Delta Life 7

6 'ECONOMIC GROWTH IS VERY THIRSTY' What do water and the economy have in common? Quite a lot, as far as executive director Frank Heemskerk of the World Bank is concerned. 'Water management plays a crucial role in the fight against poverty.' BY PJOTR VAN LENTEREN / IMAGE STEPHEN VOSS A lthough it sometimes seems as if we have too much of it at the wrong time, it is precisely an increasing shortage of water that is having an ever greater impact on the economy. If current policy remains unchanged, there will be a difference of 40% between water supply and demand in 2030. That leads almost inevitably to tensions or even conflicts. The World Bank is one of the organisations that helps countries to address this water challenge. The bank is active in more than 100 countries, organising nearly 2,000 programmes for better infrastructure, more effective education, preventing diseases and infant mortality, encouraging sustainability and creating a better business environment and therefore more employment. The total portfolio of loans issued by the Bank amounts to over $190 billion. Countries use this money to combat poverty and inequality. Almost $25 billion of the outstanding loans from the World Bank to governments specifically targets water management. In addition, another $10 billion in loans is closely linked to water issues, for example in the agriculture or energy sectors. The Global Practice Water, a platform of the World Bank, brings together funding, implementation, knowledge and practical solutions from throughout the world. 'We need to look at water even more from the governance and economic perspective', believes executive director Frank Heemskerk (1969), a former Dutch politician and State Secretary for Economic Affairs, and later a director with the engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV. 'Water is a likeable product that seems to come from nowhere. You only realise how valuable it is when you haven't got enough of it. A smart approach to water supplies is vital for the development of a country.' The relationship between water and the economy: as logical as it is difficult? 'Obviously, water has always been important. But you can see changes in the emphasis of our water programmes. The focus used to be primarily on clean drinking water but now it is shifting more and more to flooding, water shortages and national water footprints. Agriculture, industry and the cooling of power plants demand enormous quantities of water. Economic growth is very thirsty. So countries that develop rapidly soon run up against shortages. Every country needs to make sound arrangements for the most important water issues, just like they do for education and health care. The World Bank can help. I am proud that