CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 02/2023

SAVOIR VIVRE WATER AS CULTURAL HERITAGE
AGENDA WASSER | AGENDA WATER
Höllental: Teil des weiten Wasserschutzgebietes.
Höllental: Part of the wide water
protection area.
António Guterres
Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen |
Secretary General of the United Nations
„Bei Wasser geht es um Frieden. Wasser bedeutet nachhaltige Entwicklung, Armutsbekämpfung,
Unterstützung von Ernährungssystemen und Schaffung von Arbeitsplätzen und
Wohlstand. Wasser hat etwas mit Menschenrechten und Gleichberechtigung zu tun.
Deshalb muss Wasser im Mittelpunkt der globalen politischen Agenda stehen.“
“Water is about peace. Water is about sustainable development, fighting poverty, supporting
food systems and creating jobs and prosperity. Water is about human rights and gender
equality. That’s why water needs to be at the centre of the global political agenda.“
Ernst Woller
Wiener Landtagspräsident | President of
the Vienna Parliament
„Wien ist die einzige Stadt der Welt, die das Trinkwasser seit 2001 mit einer Verfassungsbestimmung
schützt. Mit der Wiener Wassercharta soll das berühmte Hochquellwasser als
Lebensgrundlage für nachfolgende Generationen gesichert werden. Die Grundversorgung der
Allgemeinheit mit lebenswichtigen Gütern und Dienstleistungen ist in Wien vorrangig eine
Aufgabe der Kommune. Diese Verantwortung darf nicht einfach an gewinnorientierte
Unternehmen abgegeben werden. Das unterscheidet Wien von den meisten Metropolen und
trägt in hohem Maße zur Lebensqualität in unserer Stadt bei.“
“Vienna is the only city in the world that has protected its drinking water through a constitutional
provision since 2001. With the Vienna Water Charter, the famous mountain spring water will be
safeguarded as a fundamental resource for future generations. Ensuring the basic needs of the
public for essential goods and services is primarily the responsibility of the municipality in Vienna.
This responsibility should not be simply handed over to profit-oriented companies. This sets
Vienna apart from most metropolises and contributes significantly to the quality of life in our city.”
Paul Hellmeier
Leiter Wiener Wasser | Head of Vienna
Water
„Das Wiener Hochquellwasser ist ist ein Symbol für die hohe Lebensqualität der Stadt und
Teil der Wiener Lebenskultur. Ob bei einem Trinkbrunnen oder im Kaffeehaus: Die Frische
des Hochquellwassers schmeckt man in ganz Wien.“
“Vienna’s mountain spring water is not only a symbol of the city’s high quality of life but also an
integral part of Viennese culture. Whether it’s at a drinking fountain or in a coffee house, the
freshness of the mountain spring water can be tasted throughout Vienna.”
– from the 1,300 drinking fountains to the customary
glass of high-quality water accompanying a coffee in a
Viennese café. The growing appreciation for the
renowned Viennese mountain spring water, once
taken for granted, has been steadily acknowledged
over the past few decades. The increasing recognition
of water as a valuable resource has also gained
international attention. In 2015, the United Nations
included access to clean water as Goal 6 on its list of
Sustainable Development Goals. In late March 2023,
the UN Water Conference took place at the UN
headquarters in New York, marking the first conference
of its kind in over 46 years. In his closing
speech, UN Secretary-General António Guterres
underscored the pivotal role of water in shaping the
global political landscape for the upcoming years.
Austria was represented at the conference by Norbert
Totschnig, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Regions
and Water Management, and the “Danube Water
Program” by the International Association of Water
Supply Companies in the Danube Catchment Area
(IAWD) had a prominent presence. Initiated by the
Vienna Waterworks in 1993, this cross-border
collaboration involving 11 countries is now considered
a showcase of excellence in the field of water
management.
The future of water
The present, with its pressing issues such as
climate change and growing urbanization, increasingly
poses significant challenges in achieving
Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 of the 2030
UN Agenda, as emphasized by Walter Kling,
President of the IAWD, during the UN Water
Conference. The shifting climate in the Vienna
Basin, as well as the rapidly growing population,
particularly in the outskirts of the city, also present
difficult new tasks for Vienna’s supply of fresh
spring water. The city of Vienna is responding by
tapping into new sources and expanding its water
reservoirs – in a little over 10 years, 2 billion litres of
storage capacity will ensure the city’s supply of fresh
water even during longer periods of heat. In 2023,
Vienna will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the
ground-breaking First Vienna Mountain Spring
Pipeline, which has been instrumental in the city’s
development. The supply of Vienna with high-quality
spring water is secure for the next – hopefully 150
– years, even under increasingly challenging
conditions.
PHOTOS: WIENER ALPEN / ROBERT HERBST; UN / MARK GARTEN; PID / DAVID BOHMAN; WIENER WASSER / ZINNER
ENTGELTLICHE EINSCHALTUNG PHOTOS: NHM WIEN, K. KRACHER & A. SCHUMACHER
RADIATION DAMAGE
SPECIAL EXHIBITION IN THE NARRENTURM
All radiation – be it ultraviolet, heat, X-rays
or nuclear radiation – will cause damage to
the human organism if it is exposed to too
much for too long. Different types are somatic
damage, which occurs in the exposed
organism itself, genetic damage, which appears
in offspring, and teratogenic damage,
which is harm to the embryo during pregnancy.
The exhibition centres around nuclear radiation
and X-rays. The focus is on medical aspects, with
the aim of showing radiation’s usefulness in diagnostics
and treatment next to its potentially
harmful effects.
When Marie and Pierre Curie coined the term radioactivity
in 1898, no one could have predicted
the impact its discovery was to have on humanity.
Some years prior, Antoine Becquerel had discovered
that uranium could be used to “expose”
photographic plates without actually exposing
them to sunlight. Marie Curie seized on this phenomenon
and explored it further. In the process,
she discovered other radioactive elements: polonium,
named for her native Poland, and radium,
for “radiant”. The dangers of radioactivity were
largely unknown in the early 20th century, and
Curie ultimately died of its effects.
Despite its potential risks, researchers investigated
possible uses of radioactivity. The long-term
effects and problems caused by nuclear reactor
accidents would only become apparent later, after
the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Using nuclear power as a weapon was explored
soon after the discovery of radioactivity. The deployment
of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
very clearly demonstrated their harmful
effects on human health that persist to this day.
X-rays, discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen,
are an important, non-invasive way of looking inside
the human body. As X-rays are not absorbed
Pathological-anatomical
collection in Narrenturm
Spitalgasse 2 I 1090 Vienna
in the same way by different kinds of tissue, they
can be used to produce two-dimensional images
of bones and internal organs. Imaging techniques
using X-rays have significantly developed since
their discovery, now also producing three-dimensional
images slice by slice. However, excessive
exposure to X-rays will also cause harm to the
human organism. Due to lacking awareness of
this in the early years, X-ray machines were used
not only for medical exams, but also for entertainment,
or even in shoe stores. Dose limits have
been defined since then to keep damage from X-
ray exposure to a minimum. Guidelines have also
been established for radiation therapy, which is
mainly used to treat cancer, in order to prevent
or reduce its adverse side effects.
Opening Times:
Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday & Friday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday: 12 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closed on public holidays, until April 20, 2024
UN-Sustainable Development
Goal 6: Ensure
availability of water for all.
wien.gv.at/wienwasser
iawd.at
unwater.org
nhm-wien.ac.at
98 Cercle Diplomatique 2/2023