Flood of Portals on Water

A flood of gateways and portals is emerging in recent years. This is contributing to confusion rather than helping Internet users who search the web on water issues. Part of this confusion is the result of definition problems of what makes a “portal” and what not. Here, we give some recent examples, try to create more clarity by providing definitions and types, discuss key lessons learned, and raise key issues for further discussion and research. This is based on various Internet searches and an annotated selection of various gateways/portals by IRC. For each of them a short description of content, topic, date of establishment, and page views are provided. The majority of the gateways/portals described here focus on the broadest possible water topic: water resources and management. The huge difference in the percentage of the population of Internet users in the North and the South needs to be addressed. Global access in 2002 was around 9%. In The Netherlands and Denmark it was around 61%. In Colombia it was about 2.8%, in Bolivia 0.9%, in India 0.7%, in Nepal 0.23%, in Mozambique and Bangladesh 0.1%, and in Ethiopia 0.03%. A good example from the reality of the developing world will be described as well: the Virtual Library on Environmental Health (VLEH) of the Pan American Information Network on Environmental Health, REPIDISCA, which has been operating since 1982 in 21 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean with 370 Cooperating Centres. The Pan American Center for Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences, CEPIS/PAHO, of the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is in charge of the regional coordination. Keywords: internet; knowledge sharing; virtual learning; water; sanitation; global; Latin America