Governments must invest more in anti-water scarcity measures: SIWI

To meet the challenge of global water scarcity, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) will on Monday call for governments around the world to better manage how they use their existing water resources.

Geneva, Aug.10 : To meet the challenge of global water scarcity, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) will on Monday call for governments around the world to better manage how they use their existing water resources.

The call will be issued through SIWI's new policy brief, On the Verge of a New Water Scarcity, which is being released in conjunction with the opening of the 2007 World Water Week in Stockholm.

Themed "Progress and Prospects on Water: Striving for Sustainability in a Changing World," the event will witness the launch of a number of new and groundbreaking studies, reports and initiatives designed to improve a global situation where billions of people are without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

Some 2500 top experts from 140 countries are expected to participate in Stockholm from August 12 to 18.

SIWI and the Swedish Water House will release four policy brief and reports containing cutting-edge research and recommendations on water, sustainability, health and development.

The United Nations says 20 percent of the world's population in 30 countries faces water shortages, and that by 2025, the numbers will be 30 percent and 50 countries, respectively.

The SIWI policy brief says a clear distinction must be made between "apparent" scarcity, where there is plenty of water, albeit inefficiently and wastefully used, and "real" scarcity due to lack of rain. The distinctions are important because they imply different responses by governments.

In the report Planning for Drinking Water and Sanitation in Peri-Urban Areas, the Swedish Water House addresses the human health and development crisis by creating a framework for the sustainable planning of water and sanitation infrastructure in the developing world.

In the policy brief Agriculture, Water, and Ecosystems, SIWI, the Swedish Water House, the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the International Water Management Institute suggest concrete management plans to stretch water resources in order to nourish both the world's ecosystems and food supplies.

By 2050, double the current amount of food will be needed to feed the global population. In the future, the water required for food and water needed to keep ecosystems healthy must be balanced carefully, SIWI warns.

In Making Anti-Corruption Approaches Work for the Poor, SIWI, the Swedish Water House and the Water Integrity Network offer three principles - integration, targeting and mitigation -which will help the development of pro-poor anti-corruption water sector strategies that target poverty reduction and improve livelihoods.

ANI