ACTION NOT WORDSby Rupert Wright

The Kyoto conference hasonly just begun, but alreadycandidates are vying for theprivilege of hosting the 4thWorld Water Forum. Theforum, organized by the WorldWater Council every threeyears, could head next for thedeveloping world, with Brazil,Egypt and Mexico as front-runners. Turkey and Mexicoare the only Organization ofEconomic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD) mem-ber countries competing forthe honor.Canada had been a strongcandidate, but pulled outwhen the Canadian govern-ment decided there was insuf-ficient time to coordinate thenecessary effort.The council’s board has madeit a condition that the govern-ment of the host country offerformal support.Hosting a water forum is notyet as prestigious as landingthe Olympics, but the amountof work and money that goesinto preparing a successful

event is beyond the means ofmost conference organizers.“The council will continuediscussions with these coun-tries and others who mayexpress interest during thecoming weeks, with a view tomaking a preliminary selec-tion at our board meeting onJune 27 in Marseille, France,and a final selection at its gen-eral assembly October 1,”says Egyptian Water andIrrigation Minister MahmoudAbu-Zeid, president of theWorld Water Council and yes-terday’s winner of the KingHassan II Great World WaterPrize.There is even the likelihood ofa dark horse candidate emerg-ing, with France tipped as themost likely bidder. FrenchPresident Jacques Chirac hadplanned to attend this week’sevent, but concerns in theMiddle East kept him inEurope. Even so, he was visi-ble at today’s opening ceremo-ny via videotape, and reiterat-ed France’s commitment toglobal water reform.

4th World Water Forum Heads forthe Developing World

WORLD’S WORSTWATER WASTERS

– p. 7

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2003 NEWSPAPER OF THE 3RD WORLD WATER FORUM ~ KYOTO, SHIGA & OSAKA, JAPAN VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

Hashimoto: Looking for a tidal wave

Contents MIDDLE EAST:Cooperation not

conflict, when it comesto water.

– p. 4

News..........................2, 3Middle East....................4Competition ...................5Agenda.......................... 6Australia.........................7Photos ............................8

Mellifluous music, theJapanese Crown Princess’spowder-blue outfit and eventhe gentle rustling of dele-gates’ papers all evoked thetranquility of a peaceful waterscene at yesterday’s openingceremony of the 3rd WorldWater Forum.

But the message from thepodium of the main hall of theKyoto conference center wasmore like a tsunami, aJapanese tidal wave. “Now isthe time to come up with con-crete actions to meet the tar-gets set at last year’s sustain-able development summit inJohannesburg,” said RyutaroHashimoto, chairman of the

forum’s national steeringcommittee.

France’s president JacquesChirac underlined the urgencyin a videotaped message.“France refuses to be fatalis-tic about the billions of peoplewho lack access to freshwater,” he said. Referring tothe target set in Johannesburgof halving by 2015 the num-ber of people without accessto fresh water and basic sani-tation, Mr. Chirac said “Ourtask is a simple one: we mustattain that goal”.

Japan’s Crown PrinceNaruhito reminded delegates

that, in spite of all the “bless-ings” that water brings, thisessential commodity “is nowin a state of crisis”.

The cavernous hall wasfilled to capacity for the cere-mony, in spite of last-minutecancellations by some digni-taries, notably Mr. Chirac andUnited Nations secretary-gen-eral Kofi Annan.

Forum organizersacknowledged on Saturdayevening that the loomingattack on Iraq and visa diffi-culties had persuaded somedelegates to stay home. “Thecurrent international situationdemands that I stay in Paris,”

(continued on page 2)

by Bernard Simon

There are no prizes for guessing the happiest man in Kyoto. If you see a man walking aroundwith a large grin and talking with a Canadian accent, the chances are that it will be WilliamCosgrove, vice-president of the World Water Council. He has been one of the driving forcesbehind all the world water forums. When asked last year what effect a possible war might haveon the 3rd World Water Forum, he replied that this was a question that only his wife wasallowed to ask. She, no doubt, has been either causing havoc at the United Nations, or has adirect hotline to President George W. Bush.

NEWS Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 2

Mr. Chirac confirmed.Mahmoud Abu-Zeid,

president of the World WaterCouncil, described the forumin his address as “the largestgathering dealing with one ofthe greatest challenges of the21st century — fresh water”.But Mr. Abu-Zeid stressedthe need to focus on a limitednumber of issues “where thereturn will be the greatest,and the need the highest”.

According to Mr. Abu-Zeid, the council has four pri-orities:• Developing a body of glob-al water ethics, including aworld water convention; adefinition of water rights andobligations; and a legalframework for such issues aswater privatization and regu-lation.• A global fund for waterinfrastructure, with theemphasis on helping thepoorest and most needy. Onebenefit of such a fund wouldbe to lighten the debt burdenon water facilities.• Raising the profile of waterissues in global trouble spots.This would include the pro-tection of water facilities andwater heritage sites duringconflicts.• Tackling water issues in thedeveloping world, rangingfrom improved water storageand irrigation to capacitybuilding in water management.

With several of theworld’s biggest water servicecompanies based in France,Mr. Chirac left delegates inlittle doubt that he favorsactive private-sector involve-ment in water provision.

Though he acknowledgedthat water is a public good towhich no one can claim own-ership, the president stressedthat funds to improve waterinfrastructure “will primarilycome from the private sec-tor”.

by Bernard SimonIt isn’t all dark suits and

dull speeches at the 3rd WorldWater Forum. Judging by yes-terday’s session on climatechange and disaster planning,a stage often conveys a seriousmessage more effectively thana podium.

Two actors — one repre-senting earth, the other water— vividly conveyed the dam-age being wreaked by globalwarming. Says Water, resplen-dent in a blue poncho and ashower cap, and carrying a canof his own stuff: “Oh dearEarth, I feel so strange lately.Everything is melting. I needmore space. I’m getting biggerand bigger.”

Replies Earth, after hearingthe benefits of building a two-story home: “I feel sorry foryou, that you will have tomake a flood again. But thistime it will not be a big disas-ter because the people are wellprepared.”

The skit was part of a ses-

sion sponsored by the Dutchgovernment and theInternational Federation ofRed Cross and Red CrescentSocieties to highlight innova-tive ways in which developingcountries’ communities suc-cessfully prepare for water-related disasters.

Behind the light touch isa serious message.According to a Red Crossstudy, the number of liveslost in natural disasters hasfallen sharply over the past30 years. But the damage tohomes and possessions andthe dislocation of people’slives has ballooned, largelyas a result of storms, hurri-canes and tidal wavescaused by global warming.

“What faces us is worsethan slavery because we willnever recover from it,” saysLionel Hurst, Antigua’sambassador to the UnitedStates. With the oceans warm-ing and a growing number ofhurricanes hitting the

Caribbean every year, essentialelements of Antigua’s econo-my, such as its coral reefs, faceruin, Mr. Hurst says.

Still, many communitiesare learning to cope with disas-

ter. In Vietnam, for example,improved house designs havegreatly lessened the damagefrom typhoons. People havediscovered the advantages of

storing their belongings on asecond floor and living on thelower floor. As a Red Crossvideo illustrates, people canmove themselves faster thantheir possessions when flood-

waters strike.The same light touch

used to grab the attention offorum delegates in Kyotothis week has also helpededucate rural Bangladeshis.Community theater groups,equipped with fire hoses tosimulate downpours, showpeople the basics of disastermanagement.

As the skit at the confer-ence center makes clear, theexperts often do not have allthe answers. “Just check theInternet regularly,” says oneactor, wearing fancy glassesand carrying a nifty comput-

er. Replies a woman, dressedin a sari: “We have bananas.We have TV. We havepapayas. We have noInternet.”

by Ruud Kreutzer

Hundreds of delegates leftthe “small islands” presenta-tion yesterday even before thefirst speaker had a chance toopen his mouth. Such apathyhighlights the predicamentfacing small island states. Bythe time the speaker had intro-duced himself, only around 60people remained in the room,the same number as there areisland states.

No other single group ofcountries is so vulnerable tothe consequences of changingweather patterns, and fewcountries share the problemsthey encounter with access todrinking water.

“Many countries claim they

are the most vulnerable to cli-mate change,” says theHonourable Fielakepa, ministerof Lands, Survey and NaturalResources of the Kingdom ofTonga in the Pacific. “But fromthe perspective of a smallisland, the climate is every-thing. It controls our waterresources, our land use, ourfood production, our fishing,our health, even our tourism.”

Many small islands areextremely vulnerable to theclimate because they havevery little land, and what theyhave is often low-lying. Mr.Fielakepa makes his pointusing a baseball analogy: “Wecan be called ‘one strike-coun-tries’: one direct hit and weare out.”

During preparation for the3rd World Water Forum, smallisland developing states in thePacific and the Caribbeanjoined forces, resulting in thesigning of a memorandum ofunderstanding yesterday inKyoto between the SouthPacific Applied GeoscienceCommission and theCaribbean EnvironmentalHealth Institute, the twoorganizations that representtheir water management inter-ests.

Together they have formu-lated a joint action plan, forwhich they will be asking sup-port from donor countries andinternational aid organizations.

“If we have enoughmoney, we can solve most of

our problems,” says SaimonePita Helu, general manager ofthe Tonga Water Board. “Weare very poor, and we hope toget support here for solvingour water problems.”

Their call was echoed byWilliam Cosgrove, vicepresident of the World WaterCouncil, during the officialopening session of the dia-logue on water and climate.Mr. Cosgrove, who present-ed the main outlines of anew report, ClimateChanges the Water Rules,stressed the need for moneyto help countries and com-munities adapt to changes inweather patterns, not justattempts to mitigate climaticchanges.

Small Islands: Counting on the Climate

ELEMENTS TAKE CENTER STAGE (continued from page 1)

Concrete Action

As an actor, all washed up

The US military is in town— and looking for allies. Butthe enemies in mind arefloods, earthquakes andmankind’s peacetime damageto the environment.

To enhance the military’scapabilities, US Army Corpsof Engineers (USACE) head

Lt. Gen. Robert Flowers isexpected to sign a cooperationagreement tomorrow on waterresources management withJapan’s Land, Infrastructureand Transport Ministry.

The USACE hopes theagreement will enable it tolearn how Japan limits and

handles seismic shocks withsuper-levees, which areexpensive but believed to bealmost infallible. For theirpart, the Japanese are interest-ed in the USACE’s relianceon cheaper, more limitedflood defenses designed tohold back most but not allonslaughts.

The agreement, to coverissues ranging from coastalerosion to water resourcemanagement, is likely to bethe first of several such ven-tures. The corps is expected tosign a similar accord with the

Netherlands in May thatwould be followed by onewith Britain, where floods areincreasingly common.

These agreements couldcome in handy with theUSACE bracing itself for pos-sibly its biggest internationalchallenge yet. With the USpoised to invade Iraq, theUSACE expects to play a keyrole in the reconstruction ofthe country’s deteriorated andwar-damaged infrastructureand environment. This couldinvolve reversing the contro-versial draining of Iraq’s

southern marshlands and con-sequent displacement of anestimated 250,000 people oninstructions of PresidentSaddam Hussein.

“If we were asked to lookat [this] project we would beable to do that from our baseof knowledge and recentexperience. It would be awonderful challenge,” Gen.Flowers says.

The USACE employs35,000 people, mainly civil-ians, though it is run as a unitof the US Army.

NEWS Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 3

People suffering from water-borne diseases occupy half theworld’s hospital beds.

In China, India and Indonesia,twice as many people die fromdiarrheal diseases than fromHIV/AIDS.

In the last decade more childrendied from diarrhea than all peo-ple killed in armed conflict sinceWorld War Two.

Every day a person in Britainuses 150 liters of water. Theworld’s poorest people surviveon the equivalent of a 90-secondshower.

Every new car manufactureduses 39,090 gallons of water.

According to the World HealthOrganization: “The lives of thenearly two million children whodie from water-related diseaseseach year could be saved by pre-vention or better treatment.”

The 10 countries lowest on theWater Poverty Index are all inthe developing world: Haiti,Niger, Ethiopia, Eritrea,Malawi, Djibouti, Chad, Benin,Rwanda, and Burundi.

by Ruud Kreutzer

More women’s participa-tion means more water andsanitation.

So says Jenifer Francis,executive secretaryof the Gender andWater Alliance,which groups 208organizations from56 countries seekingto put the genderissue higher on theagenda.

To demonstrateher point, the GWAand Ms. Francis haveorganized a panel ofjudges presided overby prominent SouthAfrican lawyer,human rights activistand ambassador tothe NetherlandsPriscilla Jana to holdhearings at the 3rdWorld Water Forum.The panel will hearfour cases in whichgender advocateswill seek to prove thatincorporating gender perspec-tives increases effectiveness,efficiency and sustainability inthe water sector.

Among the cases to beconsidered are communitywater projects in Colombiaand Cambodia, the imple-mentation of organizationstrategies in the Dominican

Republic and Mali, institutionbuilding in Pakistan and Laosand policy development inSouth Africa.

Emulating the proceedingsof a courtroom, critics willseek to punch holes in thearguments of the genderadvocates. Members of thepublic are also invited to par-ticipate in the proceedings.

Ms. Francis has spent threeyears preparing for the event:“I view the session in Kyoto asa milestone for the GWA as itwill enable us to look back atwhat has been achieved thus

far, to learn some valu-able lessons and buildon them for futureaction. One may evencall this event a judge-ment of the GWA andpartners’ work.”

Ms. Jana hopes thatthe format of the ses-sions will lead to a bet-ter discussion thanthose at traditionalmeetings where expertsmake presentations andanswer questions with-out exploring issues indepth. “I hope this willalso give the session abit more flair, but alsoto make real argumentspossible, a freshdebate,” she says.

The ambassador hasa strong record as ahuman rights lawyer,serving on the team of

lawyers representing theMandela family, and as achampion of women’s issuesin her native country South

Africa. She is also a realist:“The final statement of rec-ommendations must be work-able, acceptable, and realistic.It is all very well to have high-flown ideals, but if they arenot plausible and countriescannot take them on board,they become meaningless.”

“For one thing, I think agreater participation of womenwill put water managementhigher on the agenda, and willstrengthen the focus on howwater issues affect the lives ofordinary people, particularlyin rural areas. After all, womenare the people who do subsis-tence farming, they are thepeople that have to find thewater, they have to raise thechildren. They are also themost vulnerable,” Ms. Janasays.

Ms. Jana has the creden-tials to speak out on the issue.South Africa is one of the fewcountries that has made sig-nificant progress in this areaand could serve as a modelfor other nations. Ms. Janapoints to the decision to set up“gender desks” in all govern-ment departments responsiblefor monitoring gender issuesbefore they are presented toParliament.

If Ms. Jana has her way,those solutions will soonemerge from mock court-rooms and become part of thereal world.

Gender Group PlansJudgement Day

Collecting water

US MILITARY TAKESLESSON FROM

Did YouKnow?

COURTESYINTERNATIONALRESOURCE CENTER

by John Roberts

Despite a winter ofheavy rains and newdesalination plantsthat are expected in

the near future, water supplyremains a contentious issuefor Israelis and Palestiniansalike. But as the intifada rageson, water is one of the fewareas where the two sides stillmanage some cooperation.

Palestinians continue todispose of their sewageimproperly, say Israeli offi-cials, who also accusePalestinians of drilling illegalwells in the West Bank. At thesame time, aid workers in theWest Bank and Gaza Stripcomplain that Israeli restric-tions have made it difficult forthe Palestinians to accessclean and plentiful water.

“In terms of water cooper-ation, relations are not good,but they are reasonable,” saysone Israeli official, pointingout that since the intifadabegan more than two yearsago Israel has “no way ofknowing” whether illegal welldrilling by Palestinians in theWest Bank is damaging thewater table.

Palestinian officials, and anumber of Israeli waterexperts, see the situation opti-mistically. Speaking at a con-ference on desalination at theHaifa-based Technion-IsraelInstitute of Technology, thePalestinian Authority’s waterminister, Nabil Sharif, sur-prised some Israeli officials

who had become accustomedto Palestinian grumbling onthe issue. “The only area inwhich Israelis andPalestinians are continuingcooperation, in spite of 25 dif-ficult months of intifada, iswater,” Mr. Sharif said.

“It was very interesting to

hear that from the water min-ister,” says Rafi Samiat, anIsraeli desalination expert atthe Technion. “This is notwhat they claim all the time.”

The spokesman for Israel’swater commissioner, UriShor, says the Palestinians are“not dealing” with sewageproblems and pirate wells,both of which could have dev-astating effects on Israeliwater sources. Mr. Sharifdenied that the Palestinians

are drilling any illegal wellsand said efforts to improvesewage management are“ongoing.”

In a survey conducted by agroup of nongovernmentalorganizations last year, 16 outof 101 Palestinian communi-ties in the West Bank werefound to be consuming lessthan 30 quarts of water per

person per day, an internation-al standard for hygiene andhealth.

But hundreds of millionsof cubic meters of desalinatedwater are expected to comeonline in the next decade insix planned Israeli desalina-tion plants, making water

management easier forIsraelis and Palestinians toagree on issues such asrefugees, the status ofJerusalem or the final bordersin a two-state solution.

No BoundariesSince the intifada began, con-secutive Israeli water com-missioners have joined withMr. Sharif to urge the twosides to leave precious waterresources out of the conflict.

“Palestinian and Israeli waterand wastewater infrastructureis mostly intertwined andserves both populations. Anydamage to such systems willharm both Palestinians andIsraelis,” wrote Mr. Sharif andNoah Kinarty, then Israel’swater commissioner, in a jointstatement in February 2001.

A 1995 accord signed inthe Egyptian resort of Tabaincluded a clause that recog-nized “Palestinian waterrights in the West Bank” andcalled on the two sides tocooperate on water issues.Since then, and even since theviolent intifada began in thefall of 2000, cooperationefforts include regular meet-ings to discuss water prob-lems, as well as constantfaxes, emails and phone callsto coordinate efforts, waterexperts on both sides say.

Deliveries of spare partsfor water facilities have con-tinued, despite closures in the

West Bank. Cooperation ismost critical there, where bothPalestinians and Israeli settlersrely on a fragile and depletedunderground aquifer. Beforethe intifada, officials jointlymonitored West Bank wateruse and illegal drilling.

Now, says Uri Shamir,founding director of theTechnion’s Stephen andNancy Grand Water ResearchInstitute, the same bilateralgroup — known as the Joint

Water Committee — receivesapplications from West Bankresidents on either side forwell-drilling approval, andcontinues to operate by con-sensus.

“In the end, there are noboundaries for water,” Mr.Sharif says.

Israeli water expert HillelShuval said illegal drilling byPalestinians in the West Bankwould be of only “minorimportance” since only verydeep wells, which are expen-sive to drill, could threaten theaquifer.

Dry Wells, New HopesAfter years of drought, an above-average rainy season this year hasraised the level of the Sea ofGalilee by more than two meters,adding 335 million cubic metersof water. But the lake is still under-filled by more than 500 millioncubic meters, officials estimate.

According to Mr. Sharif,Palestinian areas, with much

poorer infrastructure, face asimilar deficit of 400 millioncubic meters of water a year, ashortfall met each year byIsrael.

But with security closuresand roadblocks affecting themovement of tanker trucks inand out of the West Bank, thecost of water supplied to WestBank towns had risen by 80%compared to pre-intifadaprices, according to RichardCook, a UN relief official inthe West Bank.

Gaza faces even moreserious problems. There ismassive depletion of under-water wells, and over-pumping of Gaza wells hasallowed seawater to intrudeinto many wells there.According to Mr. Sharif,95% of the water fromaquifers in Gaza is poor.

He added that 200 wellsfor agriculture and twodrinking wells — a smallfraction of the thousands ofwells that dot Gaza — hadbeen damaged by Israeli mil-itary action. An Israeli mili-tary source confirms that thetwo drinking wells weredamaged in a Januaryshootout after a terroristattack.

Desalination plants alongthe Mediterranean coast,working on a new, cheapermethod of desalination,should dramatically alter thewater balance for Israel. Aplant under construction inAshkelon, due to be complet-ed in 2004, will supply 100million cubic meters of waterper year. Desalination planscontinue, despite the heavierrains this year, Israeli officialshave said.

A desalination plant inGaza has been in the worksfor some time but remainsdelayed, Mr. Sharif said.

REGIONS: Middle East Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 4

Middle East ManagesWater Cooperation, Not

ConflictWhile political strife boils over in the

Middle East, water proves the common ground between hostile parties.

by Eli Kintisch

ELI KINTISCH is a freelance journalistbased in Washington, DC. Mr.Kintisch wrote this article, which wasdistributed by the Common GroundNews Service, for the JewishTelegraphic Agency.

“The only area in which Israelis andPalestinians are continuing

cooperation, in spite of 25 difficultmonths of intifada, is water.”

This article is a winning entry ina competition organized by theWater Media Network and spon-sored by the 3rd World WaterForum.

The view from Tir nanÓg’s top pasture is ofthe green rolling hillsof the Catskill moun-

tains, rich woods, grass fields,blue skies of puffy clouds,lambing sheep, and DanFlaherty’s red barn. At the bot-tom of the hill through thetrees runs a narrow purestream, little more than abrook. A typical pastoralscene. But this upstate NewYork farm is part of a radicalinitiative in the US to provideNew Yorkers with untreatedbut clean drinking water.

Flaherty, three generationsfrom Galway, Ireland, and hiswife Helen, work this 80-acrefarm they have dubbed Tir nanÓg (“The Land of EternalYouth,” in Irish mythology),raising sheep, pigs, goats, hensand rare-breed turkeys. Inaddition, they are enthusiasticsupporters of a revolutionaryproject, which may have aprofound effect on the shapeof the beautiful local environ-ment and also on the future ofnature conservation itself.

What is happening in theCatskills is described in a newbook by scientist GretchenDaily and journalist KatherineEllison which explores a“new economics of the envi-ronment,” a series of disparatebut related attempts to unlockthe real, but hidden, economicpower of nature itself. If acash value can be attributed toa watershed, a wetland, or thebiodiversity of a rain forest,perhaps, the argument goes,trade can save the environ-ment.

Although the theory is con-troversial — and sometimesseen as a license to pollute — agrowing number of scientists,environmentalists, businesspeople, and even big “pollut-ing” corporations, see thesemechanisms as tools to unleash

market forces in defense of theenvironment. Some of theschemes described by Dailyand Ellison, from the Catskillsto Costa Rica and Australia,dramatically illustrate whatmay be possible.

From Polluters to StewardsIt is remarkable that 90% ofthe water for the nine milloncitizens of New York, 100miles away, flows unfilteredand untreated from theFlahertys’ stream and others inthe Catskill and Delawarewatersheds by river, aqueductand tunnel, down 6,000 milesof conduits and pipes to thetaps of the city.

The city’s water authorities

add chlorine as disinfectant aswell as fluoride, and have putin a physical barrier to checkthe flow of dead fish. Butthat’s it — this is definitely notlike London, where it is saidevery mouthful of water hasalready been passed throughseven other people.

Ten years ago, however, itbegan to look as if New York’sexisting system was all goingwrong. Unfettered residentialbuilding in the watershed withinadequate septic tanks, indus-trial pollution, run-offs fromfarms . . . all were beginning totake their toll on the water. The

Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) weighed in,telling the city it would have tobuild filtration systems at anestimated cost of between $7billion and $8 billion.

That’s what had been doneelsewhere, and would havebeen the solution for NewYork. However, a determinedcampaign led doggedly bylawyer Robert Kennedy andan environmental group calledRiverkeeper convinced thecity authorities that lettingnature produce clean waterwould cost only a fraction ofcleaning up that same pollutedwater.

Kennedy at one stage advo-cated buying all the land adja-

cent to the river courses andevicting the farmers, but cameround to the idea of paying themto become stewards of the waterand compensating the residentsof the towns of the watershedfor accepting curbs on develop-ment and tough environmentalstandards.

The city had previously hada fractious relationship with theowners of land in the watershedbecause of compulsory landseizures for reservoirs and itsextensive regulatory powers.But it bought the idea — at a$1.5 billion price tag — and sodid the EPA, which gave it a

five-year derogation from theorder to build filtration plants.

That five years is up short-ly, but word is that the EPAwill back another extension.

Four Acres and a Bed ofManureToday, 91% of farmers in theCatskills have signed up, likethe Flahertys, to become partof the unusual partnership thatis transforming farming.Investment in buildings, slurrypits, fences, wells, and storm-water storage pits to stop mudflooding the river in badweather has flowed from theWatershed AgriculturalCouncil (WAC), run largelyby the farmers themselves, in

exchange for agreed farmmanagement plans designed toprotect the watercourse.

The Flahertys are paid$370 a year to abandon tonature a buffer of four acres onthe edges of the stream—theWAC is paying for 200 milesof such buffers and plans 400more — and they get cash tospread manure on fields fur-ther from the farmhouse toensure none of the land getsover-saturated with noxiouspollutants.

Under the agreed plan,they rotate crops and field useto prevent erosion, reduce

their spraying and regulateanimals’ feed to cut phospho-rous levels on the land, andhave drilled a new well, pip-ing water across the farm totheir sheep so they do notneed to drink in the stream —lambs under six months are apotent source of the danger-ous cryptosporidiumpathogen which killed 103and made 400,000 sick in a1993 Milwaukee water-bornepoisoning. All of this is paidfor by a city 100 miles away.

One of the Flahertys’neighbors has gone one stepfurther by applying for thecity-funded “easement” pro-gram: in return for surrender-ing to the city the develop-ment rights on his land, hegets enough to clear his debts,continues to own and farm theland to an agreed environ-mental standard, and ensuresthat after his death the landwill continue to be worked asa farm. The WAC will signsimilar deals on 15,000 acresthis year.

Local towns and the70,000 residents of West Hud-son have also received some$60 million in city-fundedcapital grants through theCatskill Watershed Corpora-tion to assist in projects fromlocal employment creation toseptic-tank renewal.

Farmers are enthusiastic.The new source of investmentcan make the differencebetween surviving and goingout of business.

Some 140 US cities arestudying the New York exper-iment. Boston has followedsuit and a referendum inOcean City, Maryland, hasapproved $4 million a year inproperty taxes to buy up landby watercourses. Severalother US cities will soon befollowing their lead.

AWARD WINNING ARTICLES Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 5

CLEARWATER REVIVAL

In an unusual and initially uncomfortable alliance,farmers and environmentalists are making the

preservation of nature pay for itself, while quenching thealmost unquenchable thirst of the Big Apple.

by Patrick Smyth

Patrick Smyth is a duty editor of theDublin-based Irish Times, in charge ofthe paper’s opinion pages. Thisarticle originally appeared in the IrishTimes.

AGENDA: KYOTO, MARCH 17 Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 6

“More crops and jobs per drop ofwater.”

— Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Zeid,president of the World WaterCouncil and Egyptian Minister ofWater Resources and Irrigation.

“A view from a boat gives one abroader perspective.”

— His Imperial Highness theCrown Prince of Japan, recalling hisdays at Oxford University.

Forum participants wishing toattend sessions in Osaka on March18 and 19 can travel from Kyoto ona special Shinkansen bullet train.The train leaves on both days fromKyoto Station at 8:00 am andarrives in Osaka at 08:16. Travellerscan return from Shin Osaka Stationon regularly scheduled trains.Travellers should gather at theKarasuma Central Exit in KyotoStation at 07:40 am on their day oftravel. The train is open only toOsaka session participants whohave registered to attend the forumfor a minimum of four days. Theycan exchange their bullet trainvouchers for a Shinkansen ticket aday before traveling at the KyotoInternational Conference Hall traveldesk.

Q u o t e s o f t h e D a y

A n n o u n c e m e n t

The Prince of Orange brought ahistorical perspective.

Australians use toomuch water andpay too little for it.Not only is their

continent one of the most aridon earth, their country isundergoing its worst-everdrought, forcing authorities tobegin to think the unthinkable— trying to turn off the rush-ing tap.

“It is clear that urban cen-ters in Australia are usingwater in ways and quantitiesthat are not sustainable,” saidan Australian Senate environ-mental committee report, pub-lished in December, whichproposed radical changes inthe way Australians use water.The committee concluded thatreform was not keeping pacewith the ecological damagecaused by the expandingphysical footprint ofAustralian cities.

Australia’s center-rightcoalition government hasgiven the Senate’s recommen-dations a cold reception,ignoring conservation meas-ures while adhering to its faithin privatization.

But the government’s pref-erence to tackle the issuethrough private-sector man-agement is hampered bymemories of the Sydneydebacle of 1998, when thecryptosporidium parasiteinfected the water supply ofAustralia’s biggest city whileit was preparing for the 2000Olympics. High levels ofcrypto can kill, and althoughno one became seriously ill in

the Sydney attack, there wereseveral calls for residents toboil their water because theraw supply was infected. Theattack cost the municipalityA$33 million (US$19.6 mil-

lion) to clean up the contami-nated source water.

The city system was thenrun by a private company,Sydney Water, but a subse-quent Royal Commissioninquiry concluded that itshould revert to public control.

The Senate report pointsto a real danger that citiesmight run dry if the publicfails to realize that there is alimit to the amount of wateravailable. Unless they cut

back on per capita consump-tion rates, Perth residents willneed new sources of drinkingwater within the next twoyears, Brisbane by 2015 andCanberra by about 2017, the

report says. The Senate reportdoes not specify what kind ofnew resources might betapped by individual cities,but desalination would be oneoption, as would increasedwastewater reuse. On top ofthis, it adds, many Australian

cities face a problem of waterquality, due to increasinglyhigh salinity rates.

The Senate has called forthe creation of a national pol-icy that could overrideparochial city and state inter-ests by setting targets for reg-ulating and improving sup-plies, setting efficiencystandards, preparingmanagement guide-lines and coordinatingmonitoring and fundingarrangements.

Australians consumeabout 350 liters of water perperson daily, reputedly thehighest per capita ratio in theworld, yet pay only US$0.96a kiloliter — slightly abovethe global average. By com-

parison, the average Japanesepays US$1.23, a Briton orFrenchman $1.83 and a Dane$1.80. Australian rates are,however, higher than those inthe US, Canada and much of

Europe.Conservation options

include the installation ofhousehold tanks to gatherrainwater and the recycling ofwaste: only 14% of sewagewaste is reused, comparedwith 63% in California.

Australia’s CommonwealthScientific and IndustrialR e s e a r c h

Organization (CSIRO) is alsocarrying out research into theuse of underground dams that

would store and filter surfacewater in sub-surface aquifers.

Householders complain thatover 85% of Australia’s water isused by agriculture but thatmost pressure is put on citydwellers to change their ways.They tend to believe that farm-ers are the real culprits whoneed to be encouraged to con-serve what they have.

The aftermath of theSydney crypto outbreakmeans that however eagerthe federal government maybe to hand urban water andwastewater services to theprivate sector, the extent ofconsumer shock and outragerules privatization out for theforeseeable future. But thegovernment, anxious that thecountry’s cities andprovinces should continue toshoulder the financial burdenof water service provision,continues to make minimalprogress. Despite the exis-tence of more than 23research projects into waterconservation, it has still nottaken any firm decisions onactual conservation meas-ures.

Meanwhile, environmental-ists are preparing lobbyingcampaigns for improved watermanagement, as are the wateroperators themselves, whoberate the government for itslack of leadership. “It is good tosee the report recognizing theneed for a national water poli-

cy. It would have been betterif they had acknowledgedthe need for a national

water vision,” saysChris Davis, execu-

tive director of theA u s t r a l i a n

W a t e rAssociation.“ A l lAustralians

need to under-stand and value

water. The gov-ernment should be

leading us on thatjourney.”

REGIONS: Australia Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 7

AUSTRALIA:The Water WasterSenate reports warns: Australian water usage

unsustainable.by John Roberts

Both environmentalists and water operators lobbygovernment; environmentalists demand improved water

management while operators criticize its lack ofleadership.

Editor: James M. DorseyNews Editors: Helena Frith Powell, Mark WallaceReporters: Ruud Kreutzer, John Roberts, Bernard Simon, Rupert WrightPhotographer: Darren SullivanTechnical staff: Thomas McKenna, Orkun SenturkDesign: Alexandra M. Tuller Graphic Design, Millbrook, NY.Water Forum Shimbun is by Quest Media Ltd. (www.questjournalists.com;email: info@questjournalists.com) in cooperation with the Secretariat of the 3rdWorld Water Forum. Kyoto office contact: 075-705-1234 ext. 2680Kyoto International Conference Hall, Room 680waterforumshimbun@questjournalists.comwww.worldwaterforum.com

PHOTOS Water Forum Shimbun • Monday, March 17, 2003 • Page 8

Opening the ForumPhotos by Darren Sullivan

Global activists: Let me explain

Enlightening: One of the best sessions I’ve ever slept through

Center stage: Japanese crown Prince Naruhito and PrincessHoly water: new purification technology

Read my lips: Let them drink Champagne