The World Water Week is opening in Stockholm on Sunday to last until September 11, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) reported.

The week, a global water conference held annually since 1991, takes place in August or September. The theme for 2010 will be "The Water Quality Challenge - Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement."

Over 2,000 experts, politicians, public figures and businessmen are expected to attend the conference this year.

Discussions and seminars will focus on access to water, solutions to the problems of water quality, interconnection between water resources, human health and the ecosystem in general.

One of the key events of the week will be the ceremony to award the Stockholm Water Prize on September 9.

Dr. Rita Colwell, distinguished Professor from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States, has been named the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.

Colwell's pioneering research on the prevention of waterborne infectious diseases has helped protect the health and lives of millions, SIWI said on its website.

STOCKHOLM, September 5 (RIA Novosti)