Is water becoming political?
The record heat this summer has led to water shortages in many parts of Europe. This has triggered a debate in the media about the future of this vital resource on which all life depends.
A matter of fair distribution
Giorgos Koumparakis, Head of Department at the Mesogeos Group which specialises in water treatment, writes in Capital:
“Perhaps the real challenge of the 21st century is not simply to increase water availability through new infrastructure projects, but in transitioning from water management to water governance, in which the quality of the institutions determines a society's resilience in the face of the insecurities resulting from climate change. In the near future, the quality of a democracy will not be measured solely by its political institutions. It will also be assessed on its ability to fairly distribute the most valuable natural resource of all: water.”
Global warming is not to blame
The Irish Times is deeply frustrated by the need to issue hosepipe bans in the east of the country:
“Ireland's water problems are essentially homegrown. The country has abundant water resources and plenty of rain. The issues behind the ban announced this week have more to do with chronic underinvestment and political expediency than the consequences of global warming. ... The problem is exacerbated by the creaking nature of much of Ireland's water treatment and distribution network. Almost 40 per cent of treated water is lost to leaks. This is well above the European average of 25 per cent and the 10 per cent levels reported in Germany and the Netherlands.”