Water crisis was not considered seriously at the Dublin and Rio conferences. It was put on the world agenda primarily by the Stockholm Water Symposia. Water management is likely to change more during the next twenty years compared to the past 2, 000 years. The paper reviews the global water situation based on the latest data available. In terms of water availability, it concludes that one can now be cautiously optimistic of the global water future. If there is to be a crisis, it is likely to be for two reasons, water quality and lack of investments. Neither of these two issues is receiving adequate attention at present. The roles IWRA can play in the future are briefly outlined.
By Asit K. Biswas, 1999. Article published in Water International, Volume 24, Issue 4, pages 363-367. DOI: 10.1080/02508069908692189