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SPLASH! Issue N° 11 - September 2003
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Welcome to SPLASH! the newsletter of the International Year of Freshwater 2003!
 Thank you for your overwhelming response to SPLASH! The newsletter for the International Year of Freshwater. Please continue to send us your ideas, comments, resources and projects to wateryear2003@unesco.org.
Contents
IN FOCUS– VIRTUAL WATER
The term virtual water emerged in the early 1990s and was first defined by Professor J.A. Allan as the water embedded in commodities. Producing goods and services requires water; the water used to produce agricultural or industrial products is called the virtual water of the product. The concept of virtual water links a large range of sectors and issues that revolve around relieving pressures on water resources, ensuring food security, developing global and regional water markets.
Some experts argue that the importing of virtual water (via food or industrial products) can be a valuable solution to water scarcity, especially for arid countries that depend on irrigation to grow low-value food with high water needs. But for a number of countries, importing high amount of virtual water has negative economic impacts, in the current context of global agricultural trade.
Read more about this very topical issue in the Facts and Figures section.
TAKE ACTION!
In this section you’ll find all kind of local, regional, and global initiatives related to water. Get inspired and contribute to events organized all around the world!
INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES
 Discussion Forum on Virtual Water
Interested in knowing more about virtual water? Want to contribute to the debate? The World Water Council has opened an email discussion forum on the subject. To subscribe to the online virtual water discussion, just send a blank message to virtual.water and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject field or in the text.
Clean Up the World: 19-21 September
Clean Up the World is the biggest community-based environment project on the planet. In conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it brings together businesses, community groups, schools and individuals in a range of activities and programmes that positively improve local environments. This year, more than 40 million volunteers in over 100 countries will come together to make their local environment a cleaner, healthier place to live. From clean-ups to reforestation projects, from educational campaigns to recycling programmes, individuals from all over the world will tackle local environmental issues in a variety of ways.
For more information on how to get involved in your country, visit the website.
World Disaster Reduction Campaign
Remember when we called for your contribution to the 2003 World Disaster Reduction Campaign information kit ? That was in May, and the organization in charge of the event, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), has now made the kit available online: http://www.unisdr.org/unisdr/campaign2003/campaign2003.htm.
It provides you with a wealth of information related to the campaign theme: 'Living with Risk - Turning the tide on disasters towards sustainable development'. People involved in disaster reduction around the world share with you their experiences, presenting real-life examples that could be applied in other regions. The campaign will culminate on 8 October, when the International Day for Disaster Reduction is celebrated worldwide.
For further information, please contact contact Nicole Rencoret.
CITY INITIATIVES
Philippines – A month dedicated to water in Cebu
For the first time, the city of Cebu, Philippines, has declared September Water Conservation Month. The theme for this year, chosen to fit in with the International Year of Freshwater, is ‘One World, One Water, One Life’. All kind of activities are organized throughout the month, including water games, water workshops, contests, tree planting, watershed tours and a water congress. The highlight of the last Saturday of September will be a showcase of musical repertoire and dances.
For more information, contact cusw@mozcom.com.
COMMUNITIES EMPOWERMENT
India – Women involved in building a check dam
The HOPE Nature Trust has been working on a check dam in the village of Chandoli, a tribal village of about 500 inhabitants. Despite the fact that the village has six wells, the people suffer from lack of water during the dry season, as the groundwater level decreases. The check dam, built with stone, cement and concrete, is 12m long, 1m wide and stands 1.15m above ground level, with a foundation reaching 1m below ground level, established on basaltic bedrocks. The storing capacity is over 350,000 litres. It took 16 days to build the check dam, from digging the soil to building the dam. The adults participated, mainly women.
For more information on HOPE Nature Trust, email hopenature@yahoo.com.
Sri Lanka – Bringing back village reservoirs
The Swarna Hansa Foundation, a long standing NGO, with the long-term objective of rehabilitating the reservoir system in Sri Lanka, has embarked on an impressive programme called ‘Dahasak Wew’ to reconstruct thousands of village reservoirs. Initiated a couple of years ago, this project has already assisted villagers in building more than fifty village reservoirs. A remarkable feature in this programme is that the villagers are empowered as they become active owners of their lives, the first step of which is reconstructing and owning the village reservoir.
For more information, email shf@slt.lk .
FOR YOUTH, BY YOUTH
United States - Ohio 2003 Coastweeks: Poster and Essay Contests
Coastweeks 2003 is a national celebration of the United States’ water and shorelines. As part of Ohio’s Coastweeks 2003 celebration, the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) held the Official Coastweeks 2003 Art and Essay contest for Children. The contest portrayed important issues about Lake Erie through art focusing on the natural beauty, history and future uses. The theme, ‘I Can Help Lake Erie’, encouraged young Ohioans to be part of the solution. Posters and essays are exhibited at the Great Lakes Historical Society’s Inland Seas Maritime Museum in Vermilion, Ohio, all during Coastweeks 2003 (August 23rd through September 21st, 2003).
For more information, email info@TheICEA.org.
WATER NETWORKS FOR JOURNALISTS
Are you a journalist? Are you interested in becoming a journalist? In this edition, SPLASH! provides you with a short list of useful networks…
 Young Reporters for the Environment
This environmental and educational programme is designed for secondary school pupils and teachers. The website is available in Danish, English, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish and Turkish!
For more information and to register visit http://www.youngreporters.org
Water Media Network
This Network is designed to help journalists examine the social, environmental, regulatory and financial issues relating to water, and experience the difference that water can make to the economy in their regions. The program features workshops, field trips, distance-learning courses and more.
For more information, visit http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/sdwatermedianetwork/
ASIA Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists (AFEJ)
AFEJ is an NGO dedicated to promoting education, understanding and awareness of the environment through reporting of local, regional and international environmental and development issues. It acts as the head of national environmental journalist forums of 37 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
For more information, email afej@sri.lanka.net.
Planet’s Voice
Planets-voice.org is an information and communication platform designed to serve international organizations, agencies and NGOs, as well as the private sector (research and industry), insofar as its activities are within the framework of sustainable development.
For more information, visit http://www.planets-voice.org.
EDUCATION CORNER
WEBSITE – UNESCO Associated School Project Network (ASPnet) in Germany
At the occasion of the International Year of Freshwater, the German ASPnet has published a website on water for the use of teachers, including practical ideas, curricular material (in German only), and water-related links.
Available in German, with some information in English: http://www.ups-schulen.de.
WATER CYCLE – A diagram in 33 languages!
The U.S. Geological Survey has produced a diagram describing the water cycle, in 33 languages. A useful tool for teaching basics about water.
You can view the diagrams at http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/followdrip.html.
 POSTER - Australia’s threatened species
The Forster Primary School, New South Wales, Australia, is the winner of a special contest organized at the occasion of the Threatened Species Day, held in Australia the 7th of September. The students studied many threatened frog species and each presented a unique project on the frog of his choice. Discover the drawings of these talented children, and learn about various threatened species and their habitats in Australia, including frogs, birds, lizards, tortoises… A nice and instructive poster to show in your classroom.
Download the poster.
POSCARDS – Postcard design competition by Australian students
The Taroom Shire branch of the NGO Landcare Australia has organized a postcard design competition at the occasion of the International Year of Freshwater 2003. Visit their website to discover the winning postcards: http://www.wandoan.com/landcare/postcard/
Send us your educational material in any languages at wateryear2003@unesco.org.
For more educational material visit the Education Corner.
BRIGHT IDEAS
Creating water awareness by designing familiar objects
In an attempt to bring the water message home, designer Emmanuel Gallina has designed a different sort of plughole. Normal drainage holes have been arranged in such a way as to spell out: DO NOT WASTE. With everyday objects sending out a message, one’s conscience is kept awake and aware.
For more information email qt8design@hotmail.com.
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