The Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) launched a project from 2008 into late 2010, for the Upper Pripyat. The end goal of ENVSEC’s project in the Pripyat River was to establish an “environmentally safe, ecologically viable, and mutually acceptable allocation of water,” between Belarus and Ukraine.

Nickolai Denisov, in the lead as ENVSEC Regional Desk Officer of the Pripyat River Project told WaterWideWeb, “During the Soviet Union, the Pripyat River Basin was managed by a Belarusian organization. There were administrative borders but not state borders between Belarus and Ukraine then. After the Soviet Union broke up, it became difficult for Belarusian organizations to manage water infrastructure on the Ukrainian side of the river.”

Historically, Ukraine did not have the resources or the capacity to maintenance water infrastructure that affected water flow in the Pripyat River. Belarus had the tools to upkeep water infrastructure but crossing into Ukraine was difficult.

Tools and procedures to manage water resources between Belarus and Ukraine, and all of the states of the Soviet Union for that matter, were non-existent. Thus, countries had to navigate a complex web of environmental and politically charged issues that they were previously immune to.

The Pripyat River flows into the Dnieper Canal. Thus, water level oversight is of utmost importance to both countries for safety and security reasons. A number of ecosystems including lakes and wetlands rely on the flow and water level of the Pripyat River for survival.

Careful monitoring of the river’s flows, especially during times of low water levels and floods, ensures an environmentally sustainable river system and timely flood warning sent to the country of Belarus when the river’s waters begin to rise.

 The capability component of the Pripyat River was developed under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s Science for Peace and Security Programme. It is the start of setting up a flood warning system between the countries.” Belarus and Ukraine did not have dialogue, nor did they reach a viable solution to address flood warnings in the Pripyat River prior to NATO’s efforts.

Monitoring the river’s water levels during flood seasons was not timely enough for Belarus to be equipped and ready to respond to floods. NATO is helping to install scaling stations that measure the river’s water levels accurately. This tool will help the two countries to share information about flood potentials and some capacities to respond to these occurrences will improve. According to Dr Alexei Iarochevit, Ukrainian Co-Director of the project, the first station has been installed and inaugurated in Lutsk, Ukraine, in February 2011.”

“The whole point of this process was not just infrastructure. The issue of setting a formal set of rules that could further negotiations between the countries had to be discussed,” continued Denisov. Threats to public health, agricultural production, or economic development are not primary concerns with respect to the Pripyat River Basin. “A coordinated regime to address the issue of resource management needed to occur.”

The Upper Pripyat River is fairly clean.  The impact on the Upper Pripyat due to the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in 1986 was relatively moderate. “The bottleneck issue between Belarus and Ukraine was the absence of agreed proceedings for updating infrastructure. Now, that bottleneck is removed and the countries can move forward with negotiations,” assured Denisov.

Reaching a solid foundation for negotiations in the Pripyat River Basin is a primary step in stabilizing natural resource management in a region that has struggled with this issue since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Water infrastructure and maintenance has major implications on a regions ability to develop economically and to advance technologically. Coordinating efforts between the countries with respect to the Pripyat River removes a hindrance to progress between Belarus and Ukraine.

Water and security concerns vary depending on a region of the world, and the unique history of countries involved in negotiation. Mortality rates from water-borne diseases may not be high, nor is agricultural output suffering due to inadequate water supply for irrigated farming. But, traces of stalled development and impending financial consequences due to faulty water infrastructure were evident in Belarus and Ukraine.

Responding to shared stewardship of water resources promotes peace and increased dialogue between transboundary countries. Long-term effects of NATO and ENVSEC’s work in the Pripyat River are not yet quantifiable, but are certainly promising in a region where transboundary river management was once an outstanding issue.

Photo Credit: Nickolai Denisov & ENVSEC

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Unfortunately, information on cholera cases in Haiti’s rural villages is unknown and the number of lives affected by cholera could be far greater than what the international community is currently aware of.

Reports indicate that the number of new cholera cases has dropped to 4,000 per week as compared to 12,000 new cases per week in November 2010. Measures to care for cholera patients, such as delivering oral rehydration treatments, are preventing fatalities for Haitians. But, these short-term treatments are not a sustainable solution to the cholera epidemic.

Haiti’s rainy season is around the bed and proper infrastructure, including latrines and water treatment plans, have not been implemented to protect the country against another surge in cholera. The rainy season will send the bacteria through rivers and streams that could re-infect people who have already been treated for the disease.

The cholera epidemic has gripped Haitians in a culture of fear with regard to water. Wesley Laine, Program Manager of International Action (IA) told WaterWideWeb, “There’s a lot of fear when it comes to water in Haiti right now.” Laine was born in Haiti and just returned to the United States from a two week trip to Haiti.

Haitians are so afraid of cholera that they are drinking soda or going thirsty due to fear of the cholera bacteria in the water, explained Laine.

There is no shortage of well-intentioned organizations eager to deliver aid to communities suffering at the hands of cholera and other systemic inequities that are hindering progress in the country. But, delivering aid and supplies is not the same as implementing a long-term strategy to rebuild a country crippled by poor infrastructural development, amputees from the January 2010 earthquake, politically tense times, and the cholera epidemic.The country needs more than a shipment of water bottles, water packets, and chlorinator installments shipped in by aid groups. “Now, folks are fed up with NGOs. They want a sustainable solution instead of relying on foreign-aid groups that perpetuate dependency,” continued Laine. “Haitians are saying, ‘Don’t take our faucets. Fix our water’,” concluded Laine.

The American Red Cross launched response efforts to the cholera epidemic in Haiti since October 2010. Abi Weaver, Senior Communications Officer of the American Red Cross Delegation-Haiti told WaterWideWeb, “As of 12 January 2010, the American Red Cross has spent more than $4.5 million so far on the cholera response, and we plan to spend millions more.” Funds from the American Red Cross are spent on necessary supplies such as chlorine tablets, soap, and oral rehydration solutions.

Although aid organizations , such as IA and ARC are investing money, man power, and resources into a full throttle relief campaign, these efforts will have a relatively temporary impact on the overall condition of Haitians.

Unless the Haitian government takes action to provide a framework to make greatest use of these reactive, not proactive approaches, dollars spent in aid relief are essentially funneled into a permanent cycle of disaster relief. None of that money will be spent on a viable project that truly services the Haitian people, who are in limbo from two natural disasters. Rebuilding Haiti requires a strong governmental leadership to make headway into the future.

The only proactive approach to truly serving Haitians is constructing wastewater treatment facilities that are separate from facilities providing water for human consumption. Unless these projects are constructed in a timely manner, Haiti will remain a Republic of NGOs, a place where Haitians are constantly looking for a hand up but are always given a hand out.

 The Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et de Assainissement (DINEPA) is the organization currently operating in Haiti to manage water related issues. After Haiti’s January 2010 earthquake, DINEPA worked on securing clean water resources for Haitians. Organizations, including IA, are collaborating with DINEPA in delivering clean water supplies to Haitians.

The cholera epidemic in Haiti temporarily subsided, but experts are not promising that the epidemic has been completely warded off. With cases in the rural villages of the south and other remote areas unaccounted for, the cholera epidemic could still be spreading at incalculable rates.

Immediate aid to disease outbreaks is important in times like the cholera epidemic in Haiti. However, these aid efforts need to be balanced with a plan for municipal water providers, international standard establishment, and a nationally controlled water plan that will remove Haiti from perpetual disaster response.

It is time for Haiti to be led out of the gripping culture of fear that leave citizens afraid to even take a sip of water. Organizations have endless well intentioned plans to help, but the road to unsustainable use and lack of infrastructural development is paved with good intentions. Now it is time for the government to take solid action that can be supported by both private and international actors. It’s time to truly help Haiti…sustainably.

The photo above was provided by International Action

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Brazil Floods: Peak for Human Trafficking

The Timok River creates an international boundary between Bulgaria and Serbia, and joint management of the river basin is required to mitigate the adverse affects of pollution on the local communities.

Economic development in the region is undermined by mismanagement of natural resources.  Agriculture, fishing and the freshwater ecosystem of the Timok River are compromised by the release of untreated waste water and other pollutants into the Basin.

The Environment Security Initiative (ENVSEC) is a joint venture between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), The Regional Environment Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an associate partner.

Under the ENVSEC, REC in cooperation with UNECE, is currently working with the governments of Bulgaria and Serbia to reach mutual understanding and cooperation on environmental sustainability of the Timok River Basin.

Cécile Monnier, Project Manager at the REC told WaterWideWeb, “The original goal of the Timok River project implemented under ENVSEC is to support dialogue between Serbia and Bulgaria in reaching a viable agreement for joint management of the Timok River Basin.”

Monnier detailed the work of ENVSEC in decreasing security risks to human health in Bulgaria and Serbia. Please read the complete interview with Monnier below:

EAB: Why did ENVSEC become involved in the prevention of transboundary environmental conflicts in the Timok River?

CM: They are seeking to decrease environmental and security risks in the Caucasus and Europe. ENVSEC strives to address environmental legacies of conflicts through strengthening national and regional capacities, institutions and cooperation, leading to concrete investments.

With respect to the Timok River, the Bor Copper Mine in Serbia has been identified as a “hot spot” for many yearsthat would pose a threat to human health and neighboring countries. So, the idea of the project is to focus on the Timok River, which flows into the Danube, and the Bor Copper Mine with respect to waste water and other pollution spilled into the river.

EAB: How is degradation in the Timok River Basin affecting the local community?

CM: Since the Bor Copper Mine started operations, river irrigation systems have been polluted. For roughly 20 years, the entire region has faced difficulties such as declines in population, and in the agricultural and fishing industries.  All levels of the population are affected.  It affects economic development and public health. There is no risk of conflict, but there is the risk of security to human health and steady environmental degradation.

Please watch the video of the Timok River Basin here

EAB: Can you please describe progress in the region in recent years?

CM: Cooperation is built upon the existing national and international legal frameworks. Bulgaria is an EU Member State. Bulgaria is obligated to comply with obligations set forth in the European directives. Serbia is not yet in the EU, but is working toward transposing and implementing the EU directives, in preparation for its accession. Both countries have ratified the UNECE Water Convention that promotes the conclusion of viable agreements for transboundary rivers.

Last year, Bulgaria adopted a river management plan for the Danube River, which is in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive.

The International Danube River Management Plan was developed in the frame of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR). All the Danube Basin countries participate in this frame. It’s one platform where Serbia and Bulgaria are cooperating.

EAB: How is your program facilitating dialogue between Serbia and Bulgaria on river management?

CM: Our assistance is targeting capacity building, institutional cooperation and participatory approach, so we have organized several consultations and cross-border meetings. We have also developed assessments of what is being done in Serbia and Bulgaria. In the first half of this year, we will bring experts from Bulgaria to Serbia and from Serbia to Bulgaria. Then, experts can share best practices and lessons learned. We’re expecting it will be a big step towards better cooperation and dialogue. Hopefully we can organize the best platform for exchange and gather real comparable data between the two countries.

Please read a complete overview of the Timok River program here

EAB: Please describe progress toward finalizing agreements between Bulgaria and Serbia.

CM: They are really working toward cooperation. Since it ratified the Water Convention, Serbia has sent proposals for agreements to neighboring countries. These proposals were sent to Romania and Croatia only, but if such cooperation agreements work out, they could be a basis for future agreements with Bulgaria. This will certainly be reinforced if Serbia becomes an EU member state.

EAB: Thank you for interviewing with WaterWideWeb.

CM: You’re welcome.

Since the project began three years ago, both Bulgaria and Serbia have worked toward cooperative efforts in appropriate stewardship of the Timok River Basin. Engaging experts, from both countries, in dialogue about data sets, best practices, and future collaborations toward river management are crucial elements toward establishing a strong cooperation between the two countries.

Securities risks posed to human health and economic development from polluted water sources are not typically associated with European countries. But, security risks related to water exist in all parts of the world. Resolving the negative effects of transboundary river mismanagement in the Timok River Basin will provide the international community with an example for coping with such security risks with effective solutions in the future.

The photo above is credited to UNEP.

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In order to raise awareness in the Big Apple, UNICEF partnered with Casanova Pendrill, a Hispanic consumer expert and marketing agency, to target the Hispanic population in New York to bring the issue of dirty water to the busy streets of New York City.

UNICEF’s TAP Project began in 2007. By 2009, the initiative had yet to reach out to the Hispanic community specifically. In a telephone interview, CEO and President of Casanova Pendrill, Ingrid Otero-Smart told WaterWideWeb, “The need is so big and the awareness was so low ,especially with the Hispanic community”.

Research from Casanova Pendrill indicates that Hispanics give to charities that they are familiar with. They also give to charities that are close to home. “We had to shock people into action”, added Otero-Smart. So they came up with “The Dirty Water”, a non-traditional segment of UNICEF’s TAP water project.

Annually, UNICEF’s TAP water project takes place in  March, during World Water Week. In 2009 UNICEF set up a vending machine in New York City’s Union Square, the heart of the City. The vending machine didn’t sell bottles of the clean and clear water that New Yorker’s are accustomed to. Instead, the machine sold bottles of dirty water, clearly labeled as contaminated with diseases like typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and even dengue fever.

Please watch the video of the Dirty Water Campaign here

UNICEF representatives stood in Union Square and offered bottles of contaminated water to by-passers. The bottles of contaminated water certainly caused a reaction from onlookers. People could purchase a bottle of dirty water for just $1.00. The dollar donation would go to the TAP water project and provide 40 children with fresh water for a day. People who wanted to donate but didn’t have spare change could donate via  text message from their cell phone.

The goal of the Dirty Water was to raise $1 million. To achieve this objective, Casanova Pendrill launched a comprehensive bi-lingual media campaign that included television, radio, print digital and billboards.

The media push was successful,  exceeding the $1 million . “We’re already on our second year and we’re just getting briefed for year three”, confirmed Otero – Smart.

Please watch the following media presentations by Casanova Pendrill:

Tap Project Journey

Tap Project Coin

The Dirty Water represents a new approach in raising awareness about global issues. Conventional methods to inform people about international public health problems, disparity, and preventable deaths are not effectively reaching all segments of the population.

Partnering with advertising and expert marketing companies proves to be an effective method to cause even distracted New Yorkers  to stop and take a second look. Tapping into the public conscious requires direct endeavors that are visual and informative.

Providing useful information and an opportunity to make a difference is a tricky game, one mastered by the Dirty Water.

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The Diplomacy of Water: The U.S. & The Water for the Poor Act

The city of Stockholm is a great inspirational town and host of the water event considering that wetlands such as the Lake of Malaren are a centre pillar to the live of the citizens. People swim and fish in the very centre of the city without any risks to their health, thanks to an efficient system of wastewater treatment.  According to the SIWI website, only a couple of decades ago these same waters where highly polluted and toxic. This serves as an inspirational example, emblematic of the need to turn around the water crisis situation that has taken over most countries. During this special week, the event tries to foster analyze the interconnected problems of water related to the sphere of the environment, society, and economics in order to develop a concrete plan of action based on the concrete cases of the past showcases developed at the Water Week events from the past.

Each year, the event covers a specific theme in order to explore with a great depth a particular facet of a water-related issue.

In order to be coherent with the goal and mission of the week, the Stockholm International Institute is working hard at making the World Water Week a sustainable event, offering participants concrete ways to reduce their own impact on the environment. For the 2010 event, the green initiatives will include encouraging people to drink local tap water since “drinking water fountains will be located around the venue for participants to refill reusable water bottles that are included in the conference bags free of charge” (Source: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/green). The town wants to promote its own potable tap water that is of high quality and come directly from the nearby lake Mälaren. In addition, participants are strongly encouraged to calculate their own carbon emissions and are provided with a set of link that present efficient carbon offsetting programs. In addition, all participants will receive a free public transportation pass for the entire week, in order to diminish dependence on cars and taxis and to try convincing people that buses are just as convenient and less harmful to the environment. Another important green initiative launched with the event organizers is the ecolabeled hotels that will be making sure to pamper all the guests with a touch of green attitude. Partner hotels to the conference have obtained “certification to Swan Ecolabel and ISO 14000, Swan is the official Nordic Ecolabel-its stringent standards ensure that a particular product has minimized its environmental impact” (Source: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/green). More concretely, this implies that the hotels give priority to renewable energy sources, sort waste, try to minimize energy consumption, use eco-friendly cleaning substances and pick suppliers with environmental friendly attitudes. While the theme changes every year, each theme is part of a larger issue that is covered for a couple of years. For instance, from 2009 to 2012, the larger theme is “Responding to Global Changes” with a specific outlook at the water quality challenge for the year 2010.  Every country of the world faces water pollution problems with an estimated “two million tonnes of human waste being disposed in watercourses” (Source: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/sa/node.asp?node=472).

According to the website, it is important to identify the source and level of water pollution in order to fully assess the situation and come up with a plan of action. Preventing water pollution is a complicated challenged that needs to cover all the different types of water pollution in order to deepen the understanding of the situation with the hopes to stimulate discussion and change in the mind of decision-makers, business owners and citizens. This world event deserves a world coverage insofar it promises to tackled down one of the most avoidable crisis situations of our era.

The first and perhaps most important Millennium Development Goal is the need to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. 27% of the world’s poverty and 36% of the hunger are causes directly related to access to quality water. (Source: http://www.unsgab.org/docs/mdgs/mdgs-ref02.pdf). All other millennium goals such as improving maternal health or reducing child mortality are all in great part directly related to the problem of water scarcity or water pollution issues.  If one third of the MDGs depend on water the WHO and UNICEF have come to the realization that in order to even have a minimum of hope to reach the stated goals if they come up with a parallel plan in order to take care of  the issue of water quality, scarcity and access.

The report presents the situation up to know in order to assess the present situation and the future steps to be taken in the future.  According to current statistics “2.6 billion people do not use improved sanitation which means that less than two thirds of the world population has access to clean-water facilities” (Source: http://www.unwater.org/downloads/JMP_report_2010.pdf). Nonetheless, a considerable effort and improvement has been obtained in Northern Africa, South-eastern Asia and Estern Asia, while the situation appears to be somewhat standing still. Yet, the areas needing more help are being taken care of considering that out of the 2.6 billion people, 72% of them live in Asia. While statistics seem quite positive, indeed 87% of the world population and 84% of individuals in developing countries are getting access to water through improved sources of drinking-water, there still remains about 884 million people in the rest of the world who fail to have access to clean water facilities. “Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over a third of that number, and is lagging behind in progress towards the MDG target with only 60% of the population using improved sources of drinking-water” (Source: http://www.unwater.org/downloads/JMP_report_2010.pdf ). At this rate, the MDG targets will be missed my approximately 13 points unless humongous efforts are made to ameliorate the situation.  In addition, Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from great socioeconomic disparities that also impact on access to improved sanitation. The richest part of the population has somewhat of an improved access to drinking-water sources and to sanitation facilities. The poorest 20% of the population is “around 16 times more likely to practice open defecation than the richest quintile” (Source: http://www.unwater.org/downloads/JMP_report_2010.pdf).

Open air defecation is a serious problem that takes places in many reality of the world, causing the spread of disease and epidemics.  Since the urbanization of many countries like India or China an increasing number of people in urban zones defecate in the open. Yet, an improvement as been made since the report states that a decline in open defecation rates has occurred in all regions of the world.

In order to monitor a project of such humongous endeavor, local and national government need to work closely with the WHO and UNICEF in order to collaborate and facilitated the monitoring of the water standards at a global level. Over the past years, the Joint Monitoring Program has worked in close partnership with a variety of pilot countries in order to better understand how to adopt common water monitoring measures to better coordinate and harmonize research approaches in order to maximizes the authenticity of the results. This report is crucial in order to have a stabile starting base for the long-term development of the millennium goals, but also serves as a data report for the future work of NGOs and charities that are implementing strategies to reduce the water crisis around the world.

Most of people don’t know that an important portion of the world’s oxygen comes from the ocean, a key player to the carbon cycle. Yet, most of us also don’t know or fail to realize that “only a mere 0.5% of the oceans are protected!” (Source: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/east_african_coast/publications/?21432/Marine-Protected-Areas-providing-a-future-for-fish-and-people). Today, our world’s ocean is under great stress due to overfishing, pollution, degradation, and overuse of marine and coastal resources. Even the 0.5% of the oceans that are under official protection are nonetheless open to fishing and to tourism. In most regions where MPAs are already efficiently in place fishing activities have been more prolific. In those areas, it appears to be that fishers seem to move their activities closer to the protected boundaries; “such fishing-the-line allows fishers to benefit from spillover of animals from inside the closed area” (source: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/marineprotectedareas.pdf). Most fish have floating larvae or eggs that often drift out of the protected zone and therefore nurturing unprotected distant fishing grounds. As the stock increases inside the protected area, mature fish move out in order to populate foreign patches. Fishermen can then safely collected their harvest.

A concrete example of this beneficial result is the case of the Apo Island Reserve in the Philippines. Since the implementation of the marine protected areas, catches in this region have increased ten times more and have been stable for the last 15 years. In addition, MPAs have the ability to function on a large scale with the same positive results. In the Georges Bank region off Maine, after lowering maximum number of fish caught annually and banning gear that could accidentally harm other species, fish stocks have increased and so have the variety of attractive species. “By protecting spawning grounds and areas where juvenile fish spend their time growing up, fish can be spared until they reach maturity and have already given rise to offspring before being caught” (Source: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/marineprotectedareas.pdf). Protecting fish by allowing them to live longer, grow and multiply has beneficial consequences for the fauna e marine ecosystem but also for the economy.

Close to 40% of the world population lives in the vicinity of a coast and most of these people depend on the resources of the sea for their survival. As poverty becomes an acute problem in many of those regions, this phenomenon often goes hand in hand with overfishing and the over use of natural resources. This overuse is unsustainable resources on the long term, creating a vicious circle. For instance, “the artisanal reef fishery on Zanzibar, Tanzania, is crucial to approximately 60, 000 fishers and contributes to over 60% of protein to local communities” (Source: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/marineprotectedareas.pdf). In order to secure the future of such communities the increase number of marine protected areas is fundamental.

Few people realize that poverty is a serious cause of the diminution of biodiversity.  Environmental initiatives need to collaborate with NGOs and other organizations that work to fight poverty in order to establish a common plan of action. Communicating this to local communities while having them directly involve in such long-term sustainability projects is crucial to the success of MPAs.

On October 13, Live Earth decided to launch the world’s largest water initiative in order to prevent and fight water scarcity through the medium of social awareness and concrete conservation plans. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water is a World even that took place on April 18, 2010 that consisted in a 6km run/walks (the average distance women and children walk on a daily basis in order to access the nearest source or well), “taking place over the course of 24 hours in 150 countries, featuring concerts and water education activities to ignite a massive global movement to help solve the water crisis” (Source: http://liveearth.org/run).  This massive World initiative is supported by Alexandra Cousteau, Jessica Biel, Pete Wentz and Jenny Fletcher, to name just a few of the many people who gave their image, time, support and money in order to communicate this event internationally and to help raise awareness. In countries like the United States or Canada where most people live comfortably and the average citizen has an easy access to water, the World problem of water scarcity might seem far away distant. The use of media and entertainment is a useful approach that takes advantage of a extremely strong medium of communication, music, in order to raise awareness and make people realize that this issue isn’t all in the ends of scientists or federal governments.  With this initiative many of us realized that the water crisis isn’t limited to the African continent or developing countries: “in cities such as Los Angeles and Singapore City, growing demand on limited water supplies has led to enforced water rationing and increased costs to the public”(Source: http://ruimacdonald.com/wordpress/?p=3046). In addition to the World crisis of water scarcity, it is important not to forget the impact of climate change and global warming that are altering the normal water cycle and contaminating water with pollution. This event was inspired after the success of the 2007 Concerts for a Climate in Crisis where music appears to be an effective medium for communication especially when it comes to fundraising and social awareness.

According to the World Water Council, “ more than one out of six people lack access to safe drinking water, namely 1.1. billion people, and more than two out of six lack adequate sanitation, while 3900 children die every day from water born diseases” ( Source: http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=25). These statistics are alarming considering that the World population is increasing everyday, and so is the demand for water, while the actual drinkable quantity of water is diminishing rapidly. As the World’s most vital resource is becoming scarce, tensions at the political level on a national and international scale are only going to worsen. Considering that most water sources and river basins are shared between various territories, the absence of regulations or legislations could lead to serious tensions in times of scarcity and crisis.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the Dow Live Earth Run for Water is not meant to alarm people but instead its goal is to make everyone understand that local initiative and individual effort will make a considerable difference for our future and the future of our planet. Paul Faeth, the president of the Global Water Challenge has declared “the World water crisis is the single greatest avoidable health challenge of our time”. Yes, there is a sense of urgency in his words but also an undertone of hope and the need for mobilization and change in regards to wasting the precious liquid.

If you are interested in this one of a kind organization and you want to support the Dow Live Earth Run for Water please register on their website as a “Friend of Live Earth” at http://liveearth.org/friends. You can help about by telling all your friends about this global initiative and posting your comments on our website. We need to work together in order to stop the water crisis and to stop the most “avoidable health challenge of our time”.

In this post, we will talk about the “World Water Day”, an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. March 22^nd has been designated as the day whene States are invited to implement the UN recommendations and set up concrete activities. IRC (International Water and Sanitation Centre, source: http://www.irc.nl/) contributes to an official information network center in support of the observance of the Day by Government. (source: www.worldwaterday.org)

Many Countries follow this initiative, here are some examples:

Argentina

Dia Mundial del Agua con Desafios Educativos

Desafíos Educativos Conocimiento & Información – Programa ECO360

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 22 Mar 10

“On 22 March, at the Visitors Center at the Reserva Ecológica, the Ecological Reserve on the River Plate in Buenos Aires, Argentina, several activities will take place to celebrate World Water Day, from 10 am to 4 pm
Local artists have been invited to work together to build a gigantic installation with empty plastic water bottles on the theme of “the states of water”.
Pupils from primary and secondary schools from the different districts in Buenos Aires will be invited to attend two talks — one at 11 am and the other at 3 pm — on the importance of looking after fresh water and our ecosystems as well as the relationship between the quality of our water and the quality of our lives. The pupils have been studying these issues and will be bringing personal messages they have written on the subject of water care. The messages will be placed in empty plastic water bottles and used to create a massive curtain of “raindrops”.
At the same time, we are organizing an art competition about the importance of water on our planet for pre-school, primary and secondary schools from all over Buenos Aires.”

(Source: Desafios Educativos)

Australia

Siemens announces findings of meta-research study into Australia’s water and energy

Siemens Australia Ltd

Melbourne , Australia, 22 Mar 10

“Zinc bar, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia

Announcement of research findings into Australia’s water and energy challenges.

Available for interview at event:

•Albert Goller, CEO Siemens Australia

•Chris Davis, the National Water Commission. Chris is a former CEO of Australian Water Association and a National Water Commissioner; Independent Chair of the SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance, and Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel for the Sydney Metro Water Plan

•Paul Graham, Theme Leader, Energy Futures, for the Energy Transformed National Research Flagship at CSIRO.”

(Source: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/2890)

Austria

Water class – lessons for school children in East Tyrol: Education about water quality on the World Water Day 2010.

House of Water, Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Tirol, A-9963 St. Jakob
Lienz, East Tyrol / Austria: Lienzer Sparkasse, Johannesplatz 6, A-9900 Lienz, Austria, 22 Mar 10

“On the very day, World Water Day 2010, March 22nd, school children are invited to come to the Water Class.

Environmental teachers from the House of Water in the National Park Hohe Tauern come to Lienz with their equipment.

They teach groups of about 10 children in 50 minutes about Water quality: tasting fresh water from the tap, analyzing the water pH, playing a puzzling water game and looking through the microscope.”

(Source: House of Water – Evironmental education in the National Park Hohe Tauern Tyrol)

Bangladesh

World Water Day 2010 by JAAGO Foundation

JAAGO Foundation

Dhaka, Bangladesh, 22 Mar 10

“JAAGO Foundation, as it does with all the major national and international occasions, celebrated ‘World Water Day 2010’ on the 22nd of March. In partnership with Coca-Cola Far East Limited, JAAGO Foundation organized a day-long awareness generation event in the surrounding community. The initiative drew the involvement of doctors, students, local community members and volunteers, all joining hands to create awareness about safe drinking water and sanitation.

With the theme ‘Clean Water for a Healthy World’, the event saw students, people from the local community and over 100 volunteers gather together in the JAAGO Foundation School in the morning at around 10 am. They were provided with basic training for about an hour and then they set off at 11 from JAAGO Foundation to the nearby community to raise awareness about major health issues among the community members.”

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/korvi#p/a/u/0/UdGDp0Q8FxU)

Belgium

World Water Weekend

Serve the City

Brussels, Belgium, 22 Mar 10

“Join Serve the City for a day of serving on Saturday 20 March to raise awareness for water needs around the world. At the same time a 24hour film competition will be taking place with teams creating a 3-minute film based on a script written by a Hollywood filmmaker specifically for the event. The films will be shown and judged Monday night at a World Water Day Film and Arts Festival, with results partially based on votes from fans at 1 € each. The goal is to raise 5000 € for a small village in Malawi in need of wells. Sign up to serve, form a film team, come to the Film and Arts Festival!”

(Source: www.worldwaterweekend.be)

Brazil

Jornada Internacional de Governança da Água

Comitê da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Tijucas e ROBVQ
Santa Catarina / Biguaçu e Bacia Rio Tijucas, Brazil, 17 May 10

(Source: Jornada Internacional de Governança da Água)

Indonesia

World Water Day 2010 Seminar

Environmental Engineering USTJ

Jayapura, Papua,       Indonesia, 20 Mar 10

Environmental Engineering community in USTJ and WWF Indonesia will hold a seminar commemorating the world water day 2010.
Activities will be held in the auditorium of the University of Science and Technology Jayapura (USTJ).
The theme taken is “Clean Water for Communities and a Healthy Environment”.
We encourage students and community to participate in this activity.
These activities will be broadcast on local TV stations, daily newspapers, radio, and website WWF Indonesia (www.wwf.or.id).

This activity is supported by Telkomsel, Qualala, and the Forest Service of Papua Province, Indonesia.

(Source: World Water Day 2010)

It is so interesting to see how many countries adhere to these wonderful initiatives. Here we are listing only a few of them, but there are many other countries who participate, such as  Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam. Clearly, it is important to sensitize people about water issues and initiatives like these which are pointing in the right direction. Keep following us and we will keep you updated about water related initiatives!