12. (c) Development of interactive databases, forecasting models, economic planning models and methods for water management and planning, including environmental impact assessment methods; [Chapter 18, Para 12 (c)]

12. (p) Dissemination of information, including operational guidelines, and promotion of education for water users, including the consideration by the United Nations of a World Water Day. [Chapter 18, Para 12 (p)]

14. The development of interactive databases, forecasting methods and economic planning models appropriate to the task of managing water resources in an efficient and sustainable manner will require the application of new techniques such as geographical information systems and expert systems to gather, assimilate, analyse and display multisectoral information and to optimize decision-making. In addition, the development of new and alternative sources of water-supply and low-cost water technologies will require innovative applied research. This will involve the transfer, adaptation and diffusion of new techniques and technology among developing countries, as well as the development of endogenous capacity, for the purpose of being able to deal with the added dimension of integrating engineering, economic, environmental and social aspects of water resources management and predicting the effects in terms of human impact. [Chapter 18, Para 14]

20. (f) Sharing of appropriate knowledge and technology, both for the collection of data and for the implementation of planned development including non-polluting technologies and the knowledge needed to extract the best performance from the existing investment system. [Chapter 18, Para 20 (f)]

23. Water resources assessment, including the identification of potential sources of freshwater supply, comprises the continuing determination of sources, extent, dependability and quality of water resources and of the human activities that affect those resources. Such assessment constitutes the practical basis for their sustainable management and a prerequisite for evaluation of the possibilities for their development. There is, however, growing concern that at a time when more precise and reliable information is needed about water resources, hydrologic services and related bodies are less able than before to provide this information, especially information on groundwater and water quality. Major impediments are the lack of financial resources for water resources assessment, the fragmented nature of hydrologic services and the insufficient numbers of qualified staff. At the same time, the advancing technology for data capture and management is increasingly difficult to access for developing countries. Establishment of national databases is, however, vital to water resources assessment and to mitigation of the effects of floods, droughts, desertification and pollution. [Chapter 18, Para 23]

24. Based upon the Mar del Plata Action Plan, this programme area has been extended into the 1990s and beyond with the overall objective of ensuring the assessment and forecasting of the quantity and quality of water resources, in order to estimate the total quantity of water resources available and their future supply potential, to determine their current quality status, to predict possible conflicts between supply and demand and to provide a scientific database for rational water resources utilization. [Chapter 18, Para 24]

25. (b) To have all countries, according to their financial means, allocate to water resources assessment financial resources in line with the economic and social needs for water resources data; [Chapter 18, Para 25 (b)]

25. (c) To ensure that the assessment information is fully utilized in the development of water management policies; [Chapter 18, Para 25 (c)]

25. (d) To have all countries establish the institutional arrangements needed to ensure the efficient collection, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination to users of information about the quality and quantity of available water resources at the level of catchments and groundwater aquifers in an integrated manner; [Chapter 18, Para 25 (d)]

27. (a) (iii) Establish and maintain effective cooperation at the national level between the various agencies responsible for the collection, storage and analysis of hydrologic data; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (a) (iii)]

27. (b) Data systems: [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b)]

27. (b) (i) Review existing data-collection networks and assess their adequacy, including those that provide real-time data for flood and drought forecasting; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (i)]

27. (b) (ii) Improve networks to meet accepted guidelines for the provision of data on water quantity and quality for surface and groundwater, as well as relevant land-use data; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (ii)]

27. (b) (iii) Apply standards and other means to ensure data compatibility; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (iii)]

27. (b) (iv) Upgrade facilities and procedures used to store, process and analyse hydrologic data and make such data and the forecasts derived from them available to potential users; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (iv)]

27. (b) (v) Establish databases on the availability of all types of hydrologic data at the national level; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (v)]

27. (b) (vi) Implement "data rescue" operations, for example, establishment of national archives of water resources; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (vi)]

27. (b) (vii) Implement appropriate well-tried techniques for the processing of hydrologic data; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (vii)]

27. (b) (viii) Derive area-related estimates from point hydrologic data; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (viii)]

27. (b) (ix) Assimilate remotely sensed data and the use, where appropriate, of geographical information systems; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (b) (ix)]

27. (c) Data dissemination: [Chapter 18, Para 27 (c)]

27. (c) (i) Identify the need for water resources data for various planning purposes; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (c) (i)]

27. (c) (ii) Analyse and present data and information on water resources in the forms required for planning and management of countries' socio-economic development and for use in environmental protection strategies and in the design and operation of specific water-related projects; [Chapter 18, Para 27 (c) (ii)]

30. Water resources assessment necessitates the strengthening of existing systems for technology transfer, adaptation and diffusion, and the development of new technology for use under field conditions, as well as the development of endogenous capacity. Prior to inaugurating the above activities, it is necessary to prepare catalogues of the water resources information held by government services, the private sector, educational institutes, consultants, local water-use organizations and others. [Chapter 18, Para 30]

34. (b) Facilitation of close collaboration among water sector agencies, particularly between information producers and users; [Chapter 18, Para 34 (b)]

37. The extent and severity of contamination of unsaturated zones and aquifers have long been underestimated owing to the relative inaccessibility of aquifers and the lack of reliable information on aquifer systems. The protection of groundwater is therefore an essential element of water resource management. [Chapter 18, Para 37]

40. (d) (iv) Design and management of landfills based upon sound hydrogeologic information and impact assessment, using the best practicable and best available technology; [Chapter 18, Para 40 (d) (iv)]

40. (g) (ii) Promotion and extension of the application of environmental impact assessments of geographical information systems; [Chapter 18, Para 40 (g) (ii)]

43. Monitoring and assessment of complex aquatic systems often require multidisciplinary studies involving several institutions and scientists in a joint programme. International water-quality programmes, such as GEMS/WATER, should be oriented towards the water-quality of developing countries. User-friendly software and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Resource Information Database (GRID) methods should be developed for the handling, analysis and interpretation of monitoring data and for the preparation of management strategies. [Chapter 18, Para 43]

50. (d) Awareness creation and public information/participation: [Chapter 18, Para 50 (d)]

50. (d) (i) Strengthening of sector monitoring and information management at subnational and national levels; [Chapter 18, Para 50 (d) (i)]

50. (d) (iv) Improvement of sector coordination, planning and implementation, with the assistance of improved monitoring and information management, to increase the sector's absorptive capacity, particularly in community-based self-help projects. [Chapter 18, Para 50 (d) (iv)]

55. Overall national capacity-building at all administrative levels, involving institutional development, coordination, human resources, community participation, health and hygiene education and literacy, has to be developed according to its fundamental connection both with any efforts to improve health and socio-economic development through water-supply and sanitation and with their impact on the human environment. Capacity-building should therefore be one of the underlying keys in implementation strategies. Institutional capacity-building should be considered to have an importance equal to that of the sector supplies and equipment component so that funds can be directed to both. This can be undertaken at the planning or programme/project formulation stage, accompanied by a clear definition of objectives and targets. In this regard, technical cooperation among developing countries owing to their available wealth of information and experience and the need to avoid "reinventing the wheel", is crucial. Such a course has proved cost-effective in many country projects already. [Chapter 18, Para 55]

61. The 1980s saw considerable progress in the development and application of low-cost water-supply and sanitation technologies. The programme envisages continuation of this work, with particular emphasis on development of appropriate sanitation and waste disposal technologies for low-income high-density urban settlements. There should also be international information exchange, to ensure a widespread recognition among sector professionals of the availability and benefits of appropriate low-cost technologies. The public-awareness campaigns will also include components to overcome user resistance to second-class services by emphasizing the benefits of reliability and sustainability. [Chapter 18, Para 61]

76. (h) (v) Establish and maintain adequate systems for the collection and interpretation of data on water quality and quantity and channel morphology related to the state and management of living aquatic resources, including fisheries; [Chapter 18, Para 76 (h) (v)]

78. There is an urgent need for countries to monitor water resources and water-quality, water and land use and crop production; compile inventories of type and extent of agricultural water development and of present and future contributions to sustainable agricultural development; evaluate the potential for fisheries and aquaculture development; and improve the availability and dissemination of data to planners, technicians, farmers and fishermen. Priority requirements for research are as follows: [Chapter 18, Para 78]

81. (f) Transfer of existing and new water-use technologies by creating mechanisms for cooperation and information exchange among national and regional institutions. [Chapter 18, Para 81 (f)]

83. The Ministerial Declaration of the Second World Climate Conference states that "the potential impact of such climate change could pose an environmental threat of an up to now unknown magnitude ... and could even threaten survival in some small island States and in low-lying coastal, arid and semi-arid areas"./3/ The Conference recognized that among the most important impacts of climate change were its effects on the hydrologic cycle and on water management systems and, through these, on socio-economic systems. Increase in incidence of extremes, such as floods and droughts, would cause increased frequency and severity of disasters. The Conference therefore called for a strengthening of the necessary research and monitoring programmes and the exchange of relevant data and information, these actions to be undertaken at the national, regional and international levels. [Chapter 18, Para 83]

84. The very nature of this topic calls first and foremost for more information about and greater understanding of the threat being faced. This topic may be translated into the following objectives, consistent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: [Chapter 18, Para 84]

87. Monitoring of climate change and its impact on freshwater bodies must be closely integrated with national and international programmes for monitoring the environment, in particular those concerned with the atmosphere, as discussed under other sections of Agenda 21, and the hydrosphere, as discussed under programme area B above. The analysis of data for indication of climate change as a basis for developing remedial measures is a complex task. Extensive research is necessary in this area and due account has to be taken of the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Climate Programme, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and other relevant international programmes. [Chapter 18, Para 87]