Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Experts Debate Water Crisis

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GUATEMALA CITY, May 23 2005 (IPS) - To study the water crisis and propose strategies for more efficient use, more than 300 experts from 70 countries are gathering May 23-27 in Antigua, Guatemala, 45 km west of the capital. The 10th meeting of the Global Water Partnership is debating issues related to potable water, integration management, sanitation, free trade treaties, water service contracts, deforestation, soils and forests, GWP Guatemalan delegate Elisa Colom told Tierramérica.

''There is an obvious global crisis in water management, with a great many people who lack basic water services, especially in Africa, a very serious problem of contamination and lack of sustainability in management of this resource,'' she said.

Founded in 1996 and based in Stockholm, the GWP is a global network of organizations involved in the integrated management of water resources.