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Issue 1, January 1999
Welcome to Global Water Review!
I am pleased to introduce the first issue of the GEMS/Water newsletter, Global
Water Review. Many of you, and especially those who have been part of the GEMS/Water
programme since its early days, will remember previous incarnations of Global
Water Review. From 1976 to 1990, WHO and Environment Canada published the highly
successful Water Quality Bulletin. It is ironic that the success of the Bulletin
was also the reason for its demise. Indeed, it grew from 10 to more than 50 pages
per issue in its almost 15 years of uninterrupted free distribution to 120 countries.
The sponsoring agencies believed it was important that they continue to distribute
a free publication, but could not cover the escalating publishing costs by charging
subscriber fees. As a result, in 1990 the Bulletin was converted into the GEMS/Water
Quality Newsletter, a four-page document that was published twice a year. It
ceased
publication in 1994.
Since 1994, we have had a great number of requests from around the world to
bring back a newsletter. As GEMS/Water is a service programme, it is important
that GEMS/Water be responsive to the needs of its clients and partners, hence
the birth now of Global Water Review. This newsletter will be published twice
a year (January and July) in a four-page format. Its future content is entirely
up to the participation of its readers! We at the GEMS/Water Collaborating
Centre cannot write the articles we gladly accept the task of producing
the newsletter, but its content remains the responsibility of our readers.
In coming issues, we will include profiles of GEMS/Water people, agencies,
participating countries, and related programmes and activities. I would also
like to see major issues discussed and highlighted in Global Water Review.
The people in the GEMS/Water programme, whether at a UN or partner agency or
national focal points in participating countries, all have interesting and
unique perspectives on water quality issues. We would like to share their viewpoints
through the pages of Global Water Review.
Please accept our invitation to participate in Global Water Review - its success
as an informative and useful publication depends on our readers and contributors.
Richard D. Robarts
Global Water Partnership
The Global Water Partnership (GWP), established in 1996, is an international
network open to all parties involved in water resources management, e.g., governments
of developing and developed countries, UN agencies, multilateral banks, professional
associations, research organizations, the private sector and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). The main goal of the GWP is to translate the fundamental
principles for water resources management emerging from the Dublin and Rio de
Janeiro conferences into operational programmes and activities.
Regional stakeholders are invited to develop activities agreed upon, while
the GWP facilitate strategic assistance and financing. As a starting point,
technical advisory committees have been formed at the regional level in South
Africa (SATAC), South East Asia (SEATAC), South America (SAMTAC) and South
Asia (SASTAC). They respond to regional problems and are supported by the central
GWP and its Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). These regional groups are progressively "taking
over" from the global units in pursuit of their own regional water development
agendas. 
Operational structure
To strengthen the networking process in the region, SASTAC has also undertaken
the promotion of national water partnerships. SATAC was officially launched
at the beginning of 1998 and is now operational, with a secretariat at the
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
office in Harare, Zimbabwe.
SAMTAC has set forth a work plan, including the establishment of a Latin American
kiosk in the GWP web site Water Forum as well as case studies integrating water
resources management. SEATAC has adopted a comprehensive work plan and carried
out a number of activities. National consultations on integrated water resources
management and the GWP were held in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Similar
meetings are scheduled for the Philippines and Indonesia.
At a ministerial conference held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in March 1998,
the formation of a West Africa TAC (WATAC) was decided in principle. Preparations
are under way for a similar initiative for Central America. The TAC had a meeting
in Warsaw in November 1998, and preparations for a regional structure in Central-Eastern
Europe are under way. A TAC meeting to be held in China in May 1999 is being
organized.
For further information, please contact:
GWP Secretariat, Sida
SE-105 25 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel.: +46 8698 5000
Fax: +46 8698 5627
E-mail: gwp@sida.se
Internet: www.gwpforum.org
Global Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine
Environment from Land-Based Activities
In November 1995, 108 governments declared their commitment to protect and preserve
the marine environment from the adverse environmental impacts of land-based activities
by adopting the Washington Declaration on Protection of the Marine Environment
from Land-Based Activities and a Global Programme of Action (GPA). They called
upon UNEP to act, in close partnership with other relevant organizations, as
Secretariat of the
GPA.
The GPA Coordination Office was established in The Hague, in January 1988.
Some of its main objectives include promoting and facilitating the implementation
of the GPA at the national, regional and subregional levels in particular,
through a revitalization of the Regional Seas Programme and playing a
catalytic role with other organizations and institutions in the GPA implementation
at the international level. The following eight priority tasks have been identified
by the GPA Coordination Office:
- to develop and facilitate preparation of scientific assessments
on the impacts of land-based activities on the marine environment;
- to foster and facilitate development and implementation of national
and regional programmes of action on land-based activities;
- to establish and coordinate the GPA clearing-house mechanism;
- to mobilize financial resources;
- to promote awareness and improve education;
- to involve non-governmental organizations;
- to report and review progress in the GPA implementation; and
- to continue consultations on the GPA implementation.
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Implementation of the GPA Governments, in close partnership with stakeholders, are responsible for the
implementation of the GPA. As the secretariat of the GPA, UNEP, together with
other agencies, will assist them. The formulation of national and regional
action programmes remains the cornerstone for successful implementation. At
present, such regional action programmes have been drafted in seven Regional
Seas Areas. In most cases, urban sewage has been identified as the main-source
category. Another important source of marine degradation is the physical destruction
of habitats. The GPA Coordination Office will concentrate its near-future activities
on developing the clearing house information system, with special emphasis
on sewage, and on interesting potential donors in providing funds for regional
prioritized GPA projects.
For further information, please contact:
UNEP GPA Coordination Office
P.O. Box 16227
2500 BE The Hague, The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 70 311-4460
Fax: +31 70 345-6648
E-mail: gpa@unep.nl
Webpage: www.gpa.unep.org
Marine Environmental Studies Laboratory
The Marine Environmental Studies Laboratory (MESL) operates under a tripartite
agreement between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and UNEP. Some of the main functions of the MESL
involve acting as the analytical support centre for the Mediterranean Pollution
Programme (MEDPOL); implementing marine monitoring programmes, in collaboration
with regional laboratories; providing training in analytical techniques; and
supporting quality assurance programme for the determination of non-nuclear contaminants
in the oceans. The analytical capabilities of the MESL cover a wide range of
pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCBs
and sterols. In order to produce reliable scientific results, monitoring laboratories
need to follow a quality assurance/quality control system that must include regular
measurement of contaminants in reference materials and participation in intercomparison
exercises.
Reference materials are marine samples which have been certified for certain
analytes such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, trace metals and radionuclides.
Laboratory sample analyses enable routine checks to be performed so results
may be compared with the certified values. For years, the MESL has been producing
marine reference materials and has supplied them to laboratories in Regional
Seas Programmes. Intercomparison samples of suitable matrix such as sediment,
fish and algae are also prepared, tested for homogeneity and distributed to
laboratories around the world. Results of analyses reported by the laboratories
are then statistically evaluated and compared with the certified values. The
final results of the intercomparison exercise allow the laboratories to validate
the accuracy of their results in the analysis of a "blind" sample.
Reference methods are distributed by UNEP and the MESL. The Reference Methods
for Marine Pollution Studies series was set up to facilitate the adoption of
tested and reliable methods by laboratories. The adoption of the methods saves
time and money and fosters adoption of common methodologies as well as the
generation of comparable data by regional laboratories.
The MESL also conducts research and collaborates with programmes and laboratories
around the world on issues such as pesticide residues in tropical marine environments,
speciation, and cycling of trace metals and contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons.
These and other services related to data quality are fundamental to the accuracy
of pollution measurements for the protection of the environment. However, on
the basis of a questionnaire sent by the MESL to 350 environmental laboratories
worldwide, it was concluded that 85% of the laboratories are not as yet regular
participants in quality assurance processes, that is, in intercomparison exercises.
The results obtained in a recent Worldwide Intercomparison Exercise with mussel
tissue homogenate (IAEA-142) show that the performance of laboratories (245
participants) in the analysis of common persistent organic pollutants needs
to be greatly improved — only 11 laboratories could identify each persistent
organic pollutant in a simple suite. From results reported by 84 laboratories,
approximately 25% were outliers, and a further 50% were outside the range of
acceptable precision. Monitoring laboratories, therefore, must improve accuracy
and precision of analytical results. Ongoing intercomparison exercises include
the analyses of chlorinated hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons and trace
elements in an estuarine sediment, and fish sample.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Fernando P. Carvalho
Head, Marine Environmental Studies Laboratory
International Atomic Energy Agency
B.P. 800, MC 98012
MONACO Cedex.
Tel.: (377) 97 97 72 72
Fax: (377) 97 97 72 76
E-mail: MEL@monaco.iaea.org World Hydrological Cycle Observing System
During this century, the effects of a fast-growing world population, industrialization
and expansion of irrigated agriculture have dramatically increased the pressure
on freshwater resources. In 1997, one-third of the world population was estimated
to live under water-stress conditions, and it is estimated that by the year 2025,
this figure will have doubled. Without adequate remedial measures, the availability
of suitable fresh water is likely to be reduced considerably within a few decades.
It is therefore essential to plan adequate management and development of our
water resources. For this purpose, we need timely, accurate and comprehensive
water-related information that will complement economic, social and environmental
dimensions of water use. Unfortunately, a lack of awareness of the value of hydrological
information often means that even the basic hydrological activities are not adequately
funded. Thus, data collection, storage, processing, quality control and dissemination
are seriously affected. This situation is particularly alarming in the developing
countries.
To contribute to a better knowledge of the water cycle, in 1993 the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched the World Hydrological Cycle Observing
System (WHYCOS). Its main objectives include the strengthening of technical
and institutional capacities of hydrological services to ensure that the needs
of end users are met; the establishment of a global network of national hydrological
observatories to provide real-time information of a consistent quality; and
the promotion of the use of water- related information through modern technologies
such as the World Wide Web and CD-ROMs.
General scheme of the data collection and dissemination network implemented.
WHYCOS is being developed through a series of regional components (HYCOS),
under the coordination of the WHYCOS International Advisory Group. The HYCOS
components are implemented independently and respond to local needs. The regional
components for the Mediterranean Rim countries (MED-HYCOS) and for the Southern
Africa countries (SADC-HYCOS) are already being implemented. To date, the major
goals achieved are the establishment of regional networks of hydrological stations
and the creation of regional data banks that are constantly being updated via
satellite. Data from the MED-HYCOS project can be accessed through the Internet
at www.hycos.orstom.fr/medhycos/. Other components are under development for
West and Central Africa, the Congo River, the Caribbean and Central America,
the IGAD countries of East Africa, and the Baltic Sea.
For further information, please contact:
Chief, Hydrology Division
World Meteorological Organization
Tel.: +41 22 730 83 54
Fax: +41 22 734 82 50
E-mail: hyd@gateway.wmo.ch
URL: http://www.wmo.ch/
Global Runoff Data Centre
The Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) operates under the auspices of the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It was officially established
in the Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany, in 1988. The main
objective of the GRDC is to collect, process and disseminate discharge
data for important rivers of the world.
The GRDC database is constantly updated, and current contributions include
data from over 3650 stations which monitor about 2900 rivers worldwide.
The GRDC is the only data centre for river discharge within the United
Nations system operating on a global basis. The GRDC is also involved
in different international programmes such as the Global Energy and Water
Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) and the World Hydrological Observing System
(WHYCOS).
A strong link exists between water quantity and quality and, therefore,
there is close collaboration between the GRDC and the GEMS/Water Collaborating
Centre (GWCC). A common database catalogue which will contain all the
existing stations from both the GRDC and the GWCC will soon be published
on the Internet. A joint pilot study is also envisaged to compute fluxes
of total suspended solids for selected rivers discharging into the world
oceans. The two centres coordinate their data acquisition activities
and the use of the RAISON/GEMS software in the GRDC and collaborating
hydrological services.
The GRDC receives approximately 100 requests for data per year both
from researchers within international programmes and projects and from
universities involved in the field of climatology and/or hydrology. A
series of 21 reports covering the GRDC's main activities are available
upon request. Detailed information about the GRDC is available on our
web site at the following address: www.bafg.de/grdc.htm.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Wolfgang Grabs
Head, Global Runoff Data Centre
Federal Institute of Hydrology
Kaiserin Augusta-Anlagen 15-17
D-56068 Koblenz, Germany
Tel.: +49 261 1306 5224
Fax: +49 261 1306 5280
E-mail: grdc@bafg.de |
A Successful Collaboration: the GEMS/Water Book Series  Since the early 1990s, the GEMS/Water
programme has been providing practical guidance to member countries with a series
of handbooks and guidebooks on different aspects of water resources management.
These guidebooks gather the collective experience and consensus opinion of experts
from all over the world. Produced in conjunction with a commercial publisher
in London, originally known as Chapman & Hall, they now appear under the name
of E & FN Spon, an imprint of Routledge.
Collaboration with a commercial publisher has given the GEMS/Water book series
access to worldwide marketing and has led to international recognition of the
series among professionals engaged in water resources management. Copies have
been sold in countries of every world region, from Nigeria and Zimbabwe in
Africa to Sri Lanka and Indonesia in Asia to Ecuador and Chile in South America.
Evidence suggests that the books are becoming popular as teaching texts at
the university level and with environmental health professionals.
Two of the early books in the series are now "best sellers". Water Quality
Assessments. A Guide to the Use of Biota, Sediments and Water in Environmental
Monitoring, edited by Deborah Chapman, was first published in 1992 — the
updated second edition (1996) has sold over 2000 copies worldwide. Both this
book and its companion volume Water Quality Monitoring: A Practical Guide to
the Design and Implementation of Freshwater Quality Studies and Monitoring
Programmes, edited by Jamie Bartram and Richard Ballance, have had to be reprinted
due to demand. The more recently published Water Pollution Control: A Guide
to the Use of Water Quality Management Principles, edited by Richard Helmer
and Ivanhildo Hespanhol, is also proving to be very popular.
New books in the series include A Water Quality Assessment of the Former Soviet
Union (September 1998), Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water (December 1998) and Recreational
Water Monitoring (April 1999). A few books are in preparation: a groundwater
monitoring handbook and a book on reservoir monitoring and management. The
series is co-edited by Drs. Debbie Chapman, University College Cork, Ireland,
and Richard Helmer, Division of Operational Support in Environmental Health,
WHO, Geneva.
For further information, please contact:
Sabrina Barker
sabrina.barker@ec.gc.ca
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