We are f*cked

While reviled and bashed by some, it still remains an interesting read; "10 Billion" by Stephen EMMOTT details the next decades' evolution of life on planet earth, pointing out some harsh truths that we seemingly WANT to keep on ignoring.

Finish it in a speed-read session and then reflect on his conclusions "we are f*cked".
Asked what the one thing would be to teach someone that could change the course of things, the answer is
"Teach my kids how to shoot a gun".

While you can, remain an optimist!
But it doesn't hurt sometimes to delve a bit deeper into realism...

Global Goal on the improvement of Water Management proposed by High-Level UN Panel on Post-2015 agenda

global goal on Water management proposed by High-Level Panel on the post-2015 Development agenda: #waterpost2015aquafed.org/actu-41.html
— AquaFed (@AquaFed) May 31, 2013

Dire state of Sewers in the Kingdom

Integrated Wastewater Management; still a huge societal challenge in Belgium.

May 2013 - sewage collapse in front of the Royal Palace.

AquaFed call to include RTWS into European Charter!

AquaFed Press Release on #worldwaterday:"Call for the European Union to include the human right to safe... fb.me/1WapHgEfc
— ThomasvanWaeyenberge (@thomasvw) March 22, 2013

Matt Damon goes "on Strike" - "Say no to toilets, and yes to water and sanitation for all"

Act now; your future is at stake

these days, the UN is scheduling online consultations on the post-2015 development agenda and the set of targets and indicators that will lead our societies into the great "unknown".
You can make a real difference by making your voice heard and your opinions respected.

Please, take 5 minutes to consult and vote on the following

• vote for water, and 5 other priorities at http://www.myworld2015.org/
• Take part in the Water and Wastewater consultations at http://www.worldwewant2015.org/water 
• watch a video on Why Wastewater Management Matters: what actually happens to your shit when you flush your toilet? What happens when you don't have a toilet? "Wastewater, the blind spot of the water cylce"

Wastewater - the blind spot of the water cycle

Please check out the "Wastewater" consultations held by the UN

Your support is needed for Water at RIO+20: VOTE TODAY!

Picture Côpyright 2011 - Wacondah - Senegal, Dakar Slum

Your support is needed to ensure that 3 useful recommendations on Water are selected and heard by governments in the Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development.
Would you be kind enough to contribute by voting yourself and by suggesting to others to vote too?

The voting procedure is quite simple. No need to register in any way (Spanish and French procedures are attached).

• Step 1: go to: http://vote.riodialogues.org/?l=en
• Step 2: scroll down to Water / click on it to expand the list of recommendations on Water
• Step 3: click on each of the 3 following recommendation (the symbol √ will appear on the left). The messages may appear in a different order:
• • Adopt more ambitious global policies to address the needs for water that is really safe and for sanitation
• • Build a common vision and adopt an action plan at the global level regarding wastewater management.
• • Put water at the heart of future development goals.
• Step 4: scroll down to the bottom of the page and validate your vote by clicking on “Submit”

Please note that the polling closes on June 15. Please support immediately.
Thank you for your contribution to global progress on Water management.

Hope - "La Soif du Monde" - new film by YAnn Arthus-Bertrand

La Soif du Monde from Objectif développement on Vimeo.

RIO+20 - ZERO DRAFT - excerpts on Water

The paragraph below is an excerpt from the landmark ZERO DRAFT declaration for the RIO+20 summit, to be held later this year in Rio.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

[Water]

67. We underline the importance of the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights. Furthermore, we highlight the critical importance of water resources for sustainable development, including poverty and hunger eradication, public health, food security, hydropower, agriculture and rural development.

68. We recognize the necessity of setting goals for wastewater management, including reducing water pollution from households, industrial and agricultural sources and promoting water efficiency, wastewater treatment and the use of wastewater as a resource, particularly in expanding urban areas.

69. We renew our commitment made in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) regarding the development and implementation of integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans. We reaffirm our commitment to the 2005-2015 International Decade for Action “Water for Life”. We encourage cooperation initiatives for water resources management in particular through capacity development, exchange of experiences, best practices and lessons learned, as well as sharing appropriate environmentally sound technologies and know-how.

2012 - "I got out of bed for this?"

copyright @Wacondah - photo taken in Dakar, Senegal, December 2011


"I got out of bed for this?"

Serendipity. a field visit to a Dakar slum 3 weeks ago.
This young girl was carrying water from a standpipe.
I felt rather uneasy, as an hour later we were suppose to meet up with the Minister of Water, so we were quite overdressed to go on a field visit.
But someone needs to take those pictures, right?
And someone needs to publish them, comment them.
And before you publish, you review, and that's when I stumbled on this great slogan....

When you look into these kids' eyes,
unfathomable as they are in their beauty.
You understand once again what our job is all about.

I wish her, and all of you and your loved ones, that in 2012
the slogan on this girl's shirt may just reveal itself a little bit more untrue.

Count your blessings. Happy New Year

The Zaragoza Pledge

Reading: Confucius
Viewing: The Life of Brian
Listening to: Hall & Oates "You make my dreams"
Thinking: Et si omnes, ego non
Travelling: Paris and London

Glacier Alarm Call - threat to Water Supply of Billions (UNEP)

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Achim Steiner has called for adaptation strategies ranging from urban planning to improved water storage to be developed urgently in the face of intensified rainfall and glacier shrinkage, which the organisation warns ‘threaten the food security and livelihoods of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people’.

Some glaciers put on a little bit, but most are loosing icemass at alarming rates. the "Water towers" of the East are increasingly under pressure, threathening the lives of billions of people.

Calling all stations: call to co-fund a global award for water journalism

Okay, here comes a revolutionary, viral idea that can be stolen by whoever is concerned.

in Zaragoza now, at the UN-Water conference on Sustainable Urban Water Management,
an idea springs to mind, while attending a session on how to better "work" with journalists (no longer "using the media" please).

Why don't we organise/co-fund a global annual journalism prize for (investigative) water journalism?

Fact: water stories are the stories of the 21st century, of humanity, of our world - yet they are under-reported systematically, not interesting most of the time, not critical enough etc..
Why: because... well I don't know... too many reasons, but surely we're not doing our jobs well enough as "water professionals"

Solution:
The idea would be to challenge established and world-reknown journalists to report on water (Pulllitzer for water); as well as to have competition entries from all continents by "young" (criterion to be refined) journalists (in-training).

at first reflection we'll need
- institutional support (could be thru UN-Water, UNSGAB etc...)
- money (by hitching 1% of the water conferences' fees worldwide, IWA memberships, voluntary etc...)
- support from major news outlets
- backing from high-profile board of trustees
- media champions and "people" support
- competition rules etc...
- linkages with journalism faculties around the globe

Ready to join me on this campaign, drop me a line at wacondah@yahoo.com

Pee in the shower - save 4000l of water (Xixi no Banho)

A Brazilian gov't campaign urges YOU to pee in the shower

Shovel some snow

I heard the news today, oh Boy.... We've found the antidote: go and shovel snow

Whilst the police were cordonning off Schuman yesterday, a massive traffic infarctus unfolded in the Kingdom due to some foreseen-yet-massive snowfall (approx. 7cm... leading to the worst traffic jams in history - 500KM). The cops were standing by "hoping" for some demonstrators to show up, who were obviously held up elsewhere, waiting in vain for the cops to show some creativity in resolving traffic incidents. Get those demonstrators and cops to show solidarity by shoveling snow

Our dear PM was on the radio pledging to "have a structural solution" for the homeless....by the end of February (2010?) and then strutted his stuff to the airport to be told that all flying had been cancelled... and as a result he'd be better off shoveling snow so that the homeless have clean sidewalks!

The blaming-game on the Assassination of the Senne led the Brussels Minister to "leave the Copenhaguen summit in urgency (What was she doing there anyway?)... she'd be better off shoveling snow and debris at the treatment station

... and the kids and I were happily outside enjoying a bit of unstressing, "shoveling snow"...

For all your practical problems, a practical solution: shovel snow, it's relaxing, clears pathways, demonstrates solidarity, keeps you warm, gives your heart a workout, prepares the driveway to roll out without easy, back in touch with your inner child, enjoy the silence, listen to nature, smile at your neighbour, enjoy the flatout whiteness...... etc....

Wereld Toilet Dag (Haiku)

Our dear Prime Minister Van Rompuy may be named the First President of the European Union today, he's well known to be a proficient haiku-master. In honour of World Toilet Day,we posted the one below to his site!

En vandaag 2009-11-19 Wereldtoiletdag één speciaal over de 2,5 miljard mensen die aan open defecatie doen (ook "flying toilets" genoemd)

Wereldtoiletdag
Leg een drol en spoel de chasj
Elders vliegt een zak

One Drop: this Sat 2009-10-10 @ 0200 - WATCH IT

Reading: King
Viewing: Terminator 3 - Salvation (oh yeah baby)
Listening to: Nine Inch Nails
Thinking: You've got the watch, we've got the time
Travelling: from Bangkok, to A'dam, to Geneva, to Paris & back home

Water Rights & Wrongs

A young People's Summary of the 2006 Landmark Human Development Report

from UNDP: http://hdr.undp.org/external/hdr2006/water/index.htm

"Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty, and the global water crisis"

charity: water - give!

Jennifer Connelly in charity: water Public Service Announcement from charity: water on Vimeo.