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The fourth issue of the Quarterly Notes on Sustainable Water Management - Q04/2010 has been released. Please feel free to download the Notes from here: http://swm-group.blogspot.com/p/downloads.html . If you encounter any problems accessing the Notes please request a free copy of the Notes from: swm.group@gmx.net . You are also invited to forward the download link to further interested stakeholders and/or inform others about the S ustainable | W ater | M anagement | G roup. CONTENT What can you expect from the fourth issue of the Notes? The layout of the Notes has been modified once more. The Notes now come with a navigation feature, facilitating the access to the various sections. The event calendar section has been amended with detailed conference announcements and a new text element - the Key Note - has been added to the Notes. Having the significant troubles associated with the most recent financial crisis in mind, this fourth issue is mainly dedicated to the economic aspect

Water stress results from an imbalance between water use and water resources. The water stress indicator in this map measures the proportion of water withdrawal with respect to total renewable resources. It is a criticality ratio, which implies that water stress depends on the variability of resources. Water stress causes deterioration of fresh water resources in terms of quantity (aquifer over-exploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.) The value of this criticality ratio that indicates high water stress is based on expert judgment and experience ( Alcamo and others, 1999 ). Read more...

Water stress is accelerating due to increasing demand for water from an ever growing Arab population, and climate change is compounding the problem. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set a target to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015. “The Arab Human Development report 2009, presents compelling evidence that the burgeoning water scarcity problem in the Arab region presents a serious threat to Human security. Under the umbrella of the League of Arab States (LAS) and in partnership with the Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) and the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) is organizing the first Arab Water Week.  The Arab Water Week (AWW) is the first regional meeting in the Arab region which will tackle water management issues through establishing innovative partnerships and platforms of collaborative work on water issue in the region.  The importanc

NEW DELHI: The country’s attention may be focused on an ever-increasing energy needs, but water is a much bigger issue, says a key policymaker in the government. “Water crisis is a more serious issue than energy crisis,” said Montek Singh Ahluwalia , deputy chairman of Planning commission, at the World Economic Forum on Sunday. Speaking at a session on ‘How will India avert a Water Crisis?’ Mr Ahluwalia said that that the government was seized of the problem and was in the process of reviewing its water policy. He added that some of its key elements could be incorporated in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17). The annual extraction of groundwater in India is by far the highest in the world and the unsustainable over-extraction has lowered the water table to dangerous levels, mid-term appraisal of the Eleventh five year plan had said. Multilateral agencies such as the World Bank have flagged

The Jordan River basin is shared by 5 different countries: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Israel. As a resource for freshwater it is vital for most of the population of Palestine, Israel and Jordan, and in a lesser extend for Lebanon and Syria. Sharing this resource involves the issue of water use, water rights, and (re)distribution of amounts. Since water is a scarce resource to every country in the region, access to enough water to meet the demands of households and economic sectors is a main concern for all governments involved. The demand for water is rising, due to population growth and economic development. Pressure on the natural resources is high, and Israel, Jordan and Palestine are already facing a situation where water consumption is close to or exeeding the renewable amount available. Next to the natural resources, alternatives are limited: water saving measures, water recycling or desalination work on the sort term, but seem to fail to fill the expected

    World Ocean Review published. Read more... English Version available soon The interview (German only) Listen...

Glaciers of large mountain regions contribute, to some extent considerably, to the water supply of certain populated areas. However, in a recent study conducted by Innsbruck glaciologists and climatologists it has been shown that there are important regional differences. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ). In their recently published study the glaciologists and climatologists, headed by Prof. Georg Kaser and Dr. Ben Marzeion from the Institute of Geography of the University of Innsbruck, have demonstrated that the contribution potential of glaciers to the water supply of populated areas varies regionally. The scientists gathered data on the amount of precipitation on certain glaciers and calculated when the water is discharged and available in populated areas. "There is a big difference in whether the water is discharged in an arid period or in a period, when there usually is

The Arab world, one of the driest regions on the planet, will tip into severe water scarcity as early as 2015, a report issued on Thursday predicts.  By then, Arabs will have to survive on less than 500 cubic metres of water a year each, or below a tenth of the world average of more than 6,000 cubic metres per capita, said the report by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED). “The Arab world is already living a water crisis that will only get worse with inaction,” the report says, adding per capita supply has plunged to only a quarter of its 1960 level. Rapid population growth will further stress water resources. According to U.N. projections, the Arabs, who now number almost 360 million, will multiply to nearly 600 million by 2050. Climate change will aggravate matters. By the end of this century, Arab countries may experience a 25 percent drop in precipitation and a 25 percent increase in evaporation rates, according to climate change models cited in the report. Read m

The Arab world, one of the driest regions on the planet, will tip into severe water scarcity as early as 2015, a report issued on Thursday predicts.  By then, Arabs will have to survive on less than 500 cubic metres of water a year each, or below a tenth of the world average of more than 6,000 cubic metres per capita, said the report by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED). “The Arab world is already living a water crisis that will only get worse with inaction,” the report says, adding per capita supply has plunged to only a quarter of its 1960 level. Rapid population growth will further stress water resources. According to U.N. projections, the Arabs, who now number almost 360 million, will multiply to nearly 600 million by 2050. Climate change will aggravate matters. By the end of this century, Arab countries may experience a 25 percent drop in precipitation and a 25 percent increase in evaporation rates, according to climate change models cited in the report. Read m

Mr. Salaheddine Mezouar, Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance, M. Ali Fassi-Fihri, General Director of ONEP (Moroccan Water Supply Board) and Mrs Françoise Clottes, World Bank’s Acting Country Director for the Maghreb countries signed , in Rabat, in the presence of the concerned parties’ representatives, the agreements for two IBRD loans for a cumulative amount of $218 million equivalent to improve access to water supply and expand wastewater systems in Morocco. The objective of the Regional Potable Water Supply Systems project (1,740 million MAD supported by a US$175 million equivalent IBRD Loan) is to increase access to potable water supply for selected local communities in the provinces of Nador, Driouch, Safi, Youssoufia, Sidi Bennour and Errachidia. The project will finance significant infrastructure investments in water supply production, transmission and distribution systems to meet the growing needs of urban and rural populations in the six targeted provinces.

Recent surveys prove that sustainable water supply in various Asian regions already today pose a tremendous problem. Various approaches might be considered to tackle this problem, but so far apparently the problem couldn't be solved. In an interview Mr. Arjun Thapan, a special adviser for infrastructure and water with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pointed out some of the key aspects associated with sustainable water supply in the Asian region: " Crisis is already here in Asia and by 2030, water demand in the region will exceed supply by 40 percent unless countries improve the treatment and management of fresh water supply and wastewater, Thapan said in a phone interview." The Bank therefore is about to issue another Water Bond. Read more...

This indicator is derived from national-level data from FAO ’s AQUASTAT . The indicator represents the overuse of water derived by subtracting the recommended use fraction (0.4) from the ratio of total freshwater withdrawals (including surface and both renewable and fossil ground water) to total renewable water resources (not including desalinated or treated waste water). This proportion is then multiplied by a weight which is the ratio of freshwater withdrawal to total withdrawals (freshwater, desalinated water and treated wastewater). The target is <=0 overuse. The purpose of the weighting is to recognize that some arid countries require desalinated water owing to a lack of freshwater. Read more...

NOTE: The fouth issue of the quarterly notes on sustainable water management (Q04/2010) will be released mid of December this year. Please feel free to contribute with important information, news about upcoming events, etc., etc. Topics may range from pure scientific hydrological issues to practical water management solutions - in general focussing on sustainability - and may not be limited to industrial or municpal subjects. Contributions may, cover reviews of technical achievements, short presentation of water management concepts, announcements of conferences related to water/water management, etc. Statements should be kept concise (< 200 words) and be objective. Any contribution should be submitted by the end of November 2010 by the latest ( swm.group@gmx.net ).

The third issue of the Quarterly Notes on Sustainable Water Management - Q3/2010 has been released. Please feel free to download the Notes from here: http://swm-group.blogspot.com/p/downloads.html .  The Notes again contain highly informative material about ongoing developments in sustainable water management. In addition to this an Event Calender is now included informing you about upcoming events in the field of sustainable water management If you have trouble to download the notes you may request a free copy from swm.group@gmx.net . Optionally to the download procedure you may subscribe to the notes list by sending an e-mail to swm.group@gmx.net . Please subscribe here to stay informed. You may also join the Sustainable Water Management (SWM) group established on LinkedIN. Please visit the groups home page  SWM-Group or contact swm.group@gmx.net .

The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) launched Issue 2 of The Chief Liquidity Series focused on the Power Sector at an event entitled ' Seeking Liquidity: Integrating Corporate Water Performance into the Core of Financial Services and Capital Markets' , during World Water Week.  In an effort to encourage new thinking and foster creative solutions to the world's most pressing water challenges, the World Water Week in Stockholm convened leading experts, practitioners and decision makers in the field. UNEP FI led the discussion on how water stresses impacted business performance in water-intensive sectors. read more

The third issue of the quarterly notes on sustainable water management (Q3/2010) will be released early October this year. In order to further broaden the content of the notes contributions are warmly welcome. Topics may range from pure scientific hydrological issues to practical water management solutions - focussing on sustainability - and may not be limited to industrial or municpal subjects. Contributions may, for instance, cover reviews of technical achievements, short presentation of water management concepts, announcements of conferences related to water/water management, etc. Statements should be kept concise (< 200 words) and objective. Any contribution should be send to the group owner mid of September 2010 by the latest ( SWM-GROUP ). NEW: The next issue of the notes will be equipped with an event calendar. If you are aware of any kind of event in the field of sustainable water management (or related topic) or if you yourself are organising an event, ple

As of the today the Vision, Mission and & Value statements charakterising Sustainable Water Management Group are available (online as well as .pdf). Feel invited to comment.

Most recent publications document a distinct effect of the ongoing climate change on water systems such as lakes, oceans, rivers, etc. Accordingly, implications (increasingly stress effects) on any kind of system be it artificial or natural are expected. More detailed information can be obtained among others from: Climate Changes & Satellites AWRA Onearth Nature Reports   CMAJ

The second issue of the quarterly notes on sustainable water management (Q2/2010) has been released. Compared to the first release the notes have been modified in terms of layout and content and we hope that you get interesting and valuable information. Please feel free to download the notes from SWM Quarterly Notes Q2/2010 . If you have trouble to download the notes you may request a free copy from sustainability@gruner.ch . Optionally to the download procedure you may subscribe to the notes list by sending an e-mail to  sustainability@gruner.ch . Please subscribe here to stay informed.You may also join the Sustainable Water Management (SWM) group established on LinkedIN. Please visit the groups home page http://www.linkedin.com/ groups?about=&gid=2760912&trk= anet_ug_grppro or contact sustainability@gruner.ch .

The second issue of the quarterly notes on sustainable water management (Q2/2010) will be released early July this year. In order to broaden the content of the notes contributions are warmly welcome. Topics may range from pure scientific hydrological issues to practical water management solutions - focussing on sustainability - and may not be limited to industrial or municpal subjects. Contributions may, for instance, cover reviews of technical achievements, short presentation of water management concepts, announcements of conferences related to water/water management, etc. Statements should be kept concise (< 200 words) and objective. Any contribution should be send to the group owner mid of June 2010 by the latest ( SWM-GROUP ).

Sustainable Water Management Group (established on LinkedIN): The group's focus is dedicated towards the support of the development and implementation of sustainable water management solutions/ideas. Representatives from industry and government, engineers, scientists and any other stakeholders concerned are welcome to join the group and contribute to a sustainable water supply: Water Footprint is one issue, let's turn the issue into sustainable solutions.