Austria gets deeply into water

AUSTRIA may become to water what Saudi Arabia is to oil as the country moves to supply "pure mountain water" from its vast natural reserves to the rest of Europe.

Water technology experts heard this week that Austria could supply 440 million people in Europe with high-quality drinking water - without even thinking about drawing on its reserves.

Richard Schenz of petrol company OMV warned that the time to act was now if the country's water and hydro-technology resources were not to end up in foreign hands. He suggested that water authorities from several provinces should combine to form one major organisation to avoid the weakness of fragmentation that has characterised e- commerce in Austria, where local firms have little market presence.

Adolf Lanzdorf of consultants AT Kearny said: "Austria is facing a great strategic challenge and must fight not to be dominated by international water concerns in the future."

Austrian provincial politician Gerhard Hirschmann, from the conservative People's Party that rules in the coalition government suggested the foundation of a "water Opec" so that countries and regions such as Austria, Switzerland, Bavaria and South Tyrol could co-ordinate the marketing of their rich water resources.

Hirschmann said: "We have to anticipate the trends, and a liberalisation of the water market within the European Union is something we must prepare for.

Regulations seem set to be more and more likely - and British Prime Minister Tony Blair has suggested a more liberal access to the EU's resources. It is important to secure the access on our national water resources and to use them as a political factor. Austria is able to supply the whole of Europe with water. Our resources could give us a golden age in the future."

Several studies have already shown that drinking water is going to be a scarce and valuable resource during the coming decades.

With the average glass of water passing through the human body six times in London before it flows out to sea, Austria believes there is a huge potential in the trade.

A spokesman for Vienna consultancy IC Reinhard Gnilsen said water could easily become of one Austria's main exports.

He added that the water itself was nothing compared with the opportunities to export the technology and services associated with it.

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