Book excerpt: The question of whether or not we will reach the ambitious goal of the Millennium Declaration still dominates the discussions of water supply and sanitation experts on all levels, governmental, institutional, technological and operational. Our contribution, the Proceedings of the 12th Gothenburg Symposium, the symposium for the sharing of scientific and practical experience in integrated water resources management, is mainly a technological one. This book, as has its predecessors in the series, provides information and technical solutions to accomplish this mammoth task. It is the outcome of collective experience and know-how exchanged between experts in the field of water technology from all over the world, from the Americas, from Central and Southern Africa, from Europe and from different parts of Asia. However, we must realise that very often it is not the technological development that determines progress but rather the legal, financial and organisational framework. And so this book and this symposium differs from its predecessors in that, for the first time, the focus is also on these non-technical aspects that may or may not set the stage for our technological solutions. The Chemical Water and Wastewater Treatment Series provides authoritative coverage of the key current developments in the chemical treatment of water and wastewater, in theory or practice, and related problems such as sludge production, as well as properties, and the reuse of chemicals and chemically-treated waters and sludges. Chemical Water and Wastewater Treatmentis a valuable resource for managers, scientists, plant operators and others interested in chemical water and wastewater treatment technology.