Biggest Water Festival on Earth Opens in Spain

Expo 2008, the international exposition on water and sustainable development, opened its doors to the world on Saturday in the Spanish city of Zaragoza.

Situated along Spain’s largest River, the Ebro, the 62-acre expo aims to inform people on global water issues and serve as a discussion forum for advocates and international policy makers. A goal of the expo is to produce a “Zaragoza Charter” which will detail recommendations to address such issues as access to clean water, water scarcity, water wars, and water conservation.

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The exhibit represents 105 countries and features Europe’s biggest fresh water aquarium, a 250-ft water tower and 140 pavilions themed around the world’s different climate zones.

Throughout the exposition’s three-month run, it will include 5,000 musical and theatrical shows, art displays, films and games, as well as 2,00 expert speakers.

Speakers at the expo include Mikhail Gorbachov, Rigoberta Menchú, Marina Da Silva, Pedro Arrojo, and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai.

Some environmentalists, including Greenpeace, denounce the Expo for the thousands of square meters of roads, buildings and bridges built supposedly in defense of nature. They claim that such urban development goes against the ethos of conservation.

One cab driver was quoted, “Zaragoza was stuck, dead, and this will be fantastic for infrastructure and tourism.”

Hopefully the Expo will influence people to enact water conservation measures, just as much as it is planned to benefit the city’s tourism budget.

Photo: Expo Zaragoza 2008 logo

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