THIRD WORLD WATER FORUM MEETING BEGINS AT KYOTO

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The Third World Water Forum Meeting got off to a hectic start on March 16, 2003 at Kyoto, Japan where various speakers emphasised the urgency of tackling the water problems of the World in a time bound manner.

Shri Arjun Charan Sethi, Union Minister for Water Resources represents Government of India at the Forum. He is heading a seven member delegation to the meeting. In the various sessions held so far at the Forum, discussions veered round to several aspects of water problems. The Indian delegation made a strong plea for technical help and financial back-up in accomplishing mitigation of arsenic problem. Besides, the Indian delegation pressed for an integrated comprehensive approach to the problem of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. The need for international commitments and support for capacity development especially in the decentralized delivery system was focussed by the Indian delegation. The suggestions of the Indian delegation for protection of fragile coastal eco-system were supported in the Forum.

The meeting will continue till March 23, 2003 to facilitate several International experts to read their papers and deliberate on the subject. At the end of the meeting, the Ministerial Declaration will also be made regarding the water sector policies.