PRESIDENT David Granger told a World Water forum in Brazil on Monday that the management of transboundary watercourses must promote cooperation and collaboration rather than confrontation and conflict.

With the theme “Sharing Water”, the eighth edition of the Forum opened on Monday in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. President Granger said rivers must be protected from pollution, including that caused by environmental degradation and the discharge of effluent from industry, mining and agriculture. River pollution impacts adversely on water quality, on health and the economic and social well-being of citizens.

According to the Guyanese leader, the protection of the sources of the world’s freshwater is essential to ensuring citizens’ entitlement to water; communities’ access to safe and sanitary water; and countries’ and the continent’s water security.

President Granger told the conference that the word Guyana – the name of his country – is derived from the Amerindian expression meaning ‘land of many waters’. “I feel proud to be here to speak to you from the land of waters. Guyana, a small state, is part of the Guiana Shield – an area spread over 2.7 million km2 – making it bigger than Greenland. The ‘Shield’ is a zone which encompasses parts of Brazil, Colombia and all of French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and parts of Venezuela. The ‘Shield’, described as the “lungs of the Earth” and the “greenhouse of the world” is a global resource because of the environmental services it provides. The ‘Shield’ is vital to global water security because it contains 15% of the world’s freshwater resources. The rivers of the Guiana Shield discharge an average of 2,792 km3 (cubic kilometers) of water annually, with one of the highest specific discharge rates for a zone of that size. “

President Granger said the adverse effects of climate change – droughts, flooding, rising sea levels and extreme weather events – are exacerbating water quality and environmental security. He said the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has forecasted that climate change will result in reduced surface and ground water in most sub-tropical regions. “The protection of the world’s freshwater sources, therefore, is essential to global water security,” the President said, noting that the forum is encouraged to continue to introduce initiatives to protect these resources, particularly the rivers of the Guiana Shield.
The 8th World Water Forum coincides with World Water Day (22nd March 2018). President Granger said World Water Day reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect the earth’s water resources and called on the forum to take action to protect and preserve the Guiana Shield as a vital source of the world’s freshwater reserves. “We recommend to this Forum, a three-point action agenda to enhance commitment to pay continuous attention and unceasing action, not only to occasional conferences; Collaboration among states, especially neighbours which share the waters of rivers, and conservation of water resources and the protection of the environment everywhere in order to maintain the integrity of the earth’s rivers and lakes. At stake is nothing less than humanity itself. The Cooperative Republic of Guyana wishes every success to the 8th World Water Forum.”

Water is life
Meanwhile, President Granger stressed that water is life and without it there can be no life. “The world’s freshwater supplies, unfortunately, are under threat. Water stress is increasing in many parts of the world. Aquifers are depleted faster than they are replenished. The growth of the world’s population will increase demand for water by 55% by the year 2050, placing even further strain on freshwater reserves.” He said rivers are the arteries of the earth. “Seen from above, the earth’s creeks, lakes, rivers and wetlands form natural networks which sustain nature. Rivers and lakes account for 90% of the world’s freshwater stocks. Rivers have been the cradles of human civilization from time immemorial. The earliest civilizations were nurtured along the banks of rivers – including the Euphrates, the Indus, the Nile and Yellow rivers. Rivers remain vital today. Rivers will be essential for all eternity. Rivers are indispensable to human well-being. The waters of rivers are used for cooking, drinking, fishing, recreation, transportation and washing. Rivers also provide water for irrigation for farming, mining, manufacturing and other economic activities,” the Guyanese leader said.

Exchange experiences
Meanwhile, also speaking at the opening was President of Brazil, Michel Temer, who emphasised the environment provided by the Forum for exchange of experiences and learning. “Water sustainability requires integrated actions within our countries and between our countries. The solutions we seek are collective, with dialogue and cooperation,” he stated. Additionally, Temer pointed out that ensuring access to water is a matter of dignity, and this is the purpose that unites all in Brasilia at this time.
The effort towards the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was pointed out as essential by the governor of the Federal District, Rodrigo Rollemberg. According to him, this requires dialogue and the search for joint solutions.“We need to share water, and for this we share knowledge, cultures, opinions, ideas and experiences. We must cooperate, as governments and society, as proposed by one of the SDGs. We must listen to the voices from all corners of the world,” he said.
For the president of the World Water Council, Benedito Braga, the eighth edition of the Forum should prove that sharing is an incentive to improve governance. “Water needs to be at the centre of the governments’ agenda, with the commitment of various sectors. We need investments to ensure water security, in addition to innovative thinking and adaptive management that can prevent incoming crises. This can be done through shared water resources management, ”said Braga.

The executive director of the National Water Agency (ANA) of Brazil, Ricardo Andrade, recalled the trajectory of the democratic construction of this eighth edition of the Forum and the extensive program of the event until the 23rd of march. “This week, Brasilia is not only the capital of Brazil, but is also the world capital of water,” said Andrade, who is also the executive director of the 8th World Water Forum.

Paulo Salles, director-president of the Regulatory Agency for Water, Energy and Basic Sanitation of the Federal District (Adasa), also drew attention to the aspects related to the general subject of the Forum. “The sharing is also of responsibilities on water. This is what we want to leave as one of the most important legacies of the Forum–there is no sharing without dialogue,” he said. The programme of the opening ceremony also had a musical presentation by the Orchestra Brasilia Cello Academia and the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theatre. During the event, the post office released a special stamp of the 8th World Water Forum, in rounded shape, with the brand of the event.