From gentle streams do mighty rivers flow
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, they came to Zambia to discuss water supply
and demand, water pollution and treatment, sanitation, cost recovery, institutional
policies and water resource management in all its forms. It was the 27th annual
WEDC conference "People and systems for water, sanitation
and health", held 20-24 August in Lusaka, Zambia. 
With
600 delegates from over thirty countries, it was the largest WEDC conference
yet, and everything flowed smoothly, as indeed it should at a conference about
water engineering.
It was no mean task trying to channel the many pools of individual knowledge into coherent streams from which all could benefit. Loosely gathered into such themes as 'User issues', 'Water resources', 'Water quality and treatment', 'Water services' etc., the discussions covered institutional, financial, technical and social issues. Equally important was the opportunity to meet others facing similar challenges and from complementary disciplines. Pollution control, urban drainage and sanitation are more closely linked to supply and treatment of potable water than one might like to think.
Cost recovery at national, district and community levels was a major issue (see Points of View). How can public utilities maintain a satisfactory service unless they are properly financed? What are their prospects of being properly financed unless they provide a satisfactory service? At community level, why do so many water points lie abandoned and overgrown, with pumps and other fittings broken? Instilling a sense of community ownership and responsibility for operation and maintenance is the goal of development partners working in the rural areas, but their best efforts often fail, despite the training offered in management and cost recovery. So are there lessons for NGOs in how to improve the way they do things?
Delegates heard many examples of good practice and sometimes unexpected consequences of development interventions in the water supply sector; the added safety, for example, felt by young girls who are no longer forced to grant sexual favours in return for water sourced far from their own homes. But the increasing attention given now to imparting skills in conflict resolution indicates that a new source of water may attract unwanted newcomers and unplanned, water-guzzling activities. Water may flow downhill but finding equitable ways of sharing what is an increasingly scarce resource is often an uphill struggle.
Planning for next year's conference is already well in hand. It is to be held in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Readers interested in further information about WEDC conferences may like to visit the website: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/wedc/conferences/
WEDC (Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, UK)
