Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, zumindest schon mal die Nachrichten + einige Termine vorab ...
mcplanet.com - konsum . globalisierung . umwelt
Wie
h�ngen Umweltzerst�rung und Globalisierung zusammen?
03. bis
05. Juni in der Universit�t Hamburg
Der Kongress
von ATTAC, BUND und GREENPEACE, in Kooperation mit der Heinrich B�ll Stiftung
und dem Wuppertal Institut f�r Klima, Umwelt, Energie.
Programm:
http://www.mcplanet.com/pic/kurzprogramm1805.PDF
Insecurity and development
Regional issues and policies for an interdependent
world
Bonn, 21 - 24 September 2005
� is intended to provide an important forum to take stock of the state of the art regarding the issues linked to insecurity and development, and to reflect and discuss policy recommendations derived from them. The conference will also provide an opportunity to compare European perceptions of insecurity and development with perceptions in other world regions ...
Call for Research grants on Water and Food
application deadline: 30 June
2005
The International Foundation for Science (IFS) and the CGIAR Challenge
Program on Water & Food (CPWF) are calling for research proposals open to
young scientists. Research themes should focus on at least one of five areas:
crop water productivity improvement, water and people in catchments, aquatic
ecosystems and fisheries, integrated basin water management systems, the Global
and National Food and Water System ...
http://www.ifs.se/Programme/waterandfood_call_2005.asp
Nachrichten:
May 26, 2005�� The Delhi government today said the Capital
was not facing any power shortage but the availability of water was not satisfactory.
The Cabinet reviewed the power and water situation in the capital city � Low
frequency due to the use of low-quality equipments in the neighbouring states
have led to powercut in several areas � The Cabinet also took a note of the
problems related to water, after which, Dikshit said, �The situation is not
satisfactory� �
2005 MAY 25 � Recognising Delhi's problems, Union
Water Resources Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi has dashed off a letter to UP
Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, pointing out that the state had enough
water in view of good snowfall in the mountains this winter and was in a
position to part with some of it for Delhi's Sonia Vihar Treatment Plant ...
The construction of the Sonia Vihar plant, built at a cost of Rs 800 crore and
touted as capable of ending Delhi's water woes, was completed last year and
ever since it has been waiting for water to become functional.
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=300443
2005-05-25� China's water resources authority denied media
reports on "a water diversion project from Russia's Lake Baikal to northern
China" �. �the ministry "has no plan to carry out research on water
diversion project from Lake Baikal," � The ministry has also no contact
with any foreign institute on similar project�
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-05/25/content_3001662.htm
Thirstiest crop: 21,000 litres of water to produce 1kg
of rice
May 25, 2005 � was
surprised by the virulent summation of his industry in a new CSIRO study, which
found that, of 135 industries analysed, rice was one of the nation's most
costly - financially, socially and environmentally. Australia's 2500 rice farms were found to be 200 times more water
intensive than the average industry and to generate four times as much greenhouse
gas. A 1kg bag of rice costing $2.50 required 21,000 litres of water to produce
... By comparison, a $2.50 bottle of beer needed 122 litres of water � But if
rice farmers, who export most of their product, paid the rate for water that
respected scientist Peter Cullen says they should be charged - about $1000 per
million litres - it would be uneconomic to farm for rice in the Murray-Darling
basin. On this basis, 1kg of rice would cost about $21 in water alone ...
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,15398923%255E2702,00.html
24.05.2005 ... haben ... vor der baldigen
Austrocknung des Jordans gewarnt ... m�ssten die vier Anrainerstaaten die
�bernutzung des Wasserreservoirs stoppen ... fordert ... in einer
"Jordan-Deklaration" die Staaten auf, die �kologischen Probleme
anzugehen und den Fluss unter das Regime einer gemeinsamen Beh�rde, �hnlich der
"Rheinkommission", zu stellen ... werde das Jordan-Wasser entgegen
�konomischen und �kologischen Regeln �bernutzt ... schlagen ... vor, den Jordan
und das Tote Meer zu Welterbest�tten der UNESCO zu erkl�ren ...�
http://www.israelnetz.de/show.sxp/9209.html?sxpident=97446193Y1767412gX-85484325822532y--
Low-cost
technology converting seawater into potable water launched
May
24, 2005� Union Science and Technology
Minister Kapil Sibal dedicated to the nation � a new technology that promises
to convert sea water into potable water at a cost of just three to six paise
per litre ... The technology works by utilising the differences in the
temperature of water on the surface of the sea and that deep inside the ocean
...
http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/24/stories/2005052415571200.htm
2005-05-24
That the �next war will be fought over water�, is amply borne out from the fact
how Pakistan is constantly trying to link the issue of three rivers--Jhelum,
Chenab and Sindh--- to the resolution of the Kashmir �dispute� � Pakistan, in fact,
wants �physical control� over the upper reaches of these rivers to �secure
their maximum utilisation for the growing needs of West Pakistan�, says former
Pakistan President, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, in his book �Friends not Masters�
... Pakistan will withdraw its case from the World Bank and India will suspend
construction on the Baglihar project,� according to the daily. The World Bank
has now appointed a Swiss civil engineer as the neutral expert to sort out the
differences between India and Pakistan ... If water is the real problem for
Pakistan, it should make water harvesting and its recycling mandatory. Instead
of wasting billions of dollars on nuclear missiles and its proliferation, it
needs to build dams, develop water sheds, de-silt ponds and rivers, and
recharge wells to improve water table �
http://www.asiantribune.com/show_article.php?id=2409
Environmental
bill cuts clean-water funding
May 21, 2005� WASHINGTON - The House passed the nation's
yearly environmental budget Thursday night, even though Democrats say it guts
clean-water programs. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colorado, voted against the $26.2
billion appropriations bill for the Interior Department and Environmental
Protection Agency. The bill passed 329-89 � "Clean water is the right of
every American, and we need to preserve our open spaces for future
generations," Salazar said in a prepared statement. "If the measures
in this bill aren't changed, Colorado's clean water and conservation efforts
will be devastated" �
May 20, 2005 GOULBURN,
Australia� -- The rolling hills around this
historic city were once renowned as some of Australia's best grazing land.
After four years of drought they are as bleached and lifeless as old bones � "It's a major wake up call for
Sydney," Goulburn Mayor Paul Stephenson told The Associated Press. "If
we're dry up here, then there's nothing going into their catchment because we
are their catchment" �
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/05/19/drought.australia.ap/
Draft
water policy placed before cabinet
2005 May 19�� ISLAMABAD -- The draft National Water
Policy seeking the setting up of a permanent National Water Council led by the
prime minister to take decisions on water-related issues and inter-provincial
conflicts has been submitted to the federal cabinet for approval. An official
statement of the ministry of water and power said that the draft policy had
been submitted to the cabinet for placing it before the next meeting for
approval to ensure sustainable utilisation of water resources � Pakistan is
faced with an emerging water crisis in various forms, including increasing
demand of water for drinking and sanitation, and the policy will provide
national direction for sustainable use of these resources. The policy envisages
that national water resources planning and development should be undertaken in
a holistic, integrated and sustainable manner ... The policy says that to meet
the year 2025 water requirement, with a nominal annual increase of two per cent
in export, the agriculture water requirement at farm gate is estimated to be
about 20 MAF of additional water, assuming 50 per cent increase in crop yields
due to non-water inputs. For comparative purposes, the requirement for
agriculture will be around 40 MAF at the farm gate assuming a 25 per cent
increase in yields. The policy is based on an assumption that the population
would grow to 168 million by 2010 and 221 million by 2025, with an average
annual increase of 1.81 per cent ... The commission shall implement the
national water policy and strategy and assist the National Water Council in
taking crucial decisions on water-related issues and conflicts �
http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/20/top5.htm
May 19, 2005 Looming tougher restrictions won't
solve the crisis in the long term � With many towns threatened by drought,
Sydney facing permanent water restrictions and 90 per cent of NSW
drought-declared, the state's political leaders are stifling debate with
misrepresentations � Unlike most natural resources, water is totally
recyclable. Most countries and cities rely on indirect recycling, where the
discharge of effluent from one city into a river is regularly used by other
cities downstream ... Our water infrastructure (supply, sewer and stormwater)
will have been refurbished using funds from realistic pricing regimes, and
future generations of Sydneysiders will not have to worry about water security
... Under a sustainable water cycle management approach, Sydney could increase
supply and meet new demand. In addition, Sydney would also address its
long-neglected stormwater flows and quality problems, and by creating a
sustainable supply, environmental flows could be readily delivered to the
Hawkesbury-Nepean river system and the community of the Shoalhaven catchment
would not have to have its water transferred to meet Sydney's uncontrolled
thirst ...
TANZANIA: Row over
water contract could mean continued shortages
18 May 2005� DAR
ES SALAAM, - Hundreds of thousands of Dar es Salaam residents could continue to
experience acute water shortages if a row between the Tanzanian government and
a private international water company remains unresolved. The government
announced on Friday it had terminated a 10-year contract with City Water, for
what it described as "poor performance" ...
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/d49a98746b9b846d05691bffa1f3c8a0.htm
17.05.2005
- Geologen wollen Engp�sse in der Wasserverrsorgung durch Computermodelle besser
vorhersagen und damit Krisen vorbeugen. Die Wissenschaftler haben bereits f�r
verschiedene Flussgebiete Prognose-Modelle entwickelt ...
Sozialwissenschaftliche und �konomische Parameter in ein
naturwissenschaftliches Modellsystem zu integrieren ist ungew�hnlich ... Das
Ziel: die Modellsysteme so aufzubauen, dass sie sp�ter von Politikern,
B�rgermeistern und Beamten genutzt werden k�nnen, um die Folgen ihrer
Entscheidungen besser abzusch�tzen ...
http://www.ftd.de/rd/6935.html
2005 MAY 16� Pakistan today alleged
India has violated the Indus Water Treaty in building the Wullar Barrage,
Kishenganga projects and the Baglihar dam on which the World Bank has appointed
a neutral expert to look into the differences between the two countries �
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=298521
14.05.2005�� Virtuelles
Wasser. �sterreich ist beim Wassereinsatz sehr effizient, sagt eine Studie. Jeder
�sterreicher verbraucht durchschnittlich 150 Liter Wasser pro Tag - f�r den
direkten Konsum, f�r die Hygiene und anteilig f�r die Wirtschaftsproduktion.
Doch diese Zahl ist nicht einmal die halbe Wahrheit. Denn allein mit dem Konsum
einer Tasse Kaffee ist ein Verbrauch von 140 Liter Wasser verkn�pft. Und zwar
in Form von "virtuellem Wasser". Darunter versteht man jene
Wassermenge, die in ein Produkt quasi "eingebettet" ist, weil sie zur
Produktion des Gutes erforderlich war. In dieser Rechnung ist es unerheblich,
ob das Wasser aus k�nstlicher Bew�sserung ("blaues Wasser") oder
direkt aus Niederschl�gen ("gr�nes Wasser") stammt ... Seit der
Londoner Geograf Tony Allan Mitte der 90er Jahre das Konzept des
"virtuellen Wassers" begr�ndet hat, wurden unz�hlige interessante
Fakten ver�ffentlicht. Laut Unesco stecken in einem Kilo Weizen 1100 Liter
Wasser, in einem Liter Milch 800 Liter Wasser, in einem Kilo Eier rund 4500
Liter und in einem Kilo Rindfleisch sogar 22.000 Liter. So beeindruckend solche
Zahlen sind: Das Konzept des "virtuellen Wassers" hat auch
gravierende �konomische Konsequenzen - und zwar wenn man verschiedene L�nder
vergleicht. Denn �ber den Umweg des "virtuellen Wassers" werden
gigantische Wassermengen auf der Welt umverteilt ...
http://www.diepresse.com/Artikel.aspx?channel=e&ressort=eo&id=482363
Communities
World-Wide Challenge Transnational Water Company, Suez, at Annual Shareholders'
Meeting
2005
May 13 �� As Suez
holds its annual shareholders' meeting today, people around the world are
challenging the water giant's irresponsible and dangerous practices. Suez --
one of the world's largest private suppliers of water and sanitation services
-- is positioned to profit from water scarccity and to make the global water
crisis worse � "Water is a basic human right and people's lack of access
to water is an emerging global crisis. The United Nations estimates that by the
year 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will not have access to enough
water if current trends are not reversed. Suez is a leader in an industry that
is turning a right into a commodity. Our members are joining with people around
the world to reject Suez's abuses," says Corporate Accountability
International Executive Director Kathryn Mulvey ... Corporate Accountability
International has joined the growing number of labor and environmental groups
who are challenging Suez's abuses, and is highlighting its failure to meet the
Standards of Political Conduct for Corporations ...
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050513/nef004.html?.v=9
Kraft: Zugang zu sauberem Wasser ist mit entscheidend f�r eine friedliche und nachhaltige Entwicklung der Menschheit
13.05.2005
- Neues Institut in Duisburg b�ndelt Know-hhow zur Wasserentsalzung Die
Aufbereitung salzhaltigen Wassers f�r Trink- und Prozesswassernutzung ist ein
Thema von gro�er wirtschaftlicher und politischer Tragweite. Angesichts der global
zunehmenden Knappheit von verwertbarem Trink- und Prozesswasser ist die
Brackwasser- und Meerwasserentsalzung ein viel versprechender Ausweg aus der
sich abzeichnenden Wasserkrise ... Wissenschaftsministerin Hannelore Kraft:
"Das bei der Wasserentsalzung vorhandene Know-how soll in dem neuen
Institut Ce-Des geb�ndelt werden. Damit passt das Zentrum ideal in das
Forschungskonzept 2010. Denn die Verf�gbarkeit von hochwertigem Wasser zu
akzeptablen Preisen ist eine herausragende Aufgabe im 21. Jahrhundert und
verhei�t exzellente Marktchancen weltweit"...
http://www.uni-protokolle.de/nachrichten/id/99635/
May 12, 2005��
New Delhi�� President ABJ Abdul Kalam
on Wednesday called for making water harvesting mandatory for all buildings and
said necessary legal provisions should be made in this regard � Inaugurating
the National Water Convention 2005, he said schemes should be formulated to
ensure availability of minimum 25 kilolitre of water annually for each citizen
in the country. The schemes chosen for this purpose should also ensure
availability of water for producing 400 million tonne of grains annually by
2020� National Water Conventions are held normally once in two years, where
water resources engineers, scientists, academicians, non governmental
organisations and others deliberate and discuss about various pressing water
related issues.
Rain
Water Harvesting
2005 MAY 12��
NEW DELHI Setting an example to highlight the
importance of rain water harvesting, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today
decided to offer Parliament House premises and his official residence for such
water conservation. Making a statement in the House, Chatterjee also announced
his decision to constitute a Parliamentary Forum on Water � "Let us hope
the system of rain harvesting will be in place before the onset of
monsoon" �
http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=297597
May 11, 2005 The World Bank has named a Swiss, Raymond
Lafitte, to mediate in a dispute between Pakistan and India over a dam India is
building in Kashmir � "Both India and Pakistan have found Professor
Lafitte suitably qualified as a neutral expert," commented the
Washington-based bank in a statement. "His findings will be made known in
time"�
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=106&sid=5773659&cKey=1115811117000
2005-05-11 A
third of the world's population lives in countries that find it difficult or
impossible to meet water needs, a proportion that could double by 2025, said
Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) � at a conference of the IPCC Working Group I for the Fourth
Assessment Report held in Beijing � Climate changes, including rising
temperatures and sea levels, precipitation change, droughts and floods may
wield great power over human and natural systems � Water shortage will be the
most serious issue, affecting food production and bio-diversity as well as
human water consumption � The world has to rethink socio-economic development,
including economic growth technology and population governance, to adapt to
these changes �
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-05/11/content_441252.htm
2005-05-11 An emergency project to divert water from nearby
Hebei Province is expected to be completed next year and to start to pump water
to this thirsty Chinese capital city in 2007 � The new waterway is also part of
China's massive project to divert water from the Yangtze River to north China,
which will be finished by 2010. From that time on, 1 billion cubic meters of
water will be able to be transported to Beijing through the conduit �
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-05/11/content_2945495.htm
May 09, 2005 � �Why not prevent them from getting
water?� he thought out aloud. The idea finally did not find favour with the
CCS. The Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan is the one agreement
that has survived all vicissitudes in the fractious relations ��While all the
provinces are suffering from a shortage of water, there is a tendency to force
Sindh to bear a disproportionately high share of the burden than Punjab. The
Army leadership is keen on ensuring water supply to Punjab at the cost of
Sindh,� � So if we�ve identified the cause � of the India-Pakistan conflict,
which is water, how must we treat the symptoms, which are terrorism,
militarisation, and the growth of fundamentalism �
9 May 2005�
--- An OSCE workshop aimed at improving water resource management of the
Sava river will be held in Sisak from 9 to 11 May. The event is organized by the Office of the
Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the United
Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). It aims to create a
network of local actors who will share their knowledge in tackling common
problems such as access to fresh water and pollution prevention ...
http://www.osce.org/item/14177.html
2005-05-06 Water
conservation will have become a way of life across the nation by 2020 to match
a relatively well-off society. The crux of building a water-saving society in
China will depend on what we are going to do in the next 15 years � building a
water-saving society is the best strategy for China to tackle an
ever-increasing water crisis a problem facing the country since last century �
Today, among 660 Chinese cities, more than 400 are short of water, and the
situation is very bad in more than 100 cities including Beijing and Tianjin �
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-05/06/content_2921504.htm
Province
worries another water battle with U.S. on the horizon
May 02, 2005� - Manitoba is closely watching another water
project in North Dakota that it fears has the potential to harm provincial
waterways. The Northwest Area Water Supply Project would pipe water from a lake
in the Missouri River drainage basin to the city of Minot in the Hudson Bay
drainage basin ...
http://www.canada.com/fortstjohn/story.html?id=51d002cc-6a53-4161-ac62-194928d5b412
5 May 2005 - Agricultural and water management projects in Uzbekistan
are the focus of a meeting, organized by the OSCE Centre in Tashkent today. The
event brings together government officials, donors, representatives ...
http://www.osce.org/item/14138.html
April 30, 2005 ... Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday
launched the National Programme for Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water
Bodies linked to agriculture in Kabeerdham district in Chattisgarh. Dr Singh
said the objective of the project was to repair and augment storage capacity of
water bodies besides recovering and extending their irrigation potential. The
repair and restoration of more than 50,000 small water bodies could help fight
the problem of drought in a state like Chhattisgarh. Union Water Resources
Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said his ministry had drawn up a scheme for a
total outlay of Rs 300 crore for the remaining period of the 10th Five Year
Plan after Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced in the 2004-05 budget
to take up a scheme for restoration of water bodies ...
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr302005/update1024462005430.asp
Beste Gr��e
J�rg Barandat
http://de.geocities.com/joergbarandat/wassernetz.html