Vízügyi Közlemények, 2004 (86. évfolyam)

3-4. füzet - Orlóci I.-Szesztay K.: Vízgazdálkodás a globalizálódó világban

476 Orlóci István - Szesztay Károly On the World Summit of Johannesburg in 2002 and in the world forums following this summit the NGOs have not only formed a large share of the participants but they became the equal-right partners of government organisations in forming statements and inducing the relevant political efficiencies. It is to be noted, however, that in the development of water management organisations the behaviour of foreign NGOs (unlike those of Hungarian ones) are much more characterised by the searching for and initiating of compromises than merely rejecting governmental approaches. The impetus of the World Summit of Rio was broken due to three major obstacles. The first relates to information technology and was due to the professionally fragmented character of gaining new scientific knowledge and to the lack of integrated holistic approaches. The second one relates to politics and stems from a major misunderstanding, namely that economic development is considered not as a tool but as the major objective of Man's doings in forming the quality of life. The third factor relates to social and political uncertainties, which divert the attention from the subjects of sustainable development. The causes of deficiencies in information techniques include the reductionistic world concept on one hand (Figure 6) and the complete lack of the ecological basis of managing the economy, on the other hand, which results in the lack of appropriate co-operation between the various sectors of the economy (Figure 7). The information-technical concepts of figures 6 and 7 could be built into the long term planning procedure, as elucidated by Figure 8, which shows an example taken from the Third Water Management Master Plan of Hungary, produced in the period 1978-1984. The role of market mechanisms in defining the extent and methods of meeting demands can only be played when an appropriate monetary policy (system of taxation and subsidence) aids this and when this latter is based on analytical planning. The examples of Table 2 indicate well the interdependencies and multiple characters of water management policies and the controlling role of the market. Regarding the sustainability of the environment the controlling role of the market should be changed by the politics in two direction: It should provide for the increasing use of renewable natural resources by the producers of the economy, instead of the use of non-renewable ones and this should be done in such a way that the effectiveness of utilising raw materials and waste management be in harmony with the reduction of the values of natural resources. In addition to these political measures a social net that counterbalances the differences in wealth should be established and maintained. A basic issue of the future is whether the notion and concepts of the Rio World Summit will became a tool for changing the destiny of humanity or will remain (similarly to that of the foundation document and institutions of the UN) a mere screen that masks the sources of world crises. In the lack of a unified political will (and due to many other causes) it may happen that crisis between ecology and social-policies becomes deeper and this would also amplify the problems of water as well. In an optimistic view, however, Man may recognise the advantageous trends of this era and may induce changes down to the roots and in harmony with the requirements of sustainable development. Earlier Hungarian water management got an international recognition for the environmentally sound development of information systems and institutional frames. Namely, in Hungary the recognition of the need for the harmonised control of the natural water household processes in harmony with the social-anthropogenic water needs, as the essence of water management, dates back to classic times. The Third Water Management Master Plan (1984) made an attempt to provide for this pioneering and catalytic role, emphasising that the success in managing the water resources depends on the sound management of other natural resources, the soil, the forest and the biota. They either succeed together or fail together if only one of them fails. One is entitled to utilise the experiences of the past and thus an ever-lasting lesion is that if one demolishes the foundation the whole house will collapse. In Hungary in the storms of having the political-economic system changed at the time of the turn of the Millennium the well established system of water management, one of the foundations of the "house of the Nation", was basically shaken and nearly demolished and its institutions are ever since in a state of collapsing.