By Itziar Reinlein,
ZARAGOZA, Spain (Reuters) - Expo 2008, themed on theworld's dwindling water resources, opened in the Spanish cityof Zaragoza on Saturday, days after the riverside site narrowlyescaped flooding.
King Juan Carlos officially opened the 25-hectare (62-acre)exhibition on Friday night. Organizers hope 6.5 million peoplewill visit before it closes in mid-September, providing a majoreconomic boost to the northern city, Spain's fifth largest.
"I believe that the hope of a new vision for water, whichis what the Zaragoza Expo is all about, is one of the world'sgreat needs," Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis RodriguezZapatero said at the opening ceremony.
Hundreds were already queuing when Expo opened its gates tothe public and Mexican President Felipe Calderon was on hand toopen his country's stand during an official visit to Spain.
Ironically, the site was almost flooded last month duringSpain's wettest May in decades, provoking a frantic finish toconstruction that began three years after Zaragoza beat Greekand Italian rivals for the right to host the event.
The first visitors on Saturday crossed from the city to theExpo site via a futuristic bridge, built by Baghdad-bornarchitect Zaha Hadid, across the Ebro, Spain's biggest river.
The Expo features Europe's biggest fresh water aquarium, a76-metre (250-ft) water tower and 140 pavilions, themed arounddifferent climate zones and representing 105 countries.
Organizers stress Expo's environmentally friendlycredentials. The site is four times smaller than that built forSeville when Spain last hosted an Expo in 1992, and even thetourist shop's carrier bags are made of potato starch.
Two thousand environmental experts will produce a "ZaragozaCharter" outlining recommendations to solve problems such asthe lack of clean water for 1.2 billion people and the dangerof wars fought over dwindling water resources.
But Expo has its critics, notably environmental campaigngroup Greenpeace, which is not taking part..
"Thousands of square meters of roads, buildings and bridgeshave been built, paradoxically created in the defence ofnature, which in addition will be used to attract thousands ofvisitors," a Greenpeace statement said.
In many parts of Spain last winter was the driest since1948/49 and the nearby city of Barcelona almost imposed waterrationing.
The three-month extravaganza cost 700 million euros (549million pounds) to build, most of the money coming from centralgovernment. For Zaragoza it has already proved a boon thanks togovernment spending on associated road and rail projects.
"Zaragoza was stuck, dead, and this will be fantastic forinfrastructure and tourism," one veteran taxi driver said.
(Writing by Ben Harding; editing by Robert Hart)
