Water, sanitation needed to achieve MDGs

Source: Xinhua, 2010-09-11

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Water and sanitation are the basic foundations to achieve all the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), thus they need more attention at the forthcoming UN High Level Meeting on MDGs on September 22-24, said a statement issued on Friday at the concluding session of the 20th World Water Week, which began last Saturday.

During the week, 2,500 leading experts, government officials including 20 ministers, business representatives and non- governmental organizations have focused on water quality challenges in Asia, Africa, Latin America as well as other parts of the world.

Representing Asia, Dipak Gyawali, former Minister of Water Resources of Nepal, said that water quality challenges in Asia is very diversified, however, the solutions should be harmonious or integrated.

"The concept has been one of the Asian languages, what we called harmonious water system management. I think that is the Asian way where you see 'harmonious' coming together with many different managers, market economy innovators or the environmental social critics,"Gyawali said.

"There is no solution once for all. What it demands is the attitude of humility of us to correct our mistakes when the situation changes,"he said, adding that one should try many solutions to tackle the complex water issues and that is exactly one of the conclusions coming from the conference.

Buyelwa Sonjica, minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of South Africa and president of the African Ministers of Council on Water (AMCOW), pointed out many progress has been made in Africa, even at the water week.

"Inspired by Stockholm Junior Water Prize, we also introduced a similar youth competition in Africa funded by the UN HABITAT to recognize the talents of the youth,"Sonjica said.

On the African Focus Day in the middle of the week, experts from Africa and other parts of the world together with the ministers and other officials discussed the challenges in water quality, sanitation and investment for water in Africa.

"We used the Africa Focus Day to unveil the AMCOW Gender Strategy, underscoring the critical need to infuse all our activities in the sector with a high level of gender sensitivity and a sense of priority around gender issues,"Sonjica said.

Jose Luis Luege Tamargo, general director of National Water Commission of Mexico, sent a message to Stockholm water week because Mexico is suffering floods right now.

He stressed that climate change is felt now in Mexico as well as in the world, thus, it is important for the coming Cancun COP 16 climate summit in Mexico to make great progress.

During the week, another important topic is about pollution from source to sea. For example, in China's Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East Sea.

David Osborn, coordinator of Global Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, praised China's Xiamen government in dealing with the pollutants coming from the upper stream of the Jiulong River.

"Xiamen government actually pays the local governments in the upper stream of the Jiulong river so that the pollutants from the upper reaches can be prevented at the source,"Osborn told Xinhua.

This is a good example of integrated coastal management where all the governments along the river collaborate to take actions simultaneously to fight against pollution, Osborn said.

Summarizing this year's water week, Professor Malin Falkenmark from Stockholm International Water Institute said that the main pollutants identified include human waste, industrial waste, leakage from land use and emerging pollutants.

"Pollutants tend to develop in generations. U.S. now reported that after 50 years of massive efforts in mitigation of impacts of the first three types, the Great Lakes started to suffer from the fourth chemicals of emerging concerns,"Falkenmark said at the closing session.

To the abatement, there are alternative options by prohibiting contaminants, source control, by waste water treatment, by intake purification before use, or as a large possibility by household filters, she said.