World Water Week in Stockholm

Picture: World Water Week in Stockholm (2011)

World Water Week in Stockholm is forging watertight solutions for and urbanizing world, says Anders Berntell, Executive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute.

For more than two decades, the water and development community has made the Swedish Capital their meeting place for a week to build partnerships for multi-disciplinary and multi-sector action and dissemination as well as to share diverse lessons, knowledge, experience and fascination with water.

Year 2011, the event in Stockholm continued collectively to chart the best path forward to bring wiser water management to the urbanizing world and its citizens.

• Exploring the interconnected problems of water, society, environment and economic vitality, building capacity and charting action toward solutions.
  
• Fostering proactive partnerships and alliances between individuals and organizations from different fields of expertise.
  
• Highlighting ground-breaking research, best practices and innovative policy work by stakeholders and experts around the world and from multiple disciplines.
  
• Reviewing the implementation of actions, commitments and decisions in International processes and by different stakeholders in response to the challenges.
  
• Awarding outstanding achievements and outstanding individuals.

Seminars provided opportunities for organizations  to arrange sessions and events. World Water Week has been the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues since 1991. Example of themes within the current niche are:

• 2009: Accessing water for the common good
• 2010: The water quality challenge
• 2011: Water in the urbanizing world
• 2012: Water and the global food security

Topics to fit with the overall theme of the week, address other issues, for example emerging challenges, or follow-up on ongoing processes. Examples of topics that were addressed in Stockholm 2011:

1. Climate change
2. Energy
3. Sanitation and health
4. Freshwater ecosystems
5. Water supply and services
6. Disasters
7. Gender
8. UN-Water and World Water Day
9. Private sector and corporate water risks
10. Water resource management
11. Trans-boundary waters
12. Financing
13. Green economy

Read: http://kknetwork.ning.com/profiles/blogs/municipal-waste-water-effluents

Rocky Mount, VA: Water Conservation is now MANDATORY! | Water Conservation News -NUPRANA

Rocky Mount, VA: Water Conservation is now MANDATORY! | Water Conservation News -NUPRANA: "ROCKY MOUNT, VA - The city of Rocky Mount institutes a mandatory water conservation Monday morning in an effort to slow water use in response to severe drought.

All water customers will receive a notice in the mail Tuesday to immediately begin mandatory conservation.

Town Manager James Ervin says, “Continued drought, little rainfall and steady water use all mean that our lack of water has become more critical, and so I call upon you as citizens and good neighbors to do everything you can to reduce water use in your household and at work.”

The August rain deficit dictates that mandatory conservation to go into effect until the Blackwater River returns to better flow.

The Blackwater River has reached lows worse than the 2002 drought.

Ervin says, “Our water levels on the Blackwater are lower than at any other point since the town water plant was constructed. This is an urgent need that requires the immediate and ongoing attention of all our residents, businesses and industries.”

Helge: There is the Water Festival in Stockholm this week. I've sensitized myself to issues concerning water.

The Stockholm Water Festival is a major event in Sweden. The Swedes have an annual holiday period from the beginning of July till the middle of August when almost everyone takes holidays and business, especially heavy industries and construction, comes to a virtual standstill. The water festival is timed to take advantage of this and draws crowds from all over Sweden, Norway, Finland and other parts of Europe and the UK.

Most of the downtown core is closed to vehicle traffic with massive stages being erected in parks and waterfront parking lots where many famous names perform nightly.

The streets and bridges are lined with vendor tents where once can sample exotic foods from around the globe, buy clothing, pins, flags, trinkets toys or even take a scuba diving lesson in a floating swimming pool. Barges are towed in and converted to floating restaurants and bars where you can enjoy a meal or drinks while bobbing gently on the water.