Focus on Focus Earth: World Water Forum

In Istanbul, Turkey, on March 20, 2009, a meeting convened to discuss the world's worsening water situation. More than 100 leaders from around the world are in attendance at the event, dubbed the World Water Forum. The problem they hope to tackle is a significant one. More than 880 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and more than 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities. Finding a way to address these needs while at the same time preserving the world's fragile water resources will not be an easy task. Still, the attendees of the forum hope to issue a non-binding statement by the end of the meeting, outlining goals for water and sanitation improvements around the world.

The meeting coincides with World Water Day, an international initiative to encourage states and individuals to work towards the water goals outlined by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. These goals were outlined in chapter 18 of Agenda 21, the UN document that emerged from the conference as a guide for global development.

Agenda 21 established five objectives related to clean water and sanitation:

1. To make available to all countries water resources assessment technology that is appropriate to their needs, irrespective of their level of development, including methods for the impact assessment of climate change on freshwaters;


2. To have all countries, according to their financial means, allocate to water resources assessment financial resources in line with the economic and social needs for water resources data;


3. To ensure that the assessment information is fully utilized in the development of water management policies;


4. To have all countries establish the institutional arrangements needed to ensure the efficient collection, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination to users of information about the quality and quantity of available water resources at the level of catchments and groundwater aquifers in an integrated manner;


5. To have sufficient numbers of appropriately qualified and capable staff recruited and retained by water resources assessment agencies and provided with the training and retraining they will need to carry out their responsibilities successfully.

While these goals are admirable, we still have a long way to go before they are realized. Clearly, the movement for clean water needs your help.

The easiest way to get involved is to join one of the many World Water Day events happening around the globe. Then, take what you have learned and use it to work for clean water everyday.

Find out more about the latest environmental news on Focus Earth: March 21, 2009: FLOTUS Garden and World Water Forum.

Read more about water:
How to Go Green: Water
The Only Bottled Water Worth Buying Costs $20
Conserve Water Before You Even Start Planting Your Garden for Spring
Focus on Focus Earth: Running the Sahara
Use Sand Filters to Make Rain Water Drinkable
How to Protect Your Yard During a Drought
Adopt a Watershed

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