Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

S H A R I N G W A T E R : D E F I N I N G A C O M M O N I N T E R E S T / 2 9 3‘And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!’‘By it and with it and on it and in it,’ said the Rat.‘It’s brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company, and foodand drink, and (naturally) washing. It’s my world, and I don’t wantany other. What it hasn’t got is not worth having, and what itdoesn’t know is not worth knowing.’Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the WillowsTHERE WILL NEVER BE MORE WATER IN THE WORLD than there isright now. It is an endangered resource, essential to theeveryday life of people and the planet in a plethora of ways. Somany uses, so many demands. How can we accommodate everyone?The answer is simple – in theory, at least: we must share the resource.And in the best of all possible worlds, we would do so in a fair andequitable manner, ensuring that all needs were met. We would ensurethat when water is withdrawn, it is also put back – in good condition –for others to use, even if they live in another country, or downstream.In practice, however, things are not so simple. This chapter analysesthe issues involved and assesses whether we are making progress insharing water: the balance sheet is mixed, but there are signs of hope.