Workshop on Water Management co-organised by Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT), Ministry of Environment and Forestry and French Embassy has been held on 8-9 July 2009 in Ankara, with large participation of municipalities throughout of Turkey. Examples of water management in France and Turkey have been compared and thoroughly discussed.

Mayor of Istanbul and new President of UMT Kadir Topbaş, Secretary General of UMT Hayrettin Güngör, Director General of International Office for Water Jean-François Donzier, French National Agency for Water and Aquatic Environments' representative Sylvain Rotillon, Undersecretary of Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry Prof.Dr. Hasan Zuhuri Sarıkaya and Director of Cultural and Technical Affairs of the French Embassy Jean-Luc took floor during the sessions to present the experiences of both countries.

The two-days workshop focused on following topics: General Structure of Water Policy; Municipal Water Supply and Health Care; Municipal Administration and Privatisation: New Public-Private Sector Partnerships and Contract Forms; Training and Support Needs.

Speaking at the opening session, Mayor Topbaş stressed the importance of good management of water resources and preparing the cities to the effects of climate change. According to Mayor Topbaş, daily consumption of water in Istanbul is around 2.3000.000 m2.

Source: http://www.tbb.gov.tr/index.php?details=haber&id=65