IAP Programme on Water Research and Management: a brief evaluation report

Lead Academy:Brazilian Academy of Sciences

BackgroundDwindling water resources Nearly two billion people are living under conditions of acute water shortages IAP water programme aimed at improvement of the existing regional programmes

water conservationwastewater treatmentcontrol of eutrophication and contaminationdevelopment of strong scientific and technical capacities, and secure water resources for future generations.

Programme components

Web-page development and maintenanceDisclosure and publicationsRegional Capacity Building Workshops

Web-page development and maintenance

A web-page linked with the IAP web-site is in place.

last updated in December 2005. The web-page needs to be updated at regular intervals and made more informative.

List of the participating Academies Focal point Academies Status of the workshops Information on the related websites IAP could possibly help in this process.

Disclosure and publications The Programme envisaged production of two bulletins/brochures per year, besides electronic publications and videos for general circulation and information. A book with state-of-the-art articles was also proposed. These are very important components of the IAP Programme. It would be nice if we could have some of the publications as per the plan before the IAP General Assembly.

Regional Capacity Building Workshops

Trieste meeting, 28-29 May, 2005 A comprehensive report of the Conference has been preparedThis conference emphasized on the acute shortage and non-accessibility of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation

Trieste meeting recommendationsCapacity building, with focus on training the next generation of water expertsAssist science academies in their efforts to inform decision makers and the public on critical issues related to waterShare information on best practices in water conservation and useBuild centres of excellence in water research and management, especially in Africa.

Intl Symp on Groundwater Sustbty, Alicante, Spain, Jan 06

Alicante DeclarationComprehensive water-management, land-use and energy-development strategies Comprehensive understanding of groundwater rights, regulations, policy and usesMaintenance and restoration of hydrologic balance a long-term goal Improve scientific, engineering and applied technological expertise in developing countriesEstablish ongoing coordinated surface water and groundwater monitoring programsDevelop local institutions to improve sustainable groundwater managementEnsure that citizens recognize groundwater’s essential role in their community and the importance of its responsible use.

Regional Capacity Building Workshops

A time frame for these workshops needs to be put in place urgently –2005 to 2006

Americas July 24-26,2006 at Sau PauloEurope September 28-30,2006 in Lodz, Poland East Asia and the Pacific, Beijing June 12 to 15, 2006. Africa – date comingCentral Asia - Kazakhstan Middle East and South Asia - Jordan

Concluding remarks

Regional workshops are very important and reflect the proactive role of IAP in helping in the development of regional, and where required national, policies on sustainable water usageMore funds would be required for Post-workshop publications, and other publications The website needs improvement and regular updating The proposed symposium on water at the IAP-GA is a good idea

Acknowledgement

We must acknowledge with gratitude the efforts made by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in general and Prof. Eduardo Krieger and Prof. JG Tundisi, in particular, in steering the water programme.