Tanzania has been urged to implement, as a matter of urgency, recommendations made years back on the fast-tracking of the supply of clean and safe to her people as per the UN’s resolution on the Human Right to Water.
The shift to the new approach to solving water problems is in line with the core value of the 7th World Water Forum – ‘Implementation’ – was declared here at the opening of the Forum earlier this week.
“For too long, countries have been discussing issues and suggesting solutions which they have been keeping in shelves. It is high time they took action to implement these solutions and translated their commitments to solve the water problems of their people into results,” said World Water Council President Benedito Braga during and exclusive interview with The Guardian in his office at the 7th World Water Forum premises in Daegu.
He explained that the call for Tanzania and other development countries to change their approach to dealing with water issues follows a shift in the World Water Council perspective which now focuses on implementation of solutions through science and technology, among other things.
According to the President, participants in previous Forums discussed issues and went back to their respective countries. “They would meet again and discuss the same issues and new ones and then go back home to wait for another meeting after three years, as a result of which little was done to solve water problems facing poor communities throughout the word. Now we have to implement the solutions we suggest to these problems and developing countries must act accordingly in order to increase access to clean and safe water to their people and promote the UN Human Right to Water,” he explained, adding that the core value for this year’s Forum, Implementation, stresses the need to take action on agreed solutions.
On its part the World Water Council will follow up commitments by its members in Africa, Asia and Latin America and map their implementation so that achievements can be realised during the three year periods that members are given to implement solutions.
“In this Forum we have managed to set up a clear road map of action within the next three years.
There are areas our members must improve and each country has to do something towards access to water, water security and sustainable water supply,” he said.
The water sector stands out as the most severely hit by climate change. Many countries are facing water shortage due to reduced precipitation. Others are experiencing acute water pollution through environmental destruction and other causes. Generally no country has their water sector spared by effects of climate change.
Asked what measures developing countries should take to cope with the situation, the President said that different countries can take different measures depending on the impacts the countries are experiencing.
“ But we have to act now in order to deal with climate change. And here I would like to differ with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conferences during which members focus mainly on mitigation and energy. This approach will not make us succeed in coping with the effects of climate change,” he explained. “We must focus on adaptation because this provides resilience to communities. Adaptation actions must be grounded on water because when there is little or no rainfall a developing country’s GDP also decreases and when there is plenty of rainfall he GDP also rises,” he noted.
The President advised countries to invest in storage of water, citing the examples of Australia and Ethiopia which he said had adequate facilities to store water and use it for various needs when there is little or no rainfall in the countries.
To further the resolve of implementation, the Forum has introduced the Science and Technology (S&T) Process which includes the CEO Panel programme. The panel is designed to discuss visions of CEOs of the water industry around the world and set a direction for innovation in the water sector by sharing their insights for the future.
The 7th World Water Forum, the largest water-related event in the world is being held for six days, from April 12 to 17, 2015. It has attracted about 35,000 people from 170 countries in the world, including heads of government and state, ministers, international organisations, academia, businesses and civil society organisations.SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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