Mar
27
Some Reflections on the Fifth World Water Forum
March 27, 2009 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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I’ve been working on this post for several days; time to get this thing done.
A number of us AWRA WaterWonks were involved in the Fifth World Water Forum 16-22 March, Istanbul, Turkey: Jerry Sehlke, Ari Michelsen, Mary Theresa Flynn, Faye Anderson, David Moody, myself, and of course, Ken Reid. It was a lot of work, but I have no complaints and I doubt my colleagues do. It was a very rewarding experience indeed.
I thought I would reflect a bit on my time at the 5WWF. For those of you who would like to read more, I have posted a number (eight!) of items, including some downloadable presentations, over at my WaterWired blog starting on 14 March. You can also get more information and reports from the 5WWF WWW site.
For the first time in many months I checked my email last Tuesday morning without dreading 10, 15, or more emails about the various sessions in which I was involved at the It was relief, but also a letdown – not unlike my return from the OU WaTER Symposium last fall.
So it’s time to reflect. Was it worth it? I’ll give my impressions in my inimitable stream-of-consciousness style.
5WWF vs. 3WWF
I did not ‘get around’ as much as I did at the Third World Water Forum (3WWF) in Kyoto, where I had fewer responsibilities. I remember going to a great session in Kyoto that was more an open-microphone session for community groups. I really enjoyed it. If there was such a session in Istanbul I missed it.
5WWF struck me as far greener than 3WWF, the only other WWF I attended. At Kyoto I remember being appalled at the amount of paper being distributed by corporations, governments, and especially NGOs, some of which had reputations for being very green. And since a lot of the paper was the heavyweight glossy stuff, it must have made quite a carbon footprint. At 5WWF, there was some of that, but not nearly the amount and the high quality. Lots of material was being distributed via CDs or DVDs, or the occasional flash drive. The Turkish organizers included a 1 or 2 GB flash drive with each bookbag, with lots of stuff (programs, etc.) on the drive. Great idea.
But an argument could be made about how green it was to assemble 25,000 people (so much for the economic meltdown!) from around the globe for up to 7 days. One group had a great display of the amount of GHGs emitted flying to Istanbul from a variety of places. Definitely not a pretty sight.
5WWF as a Trade Show
Some criticized the 5WWF for being a ‘trade show’. Well, it was, and not just corporations were hawking their wares, but governments and NGOs, too. So? Some of the stuff distributed/promoted was pretty nifty; some was the SOS. The Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans were well represented – not just the governments, but private firms (such as they are in China) as well. The Euros were out in force. Yeah, the good ol’ USA was present and accounted for.
Ground Water Arrives!
It was good to see ground water start to get its due at 5WWF. Previous WWFs had all but ignored this aspect of the hydrological cycle. [Note: See this WaterWired post and comments by Daniel Collins and me for some reasons why this was so.] At one session, questions directed towards the panelists were about 90% on ground water. One of my fellow panel members passed me a note inquring if I had packed the audience (I had not).
I am certain that the attention given to ground water will again manifest itself at 6WWF (Durban, I hope!). But I don’t necessarily want to see a bunch of separate sessions on ground water. That would be self-defeating, and a return to the days when the hydrological cycle was compartmentalized. Insofar as possible, I want to see ground water fully integrated into a variety topics.
IUCN
I encountered IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The IUCN was a revelation for me, much like my discovery of OSCE in 2002. IUCN deserves a lot of credit for getting ground water a bigger role at the 5WWF. The two co-convenors of my session, A Hidden Resource: Sustainably Managing Groundwater for the Future, Katharine Cross and Peter Laban, were from IUCN – Katharine in the Geneva headquarters and Peter in Amman, Jordan. I also met Rocio Córdoba from IUCN’s Costa Rica office and Hamza Sadiki from Tanzania. All four were quite impressive, and I hope to work with them and IUCN again soon.
Old and New Friends
Some question the utility of “water megaconferences”. Are they worth it? In this time of global warming, do we really need something like the World Water Forum? I say “Yes!” For me, the 5WWF was about networking and the serendipity that accompanies it. It was great seeing long-time colleagues/friends like Bill Alley, Alice Aureli, Shammy Puri, and Ramón Llamas. It was great meeting Stefano Burchi and Jorge Rucks after hearing about them lo these many years. And meeting new friends – that’s the icing on the cake.
I especially want to acknowledge and thank Ahmet Sargin of DSI, with whom I worked very closely. Wonderful man.
Suggested 6WWF Sessions
I envision sessions on:
- Case studies of IWRM in ground water dominated basins
- Applications of IWRM to systems with aquifers underlying multiple surface water basins
- Improving IWRM to better consider ground water reservoirs
- Effects of climate change on ground water reservoirs
- Transboundary surface water – ground water basins
- Ground water reservoirs as storage systems
- Role of small, hydrophilanthropic organizations in alleviating the world’s water and sanitation issues
I am sure you can think of more.
Final Thoughts
I was disappointed that the Ministerial Statement did not recognize a human right to water.
I worry that the world’s economic troubles will encourage countries to turn further inward and be less accommodating to their neighbors. Perhaps conflict over water could result. A greater likelihood is that developed countries will reduce the aid they provide to developing countries. I heard an African say that to reach the water, sanitation, and hygiene Millennium Development Goals by 2015 requires $34.5B per year. That is not a lot of money – really. Will we step up? Or will 2015 arrive indistinguishable from the present?
However, the world’s economic woes could provide a catalyst for rethinking the way we do things. We humans seem to respond better to crises; perhaps some good can come out of all this in terms of the way we manage water and address water issues.
May the year 2012 bring some real good news in Durban. I’m optimistic.
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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