Brasília, March 23, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - At the official opening of National Water Week, yesterday (22), the Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, emphasized the job done by the Brazilian government to recover degraded areas, preserve the forests and wooded riverside areas, and avoid pollution of the water through contamination of the soil.

Silva pointed out that a country like Brazil, which possesses 11% of the world's fresh water, cannot fail in the task of protecting and preserving a natural resource. "Without water, for the production of food or energy, it is impossible to imagine the existence of life."

World Water Day was commemorated with the inauguration of the Fresh Water Program, which plans to make water available to the population of the semi-arid regions of Brazil.

Translator: David Silberstein