Director-General sounds the alarm over looming water crisis

Paris, March 20
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today urged action to avert the looming fresh water crisis as he addressed a session devoted to "Water in Rivers" at the Second World Water Forum currently taking place in The Hague (the Netherlands).

Speaking of the problem of water scarcity and of recent water-related catastrophes such as the pollution of the Danube and the floods in Mozambique, Mr Matsuura pointed out that "only 0.3 % of fresh water is renewable and available for human consumption."

"The prospect of a global water crisis is real," Mr Matsuura argued, explaining: "Population increase, the quest for greater food production, economic development leading to greater consumption of water, irrigation - especially in arid areas: all this puts stress on a precious resource. At the same time, for many, water scarcity or unequal access to water is at the core of under-development and poverty."

"Nature itself is unequal in water distribution," he said, "with 65% of the world's fresh water located in just 10 countries. Meanwhile, the demand for water is expected to rise by 38% in the next 25 years and by over 80% for drinking water. These stresses, coupled with the consequences of climate change and variability, deforestation, soil salinisation and water quality deterioration, threaten to become critical."

"Fresh water quantity, quality and distribution are now determined not only by natural climate variations, but also by human population pressure and economic activities," the Director-General said, pointing out that "in many parts of the world, water resources, particularly river resources, have become so depleted and so contaminated that they are already unable to meet the ever-increasing demands made on them."

Saying that the water problem is "becoming a major impediment to sustainable social and economic development," Mr Matsuura cautioned that "in addition to improving our scientific knowledge of rivers, we have to improve our ability to anticipate the political problems arising from the sharing of river basins by different countries."

He said: "I believe that we cannot afford to wait for the political problems this situation creates before taking action. Action begins at the level of science - interdisciplinary science - feeding into policy-making."

Mr Matsuura went on to talk of the historic importance of rivers as a renewable source of fresh water and as the cradles of most of the world's major civilisations. "Today, basins of rivers still constitute one of the most significant natural boundaries for collaboration between communities," he said.

Mr Matsuura outlined the range of UNESCO activities that concern the scientific, sociological and ethical aspects of water management and related educational initiatives: "UNESCO's programmes cover all areas of human living conditions. From Man and the Biosphere to the social sciences MOST Programme on the management of social transformation, from Programmes in hydrology, geology and oceanography to the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, UNESCO's activities embrace the full spectrum of knowledge at the service of human needs. This is especially relevant in the case of water problems, where scientific and technical measures are ineffective without social and educational measures relating to conservation, re-use and non-wastage of water."

"UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme [IHP] serves as a framework for developing science-based policy and the relevant water resources management capabilities needed for dealing with and solving problems related to water," he said, explaining: "It has had a prime role in acting as a catalyst for co-operation. The current phase of the Programme sets out to stimulate a stronger interrelation between scientific research, applications and education. The emphasis is on environmentally sound, integrated water resources, planning and management."

Mr Matsuura also spoke of UNESCO's efforts to disseminate information regarding the global water situation: "UNESCO/IHP has many publications on the discharges of major rivers in the world in both hard copies and CD-ROMs." He named the recently-published CD-ROM on World Fresh Water Resources which includes a database of monthly discharges of selected rivers, a publication on Discharge of Selected Rivers of Africa and a series of publications, Global River Discharge Database.

Mr Matsuura also emphasised general-public publications, notably for children and school students, aiming "to create a strong awareness of water issues and to instill a water ethic among young people who are usually most receptive to the idea of both individual, national and international responsibilities on water." He named UNESCO's CD-ROM for students in the 14 to 19 age group, Blue Gold, which has won two major prizes and is available in English and French.

For more information: www.unesco.org/science/waterday2000 and www.worldwaterforum.org/