Smart Water Magazine Bimonthly 6 by Smart Water Magazine

iTwin

Infrastructure Digital Twins Quickly combine engineering data, reality data, and IoT data into a living digital twin. Give stakeholders new insights, simulate construction sequencing and logistics, and optimize design and operations for a deeper understanding of infrastructure.

www.bentley.com/iTwin © 2021 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the Bentley logo, and iTwin are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

iTwin

Infrastructure Digital Twins

iTwins enable you to visualize the asset, track change, and perform analysis to better understand and optimize asset performance. ENGINEERING • • • • • • • •

sical Asset Phy

Specs Drawings Documents BIM Models Analyses Geotech OEM specs

3D/XR

iTwin

Immersive Visualization

OPERATIONAL • • • • • •

IoT feeds Sensors Drones Photos LiDAR Point clouds

Timeline of Change

IT/ERP/EAM

• Asset tags • Work orders • Maintenance records • Inspection records

AI/ML

Analytics Visibility

iTwins are continuously updated with data from the physical asset. This data is used to understand and model the asset’s performance.

iTwins span the entire asset lifecycle. Users at all stages can make better informed decisions for better outcomes.

PLANNING • Site survey • Reality capture / 3D mesh

iTwin OPERATIONS

DESIGN

• HSSE training • Operator training

• Stakeholder engagement • Planning and visualization • Quality review • Change tracking

• Maintenance planning • Shutdowns • Verify before execution • Remote inspection • Leak detection • Corrosion detection

CONSTRUCTION • Simulate logistics • Progress • Status review • 4D modeling

© 2021 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the Bentley logo, and iTwin are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. 02/21

www.bentley.com/iTwin

ANALYSIS • Pedestrian simulation • Flood simulation

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FROM THE EDITOR

A NEW OPPORTUNITY We managed to leave behind 2020, a year marked by the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty it generated across the board. Priorities have shifted, placing basic needs at the forefront. In this regard, water and sanitation services have been shown to be critical in many geographies that took them for granted. But we also started a year where this crisis can be seen as an opportunity: “Lessons learned from other crises suggest that these can offer important opportunities for advancing crucial WSS reforms and water investments," says Gustavo Saltiel, Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist at the World Bank, in this issue. The multilateral organisation is working on the "Building Back Better" programme with the aim of improving the policy, institutional and regulatory systems involved in water resources management, promoting resilience and sustainability. These two concepts, resilience and sustainability, are two of Schneider Electric's leitmotifs. Valerie Houchin, Sales Team Leader, Energy & Sustainability Services, explains in an interview how the company partners with its customers to achieve these two goals using digital transformation as leverage. PUBLISHER iAgua Conocimiento, S.L. C/ Príncipe de Vergara, 132 Planta 9 - 28002 Madrid (Lexington Coworking) info@iagua.es MANAGEMENT Alejandro Maceira Rozados David Escobar Gutiérrez EDITOR Alejandro Maceira Rozados

Organisations, whether government bodies or businesses, must focus on reducing the use of resources and ensure they have the tools that enable them to adapt swiftly to the changing times we live in. If there is one region in the world where they are aware of the importance of the concepts we are talking about, it is the Middle East. Last November, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Mohsen Al-Fadhli, announced the creation of the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO). The company aims to build and manage water conveyance assets, separately from the water treatment assets managed by the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). Currently, WTTCO

EDITORIAL STAFF Águeda García de Durango Caveda Laura Fernández Zarza Paula Sánchez Almendros Olivia Tempest Prados Cristina Novo Pérez

projects amounting to US$10 billion are already being implemented. In line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, this new company is part of the privatisation model of the National Water Strategy. The cover of this issue of Smart Water Magazine Bimonthly features H.E. Eng. Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkareem, Governor of SWCC and Chairman of the Board of WTTCO. In a comprehensive interview, he describes the expected benefits of this move: attracting investors, increasing private participation, creating a competitive environment for new investments, reducing costs and achieving operational excellence. A new opportunity in an industry that continues to look ahead. David Escobar - Partner at SWM

D @davizescobar - E @DavidEscobariAgua

ART AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Pablo González-Cebrián Aurora Ortega Tello

ADVERTISING Javier de los Reyes PHOTOGRAPHY Pablo González-Cebrián

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CONTENTS NUMBER 06 - FEB 2021 FEATURE

INTERVIEW

FEATURE

DIGITAL TWINS IN ACTION

WTTCO: ENHANCING EFFICIENCY

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE WASH SERVICES

WBE DELIVERS ON ITS PROMISES

Pg. 62 Bentley Systems presents innovators who have embraced digital twins in water, sewer and stormwater projects as well as in operations.

Pg. 14 We interview Saudi Arabia’s SWCC Governor and WTTCO’s Chairman to hear about the plans and goals of the newly established entity.

Pg. 86 Catarina Fonseca, finance specialist at IRC, tells us about the path to ensure universal WASH services, and the role of finance.

Pg. 50 A year into the pandemic, we revisit the current status of SARS-CoV-2 monitoring in wastewater in support of public health responses.

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CONTENTS NUMBER 06 - FEB 2021 FEATURE

INTERVIEW

FEATURE

ON THE VALUE AND PRICE OF WATER

FOCUSING ON SUSTAINABILITY

INNOVATIVE PUMPING SOLUTIONS

RADAR IMAGING IN DAM MONITORING

Pg. 48 Droople shares some thoughts on the value of water. As global supplies decline and costs increase, should we question the price of water?

Pg. 20 Valerie Houchin explains in an interview how Schneider Electric is guiding water companies in achieving their sustainability goals.

Pg. 38 Indar describes their fish-friendly technology to address desalination water intake needs while preserving marine resources.

Pg. 76 In Australia, Rezatec is using satellite-based geospatial data analysis to monitor dam assets that enable proactive management decisions.

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CONTENTS NUMBER 06 - FEB 2021

FEATURE

INFRASTRUCTURE

OPINION

INTERVIEW

WATER WORKERS AND DIGITALIZATION

SINGAPORE OPENS 4TH DESAL PLANT

CALIFORNIA WATER FUTURES TRADING

LAC COUNTRIES FACE CLIMATE CHANGE

Pg. 70 Will Sarni and Jacob Tompkins write a feature analysing the effects of digital tools on the workforce of water utilities.

Pg. 84 We delve into Singapore’s fourth desalination plant, which was recently inaugurated to learn about its latest technology and innovation.

Pg. 18 Gonzalo Delacámara discusses the pros and cons of water becoming a commodity in California and its impact on the rest of world markets.

Pg. 96 We speak with Graham Watkins, from the IDB on the effects of global warming in Latin America and the Caribbean and possible solutions.

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CONTENTS NUMBER 06 - FEB 2021 THE MAGAZINE FOR THE KEY PLAYERS OF THE WATER SECTOR SPEAKERS' CORNER

WATER COMPANIES’ COMMUNICATIONS Pg.104 A marketing guru, Beth Boeh speaks to us about her communications company and the challenges she finds in her day to day work.

FEATURE

HOW TO SAVE WATER IN AGRICULTURE? Pg. 26 Learn how NORMA Group supports various agricultural businesses with innovative and water-saving irrigation systems and components.

RANKING

SMART WATER MAGAZINE RANKING Pg. 10 Discover our tool that will measure and order the influence of organizations in the water sector according to transparent criteria.

PEOPLE

MAKING A DIFFERENCE SO YOUNG Pg. 12 Discover how Gitanjali Rao, an Indian-American girl, impacted the water sector at the age of 11 and how she continues to make a change.

INTERVIEW

COVID, WASH & DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Pg. 28 In an in-depth interview, we speak with Gustavo Saltiel from the World Bank on how COVID has impacted the water and sanitation sector.

FEATURE

HOW DO AIRPORTS BECOME WATER EFFICIENT?

#SWMB6

Pg. 42 Have you ever been in an airport or flying in a plane and wondered how much water these infrastructures and aircraft use?

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SWM RANKING Smart Water Magazine (SWM) launches a Ranking to measure the inﬂuence of organizations and professionals in the water industry. The SWM Ranking is a tool that allows the influence of organizations in the water sector to be measured and ordered according to transparent criteria. The factors considered for the calculation are the page views on the web, the number of SWM Likes and the contents in Smart Water Magazine Monthly. The ranking order is established by a unit of measurement created for this purpose: SWM Points. This metric is calculated through a mathematical algorithm that takes into account the content published during the 365 days prior to the calculation date and will be updated every month, coinciding with the publication of each issue of SWM Monthly. The data of the visits to the web are extracted from Google Analytics, while the amount of SWM Likes are directly counted and can be seen in the different contents of the web.

mentioned that particular content can obtain a maximum of 1,000 points. This is done to prevent the distortion of the entire classification in case a specific content goes viral.

How are SWM points earned? Each content published on the web by an entity or blogger gets 1 point for every 10 page views; also, for each SWM Like it gets 2 points, which become 5 in the event that the user who grants it is a verified user. On the other hand, if the content appears in SWM Monthly, it gets 250 points. This amount is fixed and corresponds to an estimation of the average audience generated by the monthly magazines. It should also be

SWM Likes and Verified Users Registered users of SWM can click on the blue heart of any content on the web that they like. The number of SWM Likes appears beside the blue heart. The number of likes of a content is used for the calculation, having a different value if the user is verified (5 points) or not (2 points). Verified users are easy to distinguish as a white "check" icon appears on their profile next to their name on a blue circle.

Classification categories SWM publishes content of all kinds: by companies, public administrations, international organizations, associations, foundations, etc. In addition, SWM bloggers publish their articles in a personal capacity on a wide variety of topics. For all these reasons, the Ranking has several classifications depending on the category of the entity. The most important ones are: • Companies • Blogs In addition, a general classification can be consulted in which all the participating entities are compared regardless of their type.

How are SWM points earned?

SWM Points

SWM Like

Page views

Verified users

SWM Points

SWM Point

Page views

Non-verified users

SWM Alliances A blog that is linked to an entity will contribute only 50% of its points to that entity

250 SWM Points

50%

*The ranking order is established by a unit of measurement created for this purpose: SWM Points. *A specific content piece can obtain a maximum of 1,000 SWM Points. *The maximum number of content pieces in SWM Monthly that will be considered for the calculation is 16.

TOP 10 - COMPANIES RANK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

COMPANY

SWM POINTS

1.366 points 1.309 points 887 points 881 points 827 points 543 points 487 points 441 points 385 points 363 points

Schneider Electric ACCIONA Almar Water Solutions Idrica Hidroconta Veolia SUEZ Xylem Inc. Isle Utilities Miya

TOP 5 - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS

TOP 5 - BLOGS

PUB Singapore’s N. Water Agency 332 points

Karl-Uwe Schmitz

600 points

Gov. Hong Kong (WSD)

271 points

Graham Mann

519 points

US EPA

117 points

Madhukar Swayambhu

307 points

RIVM Dutch

116 points

Robert Brears

269 points

DEWA Dubai

113 points

John Mmbaga

263 points - MAGAZINE

PERSON OF THE MONTH

GITANJALI RAO TEENAGER WHO DEVELOPED A SOLUTION TO HELP SOLVE THE WATER CRISIS IN FLINT, MICHIGAN

Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year in 2020, Gitanjali Rao is an ambitious and savvy fifteen-year-old inventor and scientist who once said to the media: “I think being a scientist is like being a superhero because superheroes save people, and want to do what is best for their society – scientists do exactly the same thing.” At the age of 11, Rao had designed a small, mobile device that tests lead in drinking water, which she named Tethys, after the Greek Titan goddess of clean water, after learning about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Two years later, in 2019, the young Indian-American girl knocked on the water industry’s door to help her create a working prototype of the device, so it could one day be on the market. Containing a battery, Bluetooth and carbon nanotubes, Rao’s device is a 3D printed box as small as a deck of cards. Accord-

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ing to the scientist, she came up with the idea of building this lead-detecting model inspired by similar technology used to detect hazardous gas in the air: “Why not use carbon nanotube sensors to detect lead in water?” Rao’s solution works by linking carbon atoms together in a beehive shape and connecting them to create a tube — a nanotube. The carbon nanotubes respond to changes in the electron flow. If there is lead in the water, the lead sticks to the carbon ions, creating resistance. Tethys measures that resistance and sends the data to a smartphone app to give the status of lead in water. Gitanjali Rao wants to use the latest technology not only to help the water sector, but believes new solutions can bring social change and has also worked to tackle matters such as opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

BUSINESS

INTERVIEW

ABDULLAH BIN IBRAHIM AL-ABDULKAREEM HE ENG.

SWCC GOVERNOR AND WTTCO’S CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.

Z Cristina Novo

“Efficiency is not only one of the foundational pillars of WTTCO, but also one of our guiding principles, shaping everything we do” A world-class corporatised entity owned by the Saudi Government, the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO) oversees water transmission, distribution and storage systems over more than 8,400 kilometres. Last month of November, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Mohsen Al-Fadhli, announced the creation of the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO). In line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, the newly established company is part of the privatisation model of the National Water Strategy, that outlined the separation of water production assets and transmission assets. In this interview, we had the chance to speak with HE Eng. Abdullah Bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkareem, SWCC Governor and WTTCO’s Chairman of the Board, about this historic step towards enhancing the efficiency and organisation of the water sector in Saudi Arabia. What do you expect will be the opportunities arising from the corporatiza-

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tion of the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO)? The Economic Affairs and Development Council has launched several programs to accomplish the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals and strategic objectives — one of which is the privatization program, which encompasses the privatization of the country’s water sector. The Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) is among the world’s largest and most influential operators of desalinization plants and power stations in Saudi Arabia. The corporation is being transformed into a local and global leader in desalination operations with the aim of supporting the ambitions and growth of Saudi Arabia and its people by creating social and economic value for the Kingdom. It is overseen by the Supervisory Committee for Privatization of the Environ-

ment, Water, and Agriculture Sector under the chairmanship of His Excellency Engineer Abdulrahman Abdul-mohsen A. AlFadley. The committee approved the corporation's privatization strategy, which includes the separation of production assets from transportation, and the establishment of the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO). This strategy will prove incredibly beneficial, presenting several advantages; namely: attracting investors, encouraging the participation of the private sector, creating a competitive and conducive environment for further investment and foreign direct investment, as well as reducing costs and achieving operational excellence. To what extent has the newly created WTTCO adopted digital technologies? WTTCO will leverage the very latest and leading-edge technologies in the best, most efficient and purpose-driven ways possible. We are proactively working towards a fully automated operational system, and have adopted robust best-practices and technology in support of the same. We have laid out a comprehensive plan that is as ambitious as it is aggressive with a view to strengthening our technological — and digital — backbone. This will enable us to achieve the best efficiencies possible and fulfil our goals. WTTCO will join forces with SWCC to ensure that we also leverage existing technologies and resources deployed at SWCC. The WTTCO will work to achieve higher efficiency. What are the plans to accomplish this? Efficiency is not only one of the foundational pillars of WTTCO, but also one of our guiding principles, shaping everything we do. We plan to integrate all systems — across different functions — including operational technology and ensure that we maximize the value of our assets. We have also developed stream-

HE ENG. ABDULLAH BIN IBRAHIM AL-ABDULKAREEM

lined and standardized processes and will work towards improved cost efficiencies. From an operational perspective, we have many initiatives to improve efficiencies, especially in using the latest technologies in water transmission. What are the expectations in terms of attracting private sector investments? What about in terms of the development of the water sector supply chain? The Water Transmission and Technologies Company is fully owned by the government — as outlined by Cabinet decision No. 32 — and represented by the Environmental, Water, and Agriculture sector supervisory committee, headed by H.E. The Minister Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen A. AlFadley. WTTCO

operates under the Supervisory Committee's guidance, and the Committee will determine the appropriate market share at the time. Thousands of km of new transmission lines are planned. Could you give us an overview of projects to be implemented in the short and medium-term? The capital value of the projects currently being executed by the corporation is approximately SAR 40 billion (more than US$10 billion). These include projects for establishing and replacing expired transmission systems and projects for the construction and replacement of desalination plants, to which the value engineering methodology has been applied. Desalination plants are connected to

transmission systems to deliver water to authorities responsible for the distribution in the benefiting regions and cities, with high technical specifications and attractive economic returns. It should be noted that the mega projects currently being implemented were not included in the enterprise's target plans intended to be offered to the private sector in 2021.

"The SWCC's privatization strategy includes the separation of production assets from transportation, and the establishment of the WTTCO" - MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

The projects currently being implemented were not included in the target plans intended to be offered to the private sector in 2021

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How will the newly created WTTCO support innovation in water technology and research? Optimizing water transmission in terms of energy use and cost for water conveyance will be one of the key performance goals of WTTCO. SWCC’s water transmission experts — who will also be transferred to and redeployed at WTTCO — have built strong professional ties and close working relationship with the Water Technology Research Center of SWCC (WTRI). These experienced professionals will work closely together in a number of water technology and research fields, including: J Application of the latest digital twin models of the transmission system devel-

HE ENG. ABDULLAH BIN IBRAHIM AL-ABDULKAREEM oped by WTRI. These systems have been developed to minimize energy use and increase the conveyance capacity of the transmission system. J Use of new technology to apply chlorine dioxide generated from purified brine instead of commercially acquired sodium hypochlorite. This will be used for disinfection of the drinking water transmitted by WTTCO. J Evaluation and implementation of state-of-the-art technologies for inline piping of portions of the existing transmission pipelines. This will help to improve transmission capacity and address integrity loss of sections of the old mortar-lined piping of the transmission system.

J Enhancing transmission water quality and corrosion resistance of the distribution system by supplementing the desalinated water with magnesium extracted from desalination plant brine. J Other technological advancements for remote monitoring of the transmission system's integrity and quality, such as a new generation of low-cost 3D printed wire-less sensors. What are the perspectives in terms of employment in the water sector in Saudi Arabia? The employees transferring from SWCC to WTTCO will be among the biggest

beneficiaries of this transformation. We will develop and train our native employees, who comprise more than 97% of the company’s workforce, to provide them with the necessary expertise and skills. Their transfer to work in a company operating on a commercial basis will open new horizons for pro-fessional advancement, developing skills and experiences in line with international standards. Additionally, the commercial transformation will provide valuable job opportunities for other Saudi citizens — either directly in the company's future projects as it expands, or indirectly with the various partners and other production companies that will work alongside WTTCO. What are the WTTCO goals in terms of sustainability? WTTCO was established with business sustainability as a key objective while also being set up to operate on a commercial basis. Financial sustainability is therefore a primary objective for WTTCO and exercising prudent financial planning and management, as well as efficient spending habits, should ensure that we achieve our sustainability goals. Additionally, maintaining the high quality of WTTCO’s assets and applying proper risk management practices are paramount to our success. From an operational perspective, WTTCO has an important mandate, as part of the water value chain in the Kingdom, which is to ensure that the Kingdom’s water demands are met through a sustained and continuous supply of water.

"WTTCO was established with business sustainability as a key objective while also being set up to operate on a commercial basis"

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OPINION

GONZALO DELACÁMARA HEAD, WATER ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT, IMDEA & INTERNATIONAL ADVISOR TO THE EC, OECD, WORLD BANK GROUP, AND UN SYSTEM

John Burroughs (1837-1921), an American naturalist and markets of water use rights: the surface water market and nature essayist, once said: “When a herd of cattle see a strange four groundwater basins: Central, Chino, main San Gabriel, object, they are not satisfied till each one has sniffed it; and and the upper stretch of the Mojave basins. The index value the horse is cured of his fright at the robe, or the meal-bag, or reflects the volume-weighted average water price, at source, other object, as soon as he can be induced to smell it. There excluding conveyance costs and water losses in underlying is a great deal of speculation in the eye of an animal, but markets, after adjusting for idiosyncratic price factors specific very little science”. Speculation in two different meanings is to each of the five eligible markets and rates of transactions. pervasive in a number of discussions these days: both in the Advocates of this initiative argue that it will be a very useform of conjectures without firm evidence and clumsy and ful tool to provide agricultural, commercial, and urban water not accountable investments. Both entail significant risks. users with greater transparency, a sort of clearing house mechBack on September 27th, 2020, CME Group, the world’s anism for price discovery, and a risk management and transfer leading derivatives marketplace, and Nasdaq Stock Market scheme to address a major global challenge: long-term water (formerly US National Association of Securities Dealers Au- security within the context of climate change. It is believed tomated Quotations), a global public technology company that a dynamic (liquid), transparent futures market would serving the capital markets and contribute to creating a forward other industries, announced plans curve so that water users can hedge The futures contract is for a new futures contract, pendfuture price risk. In other words, ing regulatory review, on the basis if properly working, this futures an agreement between two of Nasdaq Veles California Water market would be a way of protectparties who commit to exchange Index (NQH2O), launched in ing oneself against water price volturn in 2018. atility and potential financial loss an asset at a set future date This water futures market based as per water use. and a certain price on Nasdaq actually kicked off Opponents rather fear the deshortly after: on December 8th, rivatives will offer a poor hedge 2020. The announcement of this first-of-its-kind tool trav- for water users and may end up distorting prices for water, elled at light speed. Stereotypes sprung up: “blue gold”, “the thus affecting human rights to water and sanitation as estabultimate commodity”, “water traded on the stock exchange”, lished by the UN General Assembly back in 2010 and 2015. “trading water for the first time”, “water set to join likes of Critics say futures contracts may prove difficult to trade, givgold and oil” … As Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) put it in en the highly site-specific nature of water pricing and regThe Life of the Mind, clichés “protect us against reality”. ulation. There is also uneasiness with such a vital resource The futures contract is an agreement between two parties becoming a speculative financial asset. They would actually who commit to exchange an asset at a set future date and a not expect to see water open to potential manipulation or certain price. That asset is called the underlying asset: in this upward price pressure via financial markets. In fact, denying case, a water use right. potential externalities of water use right trading does not NQH2O tracks the spot price based on trading in water make them go away. rights (both leases and sales) in California's five largest and Unlike often stated, though, this new California water fumost active regions in terms of water use right trading, within tures contract is financially settled based on NQH2O (an inthe US$1.1 bn California water market. This includes five dex); hence no physical water will be traded. This financial

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settlement means traders never take physical delivery and for instance, would still need to buy water at the spot price cannot forward buy or stockpile water. during a drought event. Almost any water legislation in the world establishes As a matter of fact, the launch of NQH2O underlines a that water resources belong to the public domain. Sensibly growing focus from investors and regulators on the impact of enough, this is not at stake this time either. A wide range of water security and climate change adaptation on the stability water legislation also establishes the possibility to define water of the world’s financial system. Investors are actually waking (use) rights under a water access license as personal property. up to water risks, particularly in water-intensive industries It is important to note, though, that whether the water rights such as food, mining, textiles and, of course, water utilities. amount to property rights depends on the specific terms of It is almost impossible not to fear bearish speculative beeach legislation. Through granting licenses or entitlements or haviours, which earn more the more price volatility increases, via any other form of administrative action, the public sector with potential implications beyond those directly engaged in gives water users (be they legal or physical persons) the right water use right trades. Speculators need to be expelled from to use water (either in terms of withdrawal or, less frequent- such a market. Salman Rushdie (1947- ), in The Ground ly, the discharge of treated wastewater effluents). However, Beneath Her Feet, said: “Once you have been in an earthnot many countries have legal quake you know, even if you surprovisions to allow for the trading vive without a scratch, that like a Advocates of this initiative of those water use rights. Rights stroke in the heart, it remains in change hands through short- and the earth's breast, horribly potenargue that it will provide long-term leases and sales. The tial, always promising to return, to agricultural, commercial, most remarkable experiences hit you again, with an even more worldwide are in Australia, Chile, devastating force”. and urban water users with and the western states of the USA. Discussions about the role of the greater transparency This futures market is far from market (either as a good master or being a global market. It is not a useful servant, to paraphrase the even a California water market as such. This does not make felicitous expression by Joan Robinson, from Cambridge’s it a negligible one, though; California is the most populated post-Keynesian school: 1903-1983), are somehow meaningstate in the USA (39.37m inhabitants) and the third-largest less. At best, water use right markets would be a means to state by area (423,970 sq. km). In fact, were California a sov- an end. Discussing ends without further exploring means is ereign nation, in 2019 it would have ranked as the world’s not politics; but neither is emphasising on instruments, no fifth-largest economy (US$ 3.2 tn), ahead of India and be- matter how valuable they are, without linking them to policy hind Germany. The US ranks second in water consumption objectives. A paradigm shift is needed: one that moves away in the world (first, if measured per capita). from the futile attempt to mitigate uncertainty towards emNevertheless, each year only about 4% of the water used by bracing complexity and uncertainty itself, which are here to cities and farms in the state is traded, according to Califor- stay, thus focusing on managing risks rather than only crises. nia’s PPIC Water Policy Center. It would certainly be almost This can only be done through the alignment of individual impossible to use this water futures market to hedge the price interests and collective goals and that is the role for public, of water elsewhere and scarcity in one US state is very un- independent regulation. Only if this fails, fears will be more likely to influence long-term availability in another. Farmers, than justified.

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INTERVIEW

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VALERIE HOUCHIN

Z Olivia Tempest

SALES TEAM LEADER, ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SERVICES AT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

“The pandemic has only strengthened the need for companies’ sustainabilitydriven projects to come to fruition” The coronavirus pandemic has raised the significance of social factors in the present and environmental factors in the long-term. The water industry, dealing with a finite and irreplaceable resource that is at the core of sustainable development must now, more than ever, focus on lasting sustainability. Schneider Electric, the world’s most sustainable company, according to Corporate Knights 2021 Global 100 ranking, has made it a priority to double down on its long-standing strategy to embed environmental, social and governance considerations into every facet of its activities, as well as to assist its customers in achieving their own sustainability goals. Valerie Houchin, Sales Team Leader, Energy & Sustainability Services at Schneider Electric, explains in this interview how the firm is guiding the water sector in this respect. Could you tell us briefly about your career path and your current role in Schneider Electric? I was recruited to work for Schneider Electric’s Energy and Sustainability (ESS) division after graduating from college at Texas Christian University over twenty years ago. Energy and sustainability sound a lot different now than they did then. We have the opportunity to serve clients to buy and use energy smarter, drive sustainable

growth, and build projects that improve performance. In my career, I have served public sector clients in the Energy Services Company (ESCO)/ Design-Build group of Energy and Sustainability Services as an account executive in various geographies and public sector markets. In 2015, I felt the water and wastewater sector was a niche market that could benefit from our delivery method and collaborative approach to building projects. So, I jumped in feet first and haven’t looked back. As an executive account manager dedicated to the water and wastewater sector, I find joy in serving my clients every day, love seeing projects being built and value the long-term relationships and friendships I have formed over the years. The UN describes the concept of a sustainable water sector as going beyond that of just water infrastructure sustainability. How does Schneider Electric help the water sector become more sustainable?

I was recently involved in a global team project around the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and it was really interesting to learn more about how Schneider Electric is committed to the advancement of the UN SDGs. We developed 21 initiatives to support the UN SDGs and have been reporting progress over the last 15 years. As it relates to the water sector, we are most positively impacting SDG Goals, specifically SDG6 related to Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG9 related to industry, innovation and infrastructure and SDG11 related to sustainable cities and communities. We partner with our water customers in their digital transformation to help them reach their resilience and sustainability goals. Schneider Electric helps improve water and energy conservation by partnering with leading water companies to combine innovative digital technology with operation expertise, we enable the digital operation and digital assets with our end-to-end digital modeling platform, and we contribute to resource circularity by leveraging cloud technology for enterprise-level integrated operations. And how is the Sustainability division that you are a part of contributing to the support that is provided to customers?

"We developed 21 initiatives to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and have been reporting progress over the last 15 years" - MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

It is a long-term partnership as it involves truly listening and understanding the unique situations, needs and goals of my clients

One of the reasons I love my job in the ESCO/Design-Build group is that I have a direct role in my client’s sustainability strategy, implementation and measuring the results. It really is a long-term partnership as it involves truly listening and understanding the unique situations, needs and goals of my clients. Some of my clients have a solid plan in place but may currently be resource-strapped to get their projects off the ground. Or perhaps they need help to prioritize projects and to bundle them in logical phases to be built. And sometimes they need help with justifying the ROI and coming up with funding sources to pay for the improvements. We meet our clients exactly where they are. Then it’s my job to guide and facilitate decision making over a period of months or years to define the energy and sustainability-related water infrastructure project we can build with success and meet the outcomes the client is wishing to achieve. To what extent has the pandemic affected the perception of sustainability-driven projects in the water industry?

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In the ESCO/design-build division that I am a part of, our clients have continued forward with sustainability-driven projects in the pandemic, whether in the planning, design or construction phases. The pandemic has only strengthened the need for these types of projects to come to fruition as other revenue sources in their agencies may be strained. Many of my clients are also addressing aging infrastructure in our projects and since the water sector has 24-7 operations, maintaining their assets and continuing these essential services to their constituents is paramount. Completing these projects and having a good news story to share with stakeholders along with measurable key performance indicators is essential for advancing these types of projects in the future. The water sector consumes about 4% of electricity worldwide. How does Schneider Electric help water utilities and companies reduce their energy consumption? Helping our customers manage their energy needs in a sustainable way is a huge step towards sustainability in water. Schneider helps water utilities

VALERIE HOUCHIN

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INTERVIEW

Schneider has implemented energy and sustainability projects across the globe, committing to save $2.7B in energy over the next 20 years

and companies in a number of ways. First, the saying is true, you can’t manage what you can’t measure. There are many ways we help bring visibility to energy consumption through SCADA, power metering and Schneider’s energy management software, EcoStruxure Resource Advisor. Our design-build energy services group brings important projects into construction with measurable energy savings and designed with long-term energy and operational savings from the start. From a product and software perspective, we help clients manage their operations and reduce energy consumption with plant and network automation, integrated information management, energy-saving variable speed drives and control systems.

"Many corporations, water agencies and cities have adopted or are adopting formal climate action plans and holding themselves accountable" 24

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Could you mention some examples where Schneider Electric has helped the water industry reduce its energy consumption and become more sustainable? Schneider has implemented energy and sustainability projects across the globe, and we have committed to our current customers to save $2.7 billion in energy over the next 20 years. Our design-build/ ESCO (Energy Service Company) team has direct experience in building projects for agencies and cities and following up the construction with measurement and verification of energy savings which is beneficial to demonstrating ROI and long-term cost reductions. For example, the City of El Centro, CA worked with Schneider to design and build several energy and capital improvements at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, yielding a 44% reduction in energy usage in the aeration process, enabling the City to receive a $1.6 million grant to help fund the project. The City of Lakeland, FL received recognition as a 2019 EPA Pisces Program Award Nominee. This unique project encompasses both process-related capital improvements, as well as, the installation of a combined

heat and power (CHP) system that will capture and condition previously flared biogas from the plant's anaerobic digesters and use it to power a 400-kW generator which offsets the treatment facility's electricity needs by more than 41% and creates a pathway for future expansion to further reduce the facility's power demand. Do you think water organizations are increasingly bringing climate action to the forefront of their corporate agendas? And if so, how? Absolutely. Many corporations, water agencies and cities have adopted or are adopting formal climate action plans and holding themselves accountable through regular reporting and performance measurement. Since 2008, my career has been focused in California where AB 32, California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act was passed in 2006. In my presentations to water agencies, cities and boards of directors, one aspect of our design-build projects that is always highlighted by the C-suite is the environmental impact resulting from our project and how this helps their organization move the needle on their climate action plan goals. This is especially true in cities where wastewater plants represent the highest energy and carbon footprint, so having a quantifiable carbon reduction is a huge benefit. We understand that our clients are looking for trusted partners to help them define a sustainability strategy, measure progress towards their goals and deliver on their commitments. By listening to our clients, we continue to develop more services to help them reach their goals. Working in the energy and sustainability sector, do you foresee a tendency towards green careers in general, and if so, to what extent? Yes, I do. Having worked in Schneider’s Energy and Sustainability Divi-

VALERIE HOUCHIN sion for over 20 years, I have had the pleasure of having a green career. With the rising importance and awareness of climate neutrality, carbon emission reductions and the water-energy nexus, green is becoming a way of life, not just a movement. Having participated in several water conferences over the years, a hot topic facing water agencies is looking to millennials to lead these organizations as baby boomers move into retirement. We at Schneider Electric actively hire college graduates for various positions and are in our 11th year of hosting a global student competition called Go Green.

With the rise in awareness of climate neutrality and the water-energy nexus, green is becoming a way of life, not just a movement

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FEATURE

SUSTAINABLE AND WATER-SAVING AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION THE RIGHT CONNECTION HAS A CRUCIAL ROLE Water is the planet's most valuable resource. Numerous reports and studies, including the United Nations World Water Development Report 2020, report on the continuously increasing demand for water.

Andreas Troesch, Vice President Investor Relations, Communications and Corporate Responsibility. NORMA Group

Global water use has increased by a factor of six over the past 100 years and continues to grow steadily at a rate of about 1% per year (United Nations World Water Development Report 2020). The reasons for this include changes in consumption patterns, economic development and the global increase in population. As the population increases, so does the demand for food produced in agriculture, and agriculture needs a lot of water. The effects of climate change, such as droughts or floods, further exacerbate the need for water. Therefore, in a sustainable, efficient and future-proofed agricultural irrigation system, every drop of water is used sparingly and carefully. For many farmers, water-saving irrigation has top priority, as the water supply is often limited or regulated by statuto-

NORMA Group supports various agricultural businesses with efficient, sustainable and water-saving irrigation systems or components 26

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ry requirements to a certain maximum of water. If the water resources are used up, the fields can no longer be irrigated. Farmers around the world, therefore, need water-saving irrigation systems, for example, drip irrigation: Drip irrigation offers two benefits – first, it waters the plants near the roots and thus ensures that water is delivered precisely to the root zone. This reduces evaporation of water and promotes healthy plant growth. Second, drip irrigation systems are also less susceptible to leakage compared to traditional irrigation methods such as sprinklers. Globally, NORMA Group supports various agricultural businesses with efficient, sustainable and water-saving irrigation systems or several parts for irrigation system components. Saving water with the right connection In dry regions such as Australia, NORMA Group equips the irrigation system of a sandalwood plantation and a vineyard with COBRA clamps. The clamps are used at the connecting points between the drip lines, thus contributing to optimum irrigation and an increase in quality and yield. Furthermore, the

clamps are highly resilient and minimize the number of repairs and the water loss at the connecting points. In the sandalwood plantation, many repairs are brought about by animals such as cockatoos and wallabies that live on the plantation. The points of the drip irrigation systems that are most prone to leakage are usually the connection points. Therefore, the animals try to damage them in order to get water. Because the COBRA clamps are so robust, the animals are no longer successful. At the vineyard, too, water loss could be significantly minimized by converting plastic ratchet clips that were particularly vulnerable to weather and defects to the COBRA clamps. In addition to the COBRA clamps, other connection products also play an important role in irrigation systems in other regions of the world. In Florida for example, NORMA Group is supporting the water supply of a citrus farm with pinch clamps. Like many farmers in this region, the farmer uses the pinch clamps on poly tubing that supplies each row of trees from the mainline and submain. Here, too, the loss of water at

NORMA GROUP

COBRA clamps prevent water leakage at the drip line connection points of the sandalwood plantation

the connection points is significantly minimized. Sustainable irrigation in every season Another important factor in sustainable irrigation is to keep the plants alive for as long as possible. In the winter season, freezing water can protect plants from frost damages. What sounds counterintuitive is a law of nature in action: heat of crystallization. The heat of crystallization, also known as the heat of solidification, is released when a substance changes its physical state from liquid to solid. This releases energy. In agriculture, this effect is used, for example, in fruit growing. If there is a risk of frost, the flowers or fruits are constantly sprinkled with water. The

heat of crystallization released when the water freezes protects the plant parts from frost damage. One example is a strawberry farm in Florida which uses the NDS Clamp-it Saddles from the NORMA Group portfolio for their sprinkler irrigation system. When water from the sprinklers turns to ice, the heat released protects the plants from frost injury. As long as a thin layer of water is present, and constantly freezing, the temperature is kept above the critical point to protect the plant. The Clamp-it Saddles get applied to the lateral water lines to connect to sprinkler risers. Thus, the saddles enable optimal irrigation in winter and contribute to frost protection and the longevity of the plants.

Water is the most precious resource on the planet. The demand is increasing worldwide. At the same time, the requirements for sustainable, efficient and water-saving irrigation methods are increasing. NORMA Group is already working on solutions for future challenges in order to transport water volumes in an even more targeted and economical manner.

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INTERVIEW

GUSTAVO

SALTIEL

Z Olivia Tempest

LEAD WATER AND SANITATION SPECIALIST AT THE WORLD BANK

“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional challenges on water service provision across developing countries” Working closely with worldwide partners, the World Bank aims to achieve “A Water-Secure World for All” by sustaining water resources, building resilience and delivering services. In the near future, water or lack thereof could become one of the greatest risks to economic progress, poverty eradication and sustainable development. The consequences of this will be felt disproportionately by the poorest and most vulnerable. Therefore, it is essential to invest in clean water and sanitation; something the World Bank is an expert in as the world’s largest multilateral source of financing for water in developing countries. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gustavo Saltiel, Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist at The World Bank, to learn about this international financial institution and discover the impact the current pandemic has had on the world’s WASH sector. Could you tell us briefly about your career path and your current role in The World Bank Group? Currently, I am the Global Lead for Water Supply and Sanitation of the Water Global Practice at the World Bank. As such, I coordinate global knowledge activities

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and operational support to World Bank teams across different regions. I joined the World Bank in 2003 as Senior Water Engineer in the Latin America Region, and later was appointed as Sector Leader for Sustainable Development in Mexico, Program Manager of International Waters in the Africa Region, and Lead Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist in Peru, to coordinate lending operations and analytical work in the southern cone of Latin America. Before joining the World Bank, I held senior level positions in Argentina, including as General Manager of Aguas Bonaerenses, the Water Utility in the Province of Buenos Aires, Head of Planning and Regulatory Affairs of the private concessionaire Azurix, and Manager at the Buenos Aires Water and Sewerage Services Regulatory Agency (ETOSS), among others. A year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, how do you think it has impacted the water and sanitation sector?

Whilst access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) services is at the core of sustainable development, quality of life and public health, including for prevention and mitigation of pandemics, such as COVID-19, today globally 785 million people do not have access to an improved water source, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation and 80% of wastewater globally is released to the environment without adequate treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional challenges on water service provision across developing countries. The increasing pressure on water service providers stems from lower revenues, increased costs, debt service obligations and the need to ramp up service delivery, particularly in low-income communities. In many instances, utilities are scrambling to mobilize emergency sources of water (e.g., drilling new boreholes in The Gambia) or are deploying water tankers to serve areas that are unconnected to the water network or receive intermit-

GUSTAVO SALTIEL

tent water supply (e.g., in Ghana). While these measures can provide some respite to communities in need of water, they highlight the social and economic vulnerabilities of countries that do not have adequate WSS service coverage for all their citizens. The suspension of water billing (for all or part of the population) has been a common feature of countries’ socio-economic response to the crisis. However, the costs of such suspension could have lasting impacts on the financial and operational sustainability and the governance of water utilities and other service providers in the sector. Water utilities are also facing challenges in covering labour costs, providing adequate protective equipment (PPE) to their staff, and addressing supply chains disruptions (such as chlorine for water treatment in southern Africa). Moreover, there is a risk that utilities may defer needed investments in new production, expansion of services, asset renewal and other capital expenditures faced with shrinking

balance sheets and a shift in priorities in favour of short-term emergency response. As shown by a survey of U.S utilities conducted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), over half of the systems surveyed anticipate that workforce absenteeism will impact operations within the next months. In addition, nearly 64% of respondents indicated that they expect revenue/cash flow challenges within the next 2 months. While there is less available data from developing countries, there is anecdotal evidence about the challenges confronting service providers and the responses they are already putting in place. Lessons learned from previous crises, or “catalytic events”, suggest that they can offer important opportunities for advancing crucial WSS reforms and investment in the water sector. The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing awareness about the social and economic costs of under-investing in WSS, which could, in turn, catalyse efforts to achieve universal WSS in line with the SDGs.

The World Bank Group is the largest single investor in water projects globally. How has it responded to the pandemic? Consistent with the World Bank approach to responding to the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to build an inclusive and resilient recovery, the Water Global Practice of the World Bank is supporting WSS utilities and service providers to increase safe access to both services, ensuring the resilience of water systems and sustaining their water resources, thereby increasing water security.

"Lessons learned from other crises suggest that these can offer important opportunities for advancing crucial WSS reforms and water investments" - MAGAZINE

INTERVIEW

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GUSTAVO SALTIEL As such, many recent World Bank Operations have included components that support improving WASH in health care facilities and schools, other programs have supported utilities with financial relief resulting from reductions in revenues and other projects are focusing on increasing access of the poor to water supply and sanitation services. In this context, an emerging area of work is on the technological innovations that will spearhead the provision of water access points in slums and rural areas of developing countries, including through automated water kiosks that provide water dispensing services using cashless payment systems. We are exploring the possibility of scaling up these systems in our programs to provide safe WASH access to the unserved thereby increasing their protection against COVID-19 and other contamination sources. Why is strengthening the governance and performance of utilities a critical element of post-COVID-19 rebuilding? In the past, Governments and Donors have tackled water sector reforms as a series of high-profile changes to sector policies and infrastructure often through individual, not well coordinated interventions. Some projects were used to jump-start the sector - by raising tariffs prematurely or building large-scale infrastructure – and were done without first making the necessary adjustments to the foundational issues of utility performance and sector governance. For example, expanding water supply systems without improving performance only puts a greater risk on the long-term sustainability of a utility’s operations by increasing both costs and inefficiencies. Using this approach, significant resources invested in the water sector have failed to reap the expected outcomes. Improving the efficiency of service providers will be of paramount importance in the post COVID world given the expected reductions in cost recovery, fiscal transfers and subsidies for utilities as a result of the crisis. As such, COVID-19

The Water Global Practice of the World Bank is supporting WSS utilities and service providers to increase safe access to both services offers an opportunity to implement more comprehensive approaches to WSS sector improvements, where utilities should play a pivotal role. Many utilities are already well-established entities with legal mandates, expertise, capacity to undertake construction works, and the potential to attract commercial finance. Utilities can realize their full potential as professionalized organizations that meet the demands of their customers. Many utilities across high-income countries, as well as in lower- and middle-income countries such as SABESP in Sao Paulo, Brazil (a state-owned company), Cambodia (Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, a municipal-owned company) and the Philippines (Manila Water, a private company), have become world-class service providers, in part because they operate under strong governance arrangements or can leverage commercial finance. Successful and sustainable reform is not only possible, but within reach. From Australia to Benin, countries have transformed an inefficient urban water sector into a commercially viable sector with the autonomy and independence to attract their own sources of financing. Individual utilities across Burkina Faso, Brazil, and Vietnam, have implemented turnaround programs by strengthening

the broader enabling environment, allowing the government to redirect scarce public resources to other priorities for poverty reduction. The World Bank’s ‘Utilities of the Future’ (UoF) Initiative seeks to promote future-focused utilities which provide reliable, safe, inclusive, transparent, and responsive water supply and sanitation services to all through fit-for-purpose practices that allow it to operate in an efficient, resilient, and sustainable manner. As such, the UoF delivers solutions across the water cycle. Emerging technologies enable smarter management of the water resources and assist utilities with improving resilience and providing effective wastewater treatment. The shift from a linear to a circular approach that recognizes the energy and nutrient content of wastewater streams, allow wastewater treatment plants to become water resources and energy generators, and providers of nutrients for agriculture. Moreover, a responsive utility benefits from innovations such as the new digital technologies, advances in sensors, software, blockchain and artificial intelligence. However, utilities do not function in a vacuum. They require the right incentives to be embedded in the Policy,

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INTERVIEW

"Many recent World Bank Operations have included components that support improving WASH in health care facilities and schools" Institutional and Regulatory (PIR) environment. With those incentives in place, a utility can transition out of the status quo towards a more sustainable business model that enables independence, financial autonomy and access to commercial finance, and a greater capacity to provide sustainable universal access. Therefore, “Building Back Better” from COVID-19 also offers an opportunity to improve PIR systems in the countries to strengthen resilience and sustainability of infrastructure and systems. How can emerging technologies help the water sector deliver solutions across the water cycle? To achieve SDG6 in the face of the growing water crisis, innovation and technology will have a vital role to play in scarcity and safety, water efficiency, utility operations, and data and analytics. Yet, the water sector has historically been conservative, slow to adopt and disseminate new technologies. This slow adoption of technology is the result of four main characteristics of the water sector and water business: (1) many countries are missing the policy vision and leadership required to provide the necessary incentives to advance innovative approaches; (2) water service providers are frequently resource-limited, lacking sufficient skilled staff and financing to invest in research, testing, and deploying new technologies and they are also constrained by low water prices; (3) limited policy, institutional and regulatory incentives to innovate; and (4) water utilities are geographically and functionally fragmented: innovation champions are needed to

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transition to a supportive culture that uses systems thinking to break down siloes and encourages successful uptake of new technologies or approaches. The Utilities of the Future use innovative approaches to address current challenges and demands as well as support recovery from COVID-19, incorporating forward-looking principles of resilience, energy and water efficiency, inclusion, circular economy, innovation, and fit-for-purpose governance. They embrace emerging technologies that enable smarter management of the water resources and assist them with improving resilience and providing effective wastewater treatment. The utilities of the future also engage more fully with others that share the water resource through watershed-based approaches, innovative partnerships, and adaptive management techniques to ensure that their actions maximize environmental benefits. Innovative utilities use natural assets such as ecosystems and water resources to improve water and sanitation services and build resilience to environmental challenges such as climate change. The emerging technologies in this area enable smarter management of the water resources, increasing the availability of

freshwater and reducing treatment costs. Using data collected via a multitude of sources such as sensors, cameras, radars and satellites, utilities can identify sources of contamination of their water sources thereby allowing them to improve water quality before it is treated. In light of the rapidly changing environment in which utilities operate, the World Bank has developed a framework to guide utilities in initiating and maintaining reform efforts with a goal of becoming a Utility of the Future. The UoF framework provides a step-by-step approach to initiating and maintaining reform efforts that set the utility on a path towards achieving this goal. Service to customers is the ultimate objective and depends on technical and commercial operations, but not exclusively so. Other elements of sound utility management are organization and strategy, human resource management (HRM), and financial management. Together, these promote effective and efficient commercial and technical operations — for instance, by increasing staff productivity and reducing water losses. The legal framework and governance in which the utility operates shapes its governing environment. The UoF is also characterized by innova-

GUSTAVO SALTIEL tion (introducing novel methods), inclusion (improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of people, disadvantaged on the basis of their identity, to take part in society), market and customer orientation (operating as a firm in a competitive market), and resilience (having capacity to prepare for disruptions, to recover from shocks and stresses, and to adapt and grow from a disruptive experience). Innovation in the clean water sector is already taking place because it’s good for the utility, the environment, the community, and the economy. There are many promising innovative technologies to help address the water crisis and contribute to achieving SDG6. In this section, we highlight technologies for (1) improved water management and securing a resilient water supply, (2) improved utility management, (3) improved customer service and relationships, and (4) reaching the unserved. The Utility of the Future Framework developed by the World Bank provides a methodology for utilities to gradually improve the use of innovative solutions through climbing a ladder of maturity levels. This allows utilities to adopt their own appropriate technologies choosing a rate of improvement consistent based on resources available and the context in which they operate. To enable utilities to leapfrog from basic to world-class maturity levels, incorporating customer responsive and resilient practices, regulation of water services must evolve to encourage technological innovations through concrete incentives embedded in the tariff determination processes. In the UK, the Regulator (Ofwat)’s price review framework promotes innovation by providing early tariff determinations and financial and reputational benefits for companies that develop and implement new ways of working including the use of new markets; cooperating more effectively with third parties; and moving from successful pilots to swiftly embed best practice from the water sector and other sectors into their day to day business.

Wastewater Treatment Plants built under the Egypt Rural Sanitation Program for Results financed by the World Bank. With Ministry of Housing, Utilities & Urban Communities

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WATER & NEWS - BUSINESS

ACCIONA WINS TWO NEW WATER TREATMENT CONTRACTS IN ITALY FOR €30 MILLION Acciona will maintain sewerage and water supply networks in Rome and renovate over 30 kilometres of water networks in Italy

ACCIONA has been awarded two new water management and treatment contracts in Italy for a total of €29.7 million. The company has been awarded the contract for the maintenance of the sewerage and water supply networks in Municipality 1 Roma Capitale (center of Rome) including Vatican City. The contract was awarded by ACEA ATO 2, the public company in charge that manages Rome’s integrated water cycle, and is valued at €15 million. It will be valid for two years. ACCIONA will also be in charge of renovating 30.5 kilometers of water networks in the municipalities of Barletta, Bisceglie, Trani and Minervino, in the Apulia region of southern Italy. This contract was awarded by Acquedotto Pugliese, one of the most historic public aqueducts in Italy. This contract is worth €14.7 million and is valid for a duration of two years.

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This project aims to improve water distribution in the Apulia region, through guaranteeing network safety and also a significant reduction in water leaks. The contract includes work on improving the control and monitoring of pressure and other water magnitudes in the aforementioned cities. ACCIONA has been present in Italy since 2000 and has extensive experience working in the country, with offices in Milan and Rome as well as over 550 employees. ACCIONA's Water division serves more than 2.5 million people in Italy. The company has been awarded 40 contracts in different regions of the country. Some of ACCIONA’s most emblematic projects include the Saras desalination plant (12,000 m3/day), which provides high quality demineralized water to the

Sarlux refinery, belonging to the Italian energy group Saras Spa. The plant is located in the town of Sarroch, near Cagliari (Sardinia). ACCIONA also operates and maintains 260 wastewater treatment plants on the island of Sardinia and is in charge of the modernization of sewage and water supply networks in the provinces of Sassari and Oristano, also in Sardinia. In Italy’s Pelagian Islands of Pantelleria, Linosa and Lampedusa, ACCIONA is responsible for supplying drinking water by operating the areas’ modular desalination plants. In terms of water treatment, the company has also carried out relevant projects in regions such as Sardinia, Lazio, Puglia, Piemonte, Lombardy, Tuscany, Liguria and Sicily. Among other works, ACCIONA developed the expansion of the wastewater treatment plant in Guidonia (Rome) and the biofiltration plant in Scicli (Sicily), as well as modernizing several wastewater treatment plants in Bari, Cagliari and Milan. The company has, in addition, carried out significant infrastructure works, such as the railway crossing linking Bologna to the Milan-Naples high-speed railway line, the expansion of Rome's Fiumicino airport and the construction of the Agri-Food Market, also located in the Italian capital. ACCIONA has also recently entered the shared electric mobility sector in Italy, where its service has been operating with 1,700 scooters in Rome and more than 300 in Milan since September.

SULZER ACQUIRES NORDIC WATER TO BOLSTER WASTEWATER BUSINESS

SAUR BUYS PORTUGUESE COMPANY AQUAPOR

Sulzer acquired Nordic Water, a leading supplier of water treatment technology

The acquisition is a major step towards the internationalisation of Saur

and tertiary water treatment as well as its global reach. The company has a fast growing and recurring aftermarket business providing a complete offering of parts and services to a large installed base built up over the last 59 years. The transaction allows Sulzer to grow its wastewater treatment business through equipment that is complementary to the existing portfolio of pumps, grinders, mixers, compressors and other products it presently offers the water markets. It strengthens Sulzer’s overall offering for municipal and industrial water customers. Furthermore, the integration of the acquired business is expected to generate significant sales and aftermarket synergies, leveraging the scale of the combined businesses.

Saur has acquired Aquapor, a leading company in water and wastewater services in Portugal. The operation is a milestone in Saur’s strategy that intends to build a leading international water player engaged in the ecological transition. It follows the acquisition of Nijhuis Industries in June 2020, another major step in Saur’s transformation. The purchase adds c. €120 million revenues and 1,300 employees to Saur’s international division, which thus becomes 30% of the Group EBIDTA. Saur agreed the purchase of Criar Vantagens, owner of 100% of Aquapor, with DST Ambiente. With Aquapor in Portugal and Gestagua and Emalsa in Spain under the Saur Group, it becomes the third operator in the Iberian Peninsula, with revenues of c. €250 million. Synergies are expected through the sharing of best practices and the entry of the solutions and technologies of Saur in the Portuguese market. Aquapor and its clients will have access to the resources of a leading international company, including digitalisation and engineering expertise, R&D, and investment capacity. Aquapor, in business since 1997, provides water supply and sanitation services to 26 municipalities and 1.3 million people in Portugal, through 14 long-term concession contracts. Its subsidiary Luságua provides services to wastewater treatment plants and other water infrastructure, in addition to solid waste services. As well, Aquapor owns 30% of the company that delivers water and wastewater services to Jeddah 2 and 3 in Saudi Arabia.

Sulzer AG has completed its acquisition of Nordic Water for a purchase price of SEK 1.2 bn (€120 m). Nordic Water is a leading provider of screening, sedimentation and filtration solutions for municipal and industrial water & wastewater applications. The acquisition strengthens Sulzer’s wastewater treatment offering by complementing its equipment portfolio and provides further access to the fast-growing clean water market. Nordic Water, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, employs 200 people at 13 sites in 6 countries. In 2021, it is expected to achieve sales of around SEK 750 m (€75 m) and an EBITDA of SEK 118m (€12 m). Nordic Water is a pioneering innovation leader and is known for its broad application suite in primary, secondary

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OPINION

SIMON AYLEY DIRECTOR OF WATER & ENVIRONMENT AT WRC

COLLABORATION,

KEY TO TRANSFORMING THE WATER SECTOR New year, new start, and straight back into a UK national lock- tractual relationships, and typically the use of performance indidown in our efforts to control the spread of a new variant of the cators and benchmarks. COVID-19 virus. Now take it up a level - co-operation is harder to achieve, enDespite the negativity often promoted by mainstream media, compassing everything we do in co-ordination, but adding addiI find it incredibly uplifting to read last months’ Smart Water tional factors such as two-way sharing of opinions, knowledge, magazine regarding how well the sector is coping, adapting, and and advice. Large consultancy and construction delivery frameinnovating. People from different countries and backgrounds, works used by the water industry are examples of co-operation. students, scientists, engineers, business leaders all contributing At the very top is where the real difference can be made – to promote innovative solutions that will deliver tangible bene- collaboration. True and effective collaboration is very hard to fits for global consumers, all aligned with the UN SDGs. achieve. Collaboration is about co-creation, shared risk, and There is a common theme running through most articles in compromise: ‘everyone in it together’. And that means everyone, the publication. The same theme that forms part of our daily not just SME’s, manufacturers, academia and WASC’s, but also interactions yet gets little airtime. Collaboration. Businesses consumers, economic and environmental regulators. looking to promote a new technology will have collaborated My own experiences in the utilities sector have taught me during its development, perhaps that co-creation requires comproinitially with academic and commise from multiple stakeholders At WRc we have a track record of ponent supply chain partners, and throughout the project – and above then ultimately with a utility owner all the team having a real sense of co-creation, where an idea that to complete live field trials. “we’re in this together”. stems from one client’s need Government agencies looking When it comes to Contracts, IP to better manage the risks associand regulation, the willingness of is shaped into a collaborative ated with emerging contaminants stakeholders to compromise norresearch project will be collaborating with partner mally decreases at a rapid pace – onagencies around the world to share ly with a well-established co-created knowledge and develop methodologies that can be applied to team can these barriers be overcome. Everyone will feel some their local environment. pain, but the team, and the resultant project outcomes, will have Yet have you ever considered what true collaboration really a much greater chance of success. means? It does not just happen via a “Teams” meeting. A truly The scary bit for many stakeholders can be that collaboration collaborative relationship means deeper trust, shared risk, and a in a world of truly transformative innovation will also require us willingness to compromise. to accept failure. Failure along the journey, with project activities Consider three levels of business and project delivery relation- not delivering desired outcomes, through to complete failure of ships, starting with co-ordination, then moving up to co-opera- the whole journey. tion, and ultimately collaboration. So, are we ready to co-create, collaborate, and accept that we Much can be delivered by good co-ordination – we do this might fail? More to the point, if we are to deliver ambitious soluacross our businesses and sector every single day in both project tions aligned with the UN SDGs, can we afford not to collaborate? delivery and operational environments. That is how we work to- Those governments, utility businesses and supply chain partners gether to deliver services to consumers. Co-ordination involves that are truly collaborative, sharing risk, reward, success, and failure, dialogue, interaction, sharing information and data, formal con- have the potential to transform our sector, and potentially the world.

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WATER TREATMENT

FEATURE

INDAR SUPPLIES 3 HIGHTECH SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS FOR THE LARGEST SEAWATER DESALINATION PLANT IN THE UNITED STATES, THE CLAUDE “BUD” LEWIS CARLSBAD The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant is the largest, most technologically advanced and energyefficient seawater desalination plant in the US. Each day, the plant delivers nearly 190,000 m3 (56,000 acre-feet per year (AFY)) of fresh, desalinated water to San wDiego County – enough to serve approximately 400,000 people and accounting for about one-third of all water generated in the County. Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant Located adjacent to the Encina Power Station in Carlsbad, California, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant was developed as a public-private partnership. The project originated in 1998 and was launched in 2015 with a purchase agreement between Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Au-

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Plant is the largest, most advanced and energyefficient seawater desalination plant in the U.S. 38

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thority. It uses a reverse osmosis filtering process that separates salt from seawater, and has garnered numerous awards for design, implementation and energy efficiency. Poseidon Water is the owner and operator of the desalination plant. IDE is the operator for the next 25 years. Sustainable Water Production: The Challenge In May 2019, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Coastal Commission issued a permit for the installation of new, technologically advanced and environmentally sensitive seawater intake and discharge facilities at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. The new intake-discharge system is needed

for long-term operations of the desalination plant that now uses water withdrawn from Agua Hedionda Lagoon for once-through cooling at the Encina Power Station. The closure of the power station in December 2018 led to temporary intake-discharge operations that continued while new, stand-alone desal intake-discharge facilities were built. Sustainable Water Production: The New Intake With the decommissioning of Encina Power Station, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant is modernizing the existing intake facilities to provide additional environmental enhancements to protect and preserve the marine environment complying with the regulations in the

INDAR

Three new fish friendly seawater intake pumps at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant. San Diego County Water Authority

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FEATURE California State Water Board’s Ocean Plan Amendment. The new screened-intake (1mm) is using, since May 2020, three (3) Indar high-tech customized fish-friendly submersible pumps that replace the existing circulating pumps: H-1800-1697 +S-

This innovative solution of Dilution PS allows preserving the lagoon so the community can enjoy its recreational and marine resources

450-X/8. The pumps are projected with variable speed to absorb all the potential possibilities of demand in the plant. The submersible pumps with axial flow, single stage and single inlet have an opened multi-channel (3) impeller with big free ball passage. Being projected with shroud (H-type Pumps), the cables once outside the unit are protected, preventing these from coming into contact with the pumped water. Motorpump sets are installed suspended from the discharge piping. This innovative solution of Dilution PS, for Carlsbad Desalination Plant, allows protection and preservation of the lagoon so that the community can en-

joy its recreational and marine resources now and for generations to come. The New Intake: Transition The transition to the new intake and discharge facilities were implemented in three phases. First, during temporary operations, NRG Energy, which owns Encina Power Station, continued to operate the water circulation pumps while the interim intake system was constructed. Next, interim operations started in May 2020; this phase uses new Indar fish-friendly pumps as a replacement for the existing circulation pumps. A new, permanent screened intake system also

Commemorative photo of the team (Indar - Poseidon Water, HDR, KIEIT) taken after the witnessed test in Indar (Spain) facilities.

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INDAR was designed and built in the lagoon during this phase of operation. The new intake relies on innovative technology. Finally, permanent operations: the new submerged, screened-intake system is expected to be connected in late 2023, achieving the best available technology to minimize impacts to marine life in full compliance with the 2015 California Ocean Plan Amendment. Once permanent operations begin in 2023, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant will be the first to comply with the 2015 Ocean Plan Amendment, designed to advance ocean water as a reliable supplement to traditional water supplies while protecting marine life and water quality.

Once permanent operations begin in 2023, the Carlsbad Desalination Plant will be the first to comply with the 2015 Ocean Plan Amendment

H-1800-1697 +S-450-X/8 Motorpump set, Fishfriendly design. Impeller view

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FEATURE

AIRPORTS AND WATER EFFICIENCY: WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE AIR TRAVEL INDUSTRY We worry more and more about the effects of human activity on the environment given our way of life: food, transport, industry, trade, etc. Concerning transport, much is said about the carbon footprint of flying, but what about the water footprint? We delve in depth into airport management to learn how our precious resource is managed in the air travel industry.

Paula Sánchez

Have you ever wondered how much water is necessary to travel by plane? And when we say airplane travel, we don't just mean getting on a flight and flying, but also everything it involves: airports, sanitary facilities, terminal and aircraft cleaning, drinking water, etc. It seems nowadays, with climate change on our heels, we are very concerned about our carbon footprint and how much we contribute to global warming when we fly (or we used to fly), but have you ever thought about how much water is used when traveling by this means?

Airports that establish protocols for water conservation tend to see significant reductions in water use per passenger 42

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Airports and everything involved in their management use an important amount of water, and given the climate situation we are in, we should find sustainable alternatives to water consumption and optimise water use efficiency. Thus, many airports and airlines are adopting different environmental strategies to reduce their water footprint. Worth noting is that in airports, most of the water is used for non-potable uses, that is, to clean the airport facilities and the airplanes, for sanitary and manufacturing purposes, and to maintain the air fleet. This fact makes it easier to find ways to reduce water use, since it is not used for human consumption, and allows the use of systems that capture rainfall (sustainable urban drainage systems or SUDS) or grey water reuse. Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer, reuses water in its industrial and manufacturing processes, measures and automates leak detection, and prevents water contamination with chemicals

through a gradual replacement of dangerous substances. In 2019, Airbus reported a total water consumption of 3,987,289 m3, slightly higher than in 2018. However, the company has committed to developing solid maintenance and rehabilitation programmes to improve reliability and reduce costs, in order to reduce water purchase by 50%, without increasing consumption. Thus, in the city of Hamburg, Airbus treats water from the river, and in Spain, it is installing waterless urinals and is replacing the air-cooling system. Likewise, the French airline company Air France believes that reducing water consumption requires prevention and innovation, and in its last sustainability report, it revealed that the company divisions that use the most water are: catering (which represents approximately 45% of the total water use), maintenance and engineering (approximately 25%).

AIRPORTS AND WATER

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FEATURE

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AIRPORTS AND WATER Airport management companies and bodies also collaborate to find alternatives that enable reducing water use. In the case of Spain, in 2018 AENA (the state-owned company that manages airports of general interest in Spain) started to prepare a specific strategic plan to manage water in its network of airports to establish a framework for action according to the objectives in the company's 2018-2021 Strategic Plan. The actions implemented by AENA concerning water can be seen in the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport, the most important one in Spain. To prevent any potential pollutant discharges, it has separate water treatment lines for stormwater and for wastewater. Moreover, stormwater treatment is executed in plants that separate suspended solids and hydrocarbons, which are stored in a tank. This way they ensure that rivers and streams are not polluted by plane fuel. Lastly, the quality of the wastewater that ends up in the sanitation system is monitored regularly. The same is done in the second most important airport in Spain, the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, where drinking water from the airport's network is analysed regularly. This drinking water comes from a company external to the airport and from several wells located in the airport site. On the other hand, the high water table and gentle slope at the airport hinder surface drainage, so there are a series of canals that capture water on the surface to convey it to three pumping stations: Remolar, Illa and La Roberta. Strategies to increase water sustainability Airports that establish protocols for water conservation tend to see significant reductions in water use per passenger. For example, between 2011 and 2016, the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the United States managed to reduce water use by 24.3%. In 2016,

According to Air France’s last sustainability report, catering services represent approximately 45% of the total water use this airport was awarded the highest environmental distinction, a recognition of their efforts towards sustainability, by lowering their levels of carbon emissions and making good use of resources such as water and electric power. Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Airport reduced water use by 6.3% in just one year, and the Orlando International Airport did the same between 2010 and 2016, lowering water use by 11.5%. Some of the strategies include using reclaimed water, stormwater management, artificial wetlands, re-design of infrastructure, or saving water used for irrigation purposes. For example, using plants that are drought-resistant can save litres of water, and requires fewer fertilisers and pesticides, thus achieving a double purpose: saving water while using less polluting substances. In the case of the Salt Lake City Airport, in Utah, sustainable irrigation practices were able to reduce water use by 74% in 10 years, and in California's airports, a state where drought is quite evident, water produced through condensation in air conditioning systems is used for irrigation, a process that captures up to 100,000 gallons per year. Furthermore, artificial turf has started to replace natural turf in many terminals.

Drinking water: an outstanding issue Besides the water needed for daily operations, airports need drinking water for passengers and staff. In the terminals and the rest of the facilities, water is needed for visitors, for staff working on site, and for catering services; many airports have implemented measures to reduce water consumption and thus increase resource sustainability. That is the case of Frankfurt Airport in Germany, where low flow taps have been installed, a measure that has led to thousands of cubic metres of water saved per year. In Belgium's largest airports, waterless urinals have resulted in 32 million litres of drinking water saved per year, an environmentally sustainable practice that also enables airports to reduce costs. Concerning catering services, Air France and KLM use the "EcoShine" method to clean the outside of airplanes, a process that uses 100 times less water than the system previously used. They have also installed water meters to reduce the amount of water used by the dishwashing service in the catering area. As you can see, there is no exact formula to eliminate the water footprint of airplanes or airport management, but it is in our hands, and in the hands of airlines and managers, to start to fly in the right direction.

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OPINION

DR ENRIQUE GOMEZ & JEFFREY WILBUR

Emergent challenges in freshwater availability have the poten- membranes at the smallest length scales has remained elusive. tial to create economic and humanitarian catastrophes. Recent Our recent work led to new electron microscopy techniques to work suggests that the population facing extreme droughts measure how the density of these membranes varies at the nacould more than double by the end of this century (Nature noscale, computational fluid flow simulations to build a mechClimate Change 2021). Water purification through membrane anistic understanding of how that variation leads to observed separations, which requires less energy per liter of water than differences in macroscopic water flux through the membrane, alternative processes, is the most sustainable approach to ad- and identification of a key new lever for improving membrane dress this crisis. To innovate at a pace that matches the urgency permeability (Science 2021). It turns out that controlling mass of the need, we need to develop material improvements from distribution at the nanoscale, in other words reducing “nano the sub-nanometer to the macroscopic, through research span- dead spots,” significantly enhances water transport through ning fundamental mechanistic exploration to applied product these materials. This discovery of a new, previously undetectdevelopment, and put the results into practice on scales rang- able feature that can enable lower energy water permeation ing from individual system components all the way up to inter- can be coupled with other advances in membrane chemistry national water management strategies. As such, we argue that to produce reverse osmosis modules that provide higher water holistic membrane research purquality and that minimize the total sued through academic-industrial lifecycle environmental impact of Holistic membrane research partnerships is critically important reverse osmosis. in making clean water sustainable. Key to our effort was a partnerpursued through academicMembrane-based separations ship between academic and indusindustrial partnerships is rely on a selective film that allows trial scientists. Universities have a water to flow through while resistdeep expertise and knowledge-focritically important in making ing the passage of salts and other cused mission to develop and inclean water sustainable contaminants. An applied pressure vest in cutting edge tools and push pushes clean water through the fundamental science even when an membrane as a “permeate” stream, while a “retentate” with application may not be clear. Public funding from agencies like a higher concentration of undesired impurities is rejected by the National Science Foundation or Department of Energy enthe membrane. Much work has focused on the development ables this sort of fundamental technical development. Water of these special membrane materials, which have been increas- purification companies understand market needs, manufacturingly important to water purification for drinking, agriculture, ing methods, and the translation of novel materials science into and industrial use over the last four decades. Over that time, new products, but have limited incentives to invest in purely membrane innovation has led to significant improvements in fundamental research. University-industry collaborations harthe ability to produce purer water using less energy. ness the unmatched fundamental depth and capabilities of State-of-the-art membranes for desalination, known as re- academic researchers to the applied expertise, practicability, verse osmosis membranes, rely on a composite structure that, and market engagement at the heart of private R&D to focus while only tens to hundreds of nanometers in thickness, con- discoveries in key application areas, accelerating the cycle of sists of various polymers carefully engineered in their composi- developing basic scientific knowledge and applying it directly tion and processing. Despite tremendous fundamental and ap- to solve real-world problems and maximizing the potential for plied progress over the years, the way that water traverses these societal impact.

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In the aforementioned Science article, DuPont Water Solutions use as feeds to other industrial processes rather than disposal as drew upon decades of membrane experience to vary water puri- waste. A combination of advanced membranes along with comfication performance of the polyamide selective layer in a series plementary technologies can facilitate minimal liquid discharge of reverse osmosis membranes, while academic partners lever- systems, in which nearly all the water in an aqueous solution is aged new tools in three-dimensional (3D) electron microscopy efficiently recovered and reused as a replacement for otherwise to reveal how altering the nanoscale morphology was related necessary freshwater intake at a much lower energy cost than to the highest performing membranes providing remarkably recovering the same water with thermal evaporative methods. fast water permeation. The result is both a better fundamental Through coordination between water-using industries and muunderstanding of how membranes work and a tool that can nicipalities, and incorporation of new treatment technology, an be used to manufacture more efficient membranes. Without interconnected web can be spun in which municipalities, agriour partnership, these new insights and capabilities would have culture, and industry coordinate water management even across remained undiscovered. national borders to minimize freshwater needs and maximize Meeting the world’s water quantity and quality needs in our ability to safely and efficiently recycle water for human use. a sustainable way requires innovation in materials science, Returning to our team’s prospects, we see a wealth of opmanufacturing efficiency, water portunities to further explore the treatment processes, and societal potential of membranes and turn We see a wealth of water management. Reverse osour discoveries into better matemosis membranes already offer rials. We believe there is more to opportunities to further explore unmatched water purification efgain from further characterization the potential of membranes ficiency, but as our recent work of desalination membranes in 3D demonstrates, room for improveat the nanoscale. Density appears and turn our discoveries ment remains. Increased selectivity to have a powerful effect on local into better materials against solutes is as important as water transport, but as we think improved membrane water permeabout ion or neutral small moleability: higher selectivity results in better rejection of contam- cule transport through membranes, or even more ambitiously inants and purer water in the permeate stream. Advances in as we look to enable efficient membrane processes for more membrane chemical stability during periodic cleaning can be complicated specialty separations, the spatial distribution of coupled with improvements in mechanical durability to im- local chemistry throughout membranes at this length scale prove process flexibility and reduce component replacement re- may be an even more important factor. Measuring this chemquirements. In parallel to the development of novel membrane ical heterogeneity at the necessary resolution throughout the technology, opportunities for meaningful improvement span complicated structure of polyamide membranes is a formidapotential advances in the efficiency of component manufac- ble challenge that we believe is worth our effort. Innovating turing and production, improved function of the spiral-wound effectively in membrane science, technology, and applications modules that encapsulate membranes, the overall design of re- requires public investment in university research along with verse osmosis treatment plants, and automated data collection, industrial support, collaboration, and ultimately commercialanalysis, and process control. ization of significant results. This type of continued partnerBeyond maximizing the sustainability of desalination, mem- ship will be crucial to further breakthroughs in the pursuit of brane innovation can enable purer retentate streams suitable for global clean water sustainability.

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FEATURE

DIAMOND–WATER PARADOX: Today, a glass of water – our source of life – comes in Switzerland almost for free whilst a commodity like diamonds which is mainly of aesthetic value costs thousands of Swiss francs on the market. How can the difference in price be that large? The view from the water castle of Europe.

Z Z

Ramzi Bouzerda Dr. Christian Hugo Hoffmann, Droople

Even though water is overall the most important resource sustaining all life on our planet, the daily reality draws a picture that hardly seems consistent. On the one hand, many voices arise today warning about the soon-to-come shortage of this tremendously precious resource – and as we believe at Droople, “every drop counts”. But on the other hand, each of us meets daily situations in which water doesn’t seem to be valued. How can that be? In Switzerland, where Droople is located, as well as in many other places, a glass of water comes almost for free whilst a commodity like diamonds which is mainly of aesthetic value (besides some industrial applications such as drilling where diamonds are used) costs thousands of Swiss francs on the market. How can the price difference be that large? The philosopher Adam Smith is often considered to be the classic presenter of this paradox, although it had already appeared earlier in the work of John Locke or Plato for example. In his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Smith advanced the solution to this question using the concepts of “value in use” and “value in exchange”, namely proposing that the latter is determined by labor needed to acquire a good. By doing so, Smith in fact denied a necessary relationship between price and value. Obviously, from his standpoint, he could not envision a world where it takes great efforts to purify water or where the supply of drinking water may shrink.

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DROOPLE

THE VIEW FROM THE WATER CASTLE OF EUROPE The last glaciers About a century later, the work of Carl Menger, founder of the Austrian School of Economics, proposed a consumer view of the Diamond-Water Paradox. It is based on the marginal utility of a given commodity to its user. According to this theory now known as “marginalism”, it is not the total usefulness of diamonds or water that determines their price, but the usefulness of each additional unit of water or diamonds. This leads us to the conclusion that whilst the total value of water is tremendous in sustaining life, the marginal value of water stays low – as long as water remains in large supply. In Switzerland for instance, large amounts of freshwater are stored in glaciers. But for how long? In fact, most of them are predicted to have disappeared by 2050, whereas the UN warns of a potential 40% shortfall in the global water supply, already by 2030. About 96% of the total water supply is found in oceans, and there is a broad consensus that an extensive use of desalination will be required to meet the needs of a growing world population. It may happen that this technology eventually transforms oceans into virtual reserves of freshwater, but progress has been slow. According to the International Desalination Association, more than 300 million people worldwide now get their fresh water supply from desalination plants. Who is paying for the cost of water? What are the major barriers to its greater use? We must include in the equation the cost of the energy from fossil fuels needed to desalinate, combined with the environmental impacts of the process due to the salt waste. This leads to an increase

in greenhouse gas emissions and damages marine life. This is only one aspect of water treatment. We also need to consider the costs needed to remove groundwater contaminants, such as heavy metals generated by the industrial pollution of water. On top, so-called micropollutants (including some pharmaceutical by-products) are not necessarily removed from drinking water by utilities. Worldwide water treatment comes indeed at a high price. One example is Adelaide, Australia. As a result of increasing uncertainty in water imports from the Murray-Darling watershed, the city is now turning towards water recycling and desalination to supplement its water supply in the coming years. The high cost of Adelaide water supply plants causes a serious challenge to city residents: since 2007, water prices rose by more than 400%, which is in large part due to the costs of the installation and the operation of the desalination plant. Are we heading downstream? Such seemingly “sudden” cost increases are an echo of historically low water prices that did not reflect the actual costs. The situation results from the combination of major global trends: a drastically declining water supply coupled with an increasing world population, and its related meat consumption (requiring more water). Adding the rapidly increasing costs of maintaining water quality, one can really question why our society has not started to give more value to water. One may also notice that the decrease in water supply and the corresponding cost increase is not all so “sudden”: it rather is the radical tipping point.

These changes, however global, materialize differently around the world. In Switzerland for example, both the quantity and quality of the water supply are currently high, whilst the country population is stabilizing and progressively tends to eat less meat. In contrast, just the opposite is true in Malawi: the gap is deepening between the low water supply (both in terms of quantity and quality) and the growing demand, due to the steady increase of population able to afford meat. Challenging the current price of water In response to these alarming global trends, we sometimes just prefer to believe in the status quo: that water still is and always be cheap and abundant. Without any data on water quality, it is indeed difficult to raise awareness. Therefore, what will be the most plausible solution to the Water-Diamond Paradox? Considering all these facts, should we question the current price of water? The discussion about the future of water - its real value and pricing - is as important as urgent, and Droople is ready to take part. Join us to preserve water – our shared source of life!

Even though water is the most important resource sustaining all life on our planet, the daily reality draws a picture that hardly seems consistent

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FEATURE

SARS-COV-2 MONITORING IN WASTEWATER, A YEAR OF TESTING

Z Cristina Novo Pérez

Soon after the coronavirus swept across the world and millions of people went into lockdown in early 2020, we started learning more about wastewater-based epidemiology and its potential use to monitor COVID-19. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising field that detects pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs or pathogens in raw wastewater to provide population-level information. In this case, the idea was to monitor wastewater to detect the presence of people infected

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with SARS-CoV-2 in the communities under study. Initially, sewage surveillance was heralded as a tool to detect the presence of the virus, as a complement to individual testing. The rate of increase/decrease in the concentration of coronavirus parti-

cles in wastewater over time can show trends, and that concentration could potentially be used to estimate the level of infection in a given area. Other emerging use cases are the possibility of identifying SARS-CoV-2 strains through sequencing work and thus track viral evolution, and

SARS-COV-2 AND WASTEWATER helping to track the effects of vaccination in a non-invasive manner. Clearly, WBE holds a lot of promise. Research efforts are underway across the globe. As we enter the second year of the pandemic, to what extent is it being used to support public health responses? The Netherlands was the first country to implement a national wastewater monitoring programme for SARS-CoV-2, and many other countries have started or are planning to implement national-level monitoring. Besides national programmes, there are multiple instances of sewage surveillance at regional and local scales. The University of California Merced has set up an online compendium of wastewater monitoring efforts ongoing across the globe, the COVIDPoops19 Dashboard. The Netherlands leads sewage surveillance efforts. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport hosts a public dashboard with up-to-date coronavirus information, which includes weekly data on

viral particles in wastewater per 100,000 inhabitants measured at about 300 locations. The data, provided by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM, is also corrected for the volume of water flowing into wastewater treatment plants at the time of sampling. Also in Europe, surveillance programmes are in place in England, Scotland and Wales. The programme in England began sampling in 44 wastewater treatment works in July 2020 and expansion is planned to cover 80% of the population via monitoring at treatment works. Sampling by Scottish Water started in May, and the Scottish wastewater surveillance network includes now 28 sites covering 50% of the population, with data available through a public dashboard. Monitoring began in Wales in March with pilot studies that formed the basis of their surveillance program, which now encompasses 20 sites and 70% of the population.

Elsewhere, in Australia, testing is underway across the country, with different stages of development in different states. The ColoSSoS (Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2) project is an accelerated research programme supporting nationwide environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2. The goal is to provide data to COVID-control taskforces at a state level and share the data nationally. Surveillance programmes intending to cover a broad area usually sample the influent to wastewater treatment plants, providing information about the area served

The Netherlands hosts a public dashboard which includes weekly data on viral particles in wastewater measured at about 300 locations

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FEATURE

Estimates of the prevalence of infection will require further research and integration of wastewater data with clinical testing data

by sewer pipelines collecting wastewater that is delivered to that single endpoint – the sewershed or wastewater catchment. Sewage sampling can also be done at different points within the sewershed – a major sewer pipeline or infrastructures such as pumping stations or holding tanks – and immediately at the sewer exit from an individual building or location. The latter, referred to as near-source tracking (NST), is used to monitor discrete populations, such as schools, university dorms, factories, prisons, elderly care homes, etc. Used in combination with targeted clinical testing, NST has clear potential to stop outbreaks and is being used in several countries. Also along that line of monitoring a defined population, after detect-

To realise the predictive potential of WBE, communication between researchers, water utilities and decision-makers needs to improve 52

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ing SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aircraft and cruise ship wastewater, researchers from CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency – have suggested wastewater surveillance applied to transportation-based sanitation systems can provide additional data to manage viral transmission and may help these industries return to full operation sooner. What is the future outlook in terms of WBE’s contribution to disease prevention and control? Many challenges remain, not only concerning wastewater sampling and analysis, but also data interpretation and communication. Studies show a correlation between SARSCoV-2 RNA concentration (gene copies/ litre) and positive COVID-19 cases in the community. However, estimating the level of infection in a community is one of the outstanding challenges of data interpretation. The normalisation of the results for the number of inhabitants and the dilution of wastewater (by rainwater or industrial discharges) provides a better indication of the level of infection in the population. One approach to estimate populations and account for wastewater

dilutions is to use biomarkers (substances such as cholesterol, human genetic fragments or other microorganisms). Yet other sources of uncertainty fall within the realm of medical research, such as quantifying viral shedding rates and their dynamics over the course of the infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Whereas estimates of the prevalence of coronavirus infection will require further research and integration of wastewater data with clinical testing data, the trend analysis of viral concentrations in wastewater already provides valuable information. Nevertheless, some knowledge gaps identified early on are starting to be clearer. For instance, there is no evidence that water is a transmission route for the novel coronavirus. As predicted early in the pandemic, research to date has shown the virus is very fragile in sewage, and thus the risk of wastewater being a vector for transmission, even if untreated, is negligible. A study done in Italy on the presence and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater and receiving rivers detected the virus in some cases, which the authors attributed to non-treated or inefficiently treated discharges, or to combined sewer overflows; however, infectivity was null. Research in this field is rapidly evolving, refining approaches and moving on to new priorities, such as the automation of analysis and the possibility of having data in real-time. At the same time, it has become clear that to realise the predictive potential of WBE so it can contribute to more proactive pandemic preparedness, communication between researchers, water utilities and public health decision-makers needs to improve. Buy-in by all parties involved is essential, particularly as successive waves of the pandemic are showing it is far from over. Next, we feature three interviews (you can read the full version in the Smart Water Magazine website) with experts in this field.

SARS-COV-2 AND WASTEWATER

INTERVIEW

Dr Christian Daughton,

Formerly with the US EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory

"WBE stands out as the single most important missing tool in the armamentarium to control COVID-19, escape variants, and future pandemics” Dr Christian Daughton, now retired, started to work for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a research scientist in 1991. He has witnessed the evolution of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) research and application for different uses over some 20 years. About one year ago, interest shifted to improving its use for infectious disease monitoring, namely COVID-19. We interviewed him to hear his perspective on the potential of this not-so-new tool. Currently, WBE is used to detect the presence of infections at the community level, and estimate relative change. Worth noting is that “to spot trends, sewage samples need to be analysed over a period of time sufficient to establish the background variability and signal noise”. It can useful “as a fast way in which to perform, en masse, population-wide random diagnostic testing at much lower cost”, says Dr Daughton. WBE has not reached its full capability to monitor infectious diseases,

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FEATURE

estimating the actual number of cases in the community. As Dr Daughton explains “WBE cannot reach its full potential until an approach is developed to properly ‘calibrate’ WBE. Other measures will be required to benchmark WBE data to the actual number of COVID-19 cases.” On the other hand, he highlights that “The biggest impediment to expanding the develop-

"Sewage samples need to be analysed over a period of time sufficient to establish the background variability and signal noise"

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ment of useful applications for WBE is the lack of government involvement”. He calls for federal (and state) support and leadership in the United States, essential for making WBE a widespread, widely accepted tool in fighting pandemics. Asked about future research priorities, he thinks that “The future of WBE for infectious disease monitoring, therefore, needs to also focus on measures of the disease that target biomarkers produced by infected individuals as a result of the multifaceted disease itself.” In this regard, markers of systemic or gut inflammation might have more predictive ability of numbers of infected cases and disease severity than viral loads in sewage, Dr Daughton explains. Also requir-

ing further research, he points to “the need for real-time remote sensors capable of operating in sewage.” He is a strong supporter of wastewater surveillance as a tool for disease prevention and control: “WBE stands out as the single most important missing tool in the armamentarium to control COVID-19, escape variants (preventing the development of herd immunity via vaccination), and future pandemics.” Looking ahead, he also points to its usefulness for “identifying populations having difficulty with accessing healthcare (because of racial or economic disparities). WBE could indefinitely continue to be necessary once COVID-19 becomes endemic because of recurrent epidemic cycles and promotion of new variants.”

SARS-COV-2 AND WASTEWATER

INTERVIEW

Professor Gertjan Medema,

Principal Microbiologist at KWR

"Environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 has grown enormously, and is currently used in 50 countries and more than 1,000 cities" Dr Medema, Principal Microbiologist at the KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands, pioneered early research on wastewater monitoring for SARSCoV-2, using PCR methods to detect viral genetic material in sewage. SWM interviewed him in March of 2020 to learn about KWR’s research in this field and what it could entail for the water sector. We contacted him again in 2021 to get an update on the status of environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2. He explains that environmental surveillance for the novel coronavirus has grown enormously, and is currently used in about 50 countries and more than 1,000 cities worldwide. “It is increasingly being adopted by health authorities as a complementary source of information about COVID-19 circulation in cities, with several added values”, he explains. Firstly, it is objective, because everyone goes to the toilet, whereas not everyone is tested. It is also fast, since virus shedding is high at the time onset of disease, and within a day it can be detected in wastewater. He also stresses its efficiency as a screening

tool: “one wastewater sample (when sampled appropriately) can reflect from one thousand to one hundred thousand people. This is of particular importance when the prevalence of COVID-19 drops again to very low levels”, as it occurs already in Australia. Concerning challenges, Dr Medema notes that “the main challenge for sewage surveillance is that the water sector is not accustomed to providing data for the health sector and the health sector is not used to consider environmental surveillance when looking at public health”;

nevertheless, more health agencies are getting involved. As the pandemic evolves, more information is needed about the spread of new variants, and researchers are “focusing on

"The main challenge for sewage surveillance is that the water sector is not accustomed to providing data for the health sector"

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FEATURE

tools to discriminate the new from the ‘old’ variants, using Next Generation Sequencing to look at all the virus variants in the virus mixture in sewage, and/or quantitative or digital droplet PCR assays with primers and probes to detect the variants/mutations/deletions in wastewater specifically”. Wastewater surveillance will

INTERVIEW

Dr Zhugen Yang,

Lecturer in Sensor Technology at Cranfield Water Science Institute

“It is necessary to further understand the environmental dynamics, persistence and spread of SARSCoV-2 to promote environmental surveillance” In April of 2020 SWM contacted Dr Zhugen Yang, Head of the sensors laboratory at Cranfield Water Science Institute, to hear about his research towards the development of simple, low-cost paper-based devices for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage. We followed up with him again this year to find out about the state of affairs in sewage surveillance. Dr Yang is positive about the role of environmental surveillance in the current pandemic, pointing to the fact that studies show a good correlation between

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also show the effects of lockdowns and vaccination. “In this coming year we hope to see the disappearance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from the wastewaters”, says Dr Medema, as more and more countries move forward to the situation where Australia is now. Once disease prevalence is very low, “sewage surveillance becomes even more

valuable to rapidly pick up if, where and when the virus resurges”. In the future, he thinks that the use of wastewater as a source of information will increase thanks to the pandemic, as a “mirror of society”, for pandemics but also to track local outbreaks of disease, as well as to detect the use of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, etc.

SARS-COV-2 AND WASTEWATER

viral RNA concentrations in wastewater and clinical cases of COVID-19. “Local and national monitoring programmes have been funded, for example on university campuses, in schools and national monitoring programmes in the UK, the Netherlands and Australia,” he reports. There are, however, pending challenges concerning sample collection and treatment, analysis and data interpretation: “virus particles are usually unevenly distributed in the environment, so the differences between samples are usually large”. The gold-standard method, reverse transcription quantitative polymerise chain reaction (rt-qPCR), requires sample concentration, for which there is no standard method. Moreover, “the presence of certain chemical substances and biosolids can inhibit the PCR process, thereby differentially inhibiting the recovery efficiency of viral RNA and gene amplification”. Variables such as temperature, microbial activity and chemical substances can affect the rate of RNA degradation. “It is necessary to further understand the environmental dynamics, persistence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 to promote environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2”, Dr Yang concludes. Future research can improve analytical methods to save cost and time: “lowcost and rapid sewage sensors (e.g., paper-based sensors) may play an increasing role”. This becomes even more important in resource-limited regions, without advanced laboratories. In addition, Dr Yang thinks it is necessary to study the shedding rate and duration of SARS-CoV-2, the relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal (number of gene copies) and the prevalence of infection, and the impact of the environmental matrix on the virus. Finally, he restates the benefit of wastewater monitoring as an early warning tool: “Studies have shown that an increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA can

Local and national monitoring programmes have been funded, on university campuses, in schools and in the UK, the Netherlands and Australia

be detected in environmental samples a few days before the clinical detection”. The same approach can be used for other infectious diseases, “by detecting the genetic biomarkers of disease for early warning”. Dr Yang notes WBE can

be an effective and economic tool to monitor infections at the community level, “particularly in resource-limited regions, where insufficient medical resources will result in low clinical testing capabilities.”

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WATER & NEWS - WATER TREATMENT

CAMBODIA BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF COUNTRY'S LARGEST WATER TREATMENT PLANT The Bakheng Water Supply Project, the largest European project ever funded in Cambodia, will create jobs and distribute clean drinkable water to hundreds of thousands, improving the living conditions of citizens in Phnom-Penh

Construction works on Cambodia's largest water treatment plant were launched in the presence of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Bakheng Water Production Facilities will increase water production capacity in Phnom Penh by 65%, from 600,000 m3/day currently to around 1,000,000 m3/day in 2024. The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) has been facing a rapidly increasing water demand since the early 2010s, spurred by intense construction activities and population growth. After doubling its water production capacity between 2012 and 2017, PPWSA now aims at maintaining its coverage of water demand and expand its service area to 100% of the city by 2025, with the joint support of the Agence française de développement (AFD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Union (EU).

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The Bakheng Water Supply Project is the major infrastructure project defined in PPWSA’s 2016-2030 Master Plan. The total production capacity of the facilities will be 390,000 m3/day, to be built in two phases. The first phase of 195,000 m3/day will put in operation in the first quarter of 2023, and the full capacity will be reached one year later after completion of phase 2. In addition, PPWSA will expand the transmission network by 130 km and the distribution network by 1,600 km throughout the city. It will be able to serve additional 100,000 domestic connections and 25,000 commercial connections and to improve the service quality for all citizens. The facilities will consist of an intake pumping station at the upper Mekong River bank, a water treatment plant and a transmission main two metres

in diameter, laying along the WinWin boulevard then crossing the Tonlé Sap River by micro-tunnelling. Just as the other existing PPWSA plants, the Bakheng plant will feature an advanced level of technology including a fully automated control, and will help PPWSA to maintain its edge as a true regional “role model” for the production and distribution of drinking water. Indeed, water quality complies with all international standards and the water loss rate is at a low record of below 10%. The project is financed by two loans worth $186.4 million from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), a $100 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and a $15 million (€13.25 million) grant from the European Union (EU). Direct investment by PPWSA is worth $80 million. Ophélie Bourhis, AFD Cambodia Country Director said: “AFD is particularly proud of supporting PPWSA in this incredibly ambitious Bakheng project that will improve living conditions of hundreds of thousands of citizens in Phnom-Penh. For us, it is a major achievement of our long-standing partnership with PPWSA initiated almost 20 years ago. France has been supporting PPWSA constantly in its remarkable recovery and development, for instance with the successful construction of three other water production facilities in Phnom Penh (Chhroy Changva, Niroth and Chamcar Mon) with a loan worth €91 million”.

CHEMICAL-INPUT FREE ADVANCED OXIDATION VIA ON-SITE PEROXIDE GENERATION IN GROUND-BREAKING PROJECT HPNow’s patented HPGen technology enables on-site hydrogen peroxide generation from water and electricity, without any chemical inputs This proposition strongly appealed to water treatment solutions provider PureBlue. By combining an HPGen system together with PureBlue’s UV chamber, chemical-input free UV – Peroxide AOP breakdown of trace organic compounds can be achieved for the first time. The advanced oxidation process (AOP) enables breakdown of highly durable water-borne trace organic compounds (TrOC). These pollutants originate from pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and chemical industries, and cannot be broken

down via traditional oxidation methods. They represent a growing threat to health and environment, and are an area of increasing focus for regulators, industries, and water utilities worldwide. Advanced oxidation is usually achieved through a combination of UV and hydrogen peroxide. UV converts hydrogen peroxide to powerful radicals that are capable of breaking down these highly durable organic compounds. The process is highly sustainable as the peroxide breaks down to pure water and oxygen, leaving

no unwanted trace behind. But the delivery, storage and handling of hydrogen peroxide represents multiple challenges. Present-day bulk production methods are GHG and emission intensive. Hydrogen peroxide is in turn delivered to the point of use at high concentrations and requires special storage and handling procedures and infrastructure. In contrast, HPGen makes peroxide simple, safe and sustainable through on-site production from only water and electricity, at a safe and low concentration.

CALIFORNIA ISSUES STATE-WIDE REGULATIONS FOR WINERY WASTEWATER The environmental coalition California Coastkeeper Alliance said the move is an important step but is not enough to protect water bodies The California Water Resources Control Board has adopted a new order with discharge requirements for winery process water. The regulation could increase production costs for wineries at the same time as it protects water bodies and will ensure consistency for wine producers in the state. The Californian wine industry contributes an estimated $57.6 billion in revenue to the state’s economy per year, through taxes, wages, tourism and sales. But process water from wine making can degrade groundwater quality because of

its nitrogen content, salinity, and biochemical oxygen demand. The new regulation will streamline state-wide permitting of winery process water discharges to land. Along with reporting requirements, the order limits the amount of process water that can be disposed of through land and subsurface disposal. It also sets specifications for water treatment systems and ponds. Furthermore, groundwater monitor requirements will apply to the biggest wineries.

California’s wine industry advocacy association Wine Institute estimates the new order will apply to more than 2,000 of the over 3,600 bonded wineries in the state. Only about 540 wineries hold permits currently, and so for some 1,500, it will entail extra costs. Developed with the involvement of stakeholders from industry and environmental groups, there are concerns about the impact on smaller wineries. The industry faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 with substantial losses from wildfires and from the pandemic.

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WATER & NEWS - WATER TREATMENT

STANDARD WATER TREATMENT TECHNIQUE REMOVES AND INACTIVATES AN ENVELOPED VIRUS Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology discover how to remove and inactivate a model enveloped virus Enveloped viruses have been detected in raw sewage and sludge, but scientists don’t fully understand the infectivity of these viruses during water purification at treatment plants. Now, researchers have discovered that a standard water treatment technique, called iron (III) coagulation, and its electrically driven counterpart, iron (0) electrocoagulation, can efficiently remove and inactivate a model enveloped virus. Enveloped viruses have an outer coating of lipids and proteins that helps

protect their genetic material. Typically, disrupting this coat inactivates the virus. A team wondered whether coagulation with iron (III) can remove and inactivate enveloped viruses. As a model enveloped virus, the researchers chose an RNA virus, called φ6, that infects bacteria. They treated a solution containing φ6 with either iron (III) or with iron (0) electrocoagulation, both of which formed iron precipitates. The hydrophobic viral envelopes stuck to the precipitates, allowing φ6 to be easily removed as

the solids settled. The conventional coagulation reduced the amount of active virus in the water by more than 100,000 times in 2.6 minutes, whereas electrocoagulation was slower but about 10 times more effective. The structures of most of the viral particles in the iron precipitates were damaged, which rendered them unable to infect their host bacteria. These results suggest that water treatment plants are already well equipped to remove enveloped viruses from drinking water by iron (III) coagulation.

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DIGITAL

FEATURE

Does the future of water utilities include digital twins? In a historically risk-averse industry, going digital means embracing digital twins, open environments and integrated workflows.

Teresa Elliott, Sr. Director Digital Twin Marketing, Bentley Systems

Digitalization in water infrastructure As a water utility, you are facing a range of problems in your efforts to provide reliable, resilient, and affordable water systems. Some of the most common concerns are rising electricity prices, aging assets and infrastructure, increasing water scarcity and loss, growing urban populations and shrinking rural ones, and

Without a way to effectively use data to address real problems, you may find yourself drowning in data while thirsting for insight

extreme weather events resulting from global climate change, including hurricanes, floods, and droughts. Fortunately, there are similarly wide-ranging solutions to many of these problems, from public-private partnerships to conservation awareness to smart water technologies. Additionally, utilities are advancing digitalization to address some complex challenges. You may be collecting electronic data in unprecedented volumes, such as output from smart meters, sensors, and various types of inspections. Yet, you may still struggle to use that data to support better decisions, in part because of insufficient digital technology to improve processes. The digital movement represents an opportunity for you to change how

you work by more effectively leveraging data, but it also represents a risk. “Good data is fundamental to good decision-making. But often, utilities struggle to effectively use the data that they already have and the data that they routinely collect because it is isolated in disconnected IT solutions, spreadsheets, and paper records,” says Gregg Herrin, Vice President, Water Infrastructure at Bentley Systems. “Without a way to effectively use data to address real problems, you may find yourself drowning in data while thirsting for insight. To address this, digital twins are a powerful strategy that many water utilities are beginning to adopt.” A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical asset, process, or system. For

Full water cycle

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS

Digital twins provide accurate, reliable data that you can use to perform what-if analyses and make informed decisions throughout the lifecycle of a water system—from long-term system vulnerability and capacity planning to immediate performance monitoring and emergency response.

a water utility, a digital twin can be continuously updated with virtual operational data from supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, sensors, meters, and other measured sources, creating a real-time model that can be used in operations. A digital twin dynamically changes based on the data that it receives, allowing it to mature and yield valuable information that is not generated by a traditional static model—and that capability can drive business decisions. The concept of a digital twin can be used at different scales, from an individual component like a pump or valve, to a subsystem like a water treatment plant or other facility, to an entire utility network. Digital twins can be useful in every phase of the asset lifecycle, from planning and design, to construction, to operations and maintenance. Also, digital twins can be useful to many different types of people, including engineers and designers; operators; and a range of stakeholders, including individuals inside the utility—such as executives— or outside the utility—such as the public. As many industries have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is greater need to have a resilient workforce as well. Even though water utilities are considered

essential services and, in that sense, can still have staff go into the office to support water utility operations, this shift to making data available from anywhere becomes increasingly important. The emphasis for the water utility is on the accessibility of the information in the field to investigate and assess issues, as well as respond quickly. The result is an intelligent, connected digital infrastructure model that supports planning, design, construction, and operations for smart water networks. Digital twins of water systems provide accurate, reliable data that you can use to perform what-if analyses and make informed decisions throughout the lifecycle of a water system—from long-term system vulnerability and capacity planning to immediate performance monitoring and emergency response. “Digitalization will serve as a lever to integrate with other globally recognized response patterns to modern threats – I call this the 4 big D’s,” says Richard Vestner, Senior Director, Digital Solutions, Bentley Systems, “It is where decarbonization, decentralization and democratization add to digitalization. Collectively and across industries, actions in these areas can mitigate negative impacts of observed megatrends

that destabilize natural ecosystems and lead to a loss of resilience. New strategies, thought-out solutions and services that improve water quality and availability are required now and digital twins have the potential to play an essential role in building sustainable and holistic solutions.” You may wonder if this is just hype or is real. The short answer is that it is very real, but engineering firms and operators are at different levels of maturity. Uncertainty of the unknown is uncomfortable. Additionally, it may be uncomfortable to change the status quo. Some users have provided the advice that you must think big, but prove small, and then scale. Here are a few great examples of innovations in projects and operations.

A digital twin dynamically changes based on the data that it receives, allowing it to mature and yield valuable information - MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Bentley applications created a collaborative environment to work on complex project components. Image courtesy of Shanghai Water Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Innovators in water, sewer, and stormwater projects India’s Guwahati water and sewerage department wanted to improve coverage of the potable water supply by 70%. However, previous manual hydraulic design methods were error-prone and inefficient. NJS Engineers India was tasked with delivering modern, intelligent water infrastructure, but had to overcome technical, coordination, and engineering challenges, as well as high pressure concerns. To manage and share data among over 100 firms, NJS needed to establish a connected data environment. The team created a digital GIS environment that helped save 2% in planning and construction costs, reducing drawing production by 60%. Then, with hydraulic modeling, they were able to identify and develop solutions for the high-pressure distribution system, saving

Hatch needed design applications that combined computer-aided design and engineering analysis for their wastewater outfall project 64

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6% in overall project costs. This digital twin created for the project helped promote lifecycle asset management. NJS delivered a fully digitalized water supply system, improving visibility and standardizing business processes that are expected to reduce operating costs. With team members in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Hatch was responsible for the design and construction of a new tunneled outfall that will send treated wastewater from the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant into Lake Ontario. They needed design applications that combined computer-aided design and engineering analysis for the estimated CAD$ 350 million wastewater outfall project. They also had to minimize costs while considering the underwater soil and environmental features. Hatch’s engineers predicted the geological boundary conditions below the lake to steer significant design decisions. They collaborated across several time zones in a connected data environment to keep the project on time and under budget. They delivered a high-quality design by using digital models and structural analysis, conserving CAD$ 25,000 in resource hours. They also saved more than CAD$ 45,000 on paper and printing, as well as consolidat-

ed their design team to save more than CAD$ 350,000. Shenzhen Water Group wanted to build an internationally renowned smart water project that crosses buildings, transportation facilities, and pipelines, supplying the future Nanshan Water Treatment Plant and benefiting 1.5 million people. They hired POWERCHINA ZhongNan Engineering Corporation Limited to create high-quality, ecological 3D designs of the raw water pipeline. Their models were also required to apply to the project’s full lifecycle and last a century. To achieve these goals, POWERCHINA ZhongNan knew that they had to use a collaborative design platform to create digital twins for analyses, quantity calculation, and simulation. By creating digital twin models of all components, the team was able to reduce design time by one month, saving CNY 4 million. Simulation guaranteed accurate design and reduced labor and material waste by 20%, lowering energy consumption. A massive construction project for a river pump gate involves many engineering disciplines, contributing service teams, and relocating and installing underground pipelines. This new access to the sea is meant to reduce frequent flooding in Shanghai. The short design timeline

BENTLEY SYSTEMS and vast amount of work made Shanghai Water Engineering Design and Research Institute realize that, instead of using traditional methods, they needed to generate a 3D reality model while simultaneously importing BIM models into finite element analysis software. The project was the first in which they would apply BIM technology to all aspects of design and construction. Shanghai Water Engineering Design and Research Institute improved the 3D models by working collaboratively and efficiently in a connected data environment, so all disciplines could simultaneously design components of the project. They uncovered several construction process collisions using Bentley’s BIM applications, reducing rework, cutting costs, and shortening the building schedule.

POWERCHINA ZhongNan used a collaborative design platform to create digital twins for analyses, quantity calculation, and simulation POWERCHINA ZhongNan created digital twin models of all components. Credit: POWERCHINA ZhongNan.

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FEATURE

Águas do Porto office. The digital twin environment was possible with the help of OpenFlows WaterGEMS, OpenFlows SewerGEMS, and OpenFlows FLOOD and most importantly the openness of the applications required for federating the necessary data.

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS Innovators in water operations Águas do Porto (AdP) improved the entire urban water cycle in the city of Porto, Portugal by commissioning a smart water management platform (digital twin) called H2PORTO based on Bentley applications. By unifying the data produced by formerly siloed systems, AdP has improved the accuracy of the data produced from sensor readings to nearly 99%. It included the following: water service interruptions fell by 22.9%, number of sewer collapses decreased by 54%; repairs for pipe burst and sewer and service connections improved by 8.3% and 45.5%, respectively; volume of non-revenue water dropped by 3.5%; integration of real-time data and producing information available to teams in the field produced operational gains of 23%; and remote access to H2PORTO allows technicians to update digital twin information while in the field, resulting in operational gains of 23%. DTK Hydronet Solutions was hired as the engineering consultant to deliver

DTK achieved a paradigm shift in digital engineering practices, resulting in improved water asset and risk-based management

Dibrugarh’s water infrastructure network, providing continuous pressurized potable water to all 25,391 houses in the region of Assam, India. However, it was impossible for them to work with conventional file sharing methods and

conduct hydraulic studies within the stipulated timeframe. Additionally, the network had to address non-revenue water (NRW) concerns. DTK needed to establish a connected data environment and digitalize engineering workflows and

With Bentley applications the team combined project delivery information and asset management. Credit: Aegea.

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FEATURE

ProjectWise and OpenFlows helped teams develop a GIS cloud-based platform to manage information and perform hydraulic modeling. Credit: DTK Hydronet Solutions.

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BENTLEY SYSTEMS

The Infra Inteligente Program combines BIM and asset management, transforming water asset lifecycle data into understandable 3D models

asset management. DTK completed the entire design in 50 days, saving 40% in design time and 15% in inventory costs. DTK analyzed over 100 operational scenarios, resulting in a smart water system that will limit NRW to no more than 15%. DTK achieved a paradigm shift in digital engineering practices, resulting in improved water asset and risk-based management. Because a portion of the population does not have proper sewage coverage or access to clean water, the Brazilian government wanted to fast-track coverage by encouraging investors to build or operate current plants. However, handing over asset information for publicly operated and managed facilities proved difficult because of disorganized information. Aegea, a private group of water and sewage utilities, was looking for an integrated approach and recognized the need for a collaborative, digital twin solution. The result was the BRL 20 million Infra Inteligente Program that combines BIM and asset management, transforming water asset lifecycle data into understandable 3D models that contain specifications and real-time access to asset operations. Aegea plans to save millions by switching from reactive to proactive maintenance, which will extend the life of their assets.

When SABESP wanted to reduce water losses in São Paulo, Brazil, they relied on insufficient methods, potentially causing customer dissatisfaction and revenue loss. They realized during their study of the city’s Cursino supply sector that to develop informed, valid improvement proposals, they had to overcome old infrastructure, irregular topography, demand increase, and data collection. They also recognized that identifying critical areas and inadequate pressures, as well as analyzing renovation alternatives, required developing digital twins. With a digital twin, they could transform their asset database into a dynamic hydraulic model of the water supply for the Cursino sector. The digital twin solution is expected to yield operational benefits that are estimated to save close to BRL 850,000 per month (once the project is fully implemented) in recovered water volume. It also serves as a benchmark for improving water supply services to other areas of the city.

Águas do Porto improved the water cycle in Porto, Portugal, by commissioning a smart water management platform (digital twin) - MAGAZINE

FEATURE

Jacob Tompkins, European Water Technology Accelerator -

The digital transformation trend has accelerated over the past twelve months as the public and private sectors come to realize that analog solutions to managing water, from the river basin to manufacturing, or from treatment to the tap, are difficult if not impossible when much of the workforce has moved to remote working. However, the key challenges to accelerating this transformation are competition with the status quo and the need for investment in the workforce tasked with this digital transformation. While for convenience we refer to the "water sector,” we have a more expansive view of how digital technologies are transforming water in general.

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Will Sarni, Water Foundry

This means humanity’s relationship with water to include the opportunities for digital water technologies in homes (e.g., Rachio and spout), empowering citizen scientists (e.g., several of Microsoft’s AI for Earth companies), alternative hydration (e.g., Flowater) and increasing education and awareness of water challenges and opportunities (e.g., Project WET). The Fourth Industrial Revolution The World Economic Forum was one of the early organizations that focused on the role of digital technologies in transforming the water sector as framed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This early report documented

the opportunities in deploying digital technologies to more efficiently and effectively manage water. It also identified many of the challenges in adopting digital technologies for water utilities and industrial sectors such as food and beverage. An in-depth look at the opportunities and challenges within the water and wastewater sectors was commissioned by the International Water Association (IWA) and Xylem. The conclusions regarding how to succeed with a digital transformation strategy from the IWA - Xylem report include set ambition at the c-suite and board level, define a clear business strategy, build an innovation culture, leverage pilots for an agile mindset, de-

THE MISSING DIMENSION IN DIGITAL WATER

The digital transformation of the water sector, both the utility and industrial sectors, was well underway before the pandemic.

velop architecture for optimizing data use, cultivate your digital ecosystem, embrace the digital water value case and unite around solving key barriers (e.g., cybersecurity, interoperability, regulations and culture). Digital Transformation While we are all, hopefully, learning about the opportunities and challenges in the digital transformation of the water sector, there is a cautionary perspective. This has to do with focusing on the human capital dimension of digital technologies. More on this dynamic can be read in the book The Technology Fallacy: How people are the real key to digital transformation.

This transformation is only possible when people are empowered and equipped to make it so. In our view, the most appropriate way to think about the role of digital water technology is as “augmented intelligence” providing the human workforce with more powerful tools. A few observations on digital technologies from The Technology Fallacy illustrate our point of view: J Many of the cultural, organizational, strategic, leadership, and talent responses are far more important and far more difficult than the technological ones. J Research shows that respondents prefer to work for a digital leader and attract digital talent.

J Conversely, a lack of digital maturity may increase attrition. J Organizations identify and assimilate innovations at different rates – it is a learned capability over time. Companies learn by doing it. J Increase “sensing systems” to acquire information from outside the organization

The World Economic Forum was one of the early organizations focused on the role of digital technologies in transforming the water sector

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FEATURE

In the water industry, AI and other digital technologies should be reframed as Augmented Intelligence rather than Artificial Intelligence

J Increase the velocity of internal information flows (e.g., collaboration tools) What does all of this mean for the water sector, and in particular, the water and wastewater utility sector? In general, with a few notable exceptions, the management of many water utilities see digital water as a way to cut costs, and the workforce see this as a threat. Both are wrong. Digital water is not a way to cut costs; it's a way to add value. Yes, that means reducing costs, but that doesn't necessarily mean workforce reduction. We should be looking at upskilling the workforce and presenting these digital tools as just that, digital tools. These tools should free up labour so workforce time can be refocused. Utility leadership needs to recognize the value of using digital tools to augment the existing workforce, and the workforce needs to be receptive to developing the skills and learning to use this new technology to its full potential. Water customers of utilities don't mind if their networks are managed by

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autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) systems as long as there is some human oversight, but perhaps they are not so keen on being dealt with by a chatbot or treated as human data by a clever algorithm. Digital systems can do lots of things that humans cannot. For example, they can work 24 hours a day every day. But they aren't so good at customer service, intuition and strategic thinking - they don’t have emotional intelligence (EQ). The digital water revolution is providing water companies with systems that can do things that humans can't, so the water companies should be combining the human and the digital not looking to replace one with the other. Why on earth are chatbots some of the first digital tools water companies are adopting, rather than network control algorithms or systems to optimise wastewater treatment plants? It may be because they are seeing digital as a replacement for humans rather than an augmentation of their existing workforce and if that's the case then perhaps it's the management that needs replacing with AI.

Workforce Transformation New technology should be used to refocus human staff on things like decision making and customer service. And in these areas of decision making and customer service, digital tools like data analytics and AI can provide humans with extra insight to improve performance. In the water industry, AI and other digital technologies should be reframed as Augmented Intelligence rather than Artificial Intelligence. Humans shouldn't be used, and can't be used, to analyse and interpret huge data sets, but utilities can use digital tools to turn big data into smart data and to present humans with a range of options for decision making. They can even provide humans with work scenarios that they can then choose from. For instance, it is possible to develop an autonomous control system for a water distribution network, which can operate pumps and optimise performance (e.g. SCUBIC), but it can't yet talk to local politicians and residents about what is an acceptable level of headroom in a given reservoir. Digital water can free up humans to spend more time on making these soft data decisions. For example: One of the first apps developed by Severn Trent Water in the UK was a tool that provided customers with real time information on street works such as which street is being worked on and when, the purpose of the work, how long it would take, alternative routes to avoid the construction and so on. This was useful until they humanized it by giving the names and pictures of the staff doing the work and, very importantly in the UK, how they liked their tea. This immediately humanized the road work carried out by a big faceless company and created a bond with the customer. This is a perfect example of how digital tech can be made more human and can be delivered in conjunction with, rather than in opposition to, the existing workforce.

THE MISSING DIMENSION IN DIGITAL WATER

Switching to digital solutions in the water sector has multiple benefits. It enables data to be gathered, analysed, and presented as actionable information, which can increase productivity and profitability. It frees up the workforce from repetitive tasks enabling them to become more analytical or customer focussed and the data insights into customer behaviour will augment this customer-centric shift. Data rich decision making from management and workforce will increase resilience and asset life, and through the use of digital twins will enable better scenario planning and design. The data is already there, it's just

not being used to its full potential. Digital solutions provide access to the data and a digitally trained workforce can use the information from these digital tools to make better informed decisions. It is clear that analog solutions are no longer adequate, and the digital transformation of water is unstoppable. However, digital tools are just tools and if we want to capture the full value of investing in digital technologies, we must invest in people. It is likely that during the most challenging part of the digital transformation of water it is the human capital dimension that is the most challenging but also the invest-

ment that will have a more enduring impact and return on investment. Investment in human capital, strategy and culture can create a more agile learning organization that is poised to adopt future innovations more readily.

Investment in human capital and strategy can create a more agile learning organization that is poised to adopt innovations more readily

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WATER & NEWS - DIGITAL

FLAGSHIP WATER RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS CASH SAVINGS The SDS Greywater on Demand (GWOD) system uses a state-of-the-art ultrafiltration technology and incorporates cloud-based data monitoring, to deliver a space-saving, low-energy and responsive water reuse system A next-generation water recycling system, unveiled by water infrastructure systems specialist SDS, is promising to boost business sector efforts to save water by offering significantly improved investment returns for commercial developers and operators. The SDS GWOD uses a state-of-theart ultrafiltration technology, unique to the UK, together with smart controls, to deliver a space-saving, low-energy and responsive water reuse system, for commercial buildings, hotels and leisure centres. The SDS Greywater on Demand (GWOD) system is set to be a flagship technology of the company’s water reuse product range. It is also one of the first to be equipped with SDS’s SYMBiotICTM automated smart controls incorporating cloud-based monitoring to ensure that process performance is optimised. The GWOD’s small footprint, together with its ability to provide, on-demand, quality recycled water whenever needed, makes it capable of significantly improved investment payback when compared to conventional Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) greywater systems. SDS water recycling specialist Kevin Reed explains: “In the past, MBR systems have tended to be the technology of choice. Our ultrafiltration system typically processes water at about 2m3 per hour per filter, compared to an MBR system which processes at about 4m3 per day per membrane. As a result of the faster treatment, the storage volume, and therefore the tank size, is

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considerably smaller than for a typical MBR system. The SDS Greywater on Demand system can pay back in as little as seven years, although actual return on investment will depend on the size of the system and the local Water Company charges. SDS offers a full design and installation service to support Public Health Engineers, developers and commercial operators and ensure correct system sizing for maximum savings. In the GWOD system, greywater is collected and then pumped through a disk pre-filter system and dosed with a small amount of chlorine before entering the ultrafilters. The treated water is then stored, ready for use, in a separate tank and pumped, as needed, around the building. The GWOD’s ultrafiltration system is a highly-efficient membrane with auto-

mated integral backwash, that delivers treated water to near drinking water standards. The compact design can be adapted to add as many ultrafilters as required to deliver the amount of recycled water needed to service the building. When combined with SDS’s smart SYMBiotICTM cloud-based data monitoring and control, SDS GWOD can be configured to provide real-time performance measures, condition monitoring with alarms and alerts, as well as trend mapping to aid with preventative maintenance. Regular reports of water saving performance can also be output. Greywater is wastewater, for example, from baths, showers and handbasins, that can be filtered, treated and then reused for non-drinking purposes such as toilet flushing, laundry or garden irrigation. The principle is already being widely adopted.

DIGITAL WATER PROJECT ACTIVITY REBOUNDS 11% IN THE U.S. AND SIGNALS BRIGHT SPOT AMIDST PANDEMIC A market analysis by Bluefield Research shows digital water project activity in the U.S. increased 11 per cent from Q2 to Q3 2020 Digital water project activity in the U.S. is showing signs of a turnaround by increasing 11% from Q2 to Q3 2020. The uptick stems partly from more favourable market conditions, including the lifting of strict pandemic lockdown measures and the quick adoption of remote workforce strategies which have benefitted the sector, according to a recent market analysis. Bluefield’s quarterly insight, Digital Water: Key Trends, Project Activity, and Market Outlook, highlights 51 U.S. project announcements for digital wa-

ter in Q3 2020. This is in stark contrast to data from the first half of the year, during which project activity declined 28% from Q1 to Q2. Along with positive signals from market activity, digital applications in the water sector represent an industry bright spot that is expected to attract greater investment. “We anticipate the impact of the pandemic to continue changing the way water utilities do business, and which water projects are being prioritized and funded,” says Eric Bindler, Research Di-

rector for Bluefield’s Digital Water Insight service. In just over a decade, the municipal water sector has had to withstand two significant economic disruptions that are forcing an operational rethink of utility plans to address infrastructure, water quality, workforce management, as well as climate-related impacts. As such, Bluefield expects more proactive utilities and stakeholders to leverage this opportunity to become more resilient and better positioned for the next, unforeseeable event.

EXELON’S AQUIFY AND TAKADU ALLY TO BRING DIGITIZATION AND ANALYTICS TO U.S. WATER UTILITIES Utilities can make data-informed decisions to increase efficiency and reduce water losses, regardless of the size of their network Aquify, an Exelon business based in Chicago, IL, and TaKaDu, a leading global provider of Central Event Management (CEM) solutions for water utilities based in Yehud, Israel, have announced a strategic alliance to bring advanced water technologies as well as digital solutions and services to the U.S. water utilities market. The collaboration merges TaKaDu’s global market-leading CEM platform with Aquify’s comprehensive water distribution network monitoring services to create an end-to-end

shared-service offering, that includes sensors, software platform, cybersecure communications network, field operations, and a professionally staffed 24/7 operations and engineering centre. The Aquify-TaKaDu alliance provides U.S. water utilities of all sizes with access to advanced technologies and best practices utilized by leading utilities across the globe to increase efficiency, reduce water loss and improve customer service. Funds, resources, size, and staff are no longer obstacles for adopting innovative

technologies and advanced water loss methodologies for U.S. water utilities. The new shared-service model offered through this alliance removes the traditional barriers for many water agencies to ‘going digital’. The proven capabilities of the TaKaDu CEM platform to analyse real-time water distribution network data coupled with supplemental information to identify system incidents such as leaks and pressure anomalies is now combined with Aquify’s 24/7 network operations centre.

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FEATURE

DATA DOWN UNDER: CREATING A RISK-BASED APPROACH TO DAM MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE Facing on-going influences such as climate change, dam owners are under increasing pressure to ensure the safety of their assets. The consequences of failure are becoming more significant too, in light of factors like downstream urbanisation. With asset owners integrating new solutions to help them rise to the challenge, Australia’s Hunter Water has turned its eyes skyward in a bid to advance its asset monitoring performance to the next level. As dam assets age, accurate monitoring becomes increasingly important to ensure safety. With the impact of broad trends such as increasing urbanisation and global warming, the challenges facing dam owners and the potential consequences of failure are mounting. Urbanisation, for example, is seeing more people living downstream of a dam than ever before. This represents a significant increase in the consequences of failure and associated catastrophic risk. Meanwhile, global warming is introducing far more volatility to weather events, making them much harder to predict and manage.

Climate change is causing more intense rainfall bursts, which are shorter and more unpredictable and are a major worry for dam owners 76

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"The biggest problem with climate change, particularly with dams, is the unpredictability of precipitation, causing too much or too little water," says Professor Mark Maslin FRGS, FRSA of the Department of Geography at University College London. "Leakage through or under a dam can cause blowout. But if you have a sudden massive rainstorm, this can cause overtopping, and the water spills over the top and cuts down through the dam, causing catastrophic failure. Climate change is already causing more intense rainfall bursts, which are shorter and more unpredictable and are a major worry for dam owners." Maslin continues: "Hot, dry summers are also creating problems. Dams don't like pressure to be released and lowering the level of water is also problematic because it starts to put a strain on the dam structure." In Australia, for example, which as the driest inhabited continent also has the

highest per capita surface water storage capacity, the large number and size of water storage assets is a particular challenge. Earlier this year a leak at a privately-owned irrigation dam in Queensland prompted evacuations and flood warnings at the town of Talgai after a 3.5 metre-wide hole appeared in the structure, which was at maximum capacity.

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Under the influence of climate change, Australia's already highly variable rainfall is likely to become far less predictable, with one in 20-year maximum rainfall events predicted to become one in 15 or even one in five-year events by the end of the century. At the same time, while dams are extremely long-lived, huge numbers are

already many decades old. By 2025, nearly 75 per cent of the 91,000 dams in the US could reach half a century in age. Nonetheless, even dams which have been constructed relatively recently can present problems. The spillway at another Queensland dam, Paradise Dam near Bundaberg, was damaged during 2013. This dam was only built in 2005.

Ensuring dam safety For dam safety engineers tasked with developing and maintaining systems to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that people downstream are not put at risk from the dam owners' business activities, the growing consequences and changing risks have prompted a reappraisal.

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FEATURE

Hunter Water signed a contract with Rezatec to provide satellite-based data and geospatial analytics to monitor environmental changes

Supported by field staff, dam safety engineers undertake asset monitoring and inspections which include assessing if dams meet modern standards, and making sure that any risks are effectively managed. Inspection and monitoring need to determine if there are any trends that might indicate an emerging problem. However, the need for comprehensive monitoring presents a number of challenges. "Dams are very large assets, and very high or extreme consequences result if they are to fail," explains Daniel Turnbull, Dam Safety Engineer at the New South Wales (NSW)-based Hunter Water. Among other assets, Turnbull is responsible for the Grahamstown Dam in NSW. Constructed between 1955 and 1965, Grahamstown is Hunter's largest drinking water supply dam, providing 40 per cent of water to the region and meeting up to 75 per cent of the company's daily supply requirements. It holds a reservoir of some 182,305 million litres behind a five km-long embankment. "You're doing your best to monitor all the key points, and in terms of inspecting that is fine. Yet, considering actual

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reading of measurements it is very hard to have absolute coverage of a dam," says Turnbull. "It's not physically practical to monitor every aspect of the dam, especially with a dam like Grahamstown where we've got over 5 km of the embankment. That's one of the big challenges we face, making sure that our monitoring is targeted and effective." As Turnbull says: "The first thing is making sure that you don't become complacent about the risks that dams pose. We really need to make sure we have a good understanding of what the potential failure modes are for our particular dams and target our monitoring towards those failure modes." However, Grahamstown presents a number of additional challenges when executing effective monitoring, not least because the top of the dam is home to a major road with an 80 kph speed limit. "Grahamstown is a bit unique in that the shoulders of the dam are actually constructed of sand, which we know move quite a bit during normal operations. The stable portion of the dam is the solid clay core which is directly underneath a road," says the dam safety engineer.

Monitoring under these circumstances is costly and inconvenient for people trying to use the road and for local government. "If we were to install permanent marks on the road, then every time we read them, we would have to shut one lane at least of that road. We would be putting people in harm's way by monitoring permanent marks on the road. As a result, we were only really monitoring the embankments by visual inspection, where there's nothing that's measurable," adds Turnbull.

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Assessing alternatives, including drone surveillance Faced with these challenges to effective monitoring and keen to ensure their assets are safe, Hunter began exploring alternative approaches to the traditional measurement survey and visual inspection. "We were looking at other options that we may be able to implement where we can actually get some measurements and start plotting trends rather than relying on photos or people's opinions of what has changed over the years," says Turnbull.

One avenue they explored was the use of drones in surveying the site. "We had tried some drone surveys, which are becoming cost effective. We could do them multiple times a year, and they provided us with the required coverage of the embankment," says Turnbull. However, he adds: "The issue was the accuracies were just not as good as a traditional survey. As opposed to the 1 to 2 millimetres of movement that can be derived from satellite data, they were only picking up 20 to 30 millimetres."

Grahamstown Dam is also located very close to the end of the Newcastle airport runway, which had to be taken into consideration.

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FEATURE

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REZATEC "Whenever we've got a drone in the air over that side of the dam, we've got to be in communication with air traffic control, and take the drone down every time there's an aircraft movement. It wasn't overly good for the purpose of performing the work efficiently." Having explored aerial surveying, in September Hunter Water signed a threeyear contract with UK-firm, Rezatec to provide satellite-based data and geospatial analytics to monitor structural and environmental changes at Grahamstown Dam. Offered in partnership with Detection Services, Rezatec will use analysis of satellite-derived imagery and geospatial data, in addition to a wealth of historic archive satellite data, to look retrospectively at changes and trends over time. Exploring the past with future technology In order to determine any anomalous behaviour in the dam structure, it's important to use historical data to establish a baseline. Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a common form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images and present a significant amount of archived data for analysis. "The retrospective data analysis is key to providing the client with a better understanding of their dam," adds Camilla Braithwaite, Product Manager at Rezatec. “We use SAR to monitor ground motion and multispectral data to monitor vegetation, both of which are good indicator for potential failure modes. The traditional survey doesn’t provide enough data points, on which to provide peace of mind. Rezatec’s Dam Monitoring product uses three years of SAR data and two years of multispectral data in the retrospective analysis, collected at 6-12 day intervals. It identifies anomalies, or observations outside the acceptable baseline trend from this large tranche of data to notify dam operators, where they should direct their skills and resources."

Facing on-going influences such as climate change, dam owners are under increasing pressure to ensure the safety of their assets

Data from Hunter Water, such as water level information affecting movement, is overlayed with satellite data to help pinpoint exactly where issues are down to a few millimetres of displacement. In addition to precise movement, satellite data can also pick up other indicators of problems with dam infrastructure, such as vegetation moisture and vigour, using a two-year retrospective. This is a point picked up by Turnbull who says: "We started off with a twoyear retrospective analysis and over that period of time we had a couple of areas on the dam where we had completed some work. We installed a couple of pipelines through the crest of the dam, so we had an open excavation for a short period of time. "On another occasion, we did some topsoiling of the embankment to try to generate some vegetation growth. During its retrospective analysis, Rezatec was able to pick out exactly where that work had been undertaken at that period of time. That gave me confidence that they were picking up movement as well as the vegetation vigour that they are looking at." As Braithwaite says: "Water level and seasonality can affect vegetation. Adding

these into the analysis means we can take these into account, and only identify observations that are truly anomalous. Vegetation is a really nice indicator for seepage, which is obviously a real worry for dam owners. It's not something they can spot straight away very easily. We can provide dam operators with an understanding of what's normal, benchmarking and then identifying anomalies that can help direct their ground crew." Switching to satellite but keeping people Despite some concerns, adopting high tech observations from space is not suggestive of reducing the number of inspections and staff. Instead, it enables resources to be more efficiently focused on potential problems before they become significant issues, as well

Most importantly, good monitoring takes you from managing your dams reactively to proactively, with all the benefits that that will bring - MAGAZINE

FEATURE

as reducing the number of unnecessary inspections. The Hunter Water team still carries out routine daily inspections, with team members visually inspecting to note changes.

Rezatec will use analysis of satellite-derived imagery and geospatial data to look retrospectively at changes and trends over time 82

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"We wanted something to complement that," adds Turnbull. "Previously, if they noticed an issue, we would either increase our monitoring frequency to a couple of times a day to try and ascertain if it is changing, or if we're still not sure then we would undertake further detailed investigations where we might be excavating within the embankment to try and get some additional information. Now, if visual monitoring picks up that there's a potential issue, we're able to refer to satellite monitoring and reveal if there is something measurable to support that theory." Professor Maslin expands on this idea: "Geospatial analysis doesn't replace peo-

ple; it makes them more efficient. Instead of excellent engineers running around to make sure that they can cover however many dams, they can have a monthly check on each of their dams and use their skills to identify which structures are causing concern and where. "We know that most times, dams are fine. It means that you can focus your resources and use them as efficiently as possible and use the expertise you have. With new technology, you have to be absolutely sure that this is going to improve efficiency and improve safety." This is a point echoed by Turnbull, who says: "I liked the thought of being able to

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use whatever system we came up with to provide an early warning system, so the satellite monitoring was perfect given that data are being collected every 11 or 12 days; we can start to see changes over that much shorter frequency. Another aspect was again something unique to Grahamstown with its 5 km of embankment. "Trying to cover that embankment length with a traditional technique, there's nothing to say that if the issue was to arise, it wouldn't be directly between two monitoring points. You may not pick up any movement at all at our formal monitoring points, but the dam could fail directly in between them. Sat-

ellite monitoring, just because of the coverage it provides, gives us a more holistic view of what's happening with the dam." Consistency and safety Dams are assets that have long lives, with dam safety engineers inevitably inheriting these structures that other people have been monitoring and maintaining over a long period of time. Satellite-based geospatial data analysis provides a high degree of consistency even as the employment market becomes more fluid and roles change every few years. The use of frequent millimetric surveys also allows asset owners to go

beyond regulatory requirements to establish a key measure to assess asset risk. "Regulations for an extreme consequence category dam requires a movement survey once a year, for a high consequence category dam, then it's every two years. We wanted to have a bit more scrutiny than the bare minimum that we're required to have," adds Turnbull. Satellite observations also address the challenge to increase the frequency of monitoring remote dam assets. "In Australia, we've got some dams in rural areas which take several hours drive or flights to get there. In terms of being able to monitor those sites without having to send a team of surveyors out there to do it is very attractive," adds the dam engineer. More importantly, though, satellite observations are repeatable, testable and achievable at a much higher frequency and more accurately than physically sending a survey team out to a site. These key abilities are becoming far more significant, considering climate change and other megatrends like urbanisation. "With carefully thought through monitoring, you should be able to understand exactly how your dam or dams are performing, so you know what is normal and more importantly what is not," says Ian Garside, Director at project partner, ProjectMax. "Robust monitoring can go further and allow you to manage the risks across your reservoir portfolio, helping to drive your business and regulation in a targeted way. Possibly most importantly, though, good monitoring takes you from managing your dams reactively to proactively, with all the benefits that that will bring."

We use SAR to monitor ground motion and multispectral data for vegetation, both of which are good indicators for potential failure modes

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WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

SINGAPORE’S NEW DESALINATION PLANT TREATS SEA AND RESERVOIR WATER

Singapore has officially opened its fourth desalination facility, strengthening the country’s water supply resilience. The Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant inaugurated at the beginning of February by Keppel Infrastructure and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, is the only plant to treat both sea and reservoir water. The first large-scale, dual-mode desalination plant, which was made operational last June, can treat around 30 million gallons a day (mgd). This equals about 7 per cent of the Republic’s daily water needs of around 430 mgd. The Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant, which is about twice the size of a football field, can either treat water from the Marina Reservoir when it is raining heavily or draw seawater when the country experiences drought or periods of dry weather. Years of testing and research of dual-mode

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desalination were necessary before building this innovative and one-of-its-kind facility. It has also been seamlessly integrated with the surrounding greenery, with nearly 20,000 square metres of open green rooftop space for community activity and recreation. The plant’s treatment facilities are situated underground, viewable via a private viewing gallery. Although the sea “is a practically limitless resource,” according to National water agency PUB chief executive Ng Joo Hee, the company has said that water recycling is also an important source of water for Singapore. Currently, there are five NEWater plants – these recycle treated water into ultra-clean, high-grade reclaimed water. By 2060, when water consumption is set to double, PUB plans to meet up to 85 per cent of the country’s water demand with NEWater and desalination.

SDGs

INTERVIEW

DR CATARINA FONSECA IRC ASSOCIATE

“Besides strong commitment from heads of state to the sector, we also need more citizens to speak up” IRC is an international think-and-do-tank building strong WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) systems. Acting at district, national and global levels, it is dedicated to achieving SDG 6: ensure access to water and sanitation for all.

Z IRC was founded in the Netherlands in 1968 as a knowledge broker, a focal point for a global network of institutions active in water supply research and development. Over the last decades, they have focused more on seeking solutions to build resilient WASH systems at a local and national level, through action research: using innovative approaches to deal with complex problems. As the pandemic highlighted the vital role of safe water and hygiene for the health response, IRC has strengthened its efforts to make decision-makers see that WASH services are key to public health. We have talked with Catarina Fonseca, IRC Associate and finance specialist with extensive experience in the water and sanitation sector about the path ahead towards ensuring universal, sustainable WASH services.

"At IRC the focus has always been on supporting colleagues in the sector to talk about finance, to engage with financing mechanisms" 86

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Cristina Novo Pérez

Can you tell us briefly about your career path and your current role in IRC? I started to work in a non-profit organisation in Portugal after I finished a master’s degree in Economics. It was an organisation that worked in the urban slums of Lisbon (yes, there were many slums there in the 80s). Mostly supporting immigrant women with training opportunities to get them back in the job market. I remember the open sewers and the awful conditions they lived in. I came to the Netherlands to do a master’s degree in Rural and Agricultural Development and that led me to a research associate contract at IRC in 2000. It was my first contact with the water sector. I also learned at that time, that very few colleagues (besides those working with large utilities) talked about or discussed financial issues in the sector. I remember asking “But how much does it cost to increase by 10% the coverage in this district?” and the answer, at best, would be “this handpump costs $10 per person”. No one had a straight answer beyond pieces of technology, no one talked about maintenance costs for instance. That’s how I ended up in the sector and working 20 years for IRC. The focus has

always been supporting colleagues in the sector to talk about finance, to engage with financing mechanisms, to understand public finance and how important it is to support innovation and also to reduce inequalities. During this period, IRC has also supported me to do a part-time PhD in Water Sciences. I joined the management team of IRC and became the head of the international programme in 2012. I have enjoyed the incredible scope of working directly with citizens, with community organisations, with district officials, with bankers, with very wealthy philanthropists and with high-level government colleagues. I managed, over the years, to always combine technical work, teaching, management and advocacy work. I have travelled all over the world and have never stopped learning. Since mid-2019 I became an IRC Associate and have created my own company Pulsing Tide. I am an advisor for several agencies and partnerships working in the sector. What is the strategy of IRC to contribute to achieving sustainable WASH services? The most important aspect of the IRC strategy is a systems-thinking approach to the water sector. This means thinking

DR CATARINA FONSECA

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INTERVIEW

"Systems thinking means thinking about district master plans to reach universal access and not simply technology or infrastructure" about district master plans to reach universal access and not simply about pieces of technology or infrastructure construction; it means thinking about all the stakeholders that need to be involved to deliver clean water and to ensure waste is treated. IRC does this by having several country offices that engage both upstream with national government on regulatory frameworks, sector planning, monitoring processes and at district and local level with local government but also with civil society organisations. We also join forces with many other organisations in the sector and we do a lot of international advocacy to ensure that the water sector remains high on the political agenda. It’s a disgrace that in 2021 so many people do not have clean water or a place to relieve themselves. 2030 is approaching fast. How can current successes be scaled up to meet SDG 6 in the next 10 years? I have co-written the Handbook for Finance Ministers – How to make public investments work for Sanitation and Water for All. In the handbook, we have chosen some of the best success cases across the world on how countries have raised additional finance or made existing finance more efficient. All the success cases have a couple of things in common. The first one is the strong backup and leadership from Heads of State and their cabinets. Raising the amounts of finance we need for the sector does require a systems thinking – and involving more than the usual technical colleagues. Recently, talking with a State Secretary responsible for

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budgeting in a country where sanitation is off track, he said quite boldly: “We prioritise health, not sanitation”. Many heads of states and Ministers of Finance and their teams don’t actually know the impact of sanitation on health and the environment. This is not something you see in the media either. So besides strong commitment from heads of state to the sector, we also need more citizens to speak up, more journalists that show the consequences of illegal mining on water supplies or unregulated runoffs from industry, the impact from raw sewers running through towns, and the impact of disease burden and produc-

tivity on countries’ economies. Its civil society that can hold their governments accountable, and funding for civil society in the water and sanitation sector is close to none. And the third point, if we look at middle- and higher-income countries is that from a financing perspective there is still not much of a climate adaptation and mitigation narrative. Water and sanitation programmes that are receiving climate funds are less than a handful. Ministers of Finance don’t know much about sanitation, but neither do our climate colleagues. Most of the larger financing agencies are increasing their

DR CATARINA FONSECA climate finance to 50% of their portfolios. Water and sanitation infrastructure are in themselves climate adaptation and mitigation measures, but they are still quite small in the financing agencies portfolios. Flood management and con-trol make cities resilient to climate threads, waste water treatment protects ecosystems and biodiversity, water for irrigation is critical for food security. The new EU typology for climate finance will reflect in detail many of these aspects and what they mean for decarbonisation, but much more knowledge is required within the water sector to access the potential of cli-mate finance.

Is finance the main bottleneck in the way of achieving the SDGs? What aspects of finance? Can there be less costly WASH solutions? It is certainly a very large bottleneck, but there are many funds available to the sector that are not being used. It’s a necessary condition, but it is not sufficient. And certainly, there can be less costly WASH solutions. In the Handbook for Finance Ministers, we have made very explicit that some of the instruments to raise more finance to the sector are in fact all about restructuring internal public finance management aspects and incentivising

"Some instruments to raise finance to the sector are about restructuring internal public finance and incentivising sector performance" sector performance with better planning and management. These would allow maximising value from existing public finance and in the process make the sector more trustworthy to attract private finance.

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INTERVIEW These are followed by not very popular measures, but those that have the highest impact in the amounts of finance that can be mobilised: tariff reforms would solve a lot of problems and existing inequalities, increasing national budgets to the sector, introducing earmarked taxes (partly how South Korea reached universal access in one generation, how India reduced dramatically open defecation) and implement cross subsidies and solidarity taxes, which are commonly used in high-income countries too. In middle-income countries or countries where the water sector is willing to reform, increasing repayable domestic finance is another way to raise the required financing. But none of these will materialise without consensus and high-level political buy in to prioritise universal access to sustainable water and sanitation services. Especially sanitation is hard to sell and is not getting the amounts of funds it requires. Supporting the sector with the necessary reforms to achieve the required foundations to mobilise funding and finance is the most important in the medium to long term. The pandemic increased the visibility of the water sector highlighting handwashing as essential for health. To what extent do you think emergency measures against COVID-19 will have a positive effect regarding the provision of water services? It’s interesting because the pandemic has increased the awareness for handwashing, but that has not translated necessarily in increased sector visibility. Devex is tracking the post-COVID response which is going mostly to economic recovery, small and medium enterprises and health programmes. WASH is at bottom of the list. Health has gained visibility, not water and sanitation. But improved sanitary facilities IS a health response. At the moment, many utilities and service providers that were struggling, are more and more in debt with reduced revenues due to less water consumption for

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Civil society can bring about change faster and at a scale that many don’t think possible, also related with finance in the sector Catarina Fonseca. Collecting water samples. Ethiopia

DR CATARINA FONSECA industry and commerce. Financing institutions have opened new short term credit lines for supporting service providers coping with liquidity issues. But unless some of the reforms I have mentioned above take place, many of the service providers will be even less creditworthy than before COVID. We risk going backwards in the progress that has been made in the past 10 years in low-middle income countries. Considerable progress has been made towards increasing the number of people who have access to WASH services, yet those left behind are harder to reach, the most vulnerable communities. What needs to be done to get to them?

The same that has been done in rich countries. First, we need to understand who are the people being left behind. Who they are, where they are and the barriers that are preventing them to access services. This analysis leads, in many cases, to the conclusion that the root cause of some of the problems is not financial at all – that it has to do with the status of illegal settlements, the political marginalisation of minority groups, lack of social safety nets for poorer families. Once the barriers are identified, specific programmes need to be designed for these marginalised and vulnerable communities – again, most of them are well beyond the water sector. For those that live in remote areas, self-supply options are available – and can

be facilitated through credit programmes for instance if there is the ability to pay. I think that we have seen decades of underinvestment in the sector beyond the large cities – and overall, as a sector, we have been accepting this as a norm rather than investing in rural areas, in sanitation, in poorer areas. We have populations with “basic services” that most of us would not find acceptable. Again, this is where I think citizens can play a larger role and demand more accountability to their governments, and work jointly with service providers and local entities to reach these marginalised areas. Civil society can bring about change faster and at a scale that many don’t think possible, also related to finance in the sector.

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WATER & NEWS - SDG

NEW SANITATION & WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT BENCHMARK TOOL TO BOOST HEALTH, ECONOMIC GROWTH IN AFRICA The new atlas highlights opportunities for investment and transformative approaches to advance infrastructure and services

The African Development Bank, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal have released the inaugural Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa, a tool to benchmark and propel Africa’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goals on safe sanitation and wastewater management. The Atlas aims to help policymakers accelerate investment in the sector. The result of four years of collaboration, the Atlas assesses progress and highlights opportunities where investment in sanitation and wastewater management can improve health and spur economic growth. The publication incorporates maps, graphics and profiles of all African countries, including analyses of their water resources and provision of basic services. It also explores the links between sanitation and wastewater and

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ecosystem health and human health, and discusses frameworks and circular economy approaches that can lead to better infrastructure and systems. “Africa cannot have a healthy society without adequate access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene,” said Wambui Gichuri, the African Development Bank’s Acting Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “In the past 10 years, the African Development Bank has invested more than $6 billion in sanitation and hygiene improvements, but much more financing is needed from the private sector, development finance institutions, governments and other sources. The new Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa can inform strategic investment going forward.” According to the report, more than half of the population in 34 out of 38

sub-Saharan Africa nations lack access to basic handwashing facilities. It recommends investment in the necessary policies, infrastructure and human skills capacities to operationalize actions towards the achievement of goals and targets in the 2030 Agenda, including those for sanitation and wastewater management. The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened an existing need to upgrade Africa’s water and sanitation infrastructure. The report’s authors urge African governments to incorporate sanitation and wastewater programs into their post-COVID-19 planning. “As the world seeks to recover better after COVID-19, prioritizing wastewater and sanitation infrastructure in Africa is critical. Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for making water and sanitation available to everyone, is within reach by 2030 if we commit the needed resources. The Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa provides the tools for policymakers to focus on this important challenge,” said Leticia Carvalho, Head of UNEP’s Marine and Freshwater Branch. “We have gathered a wealth of information on practical and transformative solutions for wastewater management and the provision of sanitation services, which can help to boost public health and secure the sustainability of Africa’s natural resources,” said Clever Mafuta, Head of the Waste Programme at GRID-Arendal, a Norwegian non-profit organization established to support the work of UNEP.

INSTALLING PIPED WATER NEAR HOMES PROMOTES GENDER EQUALITY IN RURAL ZAMBIA Researchers from Stanford University make an argument for piped water infrastructure investments across rural, low-income areas Water isn’t just crucial for life, it’s fundamental to increasing opportunities for women and girls in rural areas across the globe. A new Stanford study reveals how bringing piped water closer to remote households in Zambia dramatically improves the lives of women and girls, while also improving economic opportunities, food security and well-being for entire households. The research, published in Social Science & Medicine, could spur governments and NGOs to more carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of piped water as an alternative to less accessible communal water sources. “Switching from the village borehole to piped supply saved almost 200 hours of fetching time per year for a typical household,” said study senior author Jenna Davis, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, director of Stanford’s Program on Water, Health and Development. Globally, about 844 million people live without safe, accessible water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, hygiene and food production. Just 12 percent of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa has water piped to their home. Dedicating a large chunk of their day to water fetching takes time away from activities such as childcare, housework, hygiene, outside employment, education and leisure. Over the past decades, national governments and international aid groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars installing basic water sources, such as wells and handpumps. However,

many of these sources are still far from users’ homes, resulting in long journeys to fetch water. Piped water installations in sub-Saharan Africa have increased by a mere 2 percentage points since 2007. Investing resources into high-quality piped water sources that are dramatically closer to rural households could thus be a more effective route to providing safe, accessible and affordable drinking water for all. For their study, the researchers examined less frequently measured aspects of well-being – including time savings, economic opportunity and nutritional security – that can be gained through increased access to reliable, easily accessible water. To do this, the team followed four rural villages within Zambia’s southern province that had similar populations and access to school, mar-

kets and health care facilities. Halfway through the study, two of the villages received piped water to their yard, reducing the distance of their water source to just 15 meters. Each village was surveyed at the beginning, middle and end of the study, with a team of Zambian interviewers conducting a total of 434 household surveys. Water meters were used to validate water consumption information. Of course, a piped water infrastructure does have higher upfront costs, which could discourage government and NGO investments. Poverty poses a major barrier when it comes to water access, and with most of the world’s poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, more research is needed to understand what is needed for communities to sustain piped water networks.

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WATER & NEWS - SDG

UN-HABITAT PROGRAMME WILL IMPROVE SANITATION IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS WORLDWIDE A public service approach will extend and sustain inclusive sanitation services The United Nations agency focused on sustainable urbanization, UN-Habitat, has launched a new programme to improve sanitation services for people living in slums and informal settlements. UN-Habitat, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will advance Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) norms, which aim to ensure everyone benefits from safely managed sanitation. This is done by promoting a public service approach to extend and sustain inclusive sanitation services

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across urbanized service areas, drawing on the full range of available and appropriate technologies - including onsite and sewers, centralized or decentralized as appropriate - to meet service goals. UN-Habitat will work to improve local, national, and global tools and experience to help authorities establish stronger, safer, more inclusive sanitation service delivery systems. The project will strengthen national data and information management systems. For example, the project will help develop a standard-

ized methodology to source, monitor and aggregate data on the quality and reach of sanitation services in informal settlements to inform investment and service delivery decisions. It will help global monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation for all. The project will support the development of fundamental technical guidelines, tools, training materials and knowledge management products such as case studies, thematic learning notes and technical notes on the CWIS approach.

CLIMATE CHANGE

INTERVIEW

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GRAHAM WATKINS

CHIEF OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE DIVISION AT INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

“Climate impacts are likely to be most severe in LAC countries with water scarcity and weak water governance and management” The development of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is particularly vulnerable to the risks climate change poses. Many countries in the region have begun taking steps to address this menace with the assistance of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which has increased its support in this area.

Olivia Tempest

Climate change is affecting the availability, quality and quantity of water and threatening the human rights of access to water and sanitation for billions of people, including in Latin America and the Caribbean, an area which is particularly vulnerable to this increasingly violent phenomenon. In this interview, we had the chance to speak with Graham Watkins, Chief of the Climate Change Division at Inter-American Development Bank, on the current challenges LAC countries are facing and how they are responding to the growing menace of global warming in terms of adaptation and mitigation strategies in these uncertain times.

"We help LAC countries by aiding them to access financial resources to design and implement adaptation measures across sectors"

Could you tell us briefly about your career path and your current role in the IDB? I am the IDB's Chief of the Climate Change and Sustainability Division. I lead the Bank's efforts to support climate action with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) governments. We support climate policy and planning, increase financing for transformation, integrate climate into banking operations, and generate and share knowledge about sustainable infrastructure, climate risk, adaptation, resilience, and decarbonization. Before this, I was Executive Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos Islands and Director General of the Iwokrama Center in Guyana. I have thirty years of experience leading biodiversity, sustainable infrastructure, and climate change initiatives and have published more than 60 articles, including two books on the Galapagos and Rupununi. I have a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA from the University of Oxford.

How does the IDB help LAC adapt to climate change impacts? We help LAC countries by aiding them to access financial resources to design and implement adaptation measures across sectors. We supply technical support in the design of long-term adaptation strategies and improve adaptation in Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. We work on several fronts: (1) policy investments in disaster risk management to strengthen national institutions to respond to disasters; (2) financial tools such as contingency loans, bonds, and insurance to protect communities and infrastructure; (3) innovative financing for natural capital and nature-based solutions; (4) tools, analysis, and methodologies for disaster and climate risk, including a framework to assess adaptive capacity in the water sector and climate-resilience metrics for project-level indicators; (5) innovative analytical approaches to assess vulnerability to climate change in projects and systems (e.g., Robust Decision Making, Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways, and Blue-spot Analysis); and, (6) pilots and investment grants such as to support research on climate-resilient seeds and agroforestry in transitional mountain areas to protect paramos. How would you evaluate the impact of climate change on water resources in the region? Countries across LAC have differential access to water resources, and many countries do not yet manage these resources sustainably. Climate impacts are likely to be most severe in LAC countries with

"Countries across LAC have differential access to water resources, and many countries do not yet manage these resources sustainably"

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INTERVIEW water scarcity and weak water governance and management. Climate multiplies the consequences of environmental degradation. Climate will affect the availability of water and worsen water quality challenges. Challenges are more complicated when different jurisdictions share water bodies. Adaptation measures should respond to environmental changes, including investments in sanitation, solid waste, and wastewater treatment. An example is the Peru-Bolivia IDB program to minimize the ecological degradation of the Titicaca watershed. Although implemented separately in Peru and Bolivia, this program shares common elements, factors in

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expected climate change impacts on the hydrological cycle. What countries are making more efforts to mitigate global warming? Are there any cutting-edge projects you would highlight? Our work on decarbonization with Costa Rica is transformational. We helped design the National Decarbonization Plan, a systematic and cohesive roadmap to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The plan includes more than 70 targets before 2023 from 35 different government agencies. The project is a source of inspiration for all countries that shows

how to decarbonize. To support its design, we helped local universities use cutting edge analytical tools to analyse the costs and benefits associated with decarbonization, showing US$41 billion in development benefits by 2050. We also supported workshops to help the ministry of environment co-construct a shared vision for, and pathway to, carbon-free prosperity with other line ministries, the private sector, and civil society. Then, we helped the government compile local and international knowledge on the policies to implement the plan. Finally, we delivered a first-of-its-kind policy loan, in partnership with the French Devel-

GRAHAM WATKINS opment Agency, to help the government implement the roadmap. We are trying to replicate some of these successes in Colombia, Peru, and Chile. Would you say climate change is a growing concern for the LAC region? Or has it been overshadowed by the pandemic? While the pandemic continues to rage across the region with disastrous impacts, many LAC countries still are committed to increasing climate action. As we saw at the Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020, over a dozen LAC countries announced more ambitious

emission reductions for 2030 and established goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Barbados aims to become fossil fuel-free and carbon neutral by 2030, while Argentina pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Many countries are connecting climate action with sustainable recovery from the pandemic, a win-win to deliver on global climate and biodiversity goals while creating jobs, reducing inequality, and attracting more foreign investment and international support. These countries and others worldwide are increasingly recognizing this moment in history as an opportunity to act. The immense damage caused

"Adaptation measures should respond to environmental changes, including investments in sanitation, solid waste, and wastewater treatment" by the pandemic and worsening climate impacts combined with the steep drop in decarbonization costs and growing business interest is sharpening the resolve to transform our economies. The region may find itself left behind technological-

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INTERVIEW

The region may find itself left behind if it does not embrace the emerging global race to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 ly and economically if it does not embrace the emerging global race to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. By 2050, climate change impacts in LAC countries will result in an estimated annual cost of around 2-4% of the region’s GDP. What role can innovation and digitalization play to help countries curb climate change? Innovation and digitalization can play a crucial role to confront the worsening impacts of climate change. Digitalization can directly reduce emissions and increase resilience through smart infrastructure, smart buildings, and smart grids. E-governance, E-learning, E-commerce, and E-work will all reduce travel and associated emissions. Innovation is at the heart of improvements in energy, transport, and agriculture that will create these sectors' future. The LAC region does not want to pick up

"The pandemic is already driving massive job relocation; we should make sure they go to the sectors of the future, not to fossil fuels" 100

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the throw-away technologies from other countries –this decade is crucial to leapfrogging with home-grown innovation and rapid adoption. How can a transition to a net zero-emission economy in LAC countries affect employment opportunities? Decarbonization is an opportunity to create more and better jobs. Our joint study with the International Labour Organization found that LAC countries could add 15 million net jobs by 2030 with a net zero-emissions economy, compared to business-as-usual. However, there will be winners and losers in the transition. Decarbonization creates 21 million jobs in agriculture and plantbased food production, renewable electricity, forestry, construction, and manufacturing. However, the region will lose 6 million jobs in fossil fuel electricity, fossil fuel extraction, and animal-based food production. Governments must ensure a just transition for affected workers, businesses, and communities. There are three critical elements to the just transition. The first is to make sure that we compensate for the workers and communities affected by downsizing polluting sectors. The pandemic is already driving massive job relocation; we should make sure they go to the sectors of the

future, not to fossil fuels. Second, the jobs created during the transition must have decent working conditions. Third, all stakeholders should have a voice and take part in decision making. The design of long-term decarbonization strategies is an opportunity to organize dialogues with civil society, trade unions, firms to discuss where the country wants to go after the pandemic. The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change with sea levels quickly rising. How is the region tackling this pressing issue? There is a lot of attention to the extreme vulnerability of the Caribbean, whether it is more damaging, more frequent, hurricanes, or slow-onset sea-level rise. Given these impacts and prognosis of worsening impacts, there are increasing efforts to build and improve resiliency. There is a strong focus on an integrated approach to science based coastal zone management that incorporates disaster risk management, adaptation measures, and infrastructure resilience. Barbados’ coastal zone management program is an excellent example of this approach. We see similar responses in other climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and water, where there is a concerted effort to ensure science-based development. The region has moved forward in understanding climate science and its particularities for the Caribbean through regional centres of excellence on downscaling and improving climate models and monitoring hydro-meteorological data.

"While COVID-19 continues to rage across the region with disastrous impacts, many countries still are committed to increasing climate action"

GRAHAM WATKINS

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WATER & NEWS - CLIMATE CHANGE

STUDY: NUMBER OF PEOPLE SUFFERING EXTREME DROUGHTS SET TO DOUBLE WORLDWIDE This worldwide study, led by researchers from Michigan State University, presents the first and comprehensive picture of how global warming and socioeconomic changes will affect land water storage in the following decades

Michigan State University is leading a global research effort to offer the first worldwide view of how climate change could affect water availability and drought severity in the decades to come. By the late 21st century, global land area and population facing extreme droughts could more than double — increasing from 3% during 1976-2005 to 7%-8%, according to Yadu Pokhrel, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in MSU’s College of Engineering, and lead author of the research published in Nature Climate Change. “More and more people will suffer from extreme droughts if a medium-to-high level of global warming continues and water management is maintained at its present state,” Pokhrel said. “Areas of the Southern Hemisphere, where water scarcity is already

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a problem, will be disproportionately affected. We predict this increase in water scarcity will affect food security and escalate human migration and conflict.” The research team, including MSU postdoctoral researcher Farshid Felfelani, and more than 20 contributing authors from Europe, China and Japan are projecting a large reduction in natural land water storage in two-thirds of the world, also caused by climate change. Land water storage, technically known as terrestrial water storage, or TWS, is the accumulation of water in snow and ice, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, wetlands, soil and groundwater — all critical components of the world’s water and energy supply. TWS modulates the flow of water within the hydrological cycle and determines water availability as well as drought.

“Our findings are a concern,” Pokhrel said. “To date, no study has examined how climate change would impact land water storage globally. Our study presents the first, comprehensive picture of how global warming and socioeconomic changes will affect land water storage and what that will mean for droughts until the end of the century.” Felfelani said the study has given the international team an important prediction opportunity. “Recent advances in process-based hydrological modelling, combined with future projections from global climate models under wide-ranging scenarios of socioeconomic change, provided a unique foundation for comprehensive analysis of future water availability and droughts,” Felfelani said. “We have high confidence in our results because we use dozens of models and they agree on the projected changes.” The research is based on a set of 27 global climate-hydrological model simulations spanning 125 years and was conducted under a global modelling project called the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project. Pokhrel is a working member of the project. “Our findings highlight why we need climate change mitigation to avoid the adverse impacts on global water supplies and increased droughts we know about now,” Pokhrel said. “We need to commit to improved water resource management and adaptation to avoid potentially catastrophic socio-economic consequences of water shortages around the world.”

THE LARGEST FRESHWATER LAKES IN THE WORLD REVEAL CLIMATE CHANGE TRENDS

DAMS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN REDUCING GLOBAL FLOOD EXPOSURE UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE

16 years of remote sensing data reveals that in Earth’s largest freshwater lakes, climate change influences carbon fixation trends

Dams lower by 15% the number of people exposed to once-in-100-year floods

NASA-funded research on the largest freshwater lakes in the world coupled field and satellite observations to provide a new understanding of how large bodies of water fix carbon, as well as how a changing climate and lakes interact. Scientists at the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) studied the five Laurentian Great Lakes bordering the U.S. and Canada; the three African Great Lakes, Lake Baikal in Russia; and Great Bear and Great Slave lakes in Canada – 11 lakes that hold more than 50% of the surface freshwater. Many factors affect these lakes. Climate change, increasing nutrients (eutrophication) and invasive species all cause systemwide change — making it difficult to pinpoint causes, particularly from the ground. But satellite imag-

ery has made sorting through the noise easier and provides insights over time and space. A remarkable aspect of the results is just how fast changes in these freshwater lakes have occurred. In the 16 years of data, Great Bear and Great Slave lakes saw the greatest increases in productivity, while Lake Tanganyika has seen decreases. The trends are linked to increases in water temperatures, as well as solar radiation and a reduction in wind speed. Gaining a better understanding of how lake productivity changes affect the bodies of water so many people rely on is important to lakeshore communities. It’s also significant to the global community as we delve deeper into the role freshwater lakes play in the global carbon cycle and climate change.

A new study led by researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, the University of Tokyo, and Michigan State University exposes the role of dams for mitigating flood risk under climate change. Globally, flood risk is projected to increase in the future, driven by climate change and population growth. The role of dams in flood mitigation, previously unaccounted for, was found to decrease by about 15% the number of people globally exposed to historical once-in100-year floods, downstream of dams during the 21st century. Currently, about half of major river systems worldwide are regulated by dams and more than 3,700 major dams are planned. Consequently, to realistically assess population exposure to present and future floods, current and future dam landscapes must be integrated into existing flood modelling frameworks. Accounting for dams in river flood simulations, the number of people exposed to the historical once-in-100-year flood below dams were 7.2 and 13.4 million on average over 2006–2099 given a low and a medium-high greenhouse gas emission trajectory. To maintain the levels of flood protection that dams have provided, new dam operations will be required to offset the effect of climate change, possibly negatively affecting energy production and water storage. Given the many negative environmental and social impacts of dams, assessments that consider both potential benefits and adverse effects are necessary for the sustainable development of water resources.

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SPEAKERS' CORNER

“FROM THE MOMENT WE WAKE UP, WATER IS PART OF EVERY LIVING PERSON’S DAY, EVEN IF MANY OF US DON’T GIVE IT A THOUGHT” Beth Boeh, President and CEO, BB Communications Group With extensive experience working in the water industry, and dedicated to marketing communications since 2000, Beth Boeh created BB Communications Group in 2012, a marketing communications agency serving the water and wastewater industry. 2020 brought about many changes to how companies connect with their clients. An expert in communications strategy, Beth Boeh gives us some insights from her work with the water sector.

Cristina Novo Pérez

How do you think communication in the water sector has evolved in recent years? I’m aging myself here, but I remember when it was really exciting to create an interactive CD-ROM product catalogue! In this decade, of course, communication has changed dramatically with digital platforms and especially social media; we now communicate to the world in an instant. In 2020, our digital and video communication skyrocketed as more traditional, in-person methods of reaching our audience have been restricted by the COVID pandemic. Why do you think it is important to communicate about water? Because water is so deeply necessary for life, it unites us. From the moment we wake up, water is part of every living person’s day, even if many of us don’t give it a thought. Understanding water – and technologies and services that

impact the availability, accessibility, and health of water - is an important part of our shared human experience. What are the most challenging aspects of communicating about the work of the water industry? While water is a common, universal, and precious resource, it’s also a very large topic with many nuances. That can make communicating a challenge; getting your messages to the right audience – by topic, application, and region – can be difficult. Experience and strong connections help. Could you highlight one of your organization’s communication success stories? Well, 2020 saw many of our clients pivoting quickly to reach their audiences in new, especially digital, ways. With additional pressures related to tightening budgets across all sectors and locations, clients

quickly ramped up their social media presence. One success story has been our own, actually! I started BBCG in 2012 when I realized that the work I loved – managing marketing communications strategy for water-focused companies – was a critical asset to every water management company…but to varying degrees. Larger companies already have a full staff of inside marketing professionals, but need content developed. Many more small companies need to impact sales before they can hire a marketing team… but they also need marketing to tell the story to impact sales. For years, BBCG’s own marketing was strictly word of mouth and a simple website. In 2020, however, with the addition of some amazingly creative and strategic minds to our team, we really began to follow our own advice: investing in our marketing. With a carefully planned and implemented strategy of LinkedIn market-

ing, brand building, collateral development, and video marketing, we have dramatically impacted our sales funnel and added some exciting new clients. Our revenue is up 28% over 2019, our social connections increased by 300%, and the number of requests for proposals has increased eightfold over the last year. We have become one of our own bestcase studies, once we were intentional with our time - time limitations have always been the biggest barrier to focusing on our own brand and marketing – and made the commitment to do for ourselves what we had been doing for our clients. Who or what organization inspires you when it comes to ways of communicating? Jim Lauria has changed the way our industry communicates. He’s made writing in this industry so much more interesting, vulnerable, and personal with his blogging.

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MEDIA LIBRARY BY: OLIVIA TEMPEST SOMETHING TO READ...

WASTE One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret Waste became Catherine Coleman Flower’s mission when she returned to her hometown in Lowndes County, Alabama. “Too many Americans live without any affordable means of cleanly disposing of the waste from their toilets, and must live with the resulting filth,” she recently told the media. A recent study found that an estimated 220,300 households in the nation’s top 50 metros have incomplete plumbing systems in their homes. SOMETHING TO WATCH...

CLIMATE CHANGE Potential solutions to a global threat In 2019, after one of the hottest years on record, the renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough presented a documentary in which he examined “the science of climate change and the potential solutions to this global threat.” With Greta Thunberg as one of the cast members, the short film looks at one of the greatest challenges we face today by giving voice to those most affected by this phenomenon.

SOMETHING TO ENJOY...

AGUA One of Jarabe de Palo’s most emblematic songs ‘Agua’, launched by the Spanish rock band Jarabe de Palo in 1998, became one of the group’s most emblematic songs along with ‘La Flaca’ and ‘Bonito’. The song which translated means ‘water’ has over 135 million views on Youtube. The following year it became the most heard tune in Spain. The song is about unreciprocated love.

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ULTRASONIC FLOWMETER Advanced consumption analysis Direct access to temporary records

Data logger

Alarms management

Assets management Different levels of security and privacy

Communications included Accuracy

R400 / R800

Starting flow rate Battery life www.hidroconta.com

1 l/h +12 years