Sustaining Our Waters into the 21st Century
Lundquist, Jan and Gleick, Peter (1997)
(Scientifically based document prepared for the UN Commission for Sustainable Development's Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World). Stockholm, Sweden, Stockholm Environment Institute.
A new consensus is emerging out of nearly 20 years of discussion in the global water community about the nature of today's water problems and the directions that water planning and management should take in the next century. This consensus includes both new ways of thinking about water resources availability and quality as well as new ways of planning and managing human water use. This paper presents a framework that explores how planners might begin to define and identify a sustainable water future and sets out specific goals for long-term water planning based on principles of sustainable water resources management and use.
Acknowledging certain fundamental elements with regard to water will facilitate vital long-term objectives of sustainable development. Among the multiple functions that water fulfils, the basic human and ecosystems needs are of paramount importance. Water is also indispensable for food production, for industrial development and for a wide range of activities and processes in the landscape as well as in society. It is argued that allocation of finite water resources must be agreed upon through political and socio-economic negotiations and that due consideration must be given to the various functions that water fulfils in society and in the landscape. Intersectoral coordination and priorities in allocation are particularly demanding and current sectoral allocation may have to be reviewed. In particular, the issue of national food-sufficiency versus national food self-reliance needs to be addressed in national policies and in international agreements on global food security.
Involvement of users and sharing of responsibilities and management tasks is a prerequisite for proper choice of technological and organizational approaches. The most effective water policies and institutions involve the users of water as explicit participants in water management, planning, and decision-making. Experience has repeatedly shown that major decisions made without involving local communities and those affected by decisions are considerably more likely to fail. International water conferences and meetings have consistently recommended that water managers and planners be obliged to seek public participation in and community discussions about allocations and priorities, to facilitate the user-pay approach, and generally to encourage democratic decision-making. Acknowledging the role of women in acquiring and managing water is important and , as well, the involvement of women at community and other levels appears to be particularly effective and valuable. However, greater efforts are needed through education and training programmes to ensure that women take an active role in water management and institutions.
The report urges that more attention be given to the qualitative aspects of water. Threats of water quality degradation will increasingly affect human and ecosystem health, as well as industrial development. Water is recognized as a vital resource for life, human and societal development and environmental sustainability. Related to this basic view is also a wide acceptance that water should be treated as an economic and social good and that management must aim for the most worthwhile use ensuring equity concerns, efficiency and environmental sustainability.
