Yesterday was World Water Day and an opportunity to reflect on a precious resource.

Not so long ago, Prince Albert II visited UTER, Monaco's recently modernized water treatment plant. The Principality has been managing water use successfully for several years. Consumption has reduced since the beginning of 2000 by 10%, and by 3% in 2008 alone. In order to more efficiently use drinking water, runoff from the Vallon de la Noix is used for cleaning the roads, and seawater is used in cooling towers. These actions should reduce consumption of water supply by about a further 8% over the next couple of years.

Outside Monaco, the Principality's international cooperation projects are providing clean drinking water to around 170,000 people in Africa by contributing to wells, boreholes, drainage and waste collection. In addition, the Principality has helped irrigate more than 600 hectares of land to protect the Niger River from silting up. In Tunisia and Morocco 450 hectares of palm plantations have been rehabilitated and new projects are in the pipeline with the result that 300 families are able to cultivate their land again after a 30 year drought.

World water day : state of play in Monaco