Konfliktstoff Wasser

摘要

In den Städten und Ballungsgebieten wird am meisten von der knappen Ressource Wasser verbraucht. Dies führt oft zu Konflikten mit den Gemeinden in den ländlichen Einzugsgebieten. Beispiele aus den USA, Frankreich und England, zeigen, daß neue Strukturen sowohl erforderlich als auch möglich sind.%In Europe, 140 million people live in or near areas that over-exploit groundwater resources. The inhabitants of the watershed areas complain about the resulting disappearance of their wetlands, while municipal supply companies criticise their lack of water protection measures, particularly in agricultural terms. Such conflicts are mainly organisational in nature, and are due to the fact that the water authorities are hot responsible for complete ecosystems but for areas defined by administrative boundaries. For this reason, the European Commission has proposed the creation of agencies that would be responsible for hydrological management and planning in given watersheds. An object lesson in this respect is provided by Boston, USA. Here the demand side has to avoid supply pipe leakage and propagate the use of water-saving household and industrial equipment; conflicting use requirements are settled at the round table by watershed committees made up of representatives of water-supply companies, consumers, environmental groups and government agencies. While it is not always advisable to import such solutions wholesale, co-operation and consensus between the demand side and the provide side could help reduce the strain on regional water resources and defuse conflicts.