International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance

World Water Week 2007, painted with blue... schools!

Is one week enough to talk about water issues? This is a life time issue, when it concerns water. Among the major problems the world is facing, and it is going to face in the years to come, the area of water is so rich and diverse that it cannot be covered in a brief span of time.

In 2007, the World Water Week aimed at presenting the most recent experiences and studies on the worth blue resource. The event took place in Stockholm from 12 to 18 August 2007, and the IRHA participated, shared and learned from the water professionals all around the world. Despite the fact that one week is a too short time, a lot of issues have been covered.

Various subjects were examined: climate change, sanitation, how to involve more seriously the private sector into NGO's activities, how to awake politicians to respond to the enormity of the water problem, water scarcity and droughts, religion and project implementation, is water a public or an economic good, etc. Water professionals are well aware that it is not an easy task to take into account all dimensions of a project.

Globalisation requests us to be multidiscipline trendy, in order to understand and to consider middle as well as long term consequences of our projects implementation. It is no more a matter of brief duration as it frequently used to be - a point of view - in the past. We urgently need to share our experiences, and our visions, because time is running out fast. We have to act, but to act effectively.

One of the various multidimensional proposals presented in Stockholm, the Blue Schools programme stimulated the participants. Interested by the selected approach (water access would be only a part of the programme, besides computer teaching, sanitation, orchard, etc.) Vessela Monta, the IRHA Executive Director, explained to the participants the role of rainwater harvesting as a central pole in the programme, and especially how rainwater harvesting would play a noticeable role in water scarcity. The audience filled up the meeting room, was very active, and a lot of questions related to the topic were asked.

On the next day, our Executive Director gave another speech regarding rainwater harvesting in industry. There are many opportunities to harvest rainwater, even in industrial buildings. In the industrialised world, we still do not seriously look at rainwater as a resource with great potential.

For us, rainwater harvesters, the Stockholm World Water Week became the best occasion to prove the value of rainwater as a primary resource. It gives easy access water, leads to the lowering of the production costs, and consequently gaining competitiveness on the market. In industry, rainwater could be used for all purposes out of the technology cycle: i.e. maintenance of the premises, hygiene of employees, sanitation, washing vehicles or for watering gardens and plants. It was made clear that when rainwater harvesting is introduced on an industrial site, it could contribute to reduction of tension with the neighbouring communities.

The 2007 World Water Week in Stockholm was the place where all water professionals should have been. No revolutionary ideas came out, but sharing our knowledge among rainwater harvesters was worthwhile.

Gallery photos during this event, click here