PROBLEMS POSED BY FRESHWATER SUPPLIES REVIEWED BY ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
Press Release
ECOSOC/5719
PROBLEMS POSED BY FRESHWATER SUPPLIES REVIEWED BY ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
19970711 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 11 July (UN Information Service) -- Conflicts between the needs of rapidly growing populations and limited supplies of freshwater were discussed this morning by the Economic and Social Council, with the Director of the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development telling the gathering that one-third of the world's people still lacked access to safe drinking water, while one-half lacked access to adequate sanitation systems.
Water resources were likely to become a limit to economic and social development in many parts of the world unless steps were taken towards a coordinated, holistic approach to water management, the Director, Joke Waller-Hunter, said.
She and other speakers pointed not only to problems of sufficient supply but to burgeoning threats to water quality through pollution by fertilizer and pesticide runoff, sewage, and industrial waste.
A representative of Luxembourg, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said water was already the subject of conflicts of interest in certain regions of the world, and that an effective approach to husbanding the resource must therefore include not only to United Nations departments dealing with development but also to those dealing with political matters. And a representative of the Republic of Korea reminded the meeting that it had been estimated that by the year 2025, virtually all of the world's economically accessible water supplies could be required to meet the needs of agriculture, industry, households, and to maintain lake and river levels.
Addressing the meeting were representatives of the Administrative Committee on Coordination's Committee on Water Resources; Luxembourg (on behalf of the European Union and several other countries); United Republic of Tanzania (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China); Republic of Korea; Switzerland; Brazil; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Turkey; South Africa; Jamaica; Tunisia; World Meteorological Organization (WMO); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United States; Argentina; Bangladesh; World Health Organization (WHO); China; World Bank; and Indonesia.
The Council will reconvene at 3 p.m. to continue its debate on freshwater resources.
Freshwater Resources
The Council reviewed a report of the Secretary-General on freshwater, including clear and safe water supply and sanitation (document E/1997/70) which recommends a more comprehensive approach to water resources. Noting that over a billion people lack access to adequate supplies of water, the report says there is a need to formulate concerted approaches to integrated water resources development and management, which in turn should provide an overall umbrella for coordination and cooperation at both the national and international levels. The report calls for further efforts to streamline programmes and activities along the lines of each organization's comparative advantages to avoid duplication and overlapping. Organizations active at national level need to improve coordination of their field activities. To give highest priority to serious freshwater problems, governments, international organizations, scientific and research institutes and non-governmental organizations should cooperate and contribute to the goal of more efficient water resources management. At the same time, the United Nations can provide technical and financial support to national efforts. There is an urgent need for national and international agreements to harmonize the information systems that provide the data needed for decision-making.
The report notes the close relationship between management and the use of water resources, land management, the preservation of aquatic ecosystems and climate change. Regarding financing freshwater programmes and studies, it notes that increased efforts and new and innovative approaches to the generation of financial resources are needed at both the national and international levels.
Statements
JOKE WALLER-HUNTER, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, introducing a report on freshwater supplies, said water resources were likely to become a limit to economic and social development in many parts of the world unless steps were taken towards a coordinated, holistic approach to their management. Unless action was taken now, there would be a crisis with serious global implications -- nearly one-third of the world's population still lacked access to safe drinking water, and one-half lacked access to adequate sanitation systems. The recent Special Session of the General Assembly on follow-up to Agenda 21 had decided that water was an issue requiring the highest priority, as it was clear that if steps were not taken, shortages of freshwater could pose a serious obstacle to the development process. New and additional financial resources needed to be provided to deal with freshwater problems.
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Ms. WALLER-HUNTER went on to review the history of meetings, conferences, and actions taken within the United Nations system since 1977 to develop an "integrated response" to problems posed by freshwater resource supply problems; despite great progress, she said, much remained to be done. Organizations active at field-level often did not cooperate sufficiently, for example, resulting in inefficiencies and overlapping of programmes.
The freshwater problem was linked to other environmental concerns such as desertification, Ms. WALLER-HUNTER pointed out, adding that as much as 80 per cent of coastal water pollution in the world's oceans resulted from contaminants carried there by freshwater.
A. SZOLLOSI-NAGY, Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Coordination's (ACC) Committee on Water Resources, said the United Nations was the mirror image of the outside world. As long as there were many players on water at the national level, there was a need for counterparts within the United Nations for coordination. There were many aspects to water-related issues, and more than a dozen United Nations organizations were involved in water projects; good coordination was necessary. The ACC Committee on Water Resources was a key player and was the first to put together a comprehensive assessment of freshwater in the world. Water would become a major limiting factor in socio-economic development if steps were not taken to manage it better.
HENRI SCHUMACHER (Luxembourg), speaking on behalf of the European Union and of Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, said a coherent approach by the system to freshwater problems was still lacking, and the EU would have liked to see more specific, action-oriented recommendations aimed at eliminating duplication and better defining the division of labour within the organization. The level of coordination already achieved was welcomed; it was felt that it was necessary to step up arrangements to ensure better inter-institutional cooperation, and the matter should be integrated into the UN system's operational activities, taking account of the fact that water supply was already the subject of conflicts of interest in certain regions of the world, and that an integrated approach must therefore be applied not only to departments dealing with development but also to those dealing with political matters. The EU had launched an initiative at the fifth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development which should allow a better approach by the UN system, and would establish a long-term framework for action, Mr. SCHUMACHER said.
DAUDI N. MWAKAWAGO (United Republic of Tanzania), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the countries he represented attached great importance to the issue of water supply, given its central role in social and economic development. Many developing countries suffered from water security, and where water was available, it was not safe for drinking or sanitation
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purposes. Water also had not been harnessed effectively for economic purposes. The challenge of providing safe drinking water and water for sanitation in both rural and urban areas of developing countries was particularly daunting. It had to be supported by governments, and the mobilization of resources had to come both from domestic sources as well as financial and technical support from the international community. The international community was called upon to increase resources and technical assistance towards the harnessing of water resources for social and economic use in developing countries. There was also a need for coordination of the different United Nations organizations dealing with water issues at both the national and international levels.
YONG SHIK HWANG (Republic of Korea) said that by the year 2025, virtually all of the world's economically accessible water supplies could be required to meet the needs of agriculture, industry, households, and to maintain lake and river levels. In addition, there was a serious continuing decline in water quality -- it was deteriorating as population levels rose, causing related increases in sewage and effluent treatment and industrial and agricultural pollution. All countries should make every effort to implement national programmes of integrated water-development management;measures also should be taken to strengthen the linkage between the Sub-Committee on Water Resources and other UN organizations dealing with water issues.
MONICA LINN LOCHER (Switzerland) said the Secretary-General's report stressed that water was a source of grave concern and urged urgent action by the international community. The report showed that many actions were taking place, but the level of coordination was insufficient. Regional cooperation based on water shared management was a crucial element for the implementation of sustainable water development. To improve access of developing countries to freshwater, Switzerland would continue to cooperate with those States through technical assistance and the transfer of technology which respected the environment. An integrated approach was needed for studying water development, especially because of its close link with the land.
ANTONIO FERNANDO CRUZ DE MELLO (Brazil) said care for the country's vast freshwater resources was now included among the nation's highest priorities; a national policy for water resources had been established, and new concepts recently introduced, updating principles, concepts, and regulations; communities were given clearly defined responsibilities in relation to development and its impact on water resources; all sectors now had an equal footing in relation to water resources; in addition, water was recognized as a vulnerable and threatened resource. Other aspects of the country's approach included efforts to develop a participatory management process, recognizing stakeholders at all levels in issues related to water. Brazil furthermore cooperated with regional and international programmes related to sound water management. Developing countries faced growing challenges in providing safe
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water and good sanitation to vast and growing urban areas; international help clearly was needed to help those countries tackle these problems in an effective manner; ECOSOC should develop precise guidelines for such international cooperation. Steps also should be taken to reduce pollution of groundwater supplies caused by extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides.
ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said the water crisis threatened to dwarf the energy crisis in potential significance and overall severity. The grim scenario, with more than one billion people still lacking safe drinking water, could be averted if difficulties were dealt with in a comprehensive manner. UNEP had played a critical and innovative role in encouraging an environmentally sustainable approach to the conservation of freshwater resources. UNEP recognized that sustainable management and use of freshwater resources required an integrated approach, one which considered all relevant water uses equally, rather than on a sectoral basis. Some of UNEP's most important work was in the field of environmental information and assessment, and it would continue to place high priority on its assessment capacity. UNEP was eager to exercise leadership related to technology development and transfer. However, without adequate financial resources, the goals of sustainable water supply and the application of technology would be very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. UNEP could also play a role in brokering and negotiating multilateral agreements on a global and regional level for internationally-shared watercourses.
HUSEYIN E. CELEM (Turkey) said that worldwide projections for the next 20 to 25 years forecast significant water deficits for many countries, including Turkey; the problem was certainly made worse by the human element -- a tremendous growth in population, wasteful management, and deterioration of water quality in some countries. It was crucial that a holistic approach be taken, and that socioeconomic, hydrological, and geopolitical conditions be taken into account. Using the latest technology in irrigation also was important, as primitive methods caused a great deal of waste of water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Application of high technology raised the prospect that the costs of such investments would be beyond the means of most developing countries, and therefore it was vital that such know-how transfers take into consideration the financial and practical situations of such countries.
J. CHRISTOFIDES (South Africa) said that like many other countries, South Africa suffered from great variations in rainfall patterns. The country had scarce resources and it was poorly endowed with groundwater. South Africa would reach the limits of economically usable freshwater resources during the first half of the next century. To offset this problem, the government was moving away from ownership of water by the individual landowner to regarding water resources as a national treasure. As an immediate action to provide
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services on an urgent basis, the government initiated a drive to meet the basic needs of water supply and sanitation at a grass-roots level. Health and hygiene education were identified as a further important part of the provision of community water supply and sanitation. On the regional level, the Southern African region had participated in shared water resources projects with neighbouring states for many years. South Africa had also recognised the need for a strategic plan to manage the national water resources within the context of wide variation in geographic distribution. Through shared water resources systems also came the possibility of closer ties and growing economies on a regional basis. The United Nations could and had to play a significant role in providing technical and financial assistance to national efforts concerning freshwater.
DAVID PRENDERGAST (Jamaica) said it was a major source of concern that 1.3 billion people did not have access to adequate supplies of safe water and that more than half of humanity lacked adequate sanitation. Priority had to be given to freshwater problems facing many regions, especially in the developing world. The United Nations' comprehensive approach must include a clear understanding of the constraints faced by many developing countries in regard to water, and must recognize the need to strengthen international cooperation in order to effectively address those problems, including issues related to capacity-building, human resource development, and science and technology. Jamaica, like many other developing countries, had to contend with water and sanitation problems, along with water shortages caused by droughts due to changes in rainfall patterns; the effects on agriculture and food supply had been pressing.
HABIB KAABACHI (Tunisia) said a recent report by the Committee for Sustainable Development showed that in many countries, water was badly managed. This threatened, among other things, biodiversity and led to increased desertification. Sanitation efforts remained ineffective if other water-related problems were not resolved. These problems required ambitious socio-economic plans which developing countries could not afford. Therefore, the international community had to show its resolve to provide new additional resources to deal with freshwater issues. Research institutes and non-governmental organizations also had to look for effective solutions to resolve water problems to back national efforts. Tunisia had developed several projects, including a national water master plan to deal rationally with the water needs, which varied from agriculture, industry and tourism to water for households. It had achieved positive results.
M. JARRAUD, of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said water use had increased by a factor of six since the beginning of the century, which was more than double the rate of population growth during the period; the limits inherent in such a pattern were a great matter of concern; to compound the issue, projected climate change had the potential to modify rainfall
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distribution patterns, thereby altering the availability of freshwater in many parts of the world; pollution, floods, and droughts also were contributing to a complex and troubling picture. If trends continued, two-thirds of the world's population might suffer serious constraints on water availability and use by the year 2025. Sustainable solutions for water-related problems could only be found if there was a comprehensive understanding of water resources available in the world, and WMO, along with other agencies, had undertaken a comprehensive assessment in response to a request by the Commission on Sustainable Development; the assessment confirmed that there was insufficient knowledge of exactly how much freshwater was available. There was an urgent need to strengthen local hydrological data-collection networks and to arrest the deterioration that had occurred in several countries, so that a long time-series of historic data would be available to contribute to freshwater management planning strategies and climate-change studies.
ANDERS WIJKMAN, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said the agency focused on deforestation, food security, water and poverty eradication; water was linked to all of those areas. Poverty could be dramatically reduced if families had access to clean water. Many developing countries did not have the water to grow food needed for ever increasing populations. Food security for the poor of the world would be a colossal problem in the years to come. UNDP supported integrated water management, and wanted to apply it to all water resources. In the past, UNDP had focused on capacity building related to water. A main principle it stressed was that the price of water had to reflect its actual value. The removal of subsidies was essential. Success in water management depended on many actors, with United Nations agencies playing the role of catalyst. However, its work would not be successful unless public sector agencies and private sector interests adopted new measures. UNDP's most recent area of work was establishing private sector work in the areas of energy and water.
SETH WINNICK (United States) said the untenable situation in which the quality of the world's freshwater supply was increasingly threatened must be addressed urgently if there was to be a sustainable and safe supply of freshwater for future generations; it was clear that the international community had recognized the problem; now it was time to move together towards solutions. Formulating concerted, well-coordinated approaches would require cooperation among Governments and coordination among international organizations; the United States felt that safe drinking water and environmental sanitation issues were most effectively addressed at local, sub-national, national, and sub-regional levels; efforts to streamline UN programmes and activities in keeping with their resource levels in these times of budgetary constraints was wise, as it would not only conserve resources but lead to an increased focus on mandates that would result in less duplication of effort.
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MARTIN GARCIA MORITAN (Argentina) said water was an economic commodity and that its quantity and quality should be preserved. National legislation addressed this, and among main government actions in recent years was the installation of meters to give priority to problem areas as well as cleaning river basin pollution. The United Nations agencies should continue to provide technical assistance to countries to help with water resources issues.
ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said that looming shortages of water, existing shortages of drinking water and sanitation for billions of people, and water pollution problems were of major concern; national policies and programmes were important, but at the same time, support and involvement of the international community were essential. The Inter-Agency Steering Committee for water supply and sanitation seemed not to have "taken off" in terms of coordinated action, except in finalization of a consensus document; the delegation would like very much to see that document. It also wished to know what action the UN system was taking in response to the problem of arsenic pollution in the drinking water of Bangladesh, which was not only affecting the daily lives of hundreds and thousands of people, but could potentially have a negative effect on millions of young and unborn children. It was essential that the UN system should announce a well-coordinated programme to address this serious problem affecting people in Bangladesh, India, and China.
W. DREISEL, Executive Director of Health and Environment of the World Health Organization (WHO), said the quality of people's lives was dependent on how well the finite amount of freshwater was protected and used. The link between water and health was so fundamental that it was impossible to overemphasize its importance. The absence of safe drinking water and basic sanitation posed a great burden of ill health on the poor and powerless populations of the world. For example, diarrhoea diseases could spread because of polluted water, poor personal hygiene and unsanitary food preparations. Diarrhoea diseases were the most common form of illness today. The prospects for overcoming some of the long-standing water-related scourges were good. Unfortunately, the basis for sustainable water resources development was receiving progressively less attention. Current concerns with the environment stressed financial returns and resource utilization over the social and health concerns, and this must not be allowed. Finally, water resources development was too far reaching and complex for any single agency to control.
BAI YONGJIE (China) said the discrepancy between demand and supply of freshwater was growing more and more apparent, and if action was not taken limits of available water could have a major effect on development, especially in developing countries. A holistic approach was needed; the whole world had to cooperate to meet the challenge; much of the difficulties were matters of coordination and management; it was true that the chief responsibility for
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effective response lay at the local and national levels, but still, international involvement was essential. A sustainable international strategy for water use was needed; help was needed, furthermore, by developing countries with the financial challenges and technological challenges posed by water problems. Full consideration should be given to the priority accorded by such countries to drinking water and sanitation; emphasis should be on practical measures; and useful links should be drawn between water issues and the efforts of the UN secretariats on desertification and other related topics.
ALFREDO STEIR-YOUNIS, of the World Bank, said that in many areas, lack of water, not land, would be the main constraint to agricultural development and food security. The World Bank's "Water Resources Management Policy Paper" of 1993 considered effective water management as central to the eradication of poverty and to the attainment of the main goals of sustainable development. The World Bank was also involved in two programmes that were examples of cooperation with other agencies: the Global Water Partnership and the Strategy and Partnership in Africa. The first programme was an important mechanism for disseminating good practices, knowledge and expertise on water issues. The second one supported food security through irrigation, water quality and human health, protection of watersheds, inter-country river basis cooperation and enhanced service coverage with priority for the poor. The World Bank also fostered riparian cooperation in international river basins.
DJISMUN KASRI (Indonesia) said that notwithstanding the importance now being attached to water resources, a deep crisis continued to take shape; water factors were becoming a critical limiting factor on socio-economic development and had the potential of being a social and geopolitical time bomb. The challenge before ECOSOC was to assess the progress made in implementing global policies, identify obstacles to progress, and decide how to strengthen coordination in the United Nations system. Then it should give guidance to the Council's subsidiary groups, particularly to the Commission on Sustainable Development. The commitments of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade of the 1980s, which had not been fully met, should now be actively pursued; it also was clear that there must be a proven commitment by the international community to provide new and additional financial resources for attacking global problems related to freshwater.
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