16 October 2007

It is a great pleasure for me to take part in this Inaugural Session of the International Yellow River Forum on Sustainable Water Resources Management and Delta Ecosystem Maintenance. I would like to thank the government of the People's Republic of China for extending the invitation to me to be present here with all of you today.

International gatherings such as this one enable us to put across the message to public opinion that water is an indispensable resource for life and for economic, social and environmental development in all countries. The fight to ensure appropriate management of water and of the ecosystems which depend on it is the fight on behalf of the citizens who live, and will live in future, on this planet.

The international community must find solutions to the most serious social, environmental and political problem facing the planet today: 'the world's water crisis'.

Since the 1970s, and particularly since the first major international conference on water (organized by the United Nations in Mar de Plata, Argentina), world leaders have been aware of the water crisis is worsening, and will continue to worsen, unless widespread corrective action is taken urgently.

1.2 billion People worldwide currently have no access to drinking water, while 2.4 billion have no access to sanitation.

The crisis in water resource management, caused in particular by the use of inappropriate methods, is exacerbated by the effects of climate change and the resulting desertification. The real tragedy of this crisis are the effects it has on the poorest populations, who suffer the burden of water-related diseases and live in degraded surroundings, where they struggle to survive through subsistence farming in territories subjected to increasing encroachment by deserts, a situation which triggers migratory movements on a massive scale.

The crisis also affects ecosystems, compounding biodiversity loss and in the process compromising, for example, food production capacity in the future.

Today we have the knowledge and expertise required to tackle the causes of the water crisis, based on the need for equity and the urgency of sustainability. However, the inertia of world leaders and the insufficient awareness among the world population of the sheer magnitude of the problem delay the adoption of the necessary measures.

The poverty suffered by a large proportion of the world's population is both a symptom and a cause of the water crisis. Facilitating better access for the poor to better-managed water can contribute to poverty eradication, as noted in the United Nations'Water Development Report (WWDR). Similarly,, improved management will enable us to address the growing scarcity of water in many regions of the world, both developed and developing.

Resolving this crisis is one of the sternest challenges faced by humankind in this third millennium and should be viewed from the broader perspective of eliminating inequalities and preventing conflict, as noted by the Commission on Sustainable Development in 2002:

'Eradicating poverty, modifying unsustainable production and consumption models, and protecting and administering the natural resources of social and economic development are the paramount objectives and essential requirement of sustainable development'.

In Spain, water works were a key component of the economic and social development achieved during the first half of the 20th century. Moreover, Spain was a pioneer in adopting its Water Law of 1985, which established public ownership of all water resources in the country and introduced integral water management for every river basin. However, the traditional water policy, based primarily on increasing supply with insufficient regard for economic and environmental requirements, has now run its course and is being replaced by a policy which is based on sustainable water management, in line with the current European Union Water Directive adopted in 2000, which promotes the recuperation of water 's ecological quality and the restoration of water ecosystems as an indispensable guarantee ensuring water bodies are maintained in proper conditions.

At the beginning of the current legislature, the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodtiguez Zapatero, undertook to implement a far-reaching redirection of water policy, in accordance with European legislation, 'taking into account not just the economic value of water but its social and environmental value also', in order to guarantee availability and quality, optimize its use and protect and restore associated ecosystems.

In fulfillment of these undertakings, the ministry of the Environment has implemented a programme for Water Use and Water Management Actions, the main goals of which are to strengthen public control over water use and water quality, guarantee the water needed for the development of each territory, enhance the efficiency of all kinds of water use, and adapt water policy to European Union legislation an criteria, including stricter  requirements governing economic rationality, environmental sustainability and public participation.

In compliance with European legislation, Spain has committed to water use management and to using all technologies that enable existing water resources to be optimized, with low environmental impact: wastewater recycling, water saving, water efficiency and desalination. Moreover, in Spain we have excellent centers for water research and companies that are highly competitive in the use of the most up-to-date technology.

It is our task in the Ministry of the Environment to spearhead this challenge. However, the solutions to water problems in Spain-just as in any other country-cannot be achieved by the authorities alone: they require commitment from all civil society organizations, and especially from scientists and experts, as well as from businesses, which are demonstrating a tremendous capacity to move forward in the same direction as the Government in the area of new water technologies, modernization of irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment and use, and, of course, the production of drinking water using sea water. Over the past three years we have achieved important results.

For the first time, the number of hectares in which localized irrigation is used is higher than the number under flood irrigation.

The amount of drinking water obtained through desalination has doubled, and the energy required for the process is decreasing.

Over-exploitation of aquifers is now beginning to be brought under control.

90% of wastewater is now treated appropriately.

In addition, the present legislature has seen a doubling of public spending on R+D+i, and a similar increase in development aid for the poorest nations. These aspects are crucial if a more responsible, knowledge-based development is to be achieved. Our overseas actions relating to water focus on Latin America and, latterly, Africa. The Spanish city of Zaragoza is the headquarters of the Secretariat of the United Nations 'Water for Life' Decade and next year will host the International Expo on 'Water and Sustainable Development'.

In the light of all the above, I am convinced that Spain's experience in water issues, from the institutional, technical and business standpoints, can prove useful to the international community and that we can work together, with the Government of the People's Republic of China also, to bring about a lasting improvement in access to water and thus contribute to eradicating poverty and the causes of the current water crisis. As the old Chinese saying goes, 'even the longest road begins with a small step'. Let us move forward, then, in the certainty that adequate responses already exist for water problems but the solutions depend, first and foremost, on us.

Thank you.