The 5th World Water Forum took place in Instanbul, Turkey this week drawing delegates from 156 countries to discuss solutions for a grow global crisis of freshwater supply.
The goals of the weeklong summit were to push worldwide water issues onto the international agenda and create a united water community.
The Forum’s appeal for global action was bolstered with the official launch of the United Nations World Water Development Report which emphasizes the driving forces affecting the water supply: a global population boom, economic growth and climate change. The report reflects a dismal outlook for the world’s water resources and calls for immediate action to implement strategies for increased efficiency in water use consumption as well as investments in renewable energy.
Nearly half of the world’s people will be living in areas of acute water shortage by 2030, according to the report, and an estimated 1 billion people remain without access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
"Water is not enough of a political issue," said Daniel Zimmer, associate general of the World Water Council, which helped organzize the Forum. "One of the targets is to make politicians understand that water should be higher up on their domestic agenda."
Water shortages have been named as a major underlying cause of the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan. Water is also a major issue between Israel and its Arab neighbours, and the states of Central Asia, according to a recent Reuters report.
Effect of Economic Crisis
The current economic crisis is likely to affect funding for crucial water infrastructure, according to a World Bank official who addressed the Forum. Jamal Saghir, Director of Energy, Water and Transport at the World Bank, said people will increasing be unable to pay water bills and water utilities will have to boost efficiency to attract investment.
Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggested developing countries should move toto more tariff-based systems to pay for water services and also protect those least able to pay.
International Cooperation
Forum discussions addressed the importance of setting aside geopolitical boundaries and instead focus on entire river basins to develop shared water security and reduce potential conflicts.
"The question countries must face is are they interested only in holding all the water themselves and living in a destabilized region, or do they wish to share the water and cooperate?" said Mark Smith, head of the water program of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
A recent report by investor advocacy group Ceres, outlines the water scarcity risks faced by eight industry sectors.
Read Reuters coverage of the Water Forum at the link below.
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