Government leaders attached great importance to the recommendations of the 4th Wei River Forum, held in October 2010 and organised by GWP China-Shaanxi together with Shaanxi Principal Water Resources Department.
The Mediterranean basin ranks among the first in the list of the world top tourist destinations. Tourism activity registers annually around 250 million visitors and the number of domestic and international tourists should reach 637 million by 2025. It is estimated that every tourist consumes between 300 and 850 liters of water per day.
Press release 18 November 2010
Sweden’s Ambassador to the UN Secretary General’s Global Sustainability Panel, Torgny Holmgren, inaugurated a Stockholm-based development hub on Wednesday, November 17.
Sweden’s Ambassador to the UN Secretary General’s Global Sustainability Panel, Torgny Holmgren, inaugurated a Stockholm-based development hub on Wednesday, November 17.
GWP Patron Margaret Catley-Carlson delivered the keynote speech at this year's Asia Development Bank’s (ADB) water conference held October 11-15, 2010 in Manila, Philippines. Her focus was on “cutting through red tape in order to achieve better water security.” The GWP delegation participated in a variety of sessions and gave presentations.
With China becoming one of the largest emitters of CO2 emissions, saving water and controlling pollution are key climate change adaptation strategies in the National 12th Five-year (2011-2015) Plan.
In September, the Coca Cola Foundation approved funding for the GWP Mediterranean project on ‘Rainwater Harvesting in the Cyclades Islands’. The project aims to contribute to local water security through a pilot installation of more than 10 rainwater harvesting systems in public buildings, training of technicians, and educational activities for local schools.
The approval of the IWRM Strategic Action Plan for the Congo Basin by the International Commission for the Congo-Oubangui-Sangha basin (CICOS) in late 2010 paves the way for realising the vast potential of the catchment.
With its experience of being a neutral platform for negotiating river basin management plans, GWP Lithuania has been asked to act as a national information center for water resources management.
Agriculture: the major sector of water consumption
Intensive abstraction for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes has led to depletion of surface and groundwater bodies. Overexploitation of groundwater resources in particular, has led to seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. Over the last 50 years, water demand for all sectors of activity together has doubled to reach 280 km3/ year in 2007.