Violent conflict over scarce water resources is already a reality at the local level. Thus, according to former UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer, measures to prevent long term water scarcity and ensure equitable distribution of this resource serve as disarmament instruments against future water wars. At the 34th Science Forum, organized by the weekly newspaper "DIE ZEIT" in Berlin on July 1, Töpfer participated in discussions with representatives from industry, and the international law, science, and civil society communities, about the key challenges of the global water problem.



Töpfer emphasized the need for developing early warning systems for identifying important watersheds and regional water scarcity that may point to and prevent conflicts at an early stage. Unlike fossil fuels, water cannot be replaced with other alternatives. Access to water must be recognized internationally as a human right. However, negotiations to achieve this goal have been very protracted. Töpfer therefore called for the implementation of concrete and practical measures at a regional level because any "human right to water will be meaningless if there is no water." International law regarding water has remained static since 1966, explained international law expert, Klatt. At that time, the right to water was included in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as part of the right to health and an adequate standard of living. Its actual implementation, however, has been weak. Even the more detailed interpretation adopted with the General Comment No. 15 in 2002, is not a legally binding document in international law.



Beyond the legal issue, discussions at the Science Forum also showed that often there are successful projects and efficient water systems at the local and regional levels. Water engineer Professor Otterpohl however, pointed out that such projects are rarely scaled up once the pilot phase is over, often due to a lack of public awareness and political will. This is despite the fact that there is a tremendous potential for saving water: The methods are technically simple with a negligible price impact on consumers. What is required is a serious and widespread implementation of decentralized, closed loop water systems and successful pilot projects – especially in the industrialized countries. These could set new benchmarks for a responsible approach to water so as to significantly lower individual and national "water footprints". (Christiane Roettger)



Detailed documentation of the Forum is available (in German) at http://www.zeit.de/2009/29/Wissenschaft-ZEIT-Forum

Further information on the human right to water is available at http://www.righttowater.info/code/homepage.asp

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, August 2009