The world faces a crisis in water management rather than a water shortage, an international water conference heard on its opening day.
"Let me disagree with established opinion. ... The world is not facing a water crisis. We have enough water for everything we need," Asit Biswas, winner of the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize said in a speech opening the Stockholm International Water Institute's (SIWI) World Water Week.
"We are mismanaging water tremendously," Biswas said.
Biswas urged conference delegates to consider coming global economic and population changes when tackling the planet's water management problems.
"We must look foward to 2050 ... but no one is doing this," Indian-born Canadian Biswas said.
Biswas, recognised for his work as president of the Mexico City-based Third World Centre for Water Management, said economic progress, population growth, agricultural methods and the growth of small towns with insufficient infrastructures would complicate water management in the future.
The Stockholm conference, subtitled "Beyond the River, Sharing Benefits and Responsibilities" is set against the broad theme of water management as a source for enhanced cooperation between states rather than a cause of conflict.
Representatives from Iraq, Syria and Turkey are scheduled to meet during the week to discuss water management between their countries. A similar meeting is planned between delegations from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian authority.
The conference is also to cover corruption in water management, the role of gender in water distribution, impacts of population growth on water demand, climate change, dietary changes and water use, biotechnology, agriculture, land degradation and water pollution.
The week-long conference is due to finish on August 25.