The fact that water plays a crucial life-support role has long been taken for granted and the mounting global water crisis can only be effectively addressed through the sustainable governance of available surface and groundwater resources.
UNESCO's Director of the Division of Water Sciences and Secretary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program Abou Amani made the statement during the opening ceremony of the 13th governing board meeting of UNESCO’s Regional Center on Urban Water Management for West and Central Asia on Feb. 23 in Tehran, the Energy Ministry’s news portal reported.
“If governance of water sources is based on climate change adaptation and indigenous knowledge, it will help achieve water security,” he added.
Water governance refers to the political, social, economic and administrative systems that influence the use and management of water. It is essentially about who gets what water, when and how, and who has the right to water, its related services and their benefits.
“Collaboration among RCUWM members is of great importance as each of them can come up with creative solutions to tackle threatening water issues not only in their boundaries but also in other regions.”
Referring to the United Nations 2023 Water Conference to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York from 22-24 March, he noted that the event will spotlight the sustainable development and integrated management of water resources for the achievement of social, economic and environmental objectives, the implementation and promotion of related programs and projects, as well as the furtherance of cooperation and partnerships at all levels.
Amani is convinced that another solution to water-related conundrums lies in making everyone responsible for water, irrespective of their age.
Water Governance
For the director of UNESCO’s Water Division, one of the key tools for improving water governance is education, beginning at primary school.
“Judicious water consumption should be everyone’s concern. We need to educate people at all levels because it is not just about technical knowhow but also about changing mentalities. This change in attitudes toward water must occur at all levels and should start from the earliest age,” Amani said.
According to Iran’s Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian, overextraction from depleting underground resources in developing states, including Iran has turned out to be a major concern due to which the quality of drinking water has been adversely affected, causing short- and long-term concerns.
“Prolonged droughts, irregular flash floods, poor governance, bureaucratic inertia, insufficient human capacity and lack of investment funds are all jeopardizing water security,” he said.
The paucity of quality water has negatively affected political relations among some neighbors and caused provincial disputes in regions suffering from water shortage.
Mehrabian emphasized that balancing water supply and demand is key to defusing the acute crisis.
As the world entered the 21st century, the World Water Council said in a report: “There is a water crisis today. But the crisis is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs. It is a crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people - and the environment - suffer badly."
Water demand management is a new frontier to achieving a long-term balance between available supply and its use for human development.
There are other effective measures to alleviate the water crisis, some of which are mass media campaign, timely detection of seepage and repairs, establishing efficient regional water markets, penalties for waste and excessive use, as well as privatization.
Titanic Struggle
Meeting the swelling demand from the existing and limited resources is a titanic struggle, particularly in water-stressed countries such as Iran.
Iran’s Central Plateau, encompassing the provinces of Yazd, Isfahan, Kerman and Fars, is reaching a point where renewable freshwater resources cannot meet demand and impedes economic development.
RCUWM was established in 2002 in Tehran, following an agreement between Iran and UNESCO.
RCUWM’s governing board consists of Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Syria, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
Senior representatives from international bodies such as UNESCO, World Meteorological Organization, Islamic Development Bank, Economic Cooperation Organization, World Health Organization and International Water Resources Association, as well as the UN resident coordinator in Iran, also attended the one-day meeting.
RCUWM’s main activities include holding training courses and capacity building programs on various topics, such as water scarcity adaptation and demand management, supporting joint research and technology transfer projects, plus partnership and networking at regional and international levels.
The agreement between Iran and UNESCO regarding RCUWM has been extended till the end of 2023.
Since its establishment, RCUWM has signed MoUs with more than 10 international organizations, supported 12 joint research projects in the region and held 50 educational events for more than 20,000 people.
