To recognize the 2001 "World Day for Water" ITT Industries, a leading provider of integrated solutions for water and wastewater management markets, announced the electronic release of the ITT Industries Guidebook to Global Water Issues.
A compilation of articles by the world's foremost journalists writing on water issues, the guidebook was unveiled at the United Nations, with representatives from academia, non-government organizations, and industry participating in a forum entitled "Water and the Next Generation: Discussing Countermeasures to the Water Crisis."
The forum was moderated by Dr. Timothy Ford, director of program in water and health at Harvard University. It featured speakers from the International Water Academy, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and previous U.S. winners of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize — the most prestigious prize awarded to youth involved in water science projects. The event was sponsored by the WEF and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
"This event expanded the dialogue about the serious global issues that surround our use and re-use of the world's water," said Thomas R. Martin, senior vice president and director of corporate relations at ITT Industries. "When people better understand these issues, they will be better prepared to find solutions that will ensure the plentiful supply and distribution of water for generations to come."
Panelists discussed topics ranging from the challenge of wide-scale water distribution, to ethnic and international conflicts over water and possible solutions, to the threat of antibiotic contamination to drinking water supplies. "We believe that it is only through sharing knowledge and innovation — such as water re-use and desalination — that the world will find the solution to the water crisis," said Joe C. Stowe Jr., president, Water Environment Federation. "We all share the responsibility to meet this challenge head on, regardless of where it exists in the world."
Ambassador Pierre Schori, permanent representative of Sweden to the United Nations, and Tor Wennesland, secretary general of the Oslo, Norway-based International Water Academy, shed light on the intricate relationship between water, poverty and national and international security. Dr. Ford shared some statistics on global water supply and the disparity between water-rich and water-poor countries. The laureates of the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize discussed their award-winning research, as well as the need to sensitize today's teenagers to the fact that — in the words of one — "a glass of clean water to drink cannot be taken for granted."
Regarding the ITT Industries Guidebook to Global Water Issues, Martin noted, "Our intent is to encourage submissions from interested parties year-round, so the guidebook acts as a global, living 'snapshot' of the water crisis and its effect on peoples and communities." The guidebook may be found at www.fluidtechnology.com.
Source: ITT Industries
