Overview

Profound pressures on Europe's water resources affect health, the economy and sustainable development. Industrialization, intensification of agriculture, growing populations and increases in recreational demands accentuate the necessity for sufficient high-quality water resources. Conflicts between uses and users, coupled with the occurrence of natural disasters such as droughts and floods, highlight the need for sustainable management of water. Universal access to safe drinking-water and sanitation that protect human health and the environment is of primary concern in the pursuit of health and development. Nevertheless, water-related diseases occur throughout Europe, to which rural populations, socially excluded people and populations in areas affected by armed hostilities are especially vulnerable.; Although some aspects of water quality and supply have improved in some countries since the 1990s, progress has been variable. Renewed emphasis is being placed on microbial quality and the acknowledgement of previously unrecognized and re-emerging microbial and other hazards. Many of the suggested solutions are as applicable in the 21st century as they were in the 1990s. However, major changes in administrative arrangements affected many countries in Europe in the 19902, including the supply of water and sanitation services, land-use activities, pollution control and activities related to public health surveillance.; Partnerships and action were key themes of the Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, held in London in June 1999. To this end the WHO Regional Office for Europe, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, prepared a Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. This publication provides information on many of the issues covered by the Protocol, such as adequate supplies of drinking-water and sanitation, water for irrigation and recreational use, monitoring of hazards, and public participation in decision-making. The evidence presented was collected through an extensive co-ordinated data-gathering process, in which many organizations and individuals throughout the European Region have co-operated.

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9781280116001

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