Hydrology is the oldest application of science to human welfare. The earliest exercise of government arose from the need to manage water. If clean and sufficient water is to be ensured for the future new applications of science, more effective organizations and governmental actions are essential. Indeed, without a fundamental change of approach to the management of interactions between water and land, it could well be impossible to support the population projected for the next century.
The consequences for public health of shortfalls of water in the quantities, and of the quality, sufficient to meet basic human needs, have serious effects, in particular, on the vulnerable, the disadvantaged and the socially excluded.
Dire warnings about water shortages are not new. The issue was first raised at a U.N. conference in Stockholm in 1972 and the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil showed that water was a major concern for developed and developing countries alike. The problem was revisited by the United Nations General Assembly in June in 1997 and French President Jacques Chirac offered to host an international conference in 1998 to work out new water strategies. The conference is expected to approve the outlines of an action plan for the period 2000-2010. The plan focuses on improving knowledge of water resources, optimizing water resources and developing regulatory tools at global and regional levels.