In an article in the leading scientific journal, Nature, Peter Gleick propagates the "soft path" in water management to serve the millions still lacking safe water and sanitation. It involves the improvement of overall productivity of water use and deliver water services matched to the needs of end users, rather than seeking sources of new supply and relying on centralized infrastructure ("hard path"). Traditional approaches have produced "enormous benefits, such as clean water supplies, irrigation and improved human health" but they have also lead to "ecologically damaging, socially intrusive and capital-intensive projects that fail to deliver their promised benefits". The soft path requires collaboration between governments, communities and private companies, the rational application of technology and economics, and decision-making at the right scale. The example of the United States shows that economic growth does not have to lead to "unrelenting growth in [water] demand" : by 1995 per-capita water withdrawals dropped by 20% compared to 1975. This has been achieved by a water efficiency measures and a shift away from water-intensive industries. In this respect, improving agricultural productivity is critical because this sector accounts for more than two-thirds of human water withdrawals.

Contact: Peter H. Gleick, Director,
Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security, USA
pgleick@pipeline.com

Source: Nature, vol. 418, no. 373, 25 Jul 2002

http://www.pacinst.org/staff_pgleick.html