Under the motto of this year’s Symposium, "Water Security for the 21st Century – Building Bridges Through Dialogue", scientists, politicians responsible for the environmental field and representatives from international enterprises and organizations discussed the complex relations between the different interest groups of our society and the existing global water resources.

The aim is to build linkages between stakeholders involved in societal planning and economic decision making with experts involved in water resources development, management, and food production.

The Symposium sees itself principally as a forum for practitioners, scientists and politicians searching for an efficient, long-term management of water resources. Although this year’s Symposium was of a comprehensive and reflective nature, the agenda also comprised discussion on specific subjects aiming to create a connection between current water issues and their reasons.

Nine newly styled workshops

To have more time for discussion the organisers decided this year to cut down the papers – traditionally presented orally – to short versions and thus to give the lecturer more time to answer questions.

The first workshop dealt with the relation between industry and other water interests. In the foreground stood the question what role the production industry plays or should play in relation to an integrated water resource management and the owners of water rights; furthermore what an administrative system could contribute to simplify these relations.

The focus of the second workshop was the development of the relations between the many different interest groups. The following main subjects were being discussed: How can water experts get more strongly involved in decision-making processes? What are the driving forces and incentives for water experts to get more strongly involved in socio-economic developments?

Many countries have a decentralised administrative system, where regional responsibilities seldom coincide with the geographical courses of usable water resources. The third workshop dealt with the revision of the prevailing administrative systems with regard to water reserves.

"Bridge Building Between Water and Energy" was the focus of the fourth workshop aiming to improve the relation between water and energy experts and to increase power generation by hydropower.

Vivid discussion took place at the workshop "Dams, Environment and Regional Development", which dealt with the building of large dams and their social and ecological implications.

"Building Bridges" was the intent of the sixth workshop between those groups responsible for the changes in land-use and water experts. The focal subjects included the impacts of floods and their consequences.

The aim of the seventh workshop was to create links between the urban and rural water consumers on the one hand, and water managers on the other. Challenges with regard to expanding ecological water sanitation into urban areas were the focus of the eighth workshop.

How to increase the status of water issues in governance and in public perception was the subject of the ninth workshop. In this context, the role of the media was acknowledged and they were asked to increase their coverage of present and future water issues.

The Stockholm Water Prize

The Stockholm Water Prize was first awarded in 1991 by the Stockholm Water Foundation. The Prize is awarded every year to an institution, organization, individual or company that has contributed substantially to water preservation and sustainable use of the world’s water resources.

The Stockholm Water Foundation invites the international scientific and environment community as well as the general public to submit nominations for the Stockholm Water Prize – e.g. from the field of science, economy, health, water management, technology and engineering or coastal management.

The prize is valued at USD 150,000 and the funds are raised from donations from the 18 founders and 7 patrons. These are:

• Anglian Water International,
• Aragon Fondkommission,
• Bacardi Limited,
• Compaq,
• DuPont,
• Fujitsu Siemens Computers,
• General Motors,
• Grundfos,
• ITT Flygt,
• Kemira Kemwater,
• KPMG,
• Ragn-Sells,
• SNECMA,
• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS),
• Stockholm Water Festival,
• Swedish State Railways (SJ),
• Uponor Group, and the
• Water Environment Federation (WEF).

The nominating period for the Stockholm Water Prize for a specific year lasts from April to September 30 of the previous year (the period for 2002 is now open until September 30, 2001).

The international Stockholm Water Foundation Nominating Committee reviews the candidates and recommends a Prize Laureate to the Board of the Stockholm Water Foundation, which makes the final decision.

The Nominating Committee includes five representatives from the National Committee for Swedish Water Management Research of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and two from the International Water Association. The Committee selects two additional members.

2001´s Laureate: Prof. Takashi Asano

Professor Takashi Asano was born in Sapporo, Japan, in 1937 and is Adjunct Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California in Davis (UCD). For 20 years he has been known as the leading expert for safe and efficient use of treated wastewater.

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Professor Asano spearheaded basic water reuse research at the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). His findings form the basis for most international projects and decrees within this domain.

In the course of his consulting activities for international organizations, e.g. the WHO and FAO, the scientist was also decisively involved in finding solutions for the problems of water shortage and water reclamation. He published his experience in meanwhile over 50 publications and books – among them the current benchmark "Water Reclamation and Reuse".

In addition, Professor Asano has acted as a mediator among scientists, practitioners and politicians in arid and semi-arid countries where water is needed most. However, Asano’s most notable contribution according to him was initiating the creation of the International Association on Water Quality’s Specialist Group on Wastewater Reclamation, Recycling and Reuse in 1987.

HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the Stockholm Water Prize to Professor Takashi Asano for his contributions to the efficient use of water in the domain of wastewater reclamation, recycling and reuse. (Source: aqua press Int. 4-5/2001)
Dr. Alexander Tempelmayr

Information & Contact:
Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Sveavägen 59, SE-113 59 Stockholm
Phone +46 8 522 13 960
Fax: +46 8 522 13 961