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World Water Week

Water is a resource that is becoming increasingly scarce. World Water Week, held every year in late August or early September, focuses on issues related to this life-sustaining substance.

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All Content on this topic

Contrails at Frankfurt am Main airport

Emissions explained

Researchers are working to discover how air traffic emissions affect the global climate.
February 23, 2012
eine der Wasserstellen, in Kisenyi, Kampala, Uganda Foto: Asumpta Lattus

Clean water

Public toilets in Kampala's slums try to prevent sewage from polluting Lake Victoria.
February 22, 2012
Perucac Lake near Bajina Basta, Serbia

Hydropower

Though climate friendly, using water to generate electricity faces a number of objections.
February 20, 2012
A lump of coal in someone’s hand (Foto: Reuters)

Energy quandry

Sri Lanka's energy needs are growing and the country is entirely dependent on coal imports.
February 14, 2012
A mountain water fall

Water power in Sri Lanka

Home to ancient irrigation systems, Sri Lanka turns to small hydropower plants for energy.
February 14, 2012
The Security Council

Demands eased

A new draft UN resolution on Syria leaves out major demands in a concession to Russia.
February 3, 2012
A polluted lake in China

Chinese water pollution

Authorities detain seven men over a toxic spill in the Longjiang River, affecting millions.
January 31, 2012
A flexible solar panel held against the light

Bright prospects

Some of the most innovative solar technology concepts are ready to hit the market.
January 17, 2012

Solar-powered irrigation

Farmers in Nicaragua are opting for solar-powered water pumps. It's an investment that's paying off.
January 17, 2012
Survivors mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran

Dozens of bodies found in Indonesian waters

Dozens of bodies are found in Indonesian waters after overloaded boat capsizes.
December 21, 2011
A river full of garbage

Precious waste

Water is a valuable commodity. But so is waste water and treating it is crucial.
December 7, 2011
Ned Breslin

Interview

GLOBAL IDEAS talked to an expert about what's needed to make safe water a reality in poor nations.
December 7, 2011
Die Plaza Mayor im historischen Zentrum von Lima. (Aufnahme vom 26.02.2006). Foto: Jürgen Darmstädter +++(c) dpa - Report+++

Water crisis in Lima

Surrounded by desert and faced with water scarcity, the Peruvian capital is exploring new options.
December 6, 2011
A person carrying two buckets of water from a lake

Nexus conference

Experts address how a sustainable economy helps a growing world cope with finite resources.
November 16, 2011
Alain Vidal, head of the water and food program with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Water scarcity

Scientists say political will is required to tackle the effects of climate change on river basins.
November 14, 2011
A Thai boy paddles along a flooded area in Bangkok

Flooding

Thailand braces itself as waters advance to key areas of the capital city.
November 4, 2011
An illustration of the cold water vapor detected around the star TW Hydrae

Water in space

Scientists have detected a huge 'dsk' around a star with enough water to fill thousands of oceans.
October 24, 2011
Fries emerging from hot oil in deep fryer

Energy from frying fat

In Austria, calories in fast food are being put to good use by turning old frying fat into energy.
October 4, 2011

Wasserratte

Wasserratte
October 4, 2011

Butterfahrt

Butterfahrt
September 15, 2011

Wasserhahn

Wasserhahn
September 13, 2011

Bleigießen

Bleigießen
September 13, 2011
Anti-Nazi demonstrators in Dortmund

Left, right fight

Left-wing extremists battle it out with police in Dortmund as neo-Nazis take to the streets.
September 4, 2011
Libyan rebels

Back to normal?

Humanitarian concerns grow as residents in Tripoli try to readjust to normal lives.
August 29, 2011
Wadden Sea

Discover Germany

In the Wadden Sea area of northern Germany the water - and the tide - reigns supreme.
August 29, 2011
Libyan rebels in Tripoli

Horror scenes

Tripoli is facing a growing humanitarian crisis with widespread power and water shortages.
August 27, 2011

World Water Week tackles the water challenges faced around the word

For more than 20 years, the Stockholm International Water Institute has hosted the annual World Water Week, bringing experts from the industrialized world and developing countries together.
ScienceAugust 25, 201105:41 min

Water access top priority in urban areas of developing nations

Cities in developing nations are booming, but many lack adequate water infrastructure to support a growing population. Alexander Mueller of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations speaks to Deutsche Welle about World Water Week.
BusinessAugust 24, 201104:37 min
Water flows from a tap

Desalination dilemma

Desalination might help solve the water shortage problem, but at what cost to the environment?
August 23, 2011
A stream of water flows into a person's cupped hand

World Water Week

Experts are in Stockholm to discuss ways to ensure water access for the world's growing population.
August 21, 2011
Rioters attempting to break into a bank

Hamburg violence

Police use water cannons against rioters in the German city of Hamburg, following street festival.
August 21, 2011
Shop fronts are seen damaged in Enfield area of north London

Fight back

Britain's premier pledges to fight back after a fourth night of riots spread outside London.
August 10, 2011
The Itaipu dam, the world's second-largest hydroelectric power producer, is seen in the Parana River along the border of Brazil, right, with Paraguay, left, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. The 25-year-old dam provides about 20 percent of Brazil's electricity, and was the largest producer of electricity in the world until China's Three Gorges dam recently surpassed it. (ddp images/AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Harnessing energy from water

August 2, 2011
Enceladus

Space shower

The ESA's Herschel spacecraft has identified water falling onto Saturn from its moon, Enceladus.
July 27, 2011
View of the Kanchenjunga mountains in the Himalayas (Source: npb)

Himalayas running dry

Droughts and deforestation threaten farmers on the foot hills. But clever water storage can help.
July 12, 2011
Scene in Berlin

Scene in Berlin

Berlin might not be near a beach, but that doesn't stop Berliners from lounging near water.
July 8, 2011
The clouds of Rho Ophiuchi are mostly made of hydrogen, but contain traces of other chemicals, and are prime targets for astronomers hunting for molecules in space

Astrochemistry

The discovery of hydrogen peroxide in space has scientists hoping to find other sources of water.
July 7, 2011
A man rides a horse into a sandstorm in Darfur

Peace flows from water

In Darfur, you can't have peace without water, and there's no water without peace in the region.
June 22, 2011

Water could be used to help enhance peace instead of conflict in Darfur

The conflict in Western Sudan's Darfur region has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced an estimated two million people from their homes. Disputes over scarce water and grazing land between black African farmers and Arab pastoralist communities, in large part, triggered the war. Lack of access to water remains one of the major drivers of the ongoing conflict.
BusinessJune 22, 201105:34 min

UN-Water

United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action "Water for Life" 2005-2015
June 14, 2011

„Water for Life – Water and Sanitation as a Human Right”

Monday, 20 June 2011, 2.00 p.m., Room A/B
June 3, 2011
A large crowd gathered in India

Enough to go around?

The world population will likely hit seven billion in 2011, raising concerns about food scarcity.
May 11, 2011

Hoping to use water as a source of peace, not conflict in the Middle East

Among the regions most heavily affected is the Middle East and North Africa – the so-called MENA region. Water scarcity has already caused a number of armed conflicts in the area; but there is hope that in the future, water could become a tool of peace and cooperation.
BusinessMay 11, 201106:15 min
A person climbs a large solar panel

Clean start

The IPCC says the world already has the technology to go 80% clean tech by 2050.
May 9, 2011
With an average altitude of 4,500 meters, the Yarlung Tsangpo River is the highest in the world

Water war

Experts warn that a war over water usage could be likely if China and India don't sit down and talk.
April 26, 2011
A work by artist Ruppe Koselleck

Crude oil painting

A German artist is planning a hostile takeover of BP by painting with its own waste.
April 21, 2011
Until recently the NDM-1 strain was a hospital-born infection

Superbug

The Indian government has formed a committee to look at a study that found a superbug in Delhi.
April 14, 2011
People sleeping under a tree in the Tiergarten

Urban planting

Between green space and water, nearly half the capital belongs to Mother Nature. Who knew?
April 12, 2011
Fukushima on the coast of the Pacific

Leak fixed

A leak of radioactive water has been repaired at Fukushima, but the danger is far from over.
April 6, 2011
Gray smoke rises from Unit 3 of the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima

Bailed out?

The Japanese government might give financial aid to TEPCO, operator of the stricken nuclear plant.
April 1, 2011