More than 2,400 scientists and policymakers convened in Stockholm last month for the 2008 World Water Week summit. This year's summit was focused on sanitation access, although a variety of interdisciplinary research was presented for discussion.
Inadequate sanitation is a known cause of infectious diseases and death in the developing world. In response, improvement in sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation became part of the UN Millennium Development Goals. According to the World Health Organization, improving sanitation is especially challenging in Asia and the Pacific where, "one in three people lack access to safe, sustainable water supplies, and one in two to sanitation." (See Figure 1)
At the end of week long discussions, World Water Week formally concluded with a statement that called for increased efforts to improve sanitation and warned that slow progress would lead to failure to meet the sanitation MDG.
1990 and 2004
Virtual Water
The 2008 Stockholm Water Prize, awarded during the conference, was given to John Anthony Allen for creating the concept of ‘Virtual water.’ Virtual water is an accounting system that measures the volume of water necessary to produce a good or service. For instance, the production of one kilogram of wheat requires an estimated 1,000 liters of water.
Virtual water allows for a quantitative analysis of water flows between countries through trade. Arid countries could use these measurements to relieve water stress by importing goods rich in virtual water, and producing and exporting those with minimal virtual water content.
Another popular application of the virtual water accounting system is to calculate a water footprint, or the total use of freshwater by an individual, company or country. Calculation of a water footprint allows for the comparison of water use between entities, and can also be used as a measure of accountability for those with the largest water footprints.
One study presented during World Water Week used the concept of virtual water to demonstrate that food loss between production and consumption is a major source of wasted water. Currently food production is higher than is necessary because farmers have to compensate for the amount of food lost during storage, transport, processing and retail. If food loss was reduced, then farmers could produce less food and save more water. The study, completed by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) , estimated that as much as fifty percent of food is lost between the edible crop harvest and actual consumption (See Figure 2).
SIWI suggested that improving the efficiency of food production could help to both reduce water use and improve food scarcity and the livelihood of farmers.
Source: Lundqvist, J., C. de Fraiture and D. Molden. Saving Water: From Field to Fork – Curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain. SIWI Policy Brief. SIWI, 2008.
Corporations as a Culprit or a Solution?
Controversy was sparked by corporate sponsorship of the event by Nestle, the world’s largest producer of bottled water. Those opposed to corporate sponsorship argued that in allowing Nestle to sponsor the event, World Water Week was opening its doors to a corporate agenda and endorsing the privatization of water, which conflicts with the needs of the poor.
Organizers of the event defended the sponsor by explaining that including Nestle and other large firms in the discussions would be more beneficial than excluding them. For example, PepsiCo uses an enormous amount of freshwater in its production of soft-drinks and Aquafina (one of the top-selling brands of bottled water). However, as a result of PepsiCo’s attendance of 2008 World Water Week, PepsiCo International is now considering how the virtual water concept might be incorporated into its beverage production strategy. PepsiCo representatives have said that through the use of the virtual water concept, products sold in a given location could eventually be determined by the amount of local water availability rather than by local consumer preference.
Related Links
World Water Week Official Website
WHO: Water Sanitation and Health
UN: Millennium Development Goals
SIWI: Saving Water, From Field to Fork
EarthTrends
August 2006 Monthly Update: Water Scarcity
