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The 2014 World Water Week (WWW) commenced in the Swedish city of Stockholm, on Monday. The one week annual programme is being organised by Stockholm International Water Institute under the theme Energy and water. Over three thousand participants including Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, President of the Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, an environmental non-governmental organisation based in Ghana, have convened to address the planet's most prominent water issues and related concerns of international development. This year, the 24th in the series, is being held under the theme; "Energy and Water". Water and energy are interdependent in more ways than not. Energy is needed for pumping, storing, transporting, and treating water, as well as for producing almost all sorts of energy. An increase or decrease in one will immediately affect the other. Likewise, the two resources are also inseparable from sustainable development and must be tirelessly promoted in global decision-making. This year, they are urging energy and water communities to work together to face some of today's primary challenges, providing clean drinking water and energy for a growing world population. Addressing the opening session of the week, Torgny Holmgren, WWW Executive Director and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) organizer, said the week-long event will offer an opportunity for the water community to discuss and push for dedicated goal on water in the future sustainable development goals. He said considering the significance of energy and water in human settlement, there is therefore an urgent need for all countries to join the crusade in advocating for energy and water. He revealed that about three billion population of the world are living without access to portable water which calls for concerted effort by all and sundry. "The challenges are immense. With the global demand for water projected to grow by 55 percent between 2000 and 2050 and electricity demand expected to increase by 50 percent in the next two decades, there is an urgent need for a closer relationship between the energy and water communities if we are to provide solutions for all peoples to prosper," he added. In his concluding remarks, Mr Holmgren urged scientists, researchers; representatives of governments, international organisations, civil society and the private sector present at the event to come out with concrete solutions to solve the numerous problems facing water and energy. Professor John Briscoe, this year's Stockholm Water Prize laureate, spoke about water as a platform for growth -- of other sectors and society as a whole -- and said that "developing countries face big challenges. They have yet to mobilize those resources." He added that there is "no eternal solution [to the water crisis], neither here nor there. Instead, there is a cycle of challenges and responses." In over 100 seminars, workshops and events spread throughout the week, delegates will discuss on-going and future work and collaboration between the energy and water communities. Professor John Briscoe, a native of South Africa, will receive the Stockholm Water Prize from H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, during a ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 4.