Author: Robert C. Brears, author of The Green Economy and the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Editorial Notes: The 28th International Scientific Conference “Danube – River of Cooperation” under the title “CULTURE ON THE RIVER BANKS” marking also the EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS and … Continue reading
Water security, according to the United Nations, is the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development; ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters; and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability. In other words, water security is the ability of a population to access good quality water of sufficient quantity necessary for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development. In the context of cities, urban water security is the ability of an urban population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate supplies of good quality water.
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Perceived change in climate over the world begins to be negatively felt in our geographical latitudes, too. Increasing global surface temperature, extreme temperature differences in a short period cause so far unprecedented progress of the weather: dry periods with deficient rainfall are followed by periods of excessive rainfall that is impossible to be absorbed and accumulated by the surface, which causes hydrological cycle disruption in nature. More and more often there occur such rainfalls: in small river basins enormous amount of water fall to the ground and runs down unrestrainedly over surface into watercourses causing so-called flash floods with inconceivable material and moral consequences.
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The biggest risks that project sponsors confront with in modern conditions of global financial and general economic crisis are: political, legal, financial, constructive, operational and commercial risks. Political risk comes out of potential possibilities of political phenomenon, like war, revolution, expropriation of active, the change of tax policy, currency devaluation, and problems of controlling foreign exchanges, exporting limits, and all other Government activities, that can influence on the project profitability. However, political risks can be extremely high, especially in developing countries, which have unstable Government so that all Government changes can influence on the project policy as well as on project sponsorship.
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Water economy is the foundation of economy and society, and water is the most important strategic resource of the 21st century. Benjamin Franklin said that basic water value could be understood only when the well ran dry.
Principal of development of water economy in Serbia is to create sustainable, highly qualified and various capacities which will provide the growth of number of employees and the growth of income as well not only in water economy, but in agriculture, transportation, tourism, and other branches, and all that in aim to increase life standard. In centre of attention is sustainable economic development.
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One of the most important concerns in the face of climate change is that of water, as it is severely impacted and brings significant pressures for adaptation. Water is already effected in many different ways: rainfall patterns are being changed, run-off generation mechanisms modified, and extreme hydrological events (water scarcity and heavy floods) are becoming more frequent and severe with large regional variation, causing increased damages. At the same time, our water use practices are also being changed. In spite of advanced technologies, human pressure on freshwater resources is increasing, leading to overexploitation of renewable water availability in several regions, which is aggravated with additional pressures such as pollution, urbanization, deforestation, land use change and development in flood prone areas (e.g. intensive agriculture, settlements or major new users of water). These pressures result in biodiversity loss and degradation of water based ecosystems, with increased spread of invasive alien species.
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