Summarize in less than 120 words “Imagine that you get up in the morning with the sweet sound of rain against the windows. You
look out and the world sings to you. Water makes it possible. Crystal clear water is available
right in the comfort of your home. Shortage is not even in the back of your mind, because you
know that the process of getting that water to you is in the hands of responsible persons.
“Some forecasts show that by 2025, more than 3 billion people will face water scarcity, but this
is not because the world lacks water. The world water crisis is a crisis of management – not one
of scarcity. At the global scale, there is enough water to provide ‘water scarcity’ for all, but only
if we change the way we manage and develop it. The scarcity of water is a very relative concept
that can only be seriously addressed by looking at a basket of factors, including socio-economic,
technical and institutional aspects of water use.
“Water is important to our national economies, our leisure and even to our culture. The
sustainable management of water resources is of central importance to poverty alleviation,
people’s health and the protection of the environment. The best initiatives are those that make a
political commitment to consider water as an integral part of sustainable human development,
and those which strive to adapt management of the resources to the needs of the poor.
“Our culture and lifestyles are key factors in the inequitable distribution of water. Changes in
attitude and actions will bring about a positive difference, even when those attitudes and actions
are as simple as realizing the value of water and remembering conservation practices. Our water
use must be through sustainable practices, with the aim of safeguarding this resource for our
future generations.
“There is no quick fix or simple solution when it comes to safeguarding and managing a resource
that is in as much demand as water. It is evident that to maintain our most precious resource, our
managerial capacity has to be upgraded, since the current strategies were developed for past
human and natural needs and are now inappropriate to our present needs.”