setting the scene
Over the last 20 years, the World Water Week has become a meeting place where pressing water issues are discussed and solutions are formulated. The realisation that these complex issues require solutions that transcend borders culminated in the special focus on transboundary waters in 2009. The focus on the water quality challenge during the 2010 World Water Week highlighted the interconnectedness of water issues andconfirmed the need for more effective management of wateracross borders. Water quality is an important, but often forgotten, aspect of managing water across borders. It is as important as water quantity, specifically because water pollution decreases the availability of water for human consumption, agriculture and industrial development, while threatening freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems and the associated ecosystem serviceswhich we depend on. Water quality is a reflection of land use, but there is often a difference in space and time between the source of the pollution and its effects. This highlights the importance of communication across both jurisdictional and sectoral bordersin managing the common resource, since the benefits and costs from actions may only be experienced by people elsewhere or by the next generations. Unilateral or segregated efforts to address water quality problems are therefore be inadequate. Management of water across borders must be adaptive, as the rules of the game are constantly changing with a growing population, economic development and climate change. At Managing Water Across Borders Lead Rapporteurs: Dr. Marius Claassen and Mr. David Osborne Junior Rapporteurs: Ms. Nina Weitz, Ms. Junna Maltseva, Ms. Karis McLaughlin and Ms. Hanna Larsson 10 the same time as the demand for food, feed, fibres and biofuels increase, there is a growing concern for the health of ecosystems and a growing demand for recreational use of water. There has not been enough progress on managing aquifers across borders, particularly the linkages between groundwater and surface water.
Managing water across borders is not only an issue of sharing water resources, the benefits from water, and a responsibility for protecting water quality across borders, but also about the understanding the implications and opportunities of virtualwater. The water footprint of products in global or regional trade, both concerning water quantity and water quality, will affect access to water of good quality and healthy ecosystems. Changes in the global political economy thus have implications for thedistribution of water quality problems. Global trade patterns are causing shifts in production, which can lead to pollution
and illegal dumping of waste in regions where regulation and enforcement are weak. One of the important issues in water policy and decisionmaking is to balance environmental objectives with social and economic ones. A holistic approach should consider benefits to all parties and find solutions that will ensure stakeholder buy-in to ensure successful implementation. Such participation is promoted when technologies are easy to understand. Differences in investments and funding from various sources also represent borders, but participants of the World Water Week acknowledged that where money was available, the political will is often missing. More coordination and involvement is therefore needed between countries, within countries, and between different sectors.
Managing water across borders is not only an issue of sharing water resources, the benefits from water, and a responsibility for protecting water quality across borders, but also about the understanding the implications and opportunities of virtualwater. The water footprint of products in global or regional trade, both concerning water quantity and water quality, will affect access to water of good quality and healthy ecosystems. Changes in the global political economy thus have implications for thedistribution of water quality problems. Global trade patterns are causing shifts in production, which can lead to pollution
and illegal dumping of waste in regions where regulation and enforcement are weak. One of the important issues in water policy and decisionmaking is to balance environmental objectives with social and economic ones. A holistic approach should consider benefits to all parties and find solutions that will ensure stakeholder buy-in to ensure successful implementation. Such participation is promoted when technologies are easy to understand. Differences in investments and funding from various sources also represent borders, but participants of the World Water Week acknowledged that where money was available, the political will is often missing. More coordination and involvement is therefore needed between countries, within countries, and between different sectors.
