Text :
05.07.01: Submissions of nominations
for the Stockholm Water Prize.
http://www.siwi.org/swp/swp.html
(How to Nominate)
Nominating Procedure
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.
The nominating period for the 2002 Stockholm Water Prize is now open
and ends on September 30, 2001.
Leading scientific organizations, universities, colleges, academies,
learned bodies and individuals from all over the world are invited
to nominate candidates for the Prize.
The 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.
Two additional members are selected by the Committee; currently, they
are from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Water
Environment Federation (WEF).
To receive a copy of the Prize Nominating Folder,
send an e-mail to siwi@siwi.org.
Alternatively, you may download the folder and print or view it using
Adobe Acrobat. To download the folder, go to http://www.siwi.org/pdf/2002_SWP_Nomination_Folder.pdf
02.07.01: Europe/Spain:
Blue March for a new water culture
A blue walk for a new " water culture "
in Europe. A long walk, from the Ebro delta to Brussels will take
place from August 11th to September 9th, to alert public and decision-makers
to the water management problems in Europe. The main goals of this
action are : - to implement as soon as possible the new water directive
of the European Union, which implies a deep change in the European
water management, based on a respect of the ecological balance of
rivers - therefore, to block European Union financial helps to projects
that are not respecting this directive and in particular, the very
controversial "National Hydraulic Plan " recently adopted
by the Spanish government - to protect deltas, estuaries and coastlines,
to prevent over-exploitation of water tables - to demand a public
and democratic management of water, our common property.
The Blue Marche ist organized by COAGRET in cooperation with ERN
The French, German and Belgium Part will be coordinated ERN.
Associations or individuals wishing to organize meetings or
to accommodate participants can meetings or to accommodate participants
can mail us.
Temporary program (in french, sorry):
Aôut
11 - SALIDA DE DELTEBRE (Delta de l'Ebre)
12-13 - Etapes dans le deltas de l'Ebre.
14 - Caspe (province de Saragosse)
15-16 - Saragosse
17 - Huesca -Biscarrués (province de Huesca)
18-19- Jaca (province pyrénéenne de Huesca): Assemblée
pyrénéennepour la nouvelle culture de l'eau
20-21- Pau
22-23 - Toulouse 24-25-
Larzac-Millau: Rencontres avec le mouvement Campesino.
26-27- Le Puy- Haute-Loire: rencontres avec European River Network
et Loire Vivante "
28-29-30 - Lyon : rencontres avec des organisations du bassin rhodanien
31- Région parisienne
Septembre
1-2 Région Paris
3- Reims: rencontres avec des victimes d'inondations
4-5-6 Aquisgrán (Aachen) - Colonia (Köln): rencontres
avec des organisations allemandes
7 - Maastricht rencontres avec des organisations néerlandaises
8- Arrivée à Bruxelles
9- GRANDE MANIFESTATION A BRUXELLES
Contacts:
COAGRET Coordinadora de Afectad@s por Grandes Embalses y Trasvases
-Zaragoza: C/ Santa Cruz 7, Oficina 3 - 50003 ZARAGOZA Teléfono
/ Fax 34-976-392004 e-mail: coagret@jet.es
-Tortosa (Ebro Delta) : +34 66 62 91 827 email: coorbre@binet.fut.es
ERN European Rivers Network - SOS Loire vivante
,
8 Rue Crozatier, 43000 Le Puy, France
Phone +33 4 71 02 08 14 Fax +33 471 02 60 99 email: go to www.ern.org (contact)
PROGRAM and more informations daily on RIVERNET, ERN's Server for
living Rivers www.rivernet.org/marchebleu
02.07.01 :
Une marche bleue pour une nouvelle culture de l'eau en Europe
11 Août Delta de l'Ebre - 9 Septembre Bruxelles, organisé
par COAGRET et ERN
Jusqu'à présent les rivières
et les zones humides ont été considérées
comme de simples ressources en eau ou bien un moyen d'évacuer
des déchets. Considérée comme un simple bien
économique, la gestion de l'eau s'est traduite par un développement
des grands barrages, des canaux et des transferts d'eau, ceci généralement
avec des fonds publics, qui ont finalement servi, la plupart du temps,
à subventionner des entreprises privées. Cette approche
s'est soldée par la destruction de la plupart de nos rivières,
zones humides et aquifères, en les polluant, les salinisant,
les asséchant et, finalement, tuant la vie qu'ils abritaient.
On vient d'approuver à l'Union Européenne la Directive
Cadre sur l'Eau. Cette nouvelle loi exige de profonds changements
dans la politique traditionnelle de l'eau, c'est-à-dire un
passage de la logique du béton subventionné à
une nouvelle approche basée sur une bonne gestion (économie,
efficacité...) et la conservation de la santé de nos
rivières, zones humides et aquifères (bon état
écologique).
La MARCHE BLEU pour la NOUVELLE CULTURE DE L'EAU en
EUROPE qui partira du Delta de l'Ebre le 11 Août et se terminera
par une manifestation massive à Bruxelles le 9 Septembre a
pour principaux buts :
1- L'application rigoureuse de la nouvelle Directive Cadre. D'éviter
que la période de transition soit employée pour accélérer
la destruction des rivières, zones humides et aquifères.
2- Le blocage, pendant cette période de transition, des fonds
européens finançant les grands barrages et les grands
transferts ayant de fort impacts sociaux et environmentaux, avec une
attention spéciale au Plan Hydraulique National, récemment
approuvé par le Gouvernement Espagnol, et dans lequel il est
prévu de construire 120 nouveaux grands barrages et de réaliser
de grands transferts de l'Ebre et du Rhône, tout cela avec de
l'argent européen.
3- La défense des droits des communautés, des villages
et des vallées qui sont menacés d'inondation par la
construction de barrages.
4- La défense des deltas, des estuaires et des côtes
menacés par des projets de grands transfers et une pollution
sans cesse croissante.
5- D'exiger l'application stricte des lois qui doivent garantir l'exploitation
soutenable des aquifères en empêchant la surexploitation
et la pollution. Ces dernières sont le fruit de pratiques illégales
non répréhendées, de la spéculation et
même de la corruption, spécialement sur les côtes
méditerranéennes.
6- D'exiger une gestion publique et démocratique de l'eau,
grâce à une participation citoyenne renouvelée
et de stopper la privatisation et les marchés spéculatifs
de ce bien naturel fondamental.
Programme provisoire (aôut-sept):
11 - SALIDA DE DELTEBRE (Delta de l'Ebre)
12-13 - Etapes dans le deltas de l'Ebre.
14 - Caspe (province de Saragosse)
15-16 - Saragosse
17 - Huesca -Biscarrués (province de Huesca)
18-19- Jaca (province pyrénéenne de Huesca): Assemblée
pyrénéennepour la nouvelle culture de l'eau
20-21- Pau
22-23 - Toulouse 24-25-
Larzac-Millau: Rencontres avec le mouvement Campesino.
26-27- Le Puy- Haute-Loire: rencontres avec European River Network
et Loire Vivante "
28-29-30 - Lyon : rencontres avec des organisations du bassin rhodanien
31-1-2 Région parisienne
3- Reims: rencontres avec des victiomes d'inondations
4-5-6 Aquisgrán (Aachen) - Colonia (Köln): rencontres
avec des organisations allemandes
7 - Maastricht rencontres avec des organisations néerlandaises
8- Arrivée à Bruxelles
9- GRANDE MANIFESTATION A BRUXELLES
NOUS CHERCHONS DES ORGANISATEURS D'ACCUEIL ET DE DEBAT
Contacts:
COAGRET Coordinadora de Afectad@s por Grandes Embalses y Trasvases
-Zaragoza: C/ Santa Cruz 7, Oficina 3 - 50003 ZARAGOZA Teléfono
/ Fax 34-976-392004 e-mail: coagret@jet.es
-Tortosa (Ebro Delta) : +34 66 62 91 827 email: coorbre@binet.fut.es
ERN European Rivers Network - SOS Loire vivante
,
8 Rue Crozatier, 43000 Le Puy, France
Phone +33 4 71 02 08 14 Fax +33 471 02 60 99 email: go to www.ern.org (contact)
Notre site publiera régulièrement des
informations. www.rivernet.org/marchebleu
01.07.01: UK to abandon support
for the Ilisu dam
The Observer, London, Sunday July 1, 2001
UK drops Turkish dam plan Kamal Ahmed, political editor, http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,515248,00.html
The government is to abandon its support for the controversial Ilisu
dam in Turkey after an official report that it commissioned on the
environmental and human rights impact of the project found that it
had failed to meet international standards.
The report was commissioned in 1999 by Stephen Byers, who was then
Trade and Industry Secretary, as the 'definitive assessment' of the
project which campaigners say will ruin the lives of tens of thousands
of local people.
The study, which arrived on the Government's desk on Friday, is said
to be 'very negative' about how well Turkey has dealt with allegations
that building the dam would lead to the displacement of more than
70,000 Kurds in the south-east of the country and the destruction
of the archaeologically significant town of Hasankeyf.
The Observer has also been told by senior government sources that
the report makes for 'difficult reading' and that it would be impossible
to provide export guarantees for British firms involved in the project
with such a damning indictment hanging over it.
'There would need to be significant changes in Turkey's attitude to
Ilisu if the Government was to continue backing this,' said one official.
Although the Department of Trade and Industry will insist no final
decision has been taken and that there will now need to be a long
period of consultation, officials admitted that human rights concerns
were central to their support.
Just before the general election, Richard Caborn, then a Minister
at the DTI, said: 'If these [the report's] conditions are not satisfied,
then there will be no support.'
Doubts have also been raised in the report about the ability of the
Turkish economy, which has been undermined by a recent currency crisis,
to support the £1.25bn project. 'We have always argued that
the impact of this would be terrible for both the Kurdish people and
the environment,' said Matt Phillips, the senior campaigns manager
with Friends of the Earth.
'The test is now whether Tony Blair puts the interests of big business
ahead of the interests of human rights.'
Two years ago the Government said that it was 'minded' to back the
construction of the dam. The Prime Minister overruled concerns raised
by the Foreign Office that the building of the dam across the River
Tigris would lead to increased tension with Turkey's neighbours, Syria
and Iraq. Both countries rely on the river for scarce water resources.
Byers was also concerned by the negative ethical message that supporting
the dam sent out.
30.06.01: Programme to
end environmental degradation in Nile Basin receives first funds
The first meeting of The International Consortium for Cooperation
on the Nile (ICCON) has ended with initial donations of $140 million
to kickstart the fight against environmental degradation in the river
basin and boost both farm output and power generation.
The three-day talks in Geneva - the first between donors, aid agencies
and the 10 Nile Basin countries - come amid a "new unprecedented
era of cooperation" in the region, which comprises war-torn Sudan
and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
More
information
30.06.01:
World Bank pledges US$ 27 million to improve water supply in Georgia
The bank credit will revitalise irrigation and drainage infrastructures,
improving the quality of life for some 400,000 people in the impoverished
Caucasus republic of 5.5 million.
More information
30.06.01: Ireland legislates
to protect rivers, estuaries and lakes from eutrophication
The Irish environment minister has designated 30 water bodies for
additional protection to combat what the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has identified as the nation's most serious environmental
pollution problem, eutrophication.
More information
30.06.01:
Austria to use Danube for sustainable transport
Between 2001 and 2005, Austria intends to shift 3% of international
road transport to, from and via the country in the Danube corridor
to new inland waterway services.
More information
