It goes beyond the skills and to the know-how of technicians, engineers and bankers. Tile users have a key role to play by their choices and practices to ensure environmental, economic and societal sustainability. By definition, water calls for decentralised management and transparency. The existing institutions of representative democracy must be strengthened. When necessary, new forms of democratic government have to be created.
Participatory democracy is unavoidable.
This is possible, with or without the new information and communication technologies, at the level of local communities, cities, basins, regions. New coherent regulatory frameworks at international and global level must be designed and implemented, enhancing the visibility of a sustainable water policy at global level by the global community. Parliaments are the natural loci and players in this respect. An important heritage of knowledge, skills and community based practices, highly efficient and sustainable, has been dilapidated and run down. It runs the risk of being destroyed still further in the years to come.