Investing in Water

The third United Nations World Water Development Report, "Water in a Changing World", has been presented in Istanbul. Olcay Ünver, coordinator of the World Water Assessment Programme, stated that water management is going to become more and more difficult as time goes by. The crisis is already happening as in some regions access to drinkable and sanitized water is limited and insufficient. The situation is rapidly getting worse, being accelerated by population demographics. In particular, population growth and migration trends are significantly decreasing everybody's share of clean water. Economic growth also joined the picture, bringing to different consumption patterns which involve a significant increase in the use of water, the water we drink but most of all, the water we eat.

In fact Ünver explains that:

The concept is called virtual water or water footprints – the amount of water embedded in food or other commodities needed in production. This becomes important vis a vis economic growth when in emerging economies people start eating more meat rather than, say, grains or rice, or start eating three instead of two meals; it means a lot more water to produce the food. Also to manufacture the cars they want to drive and other consumer products demanded. On top of this you have to add the pollution that comes from a lot of these activities. That is another driver. It influences water resources.

The debate must be extended to decision makers that are not only the actual water managers. Investments in the water sector are and will be progressively needed in order to slow down the process and to prevent a worldwide water crisis.

Coca-Cola announced its intention to return all water used in its drink production to the environment "at a level that supports aquatic life and agriculture" (I'm deliberately not using their Water Neutral label, see here) by late 2010. In addition to this $30 million will be invested on water projects in Africa.

The South African chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) launched a programme in partnership with South African Breweries and the government's Working for Water Programme. The WWF Water Neutral Scheme is particularly targeted towards the private sector, allows participants to replenish water supplies by investing in projects that quantitatively supplement water supplies equal to their water usage.

The programme forms part of the government's Extended Public Works Programme and creates up to 30 000 jobs in rural areas each year.