Ø NATO Advanced Study Institute on Overexploitation and Contamination of Shared Groundwater Resources: Management, (Bio) Technological, and Political Approaches to Avoid Conflicts

01-12 October 2006

Varna, Bulgaria

Ø Nomination for the International Conference on “Large Power Transformers – Modern Trends in Application, Installation, Operation & Maintenance”

12-13 October 2006

New Delhi

Ø 3rd APHW Conference ‘Wise Water Resources Management Towards Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction’

16 – 18 October 2006

Bangkok, Thailand

Ø International Symposium on Managing Water Supply for Growing Demand

16-20 October 2006

Bangkok, Thailand

Ø World Water Monitoring Day

18 October 2006

London, United Kingdom

Ø 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Water Resources, Technologies and Services ‘Bulaqua 2006’

18 – 19 October 2006

Sofia, Bulgaria

Ø International Conference ‘Hydropower 2006’

23 – 25 October 2006

Kunming, China

Ø International Conference ‘Collaborating in Africa: New approaches in Water Sector’

25 – 26 October 2006

Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Ø The World Congress on Communication for Development

25-27 October 2006

Rome, Italy

Ø ‘Water Under Pressure: Balancing Values, Demands and Extremes’ Conference

25-27 October 2006

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Ø International Workshop on Groundwater for Emergency Situations

29 - 31 October 2006

Tehran, Iran

Ø ECO-IDB-FAO Regional Workshop on Water Demand Management Policies for Agriculture

5 - 11 November 2006

Islamabad, Pakistan

Ø Annual Water Resource Conference

06 – 09 November 2006

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Ø 7th International Symposium on Water Supply Technology

22-24 November 2006

Yokohama, Japan

Ø An International Perspective on Environmental and Water Resources Conference

18-20 December 2006

New Delhi, India

Ø First International Conference on Groundwater in the 21^st Century

26 - 28 December 2006

Alexandria, Egypt

Ø Integrated Water Resources Management & Decentralized Systems Conference

10-15 March 2007

Baltimore, Meryland, USA

Ø 8th United Kingdom Young Water Professionals Conference

18 – 20 April 2007

University of Surrey, Guildford, England

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Ø Mainstreaming Environment into Poverty Reduction Strategies

Ø Water for Growth and Development

Ø In the Public Interest: Health, Education, and Water and Sanitation for All

Ø Poverty Environment Partnership - Joint Agency Paper on Poverty Reduction and Water Management

Fellowship and funding opportunities

Ø 2007 Watson International Scholars of the Environment

capacity building and trainings

Ø The World Bank Winter Internship Program

Ø Advanced Issues in Regulating Electric and Water Utilities

16-27 October 2006

Washington, DC, United States

Ø Structuring and Financing PPP Projects in the Electricity and Water Sectors

6-14 November 2006

Cape Town, South Africa

Ø Agriculture and the Environment: Practices and Processes in Soil and Water

7-28 November 2006

Israel

Ø Crop production and Ecophysiology

13 November - 1 December 2006

United Kingdom

Ø Agricultural Extension Practices

20 November - 1 December 2006

Thailand

Ø Community-based Integrated Watershed Management

20 November – 8 December 2006

The Philippines

Ø Social Issues in Natural Resource Management with Soil and Water Conservation

29 January - 9 March 2007

United Kingdom

Ø Soil and Water Conservation

2 February – 9 March 2007

United Kingdom

Ø Soil Management and Extension Techniques

5-23 March 2007

Thailand

Ø Participatory Watershed Management

11 June – 6 July 2007

Thailand

DETAILS

NEWS

INPIM’s Ninth International Seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management coming up in December 2006 – Lahore, Pakistan

The Ninth International Seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management will be held in Pakistan from 4 – 8 December 2006. The Seminar is being organized by the International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management (INPIM) in collaboration with major Regional and International donors, Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (MinFAL), Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), On-Farm Water Management (OFWM), University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), other Government agencies/institutions in Pakistan (Water/irrigation/agriculture related Ministries/ Departments) and other related national and international NGOs. The theme of this seminar is “Institutional and Technological Interventions for Better Irrigation Management in the New Millennium”.

The seminar will highlight the diverse experiences of both the host country and other nations in the world, as well as selected cases with better practices in irrigation management. The seminar will offer the participants the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in irrigation sector, review state-of-the-art thinking on irrigation reforms, network with irrigation professionals, policy makers and donors from around the world, and see first hand the functioning of newly established institutions, including farmer organizations and water users associations in Pakistan. The program will be of five days and will include three and a half days of presentations and discussions and a day of field visits and interactions with stakeholders and staff of the newly established provincial irrigation and drainage authorities in Pakistan.

Seminar Theme and Sub-themes

The theme of the seminar is “Institutional and Technological Interventions for Better Irrigation Management in the New Millennium” with three sub-themes as follows:

i) Participatory Irrigation Management – PIM frameworks and models, support systems and sustainability of new institutions, public-private partnership in irrigation management, better practices and lessons learned from interventions, constraints and opportunities;

ii) Irrigation Financing – irrigation subsidies, irrigation O&M cost recovery, best practices in irrigation cost recovery, charging and financial sustainability of new irrigation institutions;

iii) Resource Conserving Technologies – productivity enhancing and resource conserving technologies, high efficiency systems, other water saving techniques and practices.

Call for Papers/Posters

Papers and posters are invited on the above three sub-themes (and may include related project/country case studies, success/failure stories, conceptual/ methodological approaches, frameworks and issues, experiences/lessons/guidelines).

Paper abstracts and poster proposals should be submitted to INPIM as soon as possible and no later than 20 September 2006. Abstracts must be submitted in the following format:

1. Length: no longer than one letter size page

2. Font: Time New Romans 12 point

3. Margins: 1 inch around the entire page

Papers accepted for presentation must be submitted by 30 October 2006. Papers must be submitted in the following format:

1. Length: no longer than 10 letter size pages

2. Font: Time New Romans 12 point

3. Margins: 1 inch around the entire page

Background

The importance of participatory irrigation management in irrigation reforms, with the aim to make irrigation systems sustainable, is now widely recognized by governments, donor agencies and other stakeholders. While PIM as a concept and approach has been in vogue for over two decades with varying degrees of success, the fascinating and challenging debates on emerging PIM issues continue. As irrigation reforms progress, issues continue to emerge, alternative PIM models and frameworks continue to be experimented in diverse local environments, and PIM approaches continue to be evolved and refined. Importantly, as water becomes scarce and faces intense sectoral competition in most settings in the world and in times of ever than greater need to increase land and water productivity of irrigation systems to meet the additional demand for food for increasing population, there is an increasing need to better use and manage each single drop of water. And the PIM approach to irrigation management assumes greater than ever significance in such settings. The purpose of this international seminar is to report and discuss various issues and challenges related to PIM, irrigation financing and new resource conserving technologies, share experiences and lessons, discuss solutions and options, and celebrate progress made in these areas in international settings.

Through a combination of insightful presentations by a series of international speakers and ensuing discussions, the participants will be taken through the issues and challenges in the field and become acquainted with some of the possible options and solutions. We trust that this event will provide an excellent opportunity to participants for sharing ideas, experiences and knowledge in a high level of professional but still informal, friendly and networking atmosphere. We are confident that this event will be truly outstanding for deepening our knowledge of PIM issues and outlining the way forward. Through this event, we hope that we can continue the wonderful tradition of water professionals in making our share of contribution to the betterment of the water users, especially the poor men and women in rural areas of developing countries.

Seminar Venue

Lahore – Pakistan

Seminar Program

Besides offering the opportunity to review state-of-the-art thinking on irrigation reforms, this international seminar offers the opportunity for networking with irrigation professionals from around the world. The seminar will be conducted in English. The participants are requested to begin checking into the hotel at 12:00 hrs on Sunday 3 December 2006. The participants should check out of the hotel no later than 12:00 hrs local time on Friday 8 December 2006. Participants wishing to arrive before, or stay after, the above mentioned dates and times should arrange for accommodations at their own expense. INPIM and other organizers will not be responsible for any additional expenditure incurred. The seminar program is briefly outlined below:

03/12	Participants Registration (afternoon, evening)
04/12	Inaugural Session, Keynote Address and Keynote Presentations. Technical Sessions, Presentations, Welcome Dinner (evening)
05/12	Technical Sessions, Presentations, Discussions
06/12	Field Visit – Interactions with FOs/WUAs, PIDA/AWB/FO Personnel
07/12	Group work, Technical Sessions, Presentations, Discussions
08/12	Group work, Technical Sessions, Presentations, Discussions
08/12	Participants leave in the afternoon

VISA and Travel to Pakistan

Each participant must arrange to obtain his or her own visa for entry into Pakistan. Participants are advised to contact the Pakistani Embassy in their respective country to ascertain procedures for obtaining a visa. A letter of invitation will be made available to all participants for securing a visa from their respective country. INPIM will facilitate the issuance of letters of invitation upon receipt of the registration forms. Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to, and should make their airline reservations as soon as possible. Participants are advised to intimate their arrival and departure plans to enable reception and send off at the airport or train station.

Seminar Fee, Payment and Registration

INPIM offers a pre-arranged package including lodging, local transportation, meals, study materials and field visits at US $1200 (from the afternoon of Sunday 3rd to the forenoon of Friday 8th). See next page for concessions on the fee. Any additional expenses on telephone calls, laundry, and use of the hotel bar will be at the participant’s expenses. Payment of the seminar fee can be made through a bank/wire transfer directly to INPIM's bank account. The information required to make a wire transfer will be made available upon request by email to ihussain@inpim.org or ssarwar@inpim.org or info@inpim.org.

Participants will be registered through a two-step process of registration as explained below:

Information for pre-registration

1. Pre-registration – Participants are requested to complete the pre-registration by providing basic information in the Table (given below and attached) to express their interest in participating in the seminar.

Note: Payment of fee can be made at pre-registration stage or at final registration stage as explained below. Early registration and payment of fee offers some financial benefits to the participants.

2. Final registration and payment of fee – upon receipt and processing of the pre-registration forms, final registration forms will be sent to the pre-registered participants as per the following schedule and benefits:

- Final Registration and full fee payment by 30 Sept 2006, 5 percent discount

- Final Registration and full fee payment by 15 Oct 2006, 2 percent discount

- Final Registration and full fee payment by 30 Oct 2006, No discount

- Final Registration and full fee payment by 15 Nov 2006, 5 percent late registration charge

- Final Registration and full fee payment by 30 Nov 2006, 20 percent late registration charge

International Participants - US $1200 (Pre arranged package including accommodation)

Note: 25 percent discount for international participants [Researchers/paper contributors/presenters from developing countries only (excluding participants from international organizations), Students]

Local/ Pakistani Participants – US $500 (Pre arranged package excluding accommodation)

Note: Accommodation for local/ Pakistani participants can be arranged on request

Please indicate clearly on the registration forms if you belong to any of these categories.

WWF and WBCSD Reports warn of World Water Crisis

Two new reports, one from the WWF and the other from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) forecast a bleak future for global water supplies.

The WWF’s report, an analysis of access to fresh water, warns of a ‘major and mounting’ water crisis for the world’s richer nations as well as the poorest.
It notes the recurring droughts along Europe’s Atlantic front, and says that ‘it is now apparent that intensive pollution remediation in Europe’s heartland will not be able to salvage some contaminated water sources – while the much worse contamination issues of Eastern Europe are yet to be substantially addressed.’

In the US, the report warns that large areas are using ‘substantially’ more water than can be naturally replenished, which will be exacerbated by climate change. Salinity threatens important irrigation, and there is increasing anxiety over chemical and pathogen contamination. ‘The main mechanisms for controlling pollution are themselves under threat,’ it adds.

In Australia, nearly all the major cities have water restrictions and salinity is a major threat here, too. Japan has high rainfall but high population and ‘surprisingly’ low levels of water per capita. Cities can suffer both water shortages and damaging floods. Contamination of supplies, including groundwater, is an extremely serious issue.

Common problems in the developed world include looming exhaustion of supplies, water-related conflicts, contamination, degraded landscape functioning, and economic issues such as leakage.

There is an acceptance in the developed world that water must be used efficiently, the report concludes, and countries have the choice of trying to match use with their natural water realities.

Key challenges include proper valuation of water, agreeing on the balance between conservation and consumption, changing attitudes to water, modifying or repairing ageing or inappropriate infrastructure, bringing agriculture into line with expectations and prices for other users, reducing contamination and building knowledge of natural water cycles and processes.

The WBCSD report, based on a two and a half-year year study by influential member companies including Suez, Shell, Coca Cola and Severn Trent, looks at a number of possible water-related scenarios, starting around 2010 and moving forward in time. Looking at businesses’ role in working towards solutions, the report provides an in-depth examination of the issues based around three scenarios, termed H, 2 and O, each examining different possible futures.

H stands for hydro, or water efficiency, 2 for the two sides to water disputes, often on opposite banks of a river, and O for ocean, or interconnectivity and taking the whole system into account.

The H scenario paints a picture of general water resource problems and irreversible salinity in China’s North Plain; 2 postulates increasingly acrimonious disputes among ‘water haves’ and ‘have nots’; and the O scenario predicts major waterborne crypto and MRSA outbreaks in a city on the US East Coast and cholera in London.

Detailed solutions are offered within all of the scenarios, in the form of enlightened business practices teamed with a greater understanding among government bodies and other stakeholders of the issues and the best approaches to take.

IWA 2006 Honours and Awards to the Outstanding Individuals

IWA recognises the special contributions of its members and water sector professionals through a programme of honours and awards. From amongst the many fine contributions of its members the most outstanding individuals have been selected to be honoured at the IWA World Water Congress in Beijing in September 2006.

Grand Award to Professor Daniel A Okun

The prestigious Grand Award will be made this year to Professor Daniel A Okun for his outstanding achievements as a water engineer and a scientist. Professor Okun is a pioneer of integrated water management; from the beginning of his professional career he has dedicated much of his work to the interdependencies between water supply and wastewater disposal. As Kenan Professor of Environmental Engineering, Emeritus at the University of North Carolina he has impeccable academic credentials; his contribution is enhanced by his ability to interconnect his scientific achievements with practical applicability.

In recent years Professor Okun has been a champion for the use of dual water delivery systems to provide water quality that is appropriate to the intended use. His extensive CV includes global experience in water resource management, a wide variety of consultancies, an extensive list of honours and numerous publications. His career has been truly global and his contributions to water management have been both diverse and farsighted.

Professor Okun has had a long association with IWA starting with its predecessor bodies, the IWSA (a member from 1978) and IAWQ. Professor Okun will receive his award at the opening ceremony of the World Water Congress at the Beijing International Congress Centre on 10 September 2006.

Outstanding Contribution – Willy Verstraete
Outstanding Service Award - Paul Bishop
Young Professionals Award - Dr How Yong NG
Honorary Members - Dr William C J KO; Dr S D Armal; Jerome B (Jerry) Gilbert

New National level Water Management Centre opened in Islamabad, Pakistan

The US department of agriculture has extended a grant of Rs. 1.5 billion to Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) for the establishment of water management centre in Islamabad, which is first of its kind in Pakistan. The centre will act as a resource facility to incorporate water-focused interventions aimed at reducing chronic poverty and safeguarding against vulnerability owing to increasing water scarcity and water related disasters.

The center will harness modern technologies such satellite imagery in service of poverty reduction activities and will actively synergies with national institutes such as Suparco, Geological Survey of Pakistan and Meteorological Department to address drought mitigation and water resource management in a holistic manner.

The center aims to implement 24 drought mitigation, 60 Micro-hydel and 750 water efficient irrigation projects, which will impact more than 2.4 million people. The center will address issues of natural water related calamities such as droughts, floods, cyclones and tsunami in a coherent and systematic manner. The unit is envisioned to develop into a regional policy and technological hub for water related issues in South Asia. The center will employ its Geographical Information System (GIS) capability and multidisciplinary expertise in formulating national water management strategies, designing projects for implementation at the local level and providing backup professional support to partner organizations implementing these projects. Through the development and management of modern early warning system, the center will enable the vulnerable communities to take timely steps to mitigate potential floods and drought hazards. The interventions designed and superintended by the centre will provide direct short to medium term benefits to participating communities in terms of enhancing their capacity to combat droughts and protecting against flash floods which often follow droughts.

Through diffusion of technological innovations the centre will ensure an increase in yield per litre of water used. While Micro-hydel projects will provide clean and economical means of electric power to isolated communities in the mountainous areas. At the national level, the centre will play an important role in disseminating the lessons learnt and proposing commensurate policy changes and strategy modifications.

ADB Forms Experts' Panel to Guide Energy Strategy for the Greater Mekong Sub region

ADB has formed a panel of renowned energy and environment experts to guide the preparation of an energy strategy for the Greater Mekong Subregion. Through the experts’ panel, ADB seeks to enrich the process of developing the GMS Energy Strategy. The panel will bring diverse perspectives to bear on the strategy and will supplement the work done by Integriertes Ressourcen Management AG (IRM) of Austria, the consultant engaged to conduct the study. ADB first announced the formation of the panel during the First Planning and Consultation Workshop on the study held on 31 July 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand.

ADB has initiated the study in partnership with the six GMS countries – Cambodia, People's Republic of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The study will define a regional energy for 2006−2020 to expand cooperation among GMS economies to meet emerging energy challenges.

Mobilizing Resources for Water in Africa

The development of Africa’s water resources has become one of the key objectives of the Bank’s development efforts on the continent. African annual renewable water resources, which are estimated at about 5,400 billion m3 per year, are considered to be abundant. These water resources are characterized by extreme temporal and spatial variability with over 60 shared water basins dominating the landscape. However, the exploitation of water resources is low with only about 3 percent of the total amount used under managed conditions. Africa is therefore faced with the major challenge of achieving significant development of its water resources to ensure sustained economic growth and social wellbeing.

Africa's failure to fully exploit its water resources is taking its toll on the continent’s population. Currently over 300 million people in Africa do not have access to safe water and over 313 million have no access to sanitation. According to experts from the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, 62% of Africa’s population lives in rural areas and yet access to water and sanitation is lowest in these areas with about 47