sea Basin; Lower River Jordan Basin; Amur-Heilong River Basin; Indus River Basin; Parana River Basin
- The World Development Movement campaigns to tackle the root causes of poverty. WDM believes that charity is not enough and aims to change the policies that keep the developing world poor. It is a democratic and politically independent organisation with 15,000 supporters and 70 local groups across the UK. For more information, go to www.wdm.org.uk
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