Int'l water management organization proposed

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Jejomar Binay recently proposed the creation of an International Water Management Organization to address the water supply problem expected in the future.

In his keynote address before delegates to the International Water Forum last March 18 at the Hague, Netherlands, Binay argued that the creation of the organization as a policy-making body is essential to prepare for the water crisis expected in the next hundred years.

He said that the body will plan and manage the supply of water as well as audit the demand on a global basis.

"The worldwide situation on water has reached so critical a level as to demand immediate global attention. Water, which is the most necessary natural resource next to the air we breathe, has been taken for granted for too long a time. It is only now when it is in short supply that the whole world has taken notice of the need to manage it more efficiently," Binay said.

Binay also stressed that water management needs to be looked at beyond sourcing, treatment and distribution. Environmental factors such as proper waste disposal and the preservation of watersheds also play a vital role in the undertaking.

Population issues should also be addressed as this dictates the demand side of the problem.

Binay urged the developed countries to assist their smaller, developing counterparts who do not have the resources or technology to come up with a sustainable plan for the future.

He stressed that rich nations "should recognize and accept the fact that water is a common concern among all nations and that the rich nations must contribute in the solution process by sharing their technologies and expertise."

"The global problem cannot be over oil, future wars may well be fought over water," Binay said.