Arsenic contamination of groundwatersources is a worldwide issue

April 2013

Magazine of the

International Water Association

Arsenic: a worldwide call for action

Scotland’s sustainable urban drainage Focus on the post-2015 development agenda WATER 21 • MONTH 20XX

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CONTENTS

WATER21 • APRIL 2013 Editor Keith Hayward khayward@iwap.co.uk

COVER STORY Arsenic contamination of groundwater sources is a worldwide issue, and a new sourcebook from IWA Publishing and online database are bringing together the results of research into arsenic poisoning and treatment methods, along with ways of funding remediation efforts. Susan Murcott discusses the current arsenic threat and what can be done.

Assistant Editor Catherine Fitzpatrick cfitzpatrick@iwap.co.uk Contributing Editors Lis Stedman, Bill McCann Publisher Michael Dunn

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IWA & Editorial Address Alliance House, 12 Caxton St, London SW1H 0QS, UK. T: +44 (0)20 7654 5500 E: publications@iwap.co.uk W: www.water21online.com W: www.iwahq.org Editorial Panel Dr M Fürhacker, Austria maria.fuerhacker@boku.ac.at Prof D Jenkins, USA flocdoc@pacbell.net Prof DD Mara, UK d.d.mara@leeds.ac.uk Dr B Teichgräber, Germany bteichgr@eglv.de Advertising Contact the advertising team at: Caspian Media Unit G4, Harbour Yard, Chelsea Harbour, London, SW10 0XD, UK T: +44 (0)20 7045 7612 E: water21advertising@ caspianmedia.com Water21 is published six times a year

by IWA Publishing (address as above).

Statements made do not necessarily represent the views of IWA or its Governing Board.

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Institutional (library) subscription rate (2012) is £306/US$562/€488 (including online access), from: Portland Customer Services, Commerce Way, Colchester, CO2 8HP, UK T: +44 (0)1206 799351 E: sales@portland-services.com

Cover photo shows arsenical skin lesions on the hands of an Indian woman. Hundreds of thousands of people in West Bengal are affected due to high levels of arsenic in the groundwater. Credit: Reuters / STR New.

REGULARS

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News Comment Analysis Projects, Products & Services Water Utility 21

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Kahramaa’s vision for non-revenue water reduction

FEATURES GLOBAL FOCUS 12

The Asia-Pacific energywater nexus

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Research & Development, including… A government boost for commercial solutions

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The future of sewage treatment: Nereda technology exceeds high expectations Lessons learned from the first two years of Nereda aerobic granular sludge operation.

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Hydraulic optimisation of secondary clarification Looking at the advantages of a novel secondary clarifier.

Global progress towards a post-2015 development agenda Update on UN-based activity.

GROUNDWATER 15

Arsenic contamination: a worldwide call to action Arsenic contamination of drinking water sources worldwide and how to address it.

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Californian clues to successful groundwater management California lacks state-wide regulation of groundwater, but three agencies provide examples of good practice.

Water Environment 21

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Reading and Resources IWA News IWA Events Diary

EUROPE / CITIES OF THE FUTURE 33

IN THIS ISSUE...

Design & layout: IPL Print & Design Ltd Print: Warners Midlands plc

SUDS as usual? A transition to public ownership in Scotland How Scottish Water is managing its SUDS assets.

PROCESS CONTROL AND AUTOMATION

ISSN 1561-9508

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© IWA Publishing 2013

CAPACITY BUILDING

Promoting sustainable forest management

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Why the name ‘Water21’? ‘The general objective is to make certain that adequate supplies of water of good quality are maintained for the entire population of this planet, while preserving the hydrological, biological and chemical functions of ecosystems, adapting human activities within the capacity of nature and combating vectors of water-related diseases.

Innovative technologies, including the improvement of indigenous technologies, are needed to fully utilize limited water resources and to safeguard those resources against pollution.’ From ‘Agenda21’, the UN programme of action from the Rio Earth Summit, 1992.

IWA has been playing an active role in trying to measure capacity gaps and needs in developing countries’ urban water sectors; a key step towards addressing issues around water and sanitation coverage, and will be focusing on this at the upcoming IWA Development Congress in Kenya.

Catherine Fitzpatrick reports on the role of capacity building in meeting watsan goals.

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Integrated control of the wastewater system – potential and barriers The benefits of integrated control of sewers and treatment plants.

Capacity development’s role in sustainable watsan provision A key theme of this year’s IWA Development Congress & Exhibition.

SEWAGE TREATMENT 26

Extracting value from urine: EU project explores nutrient recovery The ValuefromUrine project.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT / ALTERNATIVES 42

Fuel cells: long-term solution for remote power needs A report on how fuel cells are providing a long-term, low carbon solution to water sector power needs in the UK.

WATER 21 • APRIL 2013

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NEWS WATER21 • APRIL 2013

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Water and disasters on UN agenda N Secretary-General Ban Kimoon told a recent special thematic session of the General Assembly on water and disasters that ‘preparing for the worst can save lives. That is why we need early warning systems, disaster education and resilient structures.’

The meeting, convened by Mr Ban’s advisory board on water and sanitation (UNSGAB) and the high-level Expert Panel (HLEP) on water and disasters, brought together the international community, governments and civil society to discuss issues surrounding water disasters and share experience and good practice.

His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Japan (the honorary president of UNSGAB) and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Orange of the Netherlands (the Chair of UNSGAB) presented keynote addresses to the

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assembled audience.

The president of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, noted that while water-related disasters occur around the world, the poorest nations bear the greatest burden.

The morning panel was co-chaired

by Dr Hang Seung-Soo, the founding chair of HLEP and UNSGAB. Michel Jarraud, WMO SecretaryGeneral and chair of UN-Water, and Irina Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO, co-chaired part of the afternoon discussions of a panel of experts from around the world entitled ‘experience and lessons of water and disasters’. This event shared experiences and lessons on how to prepare for large-scale water disasters, including droughts.

Ms Bokova told the meeting: ‘We all know the power of water – yet, far too often, it catches us at a loss. With the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, we have a cross-cutting approach to reduce

the risks of disasters – before, during and after an event. The key objective is to connect all the dots. Our starting point is that disaster risk reduction cannot be seen solely as a humanitarian or a technical issue. It is a development issue. It is about the resilience of societies. Fundamentally, it is about capacity of individuals to respond to change while remaining true to their values.’

Earlier, M Jarraud had also chaired a side event of experts on water to discuss case studies and discuss common solutions to problems. He suggested that more can be done to increase the resilience of communities to the threat of floods by, for example, improving the balance between structural and non-structural measures and increasing public awareness programmes.

Mr Ban told the meeting that the fundamental threat of climate

Study warns of Asian water insecurity A

new study prepared jointly by the Asian Development Bank and Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) warns that over 75% of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region are experiencing a serious lack of water security, with many facing an imminent water crisis unless steps are taken immediately to improve their management of water resources.

Bindu Lohani, ADB’s vice president for knowledge management and sustainable development, said: ‘While the Asia-Pacific region has become an economic power-

house, it is alarming that no developing country in the region can be considered “water secure”.

Countries must urgently improve water governance through inspired leadership and creative policymaking.’

The Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 provides the first quantitative, comprehensive analysis of water security on a country-by-country basis in the region, looking at all dimensions of water security from the household scale through to water-related disasters, using indicators and a

scaling system to gauge the progress of the 49 countries being assessed.

The study found 37 developing countries are either suffering from low levels of water security or have barely begun to engage in the essential task of improving water security. Twelve have established the infrastructure and management systems for water security, but no country in the region was found to have reached the model level of water security.

South Asia and parts of Central and West Asia were found to be

change must also be addressed, and called on world leaders to keep their promise to reach a global, legally-binding climate change agreement by 2015.

He added: ‘This is the International Year of Water Cooperation. Water is a human right. It freely crosses national boundaries. Countries have to work together to manage this basic resource.

‘The Year is also an opportunity to forge international partnerships that reduce the risks and impacts of water-related disasters. This session can be part of that process, and our broader push for sustainable development.’

The results of the meeting will be shared with the fourth meeting of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva in May, and will form part of the discussions on the post-2015 development agenda. ●

faring the worst, with rivers under immense strain, while many Pacific islands are suffering from a lack of access to safe piped water and decent sanitation, and are highly vulnerable to increasingly severe natural hazards.

East Asia, by contrast, which has the highest frequency of natural hazards in the region, is relatively better off because of the higher levels of investment in disaster defences, though urban water security is still poor in many cities and towns. ● LS (See Analysis, page 10.)

Joint drought management programme launched he World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Global Water Partnership (GWP) have launched a joint integrated drought management programme to improve monitoring and prevention of this major global hazard.

GWP executive secretary Dr Ania Grobicki said: ‘Whether because of climate variability or climate change, droughts have a severe impact on water availability and quality, agricultural and energy production, and ecosystem health.

‘There is an urgent need to develop better drought monitoring and risk management systems, and for countries to have frameworks in place to manage drought risks through an integrated approach.

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This programme aims to support countries in this endeavor, within their regional contexts.’

WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud added: ‘Without coordinated national drought policies, nations will continue to respond to drought in a reactive way.

‘What we need are monitoring and early warning systems to deliver timely information to decision makers, effective impact assessment procedures, proactive risk management measures, preparedness plans to increase coping capacities, and effective emergency response programmes to reduce the impacts of droughts.’

The programme capitalizes on ten years of success in another joint

WMO/GWP project, the Associated Programme on Flood Management, which is being undertaken with many other partners. The new project will focus on sharing scientific information, knowledge and practices to inform policies and management approaches.

At a global level the IDMP will contribute to best practices for drought risk management through achieving a better scientific understanding of, and inputs for, drought management.

The project will also undertake drought risk assessment, monitoring, prediction and early warning, as well as policy and planning for drought preparedness and mitigation across sectors. ●

Credit: Shukaylova Zinaida / Shutterstock.com

in brief Developing country wetland threat A new World Bank study warns that a one metre rise in sea levels due to climate change could destroy over 60% of the developing world’s coastal wetlands currently found at one metre or less elevation, leading to economic losses of around $630 million annually.

The report estimates that around 64% of freshwater marsh, 66% of global lakes and Wetlands Database coastal wetlands, as well as 61% of brackish/saline wetlands are at risk.

A large percentage of this loss would be focused on two regions – East Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The report also notes that at country level the results are extremely skewed, with a small number of countries severely affected.

In East Asia, China and Vietnam would bear the brunt of the losses, and in the MENA region the worst affected would be Libya and Egypt.

The report explains that sea level rise affects wetlands in three main ways – erosion, inundation and salt water intrusion. The impact of sea level rise depends on a number of complex factors such as coastal gradients, tidal range and stability,

soil and groundwater salinity among others.

Experts agree that wetlands will only be able to adapt to sea level rise if they can migrate landward – if this sort of shift is prevented, for instance by development, then they will disappear.

The report does not suggest a timescale or include costings or predictions for wetlands destroyed by human activity.

Data from various sources including NASA, WWF and the USGS were used to assess the exposure of at-risk wetlands to sea level rise.

The economic losses suggested are on top of other impacts such as forced relocation of people and infrastructure.

World Bank Development Research Group lead environmental economist and study coauthor Susmita Dasgupta said: ‘The findings are alarming, because wetlands don’t exist just for the birds and plants – people rely on them for water, food, transportation and other essential goods and services. We hope our research can motivate steps to protect wetlands, especially since global warming will for sure accelerate the rise of sea levels.’ ●

Mediterranean Sea study launch he Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) secretariat has launched a study to prevent, abate and combat pollution of the Mediterranean Sea. The results and findings from the study will contribute to a comprehensive assessment of the current situation regarding depollution of the sea. The launch workshop for the study, which is titled ‘Update priority investment portfolio for protecting the Mediterranean Sea from pollution’ took place in Barcelona in late February.

The UfM brings together 43 countries - 27 EU member states and 16 countries from the southern and eastern Mediterranean.

The current study’s main purpose is to update the 2020 to 2025 pollution reduction target investment needs. The preliminary findings were presented at the launch workshop, and the main activities to next autumn were discussed.

The event also provided an opportunity to discuss countries’ involvement and collect information from relevant water and environment stakeholders, UfM explained

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in a statement. It brought together the coordinating partners – UNEPMAP, the EIB, regional institutions and IFIs involved in the agenda.

The study will complement two further studies undertaken in parallel by the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEPMAP) and the European Investment Bank, with the aim of evaluating the implementation of depollution projects in the Mediterranean.

These will provide recommendations for the way forward, being mindful of the need for coherence, synergy and joint effective action among the various actors and their respective programmes and initiatives.

The output of the three studies will contribute to the revision of the UNEP-MAP Depollution Strategic Action Program and national action plans, as well as the definition of the second phase of the H2020 initiative. This EC project aims to depollute the Mediterranean by 2020 through tackling the main sources of pollution – municipal waste, urban wastewater and industrial pollution. ●

● The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced that it has put in place tougher measures to combat fraud and corruption after complaints reached a record annual high last year. In its annual report the bank’s Office of Anticorruption and Integrity listed 240 complaints and 114 new investigations. Most complaints were about fraudulent misrepresentations of qualifications, experience and technical capabilities of consultants, contractors and individuals looking for work from the ADB. ● China is investigating the extent of GROUNDWATER POLLUTION in the country, with official press sources saying that the results so far show that these sources are safe.

However, investigations into pollution incidents reported last year have not been completed, and the country’s government is said to be mulling a law to protect groundwater. ● A new report from the Centre for Science and Environment says that Indian cities produce nearly 40,000 million litres of wastewater each day but less than 20% is treated. The report concludes: ‘The untreated waste dumped into rivers seeps into groundwater, thereby creating a ticking health bomb in India.’ The report says the raw sewage is ‘killing’ India’s rivers, and warns that thousands of small factories are dumping raw sewage and untreated waste into rivers. ● Latin-American development bank CAF has agreed a $121 million loan to fund the development plan of AySA, Argentina’s BUENOS AIRES STATE WATER UTILITY. The plans include an upgrade of the General Belgrano water treatment works to increase its capacity from 1.9M.m3/day to 2.25M.m3/day. The utility is also constructing two key new assets, the Bicentenario wastewater treatment plant and the Juan Manuel de Rosas water treatment works, which will be completed this year. ● The European Investment Bank (EIB) and China’s Exim Bank have agreed an €150 million ($195 million) loan for financing investments that will contribute to climate change mitigation. The EIB loan will make longterm financing available for investments that contribute to climate change mitigation through projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency in India implemented by public and private sector companies. The operation will contribute to the EU-India strategic partnership and cooperation with India, which foresees, among other things, energy sustainability, and combating climate change. ● A new report from the European Environment Agency sets out ways of quantifying environmental pressures caused by EUROPEAN CONSUMPTION PATTERNS. The report discusses two approaches to analysis: a production-based method that considers direct environmental pressures such as pollutants; and a consumption-based method that focuses on indirect environmental pressures caused by consumers, attributing the production-related pressures to broad groups of products and services and accounting for pressures embodied in goods imported into the EU. ● The World Bank and French Development Agency have completed plans to establish a joint financing arrangement for irrigation and water resources management in Nigeria, to a total of $550 million. Works will include irrigation development and management, water resources management and dam operation improvement, project management, monitoring and evaluation.

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NEWS

Lessons from Superstorm Sandy response WWA, the American Water Works Association, has published a new report from the Water / Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) detailing the water sector’s response to Superstorm Sandy last autumn.

The WARN Superstorm Sandy after-action report is a collection

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of successes and challenges based on direct feedback from the affected utilities, WARNs and other water sector partners, providing key messages.

WWA Security and Preparedness Manager Kevin Morley, the principal author of the report, said: ‘This report offers a straightforward assessment of what happened

during Sandy and what can be done to make us better prepared in the future.

‘Collective action on the items listed in this report at the local, state and federal levels will make our sector more resilient and prepared for future events.’

The report provides key observations and also more context and

details, as well as setting out actions that can be taken to reduce consequences and increase resilience.

It highlights the success of the collaboration between the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) and the water sector to enhance coordination and awareness with the WARN initiative. ●

World Water Day provides focus for activities his year World Water Day took the theme of Water Cooperation, as this year is the International Year of Water Cooperation, which led UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to observe that ‘we must work together to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource’.

UNESCO is leading activities for the Year and also led the activities for World Water Day on behalf of UN-Water.

A new UN-Water analytical brief on water security was released to mark the day. This demonstrates through numerous examples from around the world that shared waters provide opportunities for cooperation across nations and support political dialogue on broader

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issues such as regional economic integration and environmental conservation.

UN-Water also gave awards to two projects that contribute to fulfilling international commitments on water and water-related issues.

The UN-Water ‘Water for Life’ best practices award went to a project from the city of Kumamoto in Japan that focuses on natural groundwater management.

The Safe Water and Sanitation for All initiative in Moldova, which aims at improving rural coverage, won the second category (best participatory, communication, awarenessraising and education practices).

The government of The Netherlands hosted the official

celebrations in The Hague. These included speeches, presentations, panel and thematic discussions, a High-Level Forum featuring major personalities, and a series of public events.

A High-Level Interactive Dialogue also took place during the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly on 22 March. This looked to identify and discuss water-related challenges and key areas that in future will require stronger political support and international cooperation.

The UN also launched a campaign to lift what UN deputy secretary-general Jan Eliasson called the ‘element of taboo’ in talking about sanitation, and called for the world to become an ‘open

European warning on non-native species T wo new reports from the European Environment Agency (EEA) warn of the impacts of alien species and detail their spread, as well as discussing an approach to creating an invasive alien species indicator in Europe.

The work shows that invasive alien species pose greater risks than previously thought for biodiversity, human health and economies.

There are over 10,000 alien species in Europe, and the rate of new introductions has accelerated and is still increasing, the EEA says.

The reports found that the most common reason for introductions is horticulture, with other reasons including farming, hunting and fishing, or as pets. Some transport is accidental, such as the Zebra mussels that now proliferate in Europe’s lakes, and which stowed away in ballast water.

One of the most dangerous effects for humans is when the alien species act as carriers of disease, such as the Asian tiger mosquito, which has been linked to over 20 diseases. Some species also carry

diseases that affect native species, such as the ‘crayfish plague’ carried by the red swamp crayfish.

The reports also warn that ecosystems altered by invasive alien species may be less able to provide important ecosystem services that support human activity. One estimate suggests such species cost Europe around €12 billion ($15.5 billion) per year – for instance, the zebra mussel causes high costs by fouling water filtration plants and power plants’ cooling reservoirs. ●

defecation-free zone’.

UNESCO, the FAO, World Bank, UNECE and the International Association of Hydrogeologists organized a regional consultation on groundwater governance, focusing on groundwater use in North America, Europe and Central Asia.

A wide range of events took place around the world, including an Institute of Development Studies event co-hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Water Group in the UK that brought together parliamentarians and members of the NGO and academia to discuss how to accelerate progress towards universal access to water and sanitation. ● (See Global Focus, page 12.)

Zebra mussels. Credit: scubaluna / Shutterstock.com

Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa sign water transfer agreement otswana has entered into an agreement with Lesotho and South Africa to explore options for the drawing of water from the multibillion Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).

LHWP is a transboundary water transfer project, being implemented in four phases, that diverts water from Lesotho’s Orange River to South Africa’s urban and industrial centres through construction of dams and several kilometres of

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associated tunnels.

Botswana, with a population of about 1.7 million, faces serious water scarcity, with an estimated demand of 88.3 million cubic metres, a figure projected to rise 104.8 million cubic metres over the next two years on the back of a rising urban population. An estimated 46 percent of the country’s water supply is lost through leakages and mismanagement, exacerbating the shortage.

Lesotho, which has an estimated available water supply of 150 cubic metres/second and a consumption rate of less 2 cubic metres/second, is keen on generating additional revenue from sale of its water to Botswana under the LHWP. Under the completed Phase 1 of LHWP, which was partially financed by the World Bank, a 182m-high concrete arch dam at Katse was constructed and an estimated 48km of water transfer tunnels

laid between the two countries. The $2.4 billion phase also included the construction of a 72MW hydro power plant and a 55m-high concrete gravity arch dam at ‘Muela complete with a 16km delivery tunnel.

South Africa and Lesotho are at an advanced stage of implementing Phase 2 of the LHWP, which entails the construction of Polihali dam and associated water transfer tunnels. ● Shem Oirere

NEWS

New Zealand consults on water strategy N

ew Zealand has issued a new water strategy report, ‘Freshwater reform and beyond’, a key consultation document within the government’s Fresh Start for Fresh Water reforms, which were initiated in 2009.

The document contains both short and proposed long-term actions, based on extensive consultation with stakeholders including the Land and Water Forum, which represents a range of industries, the Maori Iwi Leaders Group, regional councils and central government.

In 2011, the government paved the foundations for a more effective freshwater management system with a National Policy Statement (NPS) for freshwater management and the creation of two new funds, to facilitate beneficial irrigation infrastructure and clean up iconic lakes and rivers.

The short-term proposals prioritise foundation measures such as water planning mechanisms and the setting of freshwater objectives and limits. The paper notes that the resolution of rights and interests related to other aspects of freshwater management will have to run alongside further reforms over the next few years.

Immediate reforms relating to quality and quantity include making amendments to ensure the government can require councils to collect data from all water users and share it with central government, as well as adopting defined methods for estimating water takes, as well as accounting for all contaminants and a requirement for councils to collect and share data on contaminant sources.

There will also be national guidance and direction on

the setting of allocation limits covering all water abstractions, a sector good management practice toolkit will be developed, and the water research strategy will be reviewed.

Next steps include national guidance on dealing with overallocation, and on managing abstractions that do not require consents, as well as national guidance or regulation on compliance and enforcement.

The duration of permits will also be reviewed.

Alternative tools for initial allocation of freshwater will be developed, as will options for allocating permits on expiry. A transfer and trade for quantity policy will be developed, alongside new transfer or offsetting mechanisms for water quality, and incentives for efficient water use will be developed.

Not all are pleased with the developments. Fish & Game NZ, a hunting and fishing representative body, is warning that the freshwater reform package will ‘wreck’ Water Conservation Orders, which protect the country’s most outstanding rivers and lakes.

Chief executive Bryce Johnson warned that the government’s proposals would create a process for all existing WCO-protected rivers to be opened up for ‘economic growth’, noting: ‘How is that an “improvement”?

It’s like saying National Park protection is being improved by allowing mining.’

The report is an opportunity for people to comment, the New Zealand government says, ahead of the introduction of the 2013 Resources Management Reform Bill later this year, which will enable the immediate actions. ●

UK concerns over drought and flood extremes he Environment Agency in England and Wales warned recently that UK businesses and homes will have to prepare for future bad weather, in the aftermath of a year that brought both drought and flood.

EA chairman Chris Smith said that the country should improve the water supply for business and farming in the face of more frequent droughts and floods. New figures published in March showed that one in every five days in 2012 saw flooding, but one in four days were

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in drought, including hosepipe bans affecting over 20 million people.

Rivers including the Tyne, Ouse and Tone went from record low to record high flows in the space of four months. The EA quoted new Met Office analysis that suggests the UK could experience severe short-term droughts such as the one the country suffered in 1976 every ten years.

Water storage reservoirs are suggested as an option to secure more reliable water supply for irrigation. There are around 1700

small-scale storage reservoirs around the country but the EA warns this number will have to increase to help improve resilience.

Pressures on water availability including extreme weather events, growing demand and historic overabstraction are already affecting water supplies for irrigation, and the EA says that businesses that rely on water from rivers were unable to abstract water last summer.

Its statement notes: ‘Modelling suggests that a changing climate

could reduce some river flows by up to 80% during the summer in the next 40 years – increasing the challenge of ensuring there is enough water for people, businesses, farmers and the environment.’

Lord Smith said: ‘More of this extreme weather will exacerbate many of the problems that we already deal with including flooding and water scarcity, so taking action today to prepare and adapt homes, businesses, agricultural practices and infrastructure is vital.’ ●

African responses to climate concerns he African Development Bank (AfDB) has released an article that sets out solutions which some African countries are about to apply, with help from the bank and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), to respond to complex problems that climate change is creating for the combined water, food and energy sectors.

The article, part of the CIF’s new annual report ‘Creating the climate for

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change’, reflects the continent’s uniquely challenging water sector circumstances, with climate change repercussions in the fields of agriculture and energy, and reports on countries’ work to apply innovative solutions.

The article warns that ‘by 2020 up to 250 million people in Africa are projected to be exposed to increased water stress with disastrous effects on Africa’s most vulnerable’.

However it also cites examples of countries that are about to apply innovative integrated approaches to strengthening their water, agricultural and energy sectors. It says countries will focus on two areas of response, with AfDB and CIF support: creating more reliable and accurate climate information and building more dirable, climate-resilient infrastructure across these sectors.

For example, Niger plans to improve its climate observatory system, research and optimize climate modelling, strengthen its early warning system and expand communication on climate information to end users.

Mozambique plans work to reinforce rural roads and rehabilitate irrigation and drainage systems to withstand weather extremes and seawater intrusions, the report adds. ●

Launch of water use certification standard he UK-based Carbon Trust has launched a new Water Standard to help drive the move to a resourceefficient economy.

The standard is said to be the first international certification to

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recognise organisations that have measured, managed and reduced their direct water use.

The Carbon Trust Water Standard requires organisations to provide at least two years’ of data on water

abstraction. It also requires completion of qualitative reporting to assess the organisation's grip on water governance, water accounting and water management.

The Standard aims to help

companies cut water use, benchmark their water use and water efficiency plans, reduce their exposure to water scarcity, and lessen their impact on the local environment. ●

in brief ● A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance warns that each of CHINA’S ‘Big Five’ power utilities is heavily exposed to water supply disruptions, because their portfolios are concentrated in moderate to severely water-scarce regions, particularly the dry north-east.

The report says that significantly reducing this exposure, and the sector’s overall water withdrawals, would involve major policy and industrial efforts, cost billions of dollars and require the removal of gigawatts of water-inefficient power generation capacity. ● The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a loan that will enable around 170,000 people in Prahova county, south-eastern Romania, to have safe water and sanitation services, and will also greatly reduce the losses that occur in the water treatment process. ● UK overseas aid department DfID has pledged $5.6 million to support ZIMBABWE’S Bulawayo City Council’s drive to improve water and sanitation services for the most vulnerable urban communities. DfID says it expects 140,000 people to benefit directly from improved services and for the rest of the city to benefit indirectly. ● The European Environment Agency has published an Eye on Earth map highlighting some of the conditions that may contribute to urban flooding. The map shows, for example, the mean percentage of each city covered with impervious surfaces – Paris, Thessaloniki, Bucharest and Barcelona having among the highest levels with over 75% of their surface area sealed. ● CHILE’S national statistics institute, INE, has issued a report based on data from the national water authority that show the country’s 27 most important rivers have seen their flows reduce by an average of 8.4% over the past five years. The area between the north and central-south has witnessed the worst reductions, with flows on the 11 main rivers reducing by 30% over the same period. ● The long-awaited desalination plant for the Spanish region of Torrevieja is about to go into its testing phase, three years later than anticipated. The $438 million reverse osmosis plant, which has a capacity of up to 360,000m3/day, will supply over 400,000 people in 30 municipalities with water. The plant had been stalled due to political wrangling and environmental concerns, local press note. ● The US EPA has awarded $523,000 to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create SHORELINES in Camden, New Jersey and the Barnegat Bay watershed that are made of plants, sand and some rock rather than hard structures such as bulkheads. The Barnegat Bay project will also help with the recovery from Hurricane Sandy. ● American Water has announced it has been awarded a research grant from the Water Research Foundation to partner with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and University of Alberta to determine the occurrence of nitrosamines in drinking water systems in North America. The total value of the project is $711,902, with $400,000 from the Water Research Foundation and a $311,902 in-kind contribution from the project team. American Water will receive $137,200 to pay for research costs.

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COMMENT

A global goal of water security ‘Integrated water resources management for all!’ That may be what the world needs, but it certainly lacks something as a rallying cry to stimulate action. ‘Water security for all!’, on the other hand, might just come close to offering the universal appeal that is needed.

As this issue’s Global Focus article discusses, work to build consensus around a global development agenda for beyond 2015 is underway in earnest. In amongst this, a great deal of effort is being put into ensuring water features prominently in the post-2015 agenda.

Water is so pervasive, underpinning as it does progress in many other areas of development, that there is a strong case for including, not just an extension of the current Millennium Development Goal on water supply and sanitation, but wider aims for water too.

Integrated water resources management is the key approach needed to ensure many water-related challenges can be met. That is the reason why it has been included in the outcome documents of multilateral meetings of recent decades, although political commitment on actual implementation has remained lacking. A world in which these challenges have been met could appropriately be called a water secure world. So while integrated water resources management is needed as much as ever, its application can be seen as being directed towards an end goal of water security.

Water security potentially also has the benefit of being a concept which

those outside of the water sector can relate to.

Effective management of water resources encompassing major uses such as food and energy has always been implicit in the ‘integrated’ part of integrated water resources management, but integrated water resources management has probably been seen as something water people do.

UN-Water chose World Water Day in March to launch discussion to reach a common understanding of what is meant by water security. Its working definition, released with explicit reference to the post-2015 agenda, brings together sustainability, development, well-being, pollution, disasters, ecosystems, and peace and stability.

In the meantime, ADB and the Asia-Pacific Water Forum have grasped the water security approach as a basis for assessing progress in the region (see below), using a national index based on five dimensions of water security. This offers promise, not just that water security can provide a focus for attention, but that diverse water issues can be brought together in a meaningful assessment.

Keith Hayward, Editor

ANALYSIS

A call for action: pre-empting the Asia-Pacific water crisis ● The new study on Asia-Pacific region water security warns that many countries face an imminent water crisis unless steps are taken immediately to improve their management of water resources. LIS STEDMAN looks at some of the key messages.

he Asian Water Development Outlook paints a grave picture of the water and sanitation situation despite the various booming economies in the region.

The ADB recently hosted a live blog session on its publication with Amy Leung, director of the Urban Development and Water Division in ADB’s Southeast Asia department, and Ian Makin, principal water resources specialist in ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development department.

Mr Makin noted that the region has a number of unique challenges. ‘As a whole the region is faced with a number of challenges – most notably rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.

The region’s huge population is also very exposed to the expected impacts of climate change.’

Ms Leung added that while none of the report’s findings surprise the bank, ‘we are concerned with the gap between access to piped and non-piped water and improved sanitation in urban and rural areas and the gap between the richest and the poorest. There is still a lot

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for us to do.’

In terms of why South Asian and Pacific economies rank so poorly for potable water supply and sanitation, Ms Leung noted: ‘Typically low-income countries are less able to provide the necessary funds to invest in this sector, and indeed other crucial ones too, including healthcare, education.

However, it is also true that some countries do not attach enough importance to the sector and spend less as a percentage of national budgets compared to developed countries. It is not seen as a national priority by finance departments.’

She added: ‘The lack of transparent water governance structures hampers many countries as they seek to advance without reform of the existing complex, overlapping agencies. In some countries efforts to improve sanitation have not adequately addressed the cultural traditions that have delayed progress.

‘Nevertheless, while these challenges exist, the one sure way to make progress is for

A lack of investment in improving water security could impact on other sectors, such as agriculture. Credit: Sia Chen How / Shutterstock.com governments to get serious about delivering change. They need to lead and help stimulate demand for these services, and must create the right enabling environment and governance structures to enable effective delivery of services for all.’

The report makes clear that while some countries such as Singapore and Australia are exemplars in the field, others lag far behind, and one immediate issue is how such countries begin to move forward. Ms Leung noted: ‘I suggest they come to ADB. We offer both technical and financial support.’

However, she cautioned: ‘ADB will not “come up” with all the money and solutions on its own.

We will work with governments, in partnership with public and private sector water service providers, and development finance institutions to mobilise the necessary resources.’

Among the keys to disseminating the required knowledge are the regional knowledge hubs, an outcome of the inaugural AsiaPacific Water Summit in Japan, 2007. These hubs research and

advise on important water security issues. Mr Makin explained their current role: ‘Some have actively contributed to the work leading to the Asian Water Development Outlook 2013. During Asia Water Week, held at ADB HQ last week, a team from the knowledge hubs met to discuss how to increase their programme of work to help agencies and countries address water management issues. We will be following up on these ideas in the coming weeks.’

The blog also touched on various issues that affect the region, including water loss reduction – as with much of the developing world’s infrastructure, leakage is often extremely high. Ms Leung said: ‘A prudent water utility will invest in regular refurbishment and replacement but sadly many are not financially and technically equipped to do so. Water loss has therefore built up to unacceptable levels in many parts of Asia and the Pacific.

‘Utilities must embark on aggressive programmes of water loss reduction, to cut down so-

called non-revenue water (NRW), including unmeasured supplies and pilferage. These programmes have been gaining traction in the region and allow utilities to incrementally reduce loss and achieve economically defendable levels of NRW.’ Another major issue is the confusion over responsibility for governance. Mr Makin said: ‘Many countries still have multiple agencies with responsibilities for water. This often leads to ineffective planning and utilisation of available resources, including water, human and financial resources. I cannot think of a country in the region that would not benefit from a long hard look at the institutional arrangements for water planning and management.’

The Bank sees the private sector’s role as integral to success moving forward. Ms Leung noted: ‘The private sector has a very important role to play. Private sector firms can practice good stewardship to protect water resources to minimise their business risks, and as a means to minimise business costs. Large

businesses can be encouraged to show leadership to their suppliers.

All businesses in all countries must be made water-aware and take responsibility for their use of this critical resource.’

In response to a specific question about The Philippines (whose government recently declared that the country would be facing a water crisis in ten years if its issues were not addressed), she emphasised the multi-dimensional nature of the problem: ‘Public-private-partnership is one of the options. There is much the government will need to do to improve governance of water as a resource to be managed effectively and as a service to be delivered efficiently. More should be done on water sector reforms and implementation of effective regulatory regimes.’

Asked about the likely reactions of governments whose countries have been assessed to have national water security indexes of 1 or 2 (the poorest levels), Ms Leung noted that these would ‘probably a little like an individual receiving bad news – initial disbelief (the data must be wrong),

then anger (why highlight our problems), withdrawal (there is nothing we can do about this, it’s a result of our natural resources), and ultimately a resolve to find a way forward (ok, we can fix this).’

In addition, she suggested: ‘In the Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 we have shown that water security is multi-dimensional and that improving one dimension may result in reducing security in another. As competition for water continues to increase, we must not overlook the opportunities for increasing water security by finding synergy between uses.’

Mr Makin added: ‘Our work in the Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 shows that improving water security is a complex task and the priority areas will depend on the local context. What is clear is that business as usual with uncoordinated investments in the sector will not provide for a water secure future. Water needs to be better integrated to national economic planning.’

He also stressed the vital role of cooperation: ‘Finding ways to increase cooperation among the

public and private sector entities and civil society is ever more important as climate change begins to change the water environment and demands new approaches to adapt to these changes. We have to expect that infrastructure alone will not be able to climate proof our communities and economies. So smart investments will be required which will depend on access to state-of-theart knowledge and innovative solutions to evolving challenges.’

Looking forward to future editions of the Outlook, Mr Makin said: ‘The Asia Pacific Water Security Center (APWSC) has been established at Tsinghua University to lead the development of the approach to measuring water security we have just published.

APWSC, as a knowledge hub of the Asian Pacific Water Forum, is building partnerships with other knowledge hubs in the network and with leading research organisations to develop the next edition. It will be for governments to set goals and for the Asian Water Development Outlook to help record the progress to those goals.’ ●

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GLOBAL FOCUS

Global progress towards a post-2015 development agenda ● Work is underway on preparations for the UN-backed international development agenda beyond 2015. KEITH HAYWARD looks at progress and at efforts to ensure key water issues are adequately represented. t is expected that this process will converge in a single and comprehensive UN development agenda with sustainable development at its core,’ commented Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization and chair of UNWater, the umbrella body for the UN system’s activity on water, speaking recently in Geneva.

Jarraud was speaking at a meeting held with the aim of influencing how water is dealt with in the new agenda that the international community and UN system are working to put in place for beyond 2015. His comment is both a statement of apparent simplicity, behind which lies a huge task of achieving global consensus, and is therefore also a statement that is somewhat aspirational.

At its core, the challenge is to bring together the UN-backed sustainable development agenda, which is founded in particular on the global consensus achieved at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, with the more recent priority attention that the UN-system has given to the most pressing povertyrelated issues through its 2000 Millennium Summit and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which emerged from that.

With many of the MDGs focused on a deadline of 2015, the race is on to work through the UN system to get the new agenda in place to pick up from that date.This means that work carried out during the UN General Assembly’s 68th session, running from September this year to September 2014, will be crucial. Sessions start with a key series of high-level meetings and this year these will include in particular a review summit on the MDGs. September’s deadline means there is currently a frantic round of efforts underway to bring many inputs together and, in particular, to make sure exchanges take place between the somewhat separated worlds of sustain-

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able development and the MDGs. In terms of sustainable development, there is a particular focus on trying to prepare and agree upon a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and indicators the world can work to.A sub-group of the UN General Assembly, the 30-strong Open Working Group, has been set up to take this work forward. It was set up in January, with between one and four countries sharing each seat on the group, so that wide representation is achieved, and held its first meeting in mid-March.

‘One possibility would be for the group to submit an interim report to the [September] 2013 meeting of the General Assembly on MDGs, which is an important moment when the SDG and post-2015 processes could converge,’ commented Jarraud when speaking in Geneva, adding that the group could then deliver its final report by the end of the session.

Alongside this, the UN SecretaryGeneral’s High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda has been meeting under a mandate focused on how to progress beyond the MDGs but taking account of the work on the SDGs. It was to have its fourth meeting in Bali, Indonesia at the end of March, as Water21 went to press, building on the ‘Monrovia Mandate’ agreed at its third meeting, held in Liberia on 30 January – 1 February.

The Monrovia Mandate spoke in terms of achieving sustainable growth with equity, of creating wealth through sustainable and transparent management of natural resources, and of using partnerships, in which national and local governments are encouraged to work with the private sector and civil society ‘to align their efforts behind sustainable development’.The panel is due to publish its vision and recommendations in May. With key outputs therefore due shortly from these two processes, two

other major efforts that have been underway have been geared to inform and influence what comes out of the OpenWorking Group and High Level Panel processes.

One such effort is the work that is being carried out by the UN system itself. In particular, the UN System TaskTeam on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda was established at the start of last year to bring together input from more than 60 UN agencies and international organizations.This was set up under a mandate to prepare for the development agenda beyond the MDGs, but an inter-agency technical support team has been formed under the umbrella of theTask Team and will provide support to the sustainable development-focused OpenWorking Group.

TheTaskTeam provided a starting point for the work on the post-2015 development agenda by preparing a report ‘Realizing the FutureWeWant for All – report to the SecretaryGeneral’. Published in June of last year, it gives a good indication of the direction in which the agenda could head. Built on the fundamental principles of human rights, equality and sustainability, the framework set out in the report is based around four ‘core dimensions’: inclusive social development; environmental sustainability; inclusive economic development; and peace and security. Each core dimension has associated with it a number of universal goals, in effect successors to the MDGs.Around all of this, a number of ‘development enablers’ are identified, such as the protection of ecosystems or the use of pro-poor, proemployment and pro-environment macroeconomic policies, these being the more general approaches that should be pursued to create the conditions such that the universal goals can be achieved.

The UN system also provided early input into the SDG work of the Open Working Group, through a report at the end of last year from the UN Secretary-General which brought together the results of a survey of Member States in the latter part of last year on the development of SDGs. Alongside this work within the UN system, the other major effort that has been underway has been a wide consultation.This was mainly carried out in the latter part of last year and the first three months of this year. Under the banner of ‘TheWorldWeWant 2015’ (see worldwewant2015.org), it has included national consultations in some 60 countries and multi-stakeholder thematic consultations on 11 themes.The thematic consultations have each culminated in a global leadership meeting, providing a route

Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, Prince El Hassan BinTalal of Jordan, one of the co-sponsors of the consultation, and importantly, along with Mozambique’s Vice Minister of PublicWorks, Francisco Pereira, three members of the High-Level Panel on the Post2015 Development Agenda: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who chairs the panel, Unilever CEO Paul Polman, and Betty Maina, CEO of the Kenyan Association of Manufacturers.

And all of this was brought together in time for the High-Level Panel’s Bali meeting just days after the meeting in The Hague.

to bring the consultation outputs into the on-going agenda process.

Water consultation Although not on the list of themes originally proposed, the thematic consultations included one on water.

This was mainly organised around three sub-themes: water, sanitation and hygiene; water resources management; and wastewater management and water quality. Online exchanges took place in January and February, with the Geneva meeting at the end of February serving to review the inputs on the water resources management and the wastewater management and water quality themes.The whole consultation then culminated in a meeting inThe Hague, The Netherlands, onWorldWater Day – 22 March.

The Hague meeting endorsed a document summarising the water consultation and setting out recommendations relating to the three sub-themes.The document calls in particular for water to feature prominently in the new development agenda, with water as a standalone goal with clear targets and measurable indicators.

The outcome document reflects very closely the themes and original framing papers around which the consultation had been set up.Also, the Geneva meeting identified six key themes (pollution, protection, water quality and ecosystems; resilience / climate change; transboundary cooperation; balancing use / allocation; efficiency / reuse; and governance) but was not geared to delivering a focused message to the meeting inThe Hague – to the concern of a number of those present. Instead, delegates were told by Dutch government representative Maarten Gischler that a number of ‘great water minds’ would help prepare a short document that ‘will be conceived based on what was discussed here these two days’.

This said, the water consultation benefited from high-level backing fromThe Netherlands, Switzerland, Liberia and Jordan. It generated a far higher level of engagement compared to the other consultation in terms of the web activity seen, for example.The Geneva meeting successfully brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including UN Member States, providing a formalised step for feeding the consultation work into the wider process. On top of this, theWorld Water Day meeting inThe Hague was rounded off by a final session during which the findings of the consultation were endorsed by a high-level panel that included PrinceWillemAlexander,The Prince of Orange, who is the out-going chair of the UN

Prospects for water Just what will emerge for water from this process is wrapped up with the wider activity to shape the post-2015 agenda.The first priority is to ensure water figures in that agenda. Details

Getting water from a borehole in Kyotera, Uganda.

Discussions are now turning to how universal access to clean water and sanitation will be part of the post2015 agenda.

Credit: UN-HABITAT.

such as what goals, targets and indicators might apply have to wait, as they are political decisions and also have to fit into whatever wider framework is put in place.That said, for water this is something of a tale of two parts – one part being concerns around access to safe water and adequate sanitation, the other part being everything else.

Despite the fact that sanitation was not initially included in the waterrelated MDG, the two joint basic needs of access to safe water and adequate sanitation do now have a strong presence in the international agenda.

Global monitoring of progress, which is now reported in the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) series, pre-dates the MDGs. Also, the UNTaskTeam’s tentative vision of the post-2015 framework includes access to clean water and sanitation as one of the universal goals.

General awareness of the need to consider what will happen with the MDGs beyond 2015, backed by a request by the 2010 UN summit on MDGs for the UN Secretary-General to initiate preparations for this also, means the recent consultation was

preceded by a great deal of work to build a vision of what might succeed the water MDG.This included an important consultation meeting held in Berlin, Germany in May 2011.

Maria Neira, director for public health and environment at theWorld Health Organization, also spoke at the Geneva meeting in February. She explained that current thinking is that the existing approach based around the WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme should be retained but with some modifications. For example, greater sophistication in the statistics gathered would help target improvements and investment, such as greater differentiation in sanitation statistics to give better clarity on the extent of any improvements in place, or adding greater detail to the current urban / rural split.There should also be a greater emphasis on hygiene, reflecting the shift to dealing with water, sanitation and hygiene together, and there is the potential to look beyond household provision to provision in, for example, schools and health centres.

Probably the most important shift in thinking is on the need to move from the current MDG focus of reducing the proportion of people lacking basic services to a goal based on universal access, reflecting in particular progress on human rights on this area.

‘Universal access is a very powerful message, even if there are doubts about the feasibility of the realisation within a 15-25 year time horizon,’ said Neira.

Neira went on to offer a set of proposed targets: that by 2025 there should be no open defecation; that by 2030 all should have access to a basic drinking water supply and handwashing facilities when at home; and that by 2040 all should have use of adequate sanitation at home, and the proportion of people not using an intermediate drinking water service should be reduced by half.Alongside all of this, services should be provided in a progressively affordable, financially accountable, and sustainable manner.

In contrast, the Geneva meeting, though not conducted to deliver comparable focused, top-level options for water resources and for wastewater, highlighted the likely complexity that will be faced in embedding wider water issues in the post-2015 agenda.

It was also indicative of the relative infancy of activity in this area, in terms of reporting mechanisms, for example.

Towards a post-2015 agenda Efforts to build towards the post-2015 agenda will continue to be ramped up.

The European Commission, for example, has initiated discussions in the EU with the release of its ‘A decent life for all: ending poverty and giving the WATER 21 • APRIL 2013

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GLOBAL FOCUS

world a sustainable future’ document.

Meanwhile, international financial institutions have issued a joint statement of their intention to ensure as much as possible is done before 2015 to meet the original MDG targets, and to support development of the post2015 agenda.

There are positive signs in all of this regarding the prospects for water. For example, the survey of Member States about the development of the SDGs that was reported to the Open Working Group found that water and sanitation was the second most frequently mentioned priority area, behind only the need for food security and sustainable agriculture.Wider water concerns are being given prominence at a high political level, such as the first UN General Assembly session on water and disasters, which was held in early March.An African regional consultation on water, convened by the African Ministers Council onWater at the start of March, called for specific wider recognition of water in the post-2015 agenda beyond the water supply and sanitation focus, andThe Netherlands, as a leader in the thematic consultation on water, has said that it will push for such wider recognition

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too.The concluding water consultation meeting inThe Hague included a live link-up with a special session of the UN General Assembly on water cooperation.And the early efforts to shape the High Level Political Forum that will replace the UN Commission on Sustainable Development has noted the potential for this to work on a cluster of critical issues, such as water, energy, climate change, food, and agriculture.

The core, fundamental concept of integrated water resources management has featured in the outcome documents of international meetings of the last 20 years. Progress has been made on implementation, and there has been progress on assessing this implementation globally too, but to date international meetings have failed to secure any great commitment. One of the key strengths of the MDGs has been the way the simply-expressed goals could provide a focus for action.

An option for the post-2015 agenda would therefore be to build on the existing reference to integrated water resources management with a goal around which commitment can be built.As the Geneva water thematic meeting highlighted, there are many

concerns and many options regarding water, and if the water community wants to see water feature in the post2015 agenda, it needs to ensure not just that water is seen as a priority, but that it can offer a broadly acceptable core message around which commitment can be built as part of the SDGs. One way of expressing a goal encompassing wider water aspirations is that we should aim to live in a water-secure world. Perhaps tellingly, UN-Water choseWorldWater Day as the day to launch a discussion document on water security, proposing a working definition of water security as ‘the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability’. ● See IWA News. Also, see: www.worldwewant2015.org and ‘Water security & the global water agenda – a UN-Water analytical brief’, available at www.unwater.org

IWA NEWS

THE PRESIDENT

Water futures and solutions WA is a partner in an extremely interesting long-term initiative called ‘World Water Futures and Solutions: World Water Scenarios Initiative’. The initiative is led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), with other partners including UNESCO, the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and the World Water Council. You will hear more about this initiative as it unfolds over the coming years, but it is the title, ‘Water Futures and Solutions’, that I want to address. It raises several questions, such as ‘What is the future of water that we want over the next 50 years or more?’ and ‘What solutions do we need to be putting in place today to achieve that future?’.

To begin, let me share with you my assessment of the key outcomes that the water community should be striving to achieve. They are (in no particular order): extend the human right to water and sanitation to all; ensure sufficient water is available for human and environmental uses; and decrease the environmental footprint of water service provision. These key ideas shape my view of our desired water future and provide the basis for thinking about metrics.

The first – extending water and sanitation provision to all – is straightforward, once acceptable water supply and sanitation metrics are established. For water supply one can envisage a sufficient quantity of safe water and sanitation services which are safe, appropriate, and include appropriate management of the resulting faeces

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and urine. The latter does not necessarily mean water-based sewerage, but it does mean that the waste is appropriately managed. Also, everyone means everyone.

Next, consider the provision of sufficient water for human uses and the environment. Human uses include domestic uses, industry, energy, and agriculture. Of course, agriculture is the largest use on a global basis, while energy is the largest use in developed countries, but significant opportunities exist to reduce water use in both of these sectors through increased efficiency. The scenarios analysis part of the project will be interesting in helping us to understand how far existing leading edge practices and technologies in these areas will get us. Some might suggest that all we need to do is increase efficiency in agriculture and energy production and this objective will be met. I suggest that the domestic and industrial sectors also need to do their part, and we all know that significant opportunities exist. The interesting point here is water for the environment. In my mind it depends upon the nature of the environment that we want to create and to preserve. In many locations there is little of the ‘natural’ environment left. Thus, we have the opportunity to define the nature of the environment that we want, but this will require us to make choices between various options. Framing and answering the associated questions is likely to be a significant issue for society going forward.

The environmental footprint of

water service provision includes not only water use and efficiency, but also energy, nutrient, and chemical use. Of course, for IWA this topic is a significant focus of our Cities of the Future programme. Our colleagues working in this area conclude that it is possible to meet urban water service needs with much less water, to be energy neutral or possibly energy positive, to extract nutrients and other materials for human use, and to significantly reduce net chemical use. Great opportunities exist using existing practices and technologies, and the intense research efforts occurring here offer promising future developments.

The above suggests that significant progress can be made by the water profession, and that a more desirable future can be created.

This leads us to the question ‘What should we be doing now to achieve this desirable future?’. We should certainly be exploring options to achieve higher levels of performance, as so many of our members are doing. It will be helpful if we can reach improved consensus on the objectives, which the discussion surrounding this study should help us to do. However, our greatest need is for further drivers for change by the water profession.

We are constrained in many ways; by regulations, standards, funding, and others. We must continue to address these constraints so that we can change fast enough to achieve the futures that are possible. One constraint that we have full control over is ourselves.

One phrase used by many of our

colleagues is that we are a ‘conservative profession’, and rightly so because we are responsible for protecting public health.

It is my perception, however, that this phrase is sometimes used to retain the status quo because we are uncomfortable with change; something for us all to think about.

I hope this has given you a glimpse of the questions that the ‘Water Futures and Solutions’ study will investigate and some of the questions it will help us address. In providing this overview I am also hoping to seed your thought process, and I welcome your comments. As IWA is a partner in this exercise, a number of IWA members will be enlisted to provide advice and review as the study progresses. I am encouraged that the results can help us determine our future programmes and, more importantly, that it will further position the Association to advise policy-makers in the steps needed to achieve the brightest future possible for all. ●

Glen T Daigger, PhD, PE, BCEE, NAE President, International Water Association

IWA input on consultation on the role of wastewater management and water quality post-2015 ith the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target date on the horizon, international discussions on the post-2015 options for setting international goals have started. Following the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, the focus is now on formulating a set of new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have sustainability at their core, are truly global and, in the spirit of sustainability, also reflect inter-generational perspec-

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tives1. The outcome document of Rio+20 (The Future We Want) contains a section on water and makes explicit reference to water in other sections, linking it to food security and ecosystem integrity as well as the importance of management of floods and droughts as part of the water issues.

Significant progress was made because, for the first time, pollution control and wastewater management emerged with specific mention in a UN agreement of this kind.

Understanding the local context and scale of the wastewater management challenges in light of global changes, particularly urbanisation and climate change, is critical to the formulation of future goals, targets and indicators. However, efforts should not be towards re-inventing the wheel, but rather to formulate goals and targets that are based on the experience and achievements of the existing MDGs, outcomes

of Rio+20 and other relevant initiatives, while also paying attention to emerging issues, in particular the human rights approach to the provision of water related services.

The UN Water Wastewater Task Force on Water Quality and Wastewater Management is charged with the responsibility to facilitate a process to define a target and indicators to meet these objectives. The Post 2015 Thematic Consultation on Water

was one of the Global Thematic Consultations featured in an online ‘global dialogue’, facilitated by the UN system on the ‘World We Want’ website (www.worldwewant2015. org). The Thematic Consultation on Water was divided into three thematic sub-consultations: water, sanitation and hygiene; water resource management; and wastewater management and water quality. This involved a series of online consultations in January and February 2013.

The draft synthesis report from the ‘wastewater and water quality’ sub-consultation is available from www.worldwewant 2015.org/water/wastewater and provides a summary and a short analysis of the views of the various online users who engaged in the consultation. The findings and recommendations have fed into the definition of the proposed target and indicators specific to wastewater management and water quality.

Wastewater reuse - development and innovation IWA is a partner on the UN Water Task Force with the specific focus on the reuse element, which has been identified as one of the three core elements of the target alongside pollution reduction and remediation. As part of the consultation process, the IWA

Specialist Group on Water Reuse prepared a background paper (www.worldwewant2015.org/node/ 304075) highlighting that reuse of water after appropriate treatment provides an alternative and economically viable source of water for drinking purposes, food production and other productive uses, supporting the resilience of human and natural systems under water stress. The paper underlines that reuse is an integral component of development objectives relating to resource management, environmental protection and management at local and global scales.

As part of the consultation, IWA facilitated an online discussion with a panel consisting of Joppe Cramwinckel from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Valentina Lazarova from Suez-Environnement, Graham Alabaster from UN-Habitat and Javier Mateo-Sagasta Davila from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Stemming from this discussion and the online dialogue a number of key issues were highlighted which were presented at the Meeting on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Consultation on Water: Water Resources Management and Wastewater Management & Water Quality held in Geneva on 27-28 February 2013 (see: www.unece.org/post_2015

_water_consultation_meeting. html). These key issues are summarised below.

Technological developments can provide new solutions to tackle problems related to wastewater management. However, achievement of the proposed goal is more dependent upon promoting uptake and scaling-up the utilisation of existing practices. Solutions need to be applied in relation to local circumstances and reuse requirements (e.g. groundwater recharge, industrial reuse, irrigation).

To improve the public perception of the safety of water reuse, there is a need for indictors to provide sufficient guarantees about the quality of treated water and transparent information on the reuse system and monitoring approach.

The target should focus on promoting the term ‘water reuse’ to avoid negative perceptions about terminology related to wastewater reuse. However, the target should also embrace the need for reuse and recovery of resources related to nutrients and energy.

Outcome goals are needed to provide direction and aspiration, but they can be challenging to monitor and do not guide improvement of the (water management and reuse) process. This will eventually lead to penalizing national governments in case of failure to meet the target outcome.

Therefore, there also need to be process indicators that focus on the development and implementation of strategies and regulatory frameworks (process indicators) which are more adaptable for national and sub-national priorities.

There is a need for a concerted effort to disseminate experiences of best practice focusing on those that demonstrate financial sustainability and commercial viability at scale. Capacity building is really important (see page 24) and this needs to be undertaken in a way so that practitioners can learn and share experience about different technologies via peer-to-peer learning. There is also a specific need to address issues relating to operational sustainability as there are many cases of wastewater infrastructure being poorly operated and maintained.

For more information, contact Jonathan Parkinson (email: Jonathan.Parkinson@iwahq. org) at IWA’s office in London or Katharine Cross (email: Katharine.Cross@iwahq.org) at the IWA office in the Hague. ●

Note Statement from the preparatory work done for Rio+20 on Support forWater Related Goals &Targets at Rio+20 – An Assessment of Proposed Goals and Targets, by UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment, on behalf of the Danish government 1

Nexus dialogue on water infrastructure: contribute to the discussion ities are increasingly competing for water resources with other water users such as agriculture and energy. We often see these essential resources as separate entities, but they are inextricably linked. The water-energy-food nexus explores how these three areas are interlinked, and how development in one area can affect the others.

To address such competing water needs for the water-energyfood nexus means exploring opportunities to optimize water infrastructure and technology for multiple purposes. In response, IWA and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have launched the ‘Nexus dialogue on water infrastructure solutions’, aimed at building partnerships to lead transformations in water infrastructure, planning, finance and operation. The dialogue provides a forum for sharing experiences, lessons, tools and

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guidelines on how portfolios of water infrastructure and technologies can address the challenges of the nexus.

You are invited to take part in the dialogue and share experiences in optimising the existing multiple approaches of man-made infrastructure and technologies including dams, embankments, and wastewater systems, and nature-based infrastructure, including rivers, wetlands and forested hill slopes.

Share your views on the water-energy-food nexus.

Credit: Tish1 / Shutterstock.com

How to contribute What type of water infrastructure is being used to provide water for multiple uses? Who has benefited and in what ways?

What tools, guidance, models and technologies do you use to identify water infrastructure solutions? How has this project influenced water, energy, and food security?

There are a range of ways

that you can contribute. Use the guiding questions to develop your contributions to www.waternexussolutions.org.

Submit your tools or case studies to solutions@waternexussolutions.org or upload them to the Nexus Toolkit at http://tools.waternexussolutions.org /ibis/nexus/eng/toolbox. Take part in the IWA Water Wiki Hot Topic

competition at: www.iwawaterwiki .org and win prizes, and join in discussions on the site. You can also take part in anchor workshops in your region, and participate in the 2014 International Conference on Water, Food, and Energy and follow us on social media channels Facebook and Twitter (@WaterNexus). ● WATER 21 • APRIL 2013

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IWA NEWS

Experts explore water utility performance beyond compliance WA and partners are developing a joint technical report to be published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) which will explore sharing knowledge bases that enable resource and environmental efficiency as well as technical improvements in water and wastewater utilities.

This collaboration stemmed from the European Water Utility Expert meeting in December 2012, hosted by EEA, the European Water Association and the European

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Federation of National Associations of Water and Wastewater Services.

The expert meeting provided a stepping stone for further cooperation between leading networks of water professionals on how to improve the European knowledge base on water utility performance – beyond the compliance assessments and how this can be quantified.

There is a high priority to improve resource efficiency in water and wastewater utilities in several

European and international agendas. Considerable experiences with the use of benchmarking systems and indicators related to water utility performance have already been developed within the framework of national / European / international associations and other networks of water professionals. The underlying data already collated and processed can provide valuable information to be shared at a European level.

The technical report will focus

on specific water uses and losses in distribution systems, energy consumption and recovery in the urban water cycle as well as nutrient recovery from wastewater and on specific pollutant emissions dependent on types of urban wastewater treatment. ●

For more information, please visit http://projects.eionet.europa.eu/ wise-tg/library/thematic-issues/ water-utilities-resource-efficiency or contact katharine.cross@iwahq.org.

Amsterdam International Water Week call for papers now open!

WA invites submissions of papers for the International Water Week taking place 4-8 November 2013.

The conference is focusing on integrated water solutions for a green economy, which includes solutions for sustainable and resilient cities and delta areas.

The key themes are: • Technology for optimizing the

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urban water cycle • Urban delta technology, planning and management • Integrated urban water management • Industrial and municipal water reuse solutions

15 May; authors will be notified of acceptance on 8 July; the call for registration is to be confirmed; and full paper submission (optional) is 1 September. For more information on how to submit, please visit www.international waterweek.com.

The International Water Week is co-organized by RAI

The call for papers opened on 7 March; paper submission closes

Amsterdam, IWA, International Water Conferences and the Netherlands Water Partnership, and will include several concurrent events, including: the International Water Week Conference; Aquatech trade fair; Water Operator Partnership (WOP) Conference; Utility Leaders Forum; and Industrial Leaders Forum. ●

Available from IWA Publishing

water utility management I

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Water Utility Management International focuses on the needs and interests of senior water utility managers. The aim of this publication is to provide those heading water and wastewater utilities with an international reference point on the strategic issues affecting their organisations. Water Utility Management International will also be of value to consultants and others following developments in this area.

Presented in a newsletter format, Water Utility Management International contains news, interviews, and in-depth briefings on topical issues. Other articles take an executive briefing approach or are based on landmark case studies. Regular themes for articles include financing, investment, regulation and personnel matters. There is also a central theme of achieving efficiency in water utilities, encompassing topics such as benchmarking, billing, tariffs, IT and service standards.

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Subscriptions Water Utility Management International is published four times a year (March, June, September, December) by IWA Publishing and is available as either a print or an online subscription.

2013 price (4 issues): £241 / $480 / €363 (IWA members: £199 / $378 / €299) Those interested in submitting an article should contact Keith Hayward, Editor, khayward@iwap.co.uk For more information, visit: www.iwaponline.com

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WATER 21 • APRIL 2013

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WUMI Editorial Advisory Panel Dr Richard Franceys, Cranfield University Dr Bernhard Hoersgen, Gelsenwasser AG Dr David Johnstone, University of Oxford Prof Hamanth Kasan, Rand Water Mr Khoo Teng Chye, PUB Singapore Mr Alejo Molinari, ETOSS / ERAS Dr Renato Parena, Societa Metropolitana Acque Torino Mr Eric Rothstein, Galardi Rothstein Group Ms Meike Van Ginneken, World Bank

ISSN (print): 1747-7751 ISSN (online): 1747-776X

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