International Workshop on Water Quality Degradation

August 23, 2005 | Stockholm, Sweden

Water quality management is a critical problem in both developed and developing countries. While water crisis in terms of scarcity has received considerable attention in recent years, water quality issues have been mostly neglected. At present, even a reasonably accurate global picture of the water quality situation simply does not exist. Yet, deterioration in water quality is evident in most parts of the world. Studies carried out by the Third World Centre for Water Management indicate that less than 10 percent of wastewater produced in Latin America at present is properly treated. The situation is likely to be the same for Asia and Africa. The health and the environmental costs of such neglect are likely to be extremely high: they are likely to be in billions of dollars. The workshop will consider all aspects of water quality management from municipal, industrial, agricultural and aquacultural uses, including issues like national policies; institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks; monitoring; evaluation; standard-setting; use of innovative economic instruments; case studies (both successful and unsuccessful); investment requirements; economic, environmental, health and social impacts of non-actions; roles of public and private sectors and NGOs; capacity building; public awareness; and how water quality can be successfully included in the global political agenda.

This workshop was organised by the Centre within the framework of the Stockholm Water Symposium.

Conference report