Of the global environmental problems faced by mankind today, water resources management (WRM) issues stand out as the most urgent and important. Therefore, good WRM at both national and industry level is important to help sustain a healthy society. APO (Asian Productivity Organization) organizes a Symposium on WRM and GP (Green Productivity) in Singapore in 5-7 October 2004.

The objective of the symposium is to deliberate on water-related issues from the productivity perspective. The symposium will focus on water pollution control, water resources protection, use of advanced technologies, reduction of water leakages, water conservation, and closing the water loop. The symposium will consist of keynote presentations, paper and case study presentations, and panel discussions with the emphasis on the sharing of experience and opinions among participants.

It is noted that RCA Member States are carrying out several regional cooperative projects in 2003-04 project cycle related to water and the environment which are needed for solving regional problems, namely, isotope use in managing and protecting drinking water, investigating environment and water resources in geo-thermal areas, use of isotopes in dam safety and dam sustainability, and use of isotope techniques for groundwater contamination studies in urbanized and industrial areas.

The APO is an inter-governmental regional organization established in 1961 to increase productivity in the countries of Asia and the Pacific region through mutual cooperation. APO membership is open to all members of the UNESCAP. Among RCA Member States, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam are APO member countries.