Magazine.2016

Stockholm Water Front No 1

We had planned a story on cyber security in water utilities for quite some time. As this issue was going to press, we were reached by news that the official webpage of South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation had been hacked.

WF-1-2016-Front

It shows with stark clarity the need for the water sector to be aware of new threats. Read our cover story on page 5.

Just a few weeks after this issue is published, I will stand on a stage during World Water Day celebrations in Geneva to announce the 2016 Stockholm Water Prize laureate. I expect you look forward to learning who this year’s laureate is! In the meantime, enjoy reading about the 2015 laureate, the Water Man of India Rajendra Singh, who recently visited us in Stockholm to give a Kapuscinski Development Lecture at Stockholm University. Water Talk on page 8.

In the Focus section of this issue, two researchers from Lund University show how the use of saline in agriculture can be expanded. Read and learn from Fewer, tastier tomatoes on page 10.

Syria is currently synonymous with war, suffering, involuntary migration, and water scarcity. For long, the discourse about the reasons behind the conflict has centered around climate change and water scarcity as primary drivers for migration and instability. Too simple an answer, writes Anders Jägerskog, in “Don’t blame the drought!

In line with our aim to become ever more environmentally friendly, and do our share in working for a sustainable (and well informed) future, we are asking our subscribers to reconsider their need for a printed version of the magazine. While we want everyone interested to read WaterFront in the way they find most comfortable, we are also mindful that an excessive print circulation demands both large quantities of paper, and long transports. Please check the back cover for more on this!