www.hidroconta.com
FROM THE EDITOR
GOING TOGETHER Worldwide 2.2 billion people lack access to drinking water and 4.2 billion lack access to basic sanitation. These dramatic figures are the cause of crucial health, economic and social problems that translate into health issues, reduce security for people, prompt dropping out of school, increase income loss due to the time spent carrying water, encourage social discrimination and are a driver, unlike any other, of gender inequality and exploitation. These serious claims, which a large portion of the population is unaware of, and which from this sector we assume with deep regret, are one of the main challenges to be addressed in our current world, and one of the key motivations to continue with our work. The Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals started in 2020. And this has been a year unlike any others. The COVID-19 pandemic struck in the first months, generating an unprecedented international health crisis, knocking down many of the certainties we thought set in stone. Now is the time to stand side by side and not step back. In the past few years, there has been great progress in terms of water and sanitation across the globe, despite the great economic recession of 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
2009. The coronavirus must not hinder that progress, but act as an incentive for us not to let up in our efforts. In this scenario, the charismatic front cover of this issue of Smart Water Magazine Monthly features Catarina de Albuquerque. The lawyer and CEO of Sanitation and Water for All goes one step beyond and hits the nail on the head with the solutions: closing the gap in access to water and sanitation does not only entail collecting donations to build wastewater treatment plants or install pipes. The only way ahead requires improving water governance at all levels. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, a role Catarina fulfilled until 2014, has made the news. Pedro Arrojo, from Spain, has been ap-
pointed the new Rapporteur during the meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. A Doctor in Physics, professor at the University of Zaragoza, expert in water economics, founder of the New Water Culture Foundation (Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua) and Goldman Environment Prize recipient, he follows up on the work of Léo Heller after Mr Heller’s six years on the role. We would like to encourage and wish the best of luck to Catarina and Pedro in their respective positions, and to all who work with passion in this amazing water sector. As Catarina says in her interview referring to the old proverb: if we want to go far, we have to go together. David Escobar - Partner at SWM
D @davizescobar - E @DavidEscobariAgua
EDITORIAL STAFF Águeda García de Durango Caveda Laura Fernández Zarza Paula Sánchez Almendros Olivia Tempest Prados Cristina Novo Pérez ART AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Pablo González-Cebrián PHOTOGRAPHY Pablo González-Cebrián
ADVERTISING Javier de los Reyes
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CONTENTS NUMBER 04 - OCT 2020 FEATURE
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
FEATURE
IOT TO MONITOR A WATER NETWORK
SHAPING EU WATER POLICY
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WATER THEFT?
THE COURSE AHEAD FOR CITIES
Pg. 38 Hidroconta undertakes a digital water project in a housing development using their own equipment and the Sigfox 0G network.
Pg. 14 We interview Pernille Weiss, Member of the European Parliament since 2019, as she takes on the lead of Europe’s MEP Water Group.
Pg. 20 Researcher Adam Loch explains what is involved in this phenomenon and what can be done to protect water resources from theft.
Pg. 50 Cities across the globe are reinventing themselves: becoming water-smart will ensure resilience to shocks and a sustainable future.
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CONTENTS NUMBER 04 - OCT 2020
FEATURE
INTERVIEW
FEATURE
FEATURE
SAVING ENERGY THANKS TO AI
A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO SDG 6
WATER THIRSTY THEME PARKS
FUTURE-PROOFING OUR SOCIETY
Pg. 42 A case study by Synauta illustrates how machine learning enables the optimisation of the operations of an Australian desalination plant.
Pg. 78 Catarina de Albuquerque tells us about SWA’s strategy to enable change and achieve SDG 6 through high-level political dialogue.
Pg. 22 Running a theme park and all the associated amenities takes a lot of water. Is environmental stewardship the new management trend?
Pg. 62 More evident and urgent in 2020, the KWR water research institute is trying to answer the need for a water circular economy.
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CONTENTS NUMBER 04 - OCT 2020
FEATURE
INFRASTRUCTURE
OPINION
OPINION
OURS IS A COMMON FUTURE
A DATA CENTRE UNDER THE SEA?
TECHNOLOGY TO BRING VALUE
Pg. 72 The pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty, but has put the focus on SDG 6: can we pull together as needed to attain the SDGs?
Pg. 48 Microsoft’s Project Natick studies the potential advantages of deploying portable underwater data centres in coastal areas.
Pg. 67 Chengzi Chew (DHI) discusses how innovation should be aimed to existing challenges and the key role that early adopters of technology play.
ACCELERATING SDG 6 PROGRESS Pg. 86 Amid the global crisis, Olcay Ünver explains how UN-Water supports increased cooperation to deliver gains in water and sanitation..
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CONTENTS NUMBER 04 - OCT 2020
OPINION
OPINION
OPINION
INTERVIEW
FACING THE FACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ANSWERING THE CHALLENGES
OUT-OF-THE-BOX FINANCE SOLUTIONS
WATER RISKS AND SOVEREIGN RATINGS
Pg. 95 The water sources we rely on may dwindle in the future: William Nuttle points to cooperation and trust as the biggest challenge ahead.
Pg. 66 Richard Vestner (Bentley Systems) identifies the trends in the response of the water industry to global water-related threats.
Pg. 76 Aqua for All develops innovative financial models and solutions to catalyse investment in the water and sanitation economy.
Pg. 88 Mahmoud Harb, from Fitch Ratings, describes the links between water risks, such as droughts and floods, and sovereign ratings.
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CONTENTS NUMBER 04 - OCT 2020 THE MAGAZINE FOR THE KEY PLAYERS OF THE WATER SECTOR
#SWMM4 SPONSORED BY HIDROCONTA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
SPEAKERS' CORNER
WATER COMPANIES’ COMMUNICATIONS Pg.96 This time we hear from Ana Giménez, Marketing Manager at Idrica, on her perspective about company communications in the water sector.
INTERVIEW
OPPORTUNITIES IN DIGITAL WATER Pg. 54 Aude Giard (Veolia Water Technologies) reviews the digital water market in this interview where she describes trends and solutions.
DIEHL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 RANKING
SMART WATER MAGAZINE RANKING Pg. 10 We launch a tool that will measure and order the influence of organizations in the water sector according to transparent criteria.
ACCIONA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
PEOPLE
PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE Pg. 70 Pedro Arrojo-Agudo has been appointed the new Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.
OPINION
MINSAIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
LINKEDIN FOR WATER PEOPLE Pg. 28 Everything you wanted to know about LinkedIn: Walid Khoury shares how to optimise your profile and build relationships in this platform.
OPINION
HOW TO APPROACH DIGITALISATION WE ARE WATER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Pg. 60 Nuno Fragoso writes about the non-technical perspectives of introducing innovation and new technologies in water sector companies.
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SWM RANKING Smart Water Magazine (SWM) launches a Ranking to measure the inuence of organizations and professionals in the water industry. organizations in the water sector to be measured and ordered according to transparent criteria. on the web, the number of SWM Likes and the contents in Smart Water Magazine Monthly. 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 visits to the web are extracted from Google Analytics, while the amount of SWM Likes are directly counted and can be seen in 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 corresponds to an estimation of the average audience generated by the monthly magazines. It should also be mentioned that
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 >> Companies >> Blogs all the participating entities are compared regardless of their type. Registered users of SWM can click on the blue heart of any
to their name on a blue circle.
How are SWM points earned?
5
SWM Points
SWM Like
10
Page views
1
Verified users
2
SWM Points
10
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
1.389 points 848 points 638 points 627 points 594 points 480 points 429 points 349 points 326 points 302 points
Schneider Electric ACCIONA Almar Water Water Solutions Membracon Idrica SUEZ Isle Utilities Miya Frost & Sullivan Thames Water
TOP 5 - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS
TOP 5 - BLOGS
PUB Singapore’s N. Water Agency 391 points
Karl-Uwe Schmitz
Gov. Hong Kong (WSD)
266 points
Madhukar Swayambhu
571 points
US EPA
125 points
Kristin Savage
544 points
RIVM Dutch
115 points
Graham Mann
540 points
US NASA
84 points
Robert Brears
395 points
1.016 points
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Customer Management
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Work Force Management Plants & Energy Management Water Network Management
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BUSINESS
INTERVIEW
MS PERNILLE
WEISS
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MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (MEP) AND CHAIR OF THE MEP WATER GROUP
“The lessons we are learning with this pandemic reinforce my conviction that water is at the heart of society”
MS PERNILLE WEISS
The MEP Water Group is an effective driver for placing water higher on the European political agenda and shaping the future EU Water policy.
Z
Cristina Novo Pérez
The MEP Water Group fosters the value of water and a water-smart society in Europe. It aims to highlight the role of water as a cross-cutting topic in EU decision-making to ensure the sustainable management of European water resources. Ms Pernille Weiss, Member of the European Parliament (MEP), has been newly appointed the chairwoman of the MEP Water Group. In this interview, she shares with us her thoughts about the challenges ahead for European water policy and management as she takes on this new role. Firstly, we would like to know briefly your career path and your current involvement with environment and water issues in the European Parliament. I am a politician from the Conservative People’s Party of Denmark and a member of the European People’s Party, EPP in the European Parliament, who has recently been appointed as the new chair of the MEP Water Group. It is a new challenge I am very excited about. Prior to being an MEP, I worked as a nurse (RN) and I have a Master of health science and one in Innovation & Leadership. I have also been head manager in the public health care sector and owner of a consultancy company in the building sector for the last 12 years before the election last year. Currently, I am holding a seat in the Industry, Research & Energy Committee and in the Committee on the Environment Public Health and Food Safe-
ty. It is especially within ENVI, that my policy focus has been on topics such as the energy-efficiency of the EU building stock and unlocking the potential of wastewater. By its very nature, water is in constant circulation. In all communities, we have a shared responsibility to manage our water resources effectively and to bear in mind the impacts that water use can have on other sectors. The lessons we are learning with this pandemic reinforce my conviction that water is at the heart of society. Water has endless possibilities that need to be unlocked. It's all about how we both use and re-use the water we have at our disposal, both as a resource and as a source of energy. You have been appointed the new chair of the MEP Water Group. What does this mean for you and what are your priorities as you take this role? It is both a great honour and challenge that I happily accept. The MEP Water Group is the focal point for the water topic in the European Parliament. A forum that aims to raise the profile of water in EU decision-making to make sure that Europe’s water resources are managed in a sustainable way to the benefit of the European economy and society as a whole. I focus on the Group’s main priorities, which include raising the importance of
"Water has endless possibilities that need to be unlocked. It's all about how we both use and re-use the water we have at our disposal" - MAGAZINE
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INTERVIEW Waste Water Directive and make sure that this directive from 1991 is fit for purpose to foster the green recovery. That is also going to be a pressing challenge.
The MEP Water Group aims to raise the profile of water to make sure that Europe’s water resources are managed in a sustainable way water for the European Union and beyond, making sure that Europe’s water resources are managed sustainably and equitably, encouraging technological innovations and research to tackle waterrelated challenges and promoting and assuring clean water for all. The Green Deal’s focus on CO2 emissions and energy efficiency will be a red line for me as a chair and the MEP water group. Industry, housing and public infrastructure need to embrace this transition, as well as the water sector itself. Only 2.4% of the treated urban wastewater effluents are reused annually in Europe. It is a huge untapped potential for our society, particularly for the regions that suffer most from water scarcity. The EU already has several solutions that simply need to be up-scaled. As such, new initiatives need financing; a sound cost recovery principle through-
"I hope we will have the chance to update the Urban Waste Water Directive and make sure it is fit for purpose to foster the green recovery" 16
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out the European water sector is a good example. However, the Just Transition Fund, the green taxonomy, as well as the Horizon Europe programme, can all contribute to developing good and integrated water solutions to support the European water industry and all EU citizens. What do you think are the most pressing challenges for EU water policy? There are many problems in the water economy and sustainable management of water resources in Europe. The majority of Europeans are worried about both water quantity and quality. We need to ensure that Europe’s water resources are managed in a sustainable and equitable way to the benefit of the European economy and society. Treated water needs to be safe and accessible for all. The MEP Water Group will therefore also enhance the need to tackle pollution at source. Urban runoff, micro-plastics, pharmaceuticals and other emerging contaminants impact our ecosystem and health. That is going to be one of our major challenges. Moreover, droughts, floods and chemical pollution are significant challenges. Therefore, we need an integrated approach to the future of water resources in Europe. In the coming months, I hope that we will have the chance to update the Urban
The MEP Water Group aims to place water higher on the European political agenda. What are your thoughts on
MS PERNILLE WEISS how to raise the profile of water in the EU and beyond? With climate change, water risk management is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces today. However, water remains invisible in politics. Only when we start looking at the support the water sector provides to all the other sectors of
our society, can we realise its quintessential position. The MEP Water Group listens to the concerns and priorities of the water sector, as reflected at a European level. It is an effective driver for placing water higher on the European political agenda and beyond and shaping the future EU Water policy,
making sure that water management is consistently considered in EU legislation. In the coming months, the EU will focus on several topics evolving around water management: The Industrial Emissions Directive, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and the zero-pollution strategy are among them. That is
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INTERVIEW
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MS PERNILLE WEISS
Only when we start looking at the support the water sector provides to other sectors, can we realise its quintessential position partly how the profile of water will be raised at the EU-level. What do you think about the role of water for climate change in the European Green Deal in particular? Water in its various forms is the most important substance for the climate system. Water vapour is a greenhouse gas; it is even more effective at absorbing the thermal radiation from the Earth's surface than carbon dioxide. So the European Green Deal starts with water! Water will play a pivotal role in the EU Green Deal, particularly for Clean Energy, Sustainable Industry, Biodiversity, and the “Farm to Fork” strategy, thus heading to the realisation of a “Water Smart Society.” In your view, how can research and innovation help to address water-related challenges? The wide adoption of technologies such as Big Data, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, is transforming the traditional operations, generating new business and empowering new skills. Despite relevant progress and innovation in the digital water field, several barriers hinder the implementation of Smart Water Technologies. Therefore, we need to digitalise the sector and develop green infrastructure in order to be ready for the next crisis.
Our Group will encourage technological and non-technological innovations and research to tackle water-related challenges by supporting entrepreneurs and fostering job creation in the green sector. We need a wide forum for analysis of technological opportunities and weaknesses of digital water services, effective deployment of intelligent solutions, mechanisms to build synergies and strategies to grow an active community. What are the plans of the MEP Water Group regarding the promotion of clean water and sanitation for all in order to achieve SDG 6? Safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 requires investments inadequate infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and encouragement of hygiene. Protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems is also essential. The MEP Water Group, therefore, stands for the motto of monitoring, preventing and remedy to eliminate pollution for a better quality of life (water, soil, air), and the restoration of the natural functions of ground and surface water. It is time we adapted our water management to the challenges we face – that includes tapping the potential in water.
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INTERVIEW
DR ADAM
LOCH
Z Olivia Tempest
SENIOR LECTURER AT CENTRE FOR GLOBAL FOOD AND RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
“Water theft will happen most frequently where the institutions that are supposed to prevent it fail” Thieves steal as much as 30-50 per cent of the world’s water supply annually, says Interpol. An understudied issue that can only become worse as water scarcity increases globally. To better understand the drivers of water theft, a significant worldwide phenomenon, an international team of researchers led by the University of Adelaide have designed a novel framework and model, applied to Australia, Spain and the United States. With these tools, water managers and institutions can study the multiple cases of water theft, the effectiveness of current penalties, as well as testing the impact of changes to detection, prosecution and conviction systems. We speak with Dr Adam Loch, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Global Food and Resources, at the University of Adelaide, Australia, to get a better understanding of ‘lost’ water, a topic which does not receive sufficient coverage. What is water theft and where in the world does it occur most often? Water theft is essentially where anyone steals water that does not belong to them. In contexts where water rights (like ownership of land) exist theft can be a criminal matter. But in areas where rights do
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not exist theft can still have substantial impacts on those that are left without the water resources they expected. It is hard to say categorically where it happens most often as the data is very poor; that is, most thieves do not self-report. But theft will happen most frequently where the institutions that are supposed to prevent it fail. Thus, in countries where theft monitoring, detection, prosecution, and conviction mechanisms are poor, then theft will likely be higher. What do you think are the main drivers behind water theft? There are many different drivers: some people just don’t care about others and steal because they think they are entitled to do so; some feel that rules are unfair and therefore don’t apply to them; some are disadvantaged and steal because they have to; while others are opportunistic and recognize failings in the system that they can take advantage of (as discussed above). An increasing driver of theft (we
believe) is increasing scarcity of water resources globally. As water and access to water decreases, then the motives for people to steal it will increase. This is a huge looming problem—on top of all the other problems we already have with global water management and security— that should also feature in our thinking and discussions about solutions. As a research topic, water theft has not received much coverage. Why do you think this is? Because, as stated, people don’t talk about it. Thieves don’t self-report; the poor may be intimidated into keeping quiet, or if reliant upon theft to survive they will clearly not speak out against it; officials may see vulnerable groups as requiring protection from prosecution over theft and/or view the issue as inconsequential. Either way, we have very little real data to work with, which hampers efforts to recognize the issue and a call to arms to deal with it.
DR ADAM LOCH growing problem in theft as discussed in the last question, being able to look at our systems now and figure out how they need to be improved before we reach that level of future theft would be a smart investment. In the case of our work, we can also determine the effectiveness of penalties and how they may/ may not provide effective deterrents to theft.
With water scarcity already impacting 40% of the world’s population and global warming making already dry regions even dryer, do you think there will be an increment in water theft in the following decades in these arid regions? As discussed, yes. But it will not just be in arid or currently scarce areas. We are all facing water shortages of some degree, and none of us will be spared this impact of theft in the long-run. If, as some predict, we see water resources drop away by 30-60% over the next 10-20 years, and the gap between supply and demand continues to grow, then theft will become a big problem that will demand our attention. How does your novel framework and model help water managers protect this essential resource? Our framework basically points out how we can assess current institutions and identify where the failure points might lie. So if we think about the
Does the framework also provide advice for institutions? If so, how? It can if those areas go through the process that we have outlined. Apart from what we’ve outlined above, areas can clearly see where their individual or component parts to the system fail, and then they can also see how that might improve if they invest to change that element of the system. For example, if we study the system and it tells us that the legal arrangements are poor, then if we identify how to improve them—and make that change in the framework—we can see if it is enough to provide a useful solution. More likely, we will need to change a range of issues to make it work best. In your case study, you mention “where authorities fail to support detection and prosecution, theft will increase.” What measures can local authorities put in place to try and deter water theft? For example, here is Australia one of our states has invested in a new regulatory body (the NRAR) to tackle water theft. As a result, the cases in that state have increased three-fold over the last 3-4 years. This is not that theft has increased; rather, the institution responsible for dealing with it has improved and is working by identifying and prosecuting cases. It really begs the question; just how large an issue was theft before these changes? At any rate, this is an example of what can be done, and how it can improve our understanding of the problem, what is being done in response, and how effective that is.
Of the three countries where you applied your case study – Australia, the US, and Spain – which offered water managers most protection concerning stolen water? It was most likely in Australia as far as the cases were concerned. All three countries had their institutions, cultures and attitudes to the problem which varied as we would expect. But for Australia, the existing (agricultural) rights to water and more recent national investments in environmental water rights (~AU$8.4 billion to date) meant that the theft of environmental water was taken very seriously. But it took a farmer to raise the alarm! So we’re not perfect either, and also need to ensure that we stay on top of this issue for the national good. How can digital tools help tackle this issue? As we note, satellite imagery may be a response but where evidence may be questioned in court; we simply don’t know yet. Telemetry and water meters are also being rolled out across Australia to collect real-time data on use and extraction, but these are still subject to considerable argument and uncertainty that again may be used in court to limit prosecutions and the use of penalties. As technology improves, we will see more and more possible answers to these issues, but we must always be mindful of the evidentiary requirement in these cases, and how best to assemble the data for that process to succeed. Any digital tools that provide that outcome will be well suited in this area of water management.
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FEATURE
THEME PARKS IN EUROPE: WHEN WATER IS AN ATTRACTION Did you ever wonder how much water is needed to run a theme park every single day of the year? All those fountains, all those water-based attractions which make us scream out of joy. All the restaurants, the hotels, the public restrooms… Contrary to popular belief, theme parks are not just a kid thing; an important part of Europeans’ leisure time is spent in these kind of places, but how can they ensure proper water management in an environment of increasing entertainment and fun?
Z
Paula Sánchez
Surely everyone that reads this article has been to an amusement park at least once in their lifetime. Ensuring fun for both children and grown-ups, European amusement parks generate many profits for the owner groups, not only from ticket sales but also from hotels and restaurants. In fact, the revenue from the theme parks and resorts of The Walt Disney Company increased by 8% at the end of the 2018 fiscal year, reaching 15.8 billion euros, a growth mainly resulting from the increased number of visitors to Disneyland Paris. However, not everything is roller coasters and themed merry-go-rounds: managing and running an amusement
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park entails a very high consumption of water and environmental resources. There is no doubt that, immersed as we are in an unparalleled environmental crisis, we need to tackle major challenges and make a greater effort to achieve environmental sustainability in all areas of the leisure industry. Amusement parks are part of it, and some of the main theme parks in Europe are active in environmental stewardship and have implemented different strategies and measures to safeguard the most precious resource we have without compromising fun. Amusement parks, the gardens with more water in all of Europe Disneyland Paris opened on April 12, 1992. Located in Marne-la-Vallée, 32 kilometres from Paris, this Disney theme park occupies a surface area of 1,942 hectares and includes more than 40 attractions, divided into two theme parks. More than 14 million visitors speak for its success year after year.
Poseidon attraction in Europa-Park, Germany
In addition to its famous attractions, Disneyland Paris is the largest garden in Europe, with 35,000 trees, more than 964,360 m2 of lawn and 5,400 m2 of flower beds. Watering that green mantle to keep it in top condition and doing it sustainably is no easy task.
THEME PARKS IN EUROPE
Since the park opened, the Department of Nature and Environment has actively contributed to the development of Disneyland Paris, working jointly with the park’s specialists and gardeners to ensure park maintenance is as sound as possible, sustainable and does not waste a drop of water.
Hence, Disneyland Paris has an irrigation system which is unique in Europe. The system is controlled by a central computer, something that enables effective control and optimal irrigation, encompassing 6,000 kilometres of irrigation system and 40,000 sprinklers.
Elsewhere, Port Aventura, in Spain, uses reclaimed water for irrigation. It uses treated wastewater that has undergone tertiary treatment at the Vila-seca and Salou Wastewater Treatment Plant, and which since 1996 is used exclusively to water the gardens and plants in the complex.
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FEATURE
However, using this source of water is conditional upon its quality, because there are times when water from the
Some of the main theme parks in Europe have implemented strategies to safeguard the most precious resource without compromising fun 24
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wastewater treatment plant is not suitable for irrigation, either because of its conductivity (salt concentration), biological pollution, or turbidity. In that case, the park uses alternate water sources to ensure the survival of vegetation. Environmental responsibility in water-based recreation The Tivoli Gardens, located in downtown Copenhagen, receive more than 4 million visits per year. Opened in 1843, Tivoli is the oldest amusement park in
the world. This, nevertheless, has not been a problem to stay updated and adapt their entertainment strategy to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Tivoli is committed to reducing its negative environmental impact as much as possible and applies firmly and consistently its respect for the environment. Through its collaboration with environmental and climate-oriented organisations, the park is always seeking opportunities for improvement in areas such as
THEME PARKS IN EUROPE
Disneyland Paris has a unique irrigation system in Europe: controlled by a computer, it enables effective control and optimal irrigation
Tutuki splash attraction in Port Aventura, Spain
energy, waste and chemicals. Every year they issue a corporate social responsibility report where they show their annual progress in these key areas. Moreover, the park tries to be aware of water-related resources. In 2018, and resulting from an increase in business activity, water consumption went up. It added up to the fact that in the summer of 2018 the city beat records in terms of high temperatures and lack of moisture, which translated into increased irrigation needs for the flowers and plants in the
gardens, an essential part of the Tivoli experience. Despite the new attractions and buildings, water consumption decreased in 2019 in comparison with 2018, mainly thanks to a cooler summer than the one in 2018, and a milder winter. Meanwhile, as the most important amusement park in Europe, Disneyland Paris is strongly committed to environmental management; throughout the year, the company implements an action plan focused on six areas: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting and enriching biodiversity, conserving water resources, moving towards sustainable waste management, supporting global actions to preserve the environment for the future, and developing a responsible supply chain. As an example of its firm commitment, the park has achieved its objective of reducing drinking water consumption by 16% between 2013 and 2018. Moreover, each April, Disneyland Paris celebrates Earth Month with a double goal: on one hand, to celebrate the steps the resort has implemented so far to achieve its sustainability objectives, and on the other hand, to encourage and celebrate initiatives to promote environmental stewardship and water use awareness among employees and visitors.
It is precisely employees and visitors who have a very important role when it comes to water conservation in these facilities. Technology and architecture to take advantage of our water resources Port Aventura is the most visited amusement park in Spain. Located in Salou, in the province of Tarragona, it opened in 1995 and is one of the main tourist attractions in that part of the Mediterranean coast, known as “Costa Dorada�. Water is essential for the running and theming of the park, and they are perfectly aware that water is a key factor for socio-economic, industrial and tourist development in the area. Port Aventura was designed on sloping terrain, with the highest point in the China theme area. Whereas the design appears to be due to aesthetic reasons, it becomes an added value when we learn
Tivoli is committed to reducing its negative environmental impact and applies firmly and consistently its respect for the environment
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FEATURE
It is precisely employees and visitors who have a very important role when it comes to water conservation in these facilities
that, thanks to it, the heavy rainfall which sometimes occurs in the Mediterranean coast fills the lake located in the central Mediterranean area, one of the park’s unique features. That water is also used to fill the most iconic water-based attractions: Tutuki Splash and Silver River. Rainfall has traditionally been a very important part of water management. However, we should note that this rainfall can be used because the resort has a water network with separate wastewater and stormwater sewers. Technology also plays a crucial role in the use of water in amusement parks. The innovative technology used in the Rulantica water park in Germany ensures that both energy and water use are resource-friendly. Water is pumped at night from “Vildstrøm” (one of the park’s attractions, a great river with rap-
In Port Aventura, rainfall can be used because the resort has a water network with separate wastewater and stormwater sewers 26
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ids) to a submarine tank. This infrastructure is waterproof and maintains a constant temperature, acting as a thermos. This way, the water can be easily returned every day to the wild river through a pumping system, maintaining the temperature and avoiding using more water and energy. Educating to promote water stewardship The largest theme park in Germany, Europa-Park, is one of the largest in Europe and is considered by experts and visitors as one of the best ones. Opened in 1975, this amusement park has 15 different areas, and in November of last year, it opened its water park, known as Rulantica. From the start and throughout its development, Rulantica was built ensuring the precise integration of the most sophisticated technical facilities. Environmental awareness - considered a key aspect of sustainable company management - was key in this process. Water is an essential element for Europa-Park, more so in the new Rulantica water park, and the resort wants to show to as many people as possible that water is a precious and scarce resource,
and it must be used responsibly and sustainably. Thus, in the “Hansgrohe Water Playground” on Lítill island, a water world for kids with an Icelandic theme, everything is about water. In this area, we find a “Discoverers Cave”, the perfect place for youngsters to learn about water in all different shapes. Children are taught to be aware and responsible for this vital resource interactively, with fun data, adapted to their age, while grown-ups learn as well. A wastewater treatment plant to address water demand for recreational purposes Most amusement parks are not just a series of attractions and fast-food booths.
THEME PARKS IN EUROPE
Poseidon attraction in Europa-Park, Germany
This type of entertainment has evolved to offer the visitor a comprehensive experience and now it is common for amusement parks to be surrounded by other related entertainment facilities. This includes all types of restaurants, shopping centres, gift shops, spas and even golf courses, which are surrounded by different hotels to stay overnight and continue having fun the next day. The increase in demand and the type of use of the facilities mean it is necessary to integrate not only efficient waste management but also efficient management of the water resources used in each area. Disneyland Paris is the only theme park in Europe that has its own wastewater treatment plant, which covers the two theme parks and the Disneyland Hotel,
one of the major hotels in the park. The plant produces 2,100 m3 of water per day, used to supply the waterways in the Disney parks and Disney Village (a shopping and entertainment area), and the cooling towers of the Energy Centre of the complex. Almost all the water treated and purified can be reused for different purposes, such as irrigating green areas or washing roads and pathways. Furthermore, in 2018 the wastewater treatment plant was fitted with innovative technology to reduce the level of phosphorous in the treated and purified water, and has been recently connected to Golf Disneyland to create an irrigation system for the golf course. We may note that the treated water is not used for drinking, and it undergoes
several disinfection processes to ensure it is safe to be used for other purposes. In Port Aventura, proper water management is a major challenge. Thus, the entire resort was designed with separate sewer networks that allow conveying different types of water to be used for the most appropriate purposes. Hence, all wastewater generated in the resort is conveyed by a sewerage network to the Vila-seca y Salou wastewater treatment plant, where it undergoes a tertiary treatment that reclaims the water so it can be used for irrigation in the resort, as well as in some gardens and parks in the municipality of Vila-seca. The water that Port Aventura withdraws from Vila-seca undergoes a reverse osmosis process which turns it into desalinated non-potable water, suitable for irrigation. In addition, the resort voluntarily carries out internal water quality monitoring of the water discharged into the four existing sewers at Vila-seca, General (Salou), Hotel el Paso and Hotel Caribe. This generates a dataset available for water management that enables any improvement action deemed necessary. With Corporate Social Responsibility in mind and with the looming threat of climate change, it seems times are changing and environmental stewardship and water and energy savings seem to be a trend in the management of amusement parks in Europe. Caring for our water resources is not at odds with enjoying the adrenaline of riding a roller coaster at 110 km/hour, but will the efforts by these resorts be enough to safeguard our water resources?
Times are changing: environmental stewardship and water and energy savings are a trend in the management of amusement parks in Europe
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OPINION
WALID
KHOURY LEADING WATER STRATEGIST
Mastering LinkedIn: questions and answers G
Nicole Husseini Obeid
Launched in 2003, LinkedIn is a growing employment-oriented online service where certain water professionals have decided to share their ideas and concerns in the sector, becoming global influencers. I hosted a webinar on Mastering LinkedIn for the Water Industry in September. This initiative was well received by 506 registered guests from within the water sector. In this webinar, I shared LinkedIn’s algorithm philosophy, why it is critical to optimize their profile and build meaningful relationships. I highlighted the micro-influencers I follow in this platform, how to set and measure KPIs, and I ended my presentation with tips and recommendations. The session was followed by questions and answers that I am sharing here. If you want to watch the full webinar, please visit my LinkedIn page.
"You need to be careful about the information you share on LinkedIn. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can make your profile powerful" 28
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How can we make our LinkedIn profile relevant without mentioning confidential information? You need to be careful about the information you share on LinkedIn. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can make your profile powerful. You can choose some meaningful ones without disclosing confidential information, for example, exceeding your plan by 20%. Some KPIs related to a job you had four years ago might no longer be relevant to the competition, and you can then be more specific. What do you think of people who use hashtags excessively in posts? You need to be specific when using hashtags. For example, if you post about industrial cooling water treatment, use #industrialwatertreatment and #coolingwater instead of #watertreatment. The right people find you when you have the right and specific hashtags. The LinkedIn team recommends a maximum of 3 hashtags by post. Too many hashtags embedded in
your post makes it hard to read. The rule should be quality rather than quantity. When would you suggest posting? Any specific day of the week? What about weekends? Does it make a difference? The best time to engage LinkedIn users varies globally. Studies show that Tuesdays to Thursdays are the best time to engage users in the US. You need to understand when your audience is engaged on LinkedIn. My diverse audience is spread in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America, so I must target different time zones, making it more complicated. I suggest you post a poll asking your audience when they are spending the most time on LinkedIn, and then you can finetune your posting schedule. Do you recommend publishing articles versus posts? Posts generate more return on time invested versus articles in readership. If you write an article, consider sharing it
WALID KHOURY
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OPINION on different platforms, in magazines or blogs, so you maximize your returns and establish yourself as a thought leader. How do you pick out the metrics to measure your progress on LinkedIn? In my case, my goal is to have bigger followership from the water industry around the world. I track my progress by monitoring new followers, rejection ratios, profile visits. I am also targeting to increase my audience in Australia, Latin America, and Africa, so I have specific KPIs. I suggest you ask yourself first what your goal is. From there, you can measure your progress by setting relevant KPIs that help you achieve your goal. For example, if your goal is sales growth, the LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an excellent tool. You can follow people and accounts and interact with them. How can we target people who work in water management? I recommend LinkedIn Sales Navigator because it provides additional filters that help you connect with the professionals that you want. I don’t advise sending invites out of the blue because they might reject you right away, and the platform would tag you as a spammer. Through an InMail Message, which is not a spam, you can target critical people and save them in the platform, which allows you to see their daily feed. You can then interact with them, do follow-ups, and establish rapport and thought leadership.
The LinkedIn algorithms favor internal links, so keep your interactions as much as possible, within the platform, to maximize viewership. Original posts get the most viewership. If you want to reshare a post or link outside of LinkedIn, make sure you write a comment to add value and be relevant. What is your suggestion for making posts more engaging and relevant? The more refreshing your posts are, the more interactions you get. Don’t fall for quick wins; build your professional brand in the platform. Be authentic and let people know who you are. My post about shower smart flowmeter is an example of audience engagement. People gave their comments and got to learn more about me. Use text, pictures, videos, and polls to diversify your posts to make your feed enjoyable.
What is the difference between adding a link to a post, posting directly, or referring to an outside link?
What is your advice for successful company pages on LinkedIn? The company page can be tricky, so you need a different approach. I have a 4-hour workout course where I help employees leverage LinkedIn in tandem with their company page. Efforts between the marketing teams and associates need to be synchronized. I believe leadership commitment is a must for a successful LinkedIn strategy and interactions on the platform. Unfortunately, many leaders are inward centric, which does not help on LinkedIn. Every company leader should act as a brand advocate, which will give a significant boost to their company page. A great example would be Mads Nipper, Grundfos’ departing CEO.
"The right people find you when you have the right and specific hashtags. The LinkedIn team recommends a maximum of 3 hashtags by post"
Why did you start the hashtag #waterquestion? #WaterQuestion started from frustration. Most people think desalination is expensive, which frustrates me. Desalination might be costly, but the value it brings is a game-changer. So, I posted the question, “Is desalination expensive?” on LinkedIn with #waterquestion, and it ig-
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nited discussions, which was quite a success. From there, it became a unifier for excellent and relevant talks about many topics in the industry. Do you plan your postings? I use Hootsuite to plan some of the posts (quotes, for example). I post directly on LinkedIn when I need to tag people, post a poll, or use other advanced features from LinkedIn, and even share the news. Planning makes you maximize the time you invest in the platform.
WALID KHOURY Would you recommend posting once per day, per week, or multiple times? Posting frequently is a must. Whatever frequency you decide to adopt, be consistent and relevant. The quality of your posts will gain more interaction and viewership. So always make your posts meaningful and specific to the industry. Keep in mind that whatever you do contributes to your professional brand. Your likes, comments, and shares help you establish yourself as a thought leader.
Do you suggest tagging people on the posts? Tag people when you need to credit them as a source of information. Don’t just tag randomly. Your purpose is to connect with people who will add value to your posts. It might be annoying for people to see themselves tagged for no specific reason. What are the tools that you frequently use in your LinkedIn efforts? There are many tools out there that help me. I use Hootsuite to prepare planned
posts. Canva for graphics and presentations. Kapwing for video editing. Google sheets for all documents, metrics, calculations, etc. Zoom remains my platform of choice for calls and for hosting webinars. I adopted a cloud-first strategy that allows me to work anywhere. I am not tied to a specific device (toggling between laptop, phone, iPad, etc.). How do I create valuable content when I don’t have many years of experience?
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OPINION
Everyone has his or her own story. I am sure you are adding value to the water industry in your daily interactions at work. You can talk about a pilot you are running, an ongoing research project, an a-ha moment, or a jar test you ran this morning. Your work will speak for you. When posting, ask people for their opinions, too. You can also learn from them. Is Linkedin premium useful for job seekers? LinkedIn premium is useful for everyone, not just for job seekers, as it gives you more tools to interact with decision-makers. There is intense compe-
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tition for every job posted. Developing your brand on the platform, building connections, and participating in discussions is a must for people to reach out to you when they have a position in mind. I hired four people in the last few years following direct interactions on LinkedIn, so the platform is significant. Shall we monitor our Social Selling Index (SSI) every week? Could it change drastically? There is no need to monitor your SSI weekly. The overall trend improves over time. Follow the steps that LinkedIn provides to improve your SSI. Engag-
ing with insights seems challenging as people score the lowest in this aspect. So, let your voice be heard through short and long-form comments. Be part of meaningful discussions, frequently. I am not able to get customers from LinkedIn. What can I do? A major mistake I see on LinkedIn is people send invites for connection and, once accepted, immediately follow up with a sales request. Demonstrate your value or thought leadership first. With time, build your credibility and your brand before engaging commercially.
WALID KHOURY
If you write an article, consider sharing it on different platforms, in magazines or blogs, so you maximize your returns
The LinkedIn algorithms will show you insights related to your new industry based on your interactions. To gain focus, you might want to stop following hashtags and companies not relevant to your new space.
How do you decide on the topics you post? Each of us has strengths and expertise. I frequently post about water treatment, which is my sweet spot. I’m posting more about digital water because, for me, that is the future of the industry. I educate myself more about pumping, networks, transport, etc. LinkedIn is like an oasis of knowledge about the water industry. I also ask my connections for suggestions that help me engage my audience. I am changing industry, to remain relevant, shall I cancel my previous connections? You should not cancel them. You are allowed to have up to 30,000 connections.
What do you expect from your LinkedIn followership? What is the end game? I’m enjoying connecting with great people and learning more about different technologies, innovations, and the latest industry news. In parallel, this is helping me build my brand and establish myself as a thought leader. What would be the essential benefits of premium? Many benefits justify the cost of LinkedIn premium. Whatever works for you best is your reward. Be it sending InMail Messages (not considered spam), getting insights on jobs and companies, zooming in on relevant people with additional filters, managing prospects, and key accounts, to name a few. What's the difference between connections and contacts? In my case, I have 8000+ connections and 1500+ contacts.
Connections are those who you have connected with on LinkedIn. Contacts are those you imported from other sources like outlook, Gmail, etc. Be careful when sending invites to remaining contacts. You don’t want unnecessary questions or stress from an ex-fiancee, an employee you terminated, or your grandma that might receive your bulk invite. What water groups are you a member of? Any plans to start your own? I am a member of many groups, so this helps the LinkedIn algorithm understand my preferences. I am not planning to start my own, as there are many out there, at least for now. If I find a niche segment not well covered, I might reconsider it. Maintaining a page, LinkedIn, or others takes a lot of time. How much time do you spend on it or to maintain it? Indeed. I usually spend three to four hours per day. I have a team that helps me with the back-office work (video editing, etc.). If you want to be successful on LinkedIn, you need to commit to the platform. But you learn a lot, just by being there. Either about the latest technology, your competition, or your clients. And it is highly likely that you will get your next job through LinkedIn. It is time well invested.
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WATER & NEWS
BUSINESS
NEW WATER RISK FILTER SCENARIOS WILL HELP COMPANIES AND INVESTORS TURN RISK INTO RESILIENCE WWF launches the Water Risk Filter Scenarios, a digital tool to help companies to understand future water and climate change risks
With almost half of global GDP potentially coming from high water risk areas by 2050, the Water Risk Filter Scenarios will help companies and investors turn risk into resilience. With climate change worsening the world’s already severe water crises, new forward-looking scenarios in WWF’s Water Risk Filter estimate that 46% of global GDP could come from areas facing high water risk by 2050. The WWF Water Risk Filter – the leading online tool for assessing, valuing and responding to water risk – scenarios (Optimistic, Current Trend and Pessimistic) for 2030 and 2050 will help companies better understand future water risks and drive more effective corporate action on climate and water resilience. “Companies are finally waking up to growing water risks and the need to take
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urgent action to reduce their risks and tackle shared water challenges,” said Ariane Laporte-Bisquit, WWF Water Risk Filter Lead. “By harnessing the new scenarios in the Water Risk Filter tool, companies and investors can better assess, respond and plan for climate and water resilience.” Based on climate and socio-economic changes, the scenarios are aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) recommendations. Given the high uncertainty in the context of climate change, TCFD recommends companies and financial institutions apply scenario analysis for assessing climate-related risks and opportunities to determine business resilience. As the impacts of climate change will primarily be felt through water, it is
critical for scenario analysis to incorporate water in a comprehensive manner. “Climate-related risks and opportunities are undeniably intertwined with those associated with water. Any assessments of future water-related events should therefore consider the climate, but this is only one piece of the puzzle. Other socio-economic drivers impact the supply and demand of water, such as regulatory, market and demographic changes. The new WWF Water Risk Filter tool supports the integration of water into TCFD-aligned scenario analysis and will strengthen the disclosure and assessment of companies’ resilience to future scenarios,” said Francesca Recanati, Environmental Specialist (Technical Manager), Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB). The Water Risk Filter tool now enables companies and investors to perform forward-looking scenario analysis to evaluate future climate-water risk exposure and inform long-term resilience planning and strategy. “Carlsberg was the first company to test and use the new WWF Water Risk Filter scenarios to understand how water risks across our breweries may evolve in 2030 and 2050 under different scenarios,” said Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, Senior Director Sustainability at Carlsberg Group. The WWF Water Risk Filter Brief provides a detailed overview of the WWF Water Risk Filter scenarios as well as guidance on how scenario analysis can help companies and investors to understand future water risks and build resilience in an uncertain future.
AGUAS DE BARCELONA GETS RESTRUCTURED AND APPOINTS RUBÉN RUIZ ARRIAZU AS DIRECTOR GENERAL
SAUDI ARABIA'S MARAFIQ INKS $201 M CONTRACT TO EXPAND ITS INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
Aguas de Barcelona (Aigües de Barcelona) in Spain restructures its management and appoints Rubén Ruiz Arriazu as Director General
Marafiq signs a contract to expand its industrial wastewater plant
The Board of Directors of Aguas de Barcelona (Aigües de Barcelona) approved the restructuring of its management and has appointed Rubén Ruiz Arriazu as Director General, leading an organisational structure that “ensures more parity, generational renewal, and is based on five departments,” noted the company in a press release. With this change, Aguas de Barcelona has adapted the teams and established a new Executive Committee to move forward to “face the challenges of the current time, address reconstruction and foster a social pact.” The new organisational model is based on a social pact, the commitment to citizens, operational excellence, and transformation, digitalisation and innovation, seeking to “lead in the integrat-
ed water cycle thanks to differentiation and digitalisation”. David Marco Comajuan will be the Director of Transformation and Business Control, which integrates the Directorates of General Services, Innovation and Knowledge, Procurement, People and Organisation and Information Systems. The Director of Communications and Clients will be Carmen Piñán Vinagre, bringing together the Directorates of Clients and Communications and Marketing, and the Director of Institutional Relations, Social Action and Sustainability will be María Salamero Sansalvado. The Director of Operations will be Xavier Iraegui Navarro, overseeing the Directorates of Operations, Technical and Territorial Matters, and finally, Ana Maresca Lasa will be Director of Governance and Regulations.
Marafiq officially signed the fourth phase contract to expand its Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 8 (IWTP8) in Jubail. The project is expected to take 36 months and will be implemented by the Saudi Electrical and Mechanical Services Company. Marafiq is an integrated utility service provider to industrial cities within Saudi Arabia, which hosts some of the world’s largest hydrocarbon conglomerates in Yanbu and Jubail. The President and CEO of Marafiq, Abdullah Khalifa Al-Buainain, signed the contract worth SAR 757,500,000 (US$201 million) with the Saudi Electrical and Mechanical Services Company to implement the fourth expansion works of its Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 8. Al-Buainain further stated that Marafiq is seeking to provide high-level services that meet the requirements of growth in industrial projects in the Kingdom within the framework of its 2030 Vision, adding that this expansion will enable the plant to treat industrial wastewater with a 125,000 cubic meters/day of liquid waste in addition to its current capacity. Al-Buainain emphasized that this project demonstrates Marafiq’s commitment to its ambitious plans which is to expand its business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This achievement further highlights the continued value that Marafiq contributes to industrial growth and its commitment to meeting its needs in Jubail Industrial City. The expansion of IWTP-8 will use the latest technologies to enhance the capabilities to preserve the environment.
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WATER & NEWS
BUSINESS
TOSHIBA LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE IOT SOLUTION FOR WATER TREATMENT SITES Toshiba IoT Solution Pack enables remote monitoring and enhanced efficiency in water and wastewater facilities
As U.S. water and wastewater treatment facilities seek to modernize and optimize their operations to meet growing production demands and ever-stricter compliance and reporting requirements, Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI) has announced the Toshiba IoT Solution Pack software application with availability the last months of 2020. Delivering essential remote monitoring, visualization, analytics and data collection capabilities, Toshiba IoT Solution Pack can be quickly and easily deployed, empowering operators to connect a variety of devices to improve processes, reduce costs, and achieve new levels of efficiency and operational control. “This solution fills an important technology gap for many overburdened water and wastewater treatment facilities—helping them make the leap into
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IoT technology very quickly with relatively low cost and easy implementation,” said Terry Cronin, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Toshiba America, Inc. “By relying on Toshiba IoT Solution Pack for data aggregation, operators can perform remote monitoring to reduce their onsite visits, save time, and focus on other ways to optimize operations and bring more strategic value to their sites.” Toshiba IoT Solution Pack was featured at the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) 2020, a virtual event that happened Oct. 5–9, 2020. WEFTEC is the world’s most comprehensive gathering of water quality professionals and thought leaders, featuring an extensive exhibition of cutting-edge solutions.
With Toshiba IoT Solution pack, water treatment plants can create smart, connected facilities and drive near real-time visualization and optimization by connecting equipment and shifting process data and applications to the cloud through sensors, adapters, provided APIs and IoT gateways. Setup is easy using predefined templates that enable quick configuration of authorized gateways. Once deployed, the software enables operators to quickly gain facility-wide visibility through remote monitoring, helping detect issues before they become problems, boost productivity, and reduce costly downtime. What’s more, Toshiba IoT Solution Pack is flexible and scalable. Facilities can start with a small number of target devices and grow over time by adding more devices or integrating with other systems. This enables water treatment plants to capitalize on IoT technology without a significant capital investment. In early field applications, Toshiba IoT Solution Pack made measurable improvements for customers. For example, a recent deployment helped Fresno County Waterworks District 18 (FCWWD18) save 20 minutes/day in manual data entry and travel time, plus an additional 18 hours/month on reporting. “Toshiba IoT Solution Pack is giving us so many capabilities we never had before. But it’s also giving us the confidence of knowing we can provide excellent water stewardship for District 18 far into the future,” said Dan Pearce, FCWWD18 General Manager.
WATER TREATMENT
FEATURE
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HIDROCONTA
Z
MarĂa Ruano, responsible for marketing at Hidroconta
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FEATURE
Each day we interact with more devices which we call smart, from cleaning robots, to refrigerators or cars. And why not with the water supply? Connecting water monitoring devices to the cloud and operating them remotely not only allows us to control a device remotely, but also to compile data as needed to optimise its use. For several years now, Hidroconta has been committed to the digitalisation of the water industry. An example of a successful project, this case study involves the digitalisation of a private drinking water network where water meters have been equipped with communications technology in order to visualise the data obtained with an easy-to-use application. Located in the region of Madrid, the Urbanizaciรณn Montealina housing development chose Hidroconta to carry out a digitalisation project. Specifically, Hidroconta has installed sensors in more than 400 monitoring points with its equipment, using the Sigfox 0G network of the development, providing communications technology through IoT to visualise the data obtained in a user-friendly app that the residents can use. Montealina needs a system to control consumption given its characteristics: houses have large gardens and swimming pools, and the housing development itself manages its drinking water network with its resources. The telemetry system installed has IRIS communications modules developed by Hidroconta which work, in this
Located in the region of Madrid, the Urbanizaciรณn Montealina housing development chose Hidroconta to carry out a digitalisation project 40
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case, with the SIGFOX communication protocol and its 0G network. They transfer the data to our DEMETER web software and an APP for end users so they can control their individual household consumption, so that property owners can control instantly their consumption.
Communications protocol The rationale for choosing the Sigfox protocol, a mature communications network, in this project is the good coverage that offers its 0G network within the Montealina housing development. Sigfox is the main provider worldwide of connectivity for IoT and the creator of the 0G
HIDROCONTA
from the raw water and community network to the individual properties of water users. The project consists of four types of assets which have been fitted with an IRIS module to make them “smart”: J 1 meter at the outlet of the tank than controls consumption for the whole housing development. It is an electromagnetic meter. J 9 meters for district metered areas that control the units of the second phase of the housing development. They are Woltman-type meters, used to calculate a water balance and detect leaks. J 430 meters that monitor the water intake of individual properties. They are low-flow, multi-jet water meters that have been fitted with a reed-switch type pulse emitter and an IRIS device adapted to such emitters. J 15 meters that register water consumption in common-use gardens. In this case, they are also multi-jet meters with a pulse emitter and IRIS device. All the devices communicate using the Sigfox protocol and its 0G network through the IRIS communications module. These devices transmit once per day and register consumption hourly. In addition, they integrate an alarm to detect leaks when consumption is constant. In this regard, water balances are carried out, both for the global water supply as well as for internal district metered areas. This enables studying any leaks in the network to improve the network’s performance. network. This network has already been deployed in 5.4 million km2 and 70 countries, connecting territories that are home to one-sixth of the globe’s population. In the project to implement sensors in Montealina, the devices to be connected are located in cabinets mounted on the outside walls, something that helps with
the coverage needed for IoT connectivity. On the other hand, the deployment necessary for installation is quick and easy, saving project costs. Communications map The Montealina urban water digitalisation project entails controlling assets,
The rationale for choosing the Sigfox protocol in this project is the good coverage that offers its 0G network within Montealina
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FEATURE
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Dr Mike Dixon, CEO, Synauta
At a six-month trial in Western Australia, machine learning software was used to optimize a seawater reverse osmosis plant, instantaneously saving 18% energy and 9.7% on average. Every day, hundreds of millions of people around the world access water produced by desalination plants. As the only climate-independent source of water, an increasing number of water scarce regions rely on desalination to deliver water in the right place, at the right time. Every day, millions of articles about artificial intelligence are written, read or shared. Many contain great ideas, concepts, and theories; however, more could feature real-world applications or results. The aim of this article is to share practical information about the application of artificial intelligence in the water industry. Specifically, it covers the opportunities to optimize energy use in desalination using a subset of artificial intelligence: machine learning. Why use machine learning? Before understanding why machine learning is the right solution, we need to understand the problem. We know the heart of the desalination process, reverse osmosis (RO), requires a lot of energy to produce water, and costs plant owners and operators millions of dollars every year. Optimizing a plant
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manually, to match the design conditions, takes time that operators and control room operators do not always have. Rightly, we’re yet to meet an operator who prioritizes lengthy optimization calculations over managing daily alarms.
SYNAUTA
Further, when optimizing multiple RO trains, it’s impossible for humans to calculate the optimal flow balance at a frequency that would deliver the most
energy savings. For example, if a person used Microsoft Excel to do the same calculations, it could take a whole week to calculate savings for one train, so
For RO, where standard math has limitations, machine learning is accurate.
you can imagine the complexity of 20 or more. The physical material of RO membranes also has complicated properties that are not easily observable, and the RO process itself has pieces that cannot be measured precisely mathematically during operations. To optimize RO, where standard mathematics has limitations, machine learning is accurate. Machine learning can also be codified and deployed to systems like SCADA to predict variations/trends in water temperature and salinity and undertake multiple setpoint changes per day, ultimately minimizing energy use and adapting to consistently fluctuating feedwater conditions. Software can be designed to account for multiple inputs and output parameters, ensuring each plant’s design standards and mechanical limitations are met. Excitingly, multi-train optimization can simulate multiple trains of RO racks, while approximating the properties of the plant that are difficult to model mathematically. The simulation, combined with machine learning, finds states that reflect the best ways to meet KPIs of a particular plant. This is an exciting area for desalination, which can add further efficiency than industry-standard operations. Machine learning in action Synauta is a cleantech startup founded in 2018 that is already collaborating
Without the application of machine learning to optimize operations, greater amounts of energy and chemicals will needlessly be wasted
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FEATURE with desalination innovators in Europe, Australia, the Middle East and Canada. These companies, together with supporters including Sustainable Development Technologies Canada and Alberta Innovates, share the goal of reducing energy and chemical use in desalination. Last month Synauta released a case study showing machine learning energy optimization for RO. By manipulating plant recovery based on three set points, up to 18% instantaneous energy savings could be made with an average saving of 9.7% over six months. The case study features a desalination plant in regional Western Australia operated by Osmoflo. The plant has a typical seawater RO arrangement, with an isobaric energy recovery device. The plant has 4 trains, each capable of producing 1,000 m3/day. The trains have 14 vessels and 6 membrane elements in each. Elements are 6,000 GPD flux and 99.7% rejection sourced from a major RO membrane manufacturer. For this particular plant size (4,000 m3/ day), the OPEX saving would amount to $65,000 every year. For a 300,000 m3/ day municipal seawater RO plant, optimizing energy use can save more than $3 million every year. This is based on a 10% energy saving, $0.15 kWh and 2.5 kWh/m3. In other examples, the OPEX savings machine learning offers – purely in reducing energy – could be in the realm of $15 million every year across Australia’s Big 6 desalination plants, or more than $3.5 million per annum for a mega-plant like Tahweelah.
Synauta is a cleantech startup that is collaborating with desalination innovators in Europe, Australia, the Middle East and Canada 44
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Keeping it simple and enabling people One of the potential hurdles to embracing new technologies is the perception that you always need new hardware, new skills or training, or completely new systems. This does not have to be the case. In the Synauta and Osmoflo trial, operators could confidently optimize the plant in a matter of seconds, based on three set points emailed daily (high-pressure pump flow, PX booster pump flow and PX valve to drain). To validate the energy savings for Osmoflo, Synauta created a metric called normalized energy use, which accounts for temperature and salinity variation and is adjusted to standard seawater test conditions (25 °C, 32,000 ppm NaCl). When it comes to innovation or any project for that matter, keeping things simple enhances the effectiveness of communication for the people involved. To support this, Synauta takes a phased
Combining desalination and machine learning is a reality in plants today.
Dr Mike Dixon, CEO and Founder of Synauta.
approach to implementation. This enables focused periods to understand the potential savings (historical data audit), refine data and address the nuances or constraints of individual plants, and deliver set points while monitoring savings. For optimal savings the software can be integrated with a plant’s SCADA or DCS system; however, this does not imply a plant operator would become powerless to change the plant operating parameters. The operator still has the power to take over operation of the plant. In such cases when they do require control, we work with the operator to understand why and invite their advice to adjust the algorithm to suit. A responsibility to deliver environmental benefits The advantage of working in the water industry is that we’re constantly reminded
SYNAUTA of the fragility and interconnectedness of the environment to our quality of life and opportunities for prosperity. As climate change exacerbates water scarcity challenges for communities and entire regions, we have a responsibility to deliver water in a way that also reduces the carbon footprint. While progress has been made in areas like renewables for powering plants, or Energy Recovery Inc devices, optimizing operations using machine learning presents additional opportunities. Without the application of machine learning to optimize operations, greater amounts of energy and chemicals will needlessly be wasted. Through saving energy, less CO2 is emitted from the associated local power plant, as well as less particulate matter, NOX, SOX and VOCs. On a chemical savings side, this could mean undertaking only nine cleanings on a plant per year, rather than
A hurdle to embracing new technologies is the perception that you need new hardware, new skills or training, or completely new systems 12. By undertaking fewer cleanings, less chemical is used. For example, 10-15% less chemical could be used, saving significant OPEX costs as well as mitigat-
ing the embedded CO2e, Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the cleaning chemicals. For the desalination industry, purely optimizing seawater RO plants to save energy, it’s estimated machine learning can save up to 12 million tonnes of CO2e per year (Synauta Environmental Benefits Quantification Report, GHD, 2020). Focusing on strengths Some articles on artificial intelligence are good at one thing: creating an expectation that we will all lose our jobs tomorrow and robots will take over. While such concepts can make entertaining movies, focusing on these narratives in the water industry is an unhelpful distraction. If you’re new to the concept of artificial intelligence or work in the area every day, we all benefit from a commitment to educating ourselves, maintaining a growth mindset and curiosity. By sharing projects and results, we can stay focused on how to apply artificial intelligence’s strengths to solve real-world problems today. The technologies are ready, they are being proven and it’s time to normalize them as part of the water business, to realize the enormous environmental, economic and social benefits on offer. We don’t have to wait for desalination plants to look like this before we realize the benefits of optimizing the process with machine learning
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WATER & NEWS
WATER TREATMENT
BROWN & CALDWELL, BLACK & VEATCH TEAM UP FOR NEXT-GENERATION CLASS A WASTEWATER DIGESTER FACILITY The project will upgrade wastewater solids handling facilities at the plant using temperature-phased anaerobic digestion The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) has engaged a team of Brown and Caldwell and Black & Veatch to deliver professional design services for a new temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) facility at its Plant No. 2 in Huntington Beach, California. With the sixth-largest wastewater collection, treatment, and recycling infrastructure system in the U.S., OCSD provides wastewater services for 2.6 million people in central and northern Orange County. The 144-million gallons per day (MGD) capacity rated Plant No. 2 consists of eighteen digesters built from 1959 through 1979. Due to their age, the digesters require rehabilitation to ensure protection against seismic hazards, comply with code, and be resilient to sea-level rise, as outlined in a 2015 structural/seismic hazard evaluation study by OCSD advising it to be more cost-effective to build new digesters than rehabilitate the existing. Subsequently, OCSD’s 2017 Biosolids Master Plan (BMP) was developed to evaluate biosolids management options and recommended capital improvement projects to upgrade solids handling at the plant. The new Class A TPAD facility is the largest of several projects resulting from the BMP and will be capable of processing all wastewater solids generated from Plant No. 2 until 2045. Effecting significant improvements in biogas and methane production, solids and organic removal, pathogen reduction, and dewaterability over conven-
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tional digestion practices, the TPAD system will provide long-term resource recovery and operational benefits to OCSD. The Class A TPAD system involves high temperature thermophilic anaerobic digestion at 131 degrees Fahrenheit followed by a 24-hour holding period in the batch tanks, sludge cooling, and mesophilic anaerobic digestion at 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The process provides greater solids process capacity and higher-quality Class A biosolids, and the TPAD system allows OCSD to mitigate the seismic risk while maximizing the use of their existing digesters. The $300 million project involves the construction of six new thermophilic digesters and six new Class A batch tanks at Plant No. 2, allowing the facility to generate Class A biosolids that meet U.S. EPA guidelines for
land applications, including fertilizer on farms, vegetable gardens, and for residential use as compost or fertilizer. Digested sludge from the thermophilic digesters or Class A batch tanks will then be cooled and pumped to the existing mesophilic digesters before dewatering. In the event of a failure of the existing mesophilic digesters, the new thermophilic digesters will process all of the plant’s solids, thus mitigating seismic and operational risks with the existing digesters. The project will offer operational flexibility to feed the existing mesophilic digesters while future projects replace and demolish other mesophilic digesters as identified in the BMP. The project also includes updating the master plan for the ultimate replacement of the existing digester complex.
THE CITY OF BULAWAYO (ZIMBABWE) WILL RECYCLE WATER POLLUTED WITH SEWAGE TO ADDRESS WATER SHORTAGES
PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FOR CLEAN WATER VIA COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
Residents of the city of Bulawayo have limited access to tap water due to drought and an inefficient water supply system
A pilot plant reduces water salinity and fluoride content in Ethiopia
Zimbabwe is enduring the worst drought in many years. Bulawayo, the country’s second-largest city, is now studying recycling water from a reservoir polluted with sewage, reports Bloomberg. The city is unable to supply water to its population of 650,000. Last May, as water shortages exacerbated, Bulawayo limited access to tap water to one day per week. Residents are resorting to unprotected water sources, and queue for hours to fill up buckets from water tankers. The country experienced a devastating drought in 2019 and little rainfall in 2020. But shortages are also blamed on a run-down water supply system. Now the city intends to use water from the Khami dam, which according to Sikhumbuzo Ncube, from the city’s Engineering Services, is of acceptable
standards. After preliminary assessments, the water seems safe and it will be treated to eliminate bacteria and pollutants, said the city’s public relations department. The reservoir, in the suburbs, received run-off from factories and farms. Three of the city’s six reservoirs can no longer be used, as water is below pumping levels. In the remaining three the capacity is below 25%. According to the World Bank, Zimbabwe’s economy was in recession in 2019 and is expected to continue in 2020 due to climate shocks and domestic vulnerabilities worsened by COVID-19. Cleaning up water polluted with sewage is viable, but in the past, the country has not done well with the potable water supply: piped water is of poor quality when available.
A new localised water treatment facility provides safe, reliable drinking water in Ethiopia. Only 42% of Ethiopia’s population has access to safe, clean drinking water, even fewer in rural areas. Many women and children have to walk for over three hours to collect water from ponds, streams and lakes that are often contaminated. The town of Serdo in the Afar Region of Ethiopia lies within the Great Rift Valley, which is known for underground water reservoirs that contain dangerously high levels of salinity and fluoride. Non-governmental organizations have funded the drilling of boreholes as a way to access clean water, but, on average, only one in five produces safe drinking water. Some 40 borehole wells in Afar have been sealed after thousands of dollars have been spent on drilling. USAID approached DuPont Water Solutions to build a demonstration site in Serdo to treat the water from a capped borehole for the local community. The idea was simple: create an economical model for uncapping boreholes by reducing the salinity and fluoride content to safe levels, so that clean, potable water could be used. With funding from USAID and Water Solutions, the regional DuPont team worked with Israel-based Puretec Water Engineering Ltd on the design and installation of a treatment facility. Water Solutions donated 16 Reverse Osmosis (RO) Elements FILMTEC™ BW30-400 and provided technical expertise, while CARE Ethiopia and the regional government facilitated the project’s process and logistics.
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WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
PROJECT NATICK: MICROSOFT’S UNDERWATER DATA CENTRE
© Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures
This past summer, Microsoft pulled an underwater data warehouse out of the seafloor off the coast of the Orkney Islands, in Scotland. With this research project, known as “Project Natick”, Microsoft is studying the potential benefits of undersea data centres for cloud users all over the world. It proved the concept of underwater data centres is feasible, as well as logistically, environmentally and economically practical. This was the second and final phase of a years-long effort. The container-sized vessel had been deployed in the spring of 2018, and for the next two years, researchers tested the performance and reliability of the data centre’s servers. The purpose of the experiment was to see if portable, flexible data centre deployments in coastal areas around the world could be a modular way to scale up data centre needs while keeping energy and operation costs low.
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After retrieving the data centre, researchers studied it and the air contained in it, to determine the viability of the model. The results show that the servers contained within the data centre are up to eight times more reliable than their dry-land counterparts. This could be explained by variables that can contribute to equipment failure on land, such as corrosion from oxygen and humidity, temperature fluctuations and bumps and jostles from people who replace broken components. Other advantages include greater power efficiency, in part due to the decreased need for artificial cooling for the servers located within the data farm because of the conditions at the sea floor. The lessons learned from Project Natick are informing Microsoft’s data centre sustainability strategy around energy, waste and water.
DIGITAL
FEATURE
BUILD BACK BETTER: THE CRITICAL ROLE OF WATER-SMART CITIES Last century public policies and technologies are no longer adequate to ensure water for economic development, business growth, social well-being and ecosystem health. The water sector faces multiple threats which have become acute as a result of the pandemic. Water scarcity is driven by increased demand and poor public policies, and poor water quality is the result of poor public policies (think: lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan), ongoing contamination (think: nutrient loading from non-point sources) and aging and underfunded infrastructure. Climate change only exacerbates these water scarcity and quality trends. The pandemic revealed the fragility of our water infrastructure but has also accelerated interest and adoption of digital technologies. We are now witnessing the scaling of digital (smart) technologies for water and wastewater utilities, homes, communities and cities. The digital transformation of the water sector was well underway in 2019 and has significantly increased over the past several months. Water and wastewater utility sectors are now exploring and deploying digital technologies to manage infrastructure assets, remotely monitor water quality within watersheds, support workforce augmentation and monitor for COVID-19 in wastewater. Not only are water and wastewater utilities adopting digital technologies. The emergence of digital water technologies in homes and communities are enabling more localized water and wastewa-
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ter treatment systems. The convergence of digital technology adoption by the water and wastewater sector, homes and cities will foster more sustainable and resilient cities when faced with increased demand and “black swan� events such as a pandemic. Smart water policies With water resources facing multiple challenges, there is a need to move towards smart water policies that ensure good quality water of sufficient quantity for all users, both human and natural. In particular, smart water policies need to be cantered around demand management. Traditionally, urban water managers, faced with increasing demand for water alongside varying levels of supplies, have relied on large-scale, supply-side infrastructural projects, such as dams and reservoirs, to meet increased demands for water. This supply-side approach, how-
Will Sarni, Water Foundry, Founder and CEO -
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ever, is under increasing pressure from climate change, rapid population, economic growth and even land-use changes impacting the availability of good quality water of sufficient quantities. To ensure adequate water supplies, water managers are turning towards demand-side management which aims to improve the provisions of existing water supplies before new supplies are developed. There are two types of policy tools available to achieve urban water security: fiscal tools and non-fiscal tools. Fiscal tools include water pricing and the use of subsidies and rebates to
Robert C. Brears, Editor in Chief: Climate Resilient Societies & Author
THE CRITICAL ROLE OF WATER-SMART CITIES Urban water managers can also rely on a range of non-fiscal tools to ensure adequate supplies, including regulations, as well as education and public awareness. Regulations often used include permanent and temporary ordinances that restrict certain types of water use during specified times and/or restrict the level of water use to a specific amount. Temporary and permanent ordinances are often used for a variety of purposes including restricting water levels during droughts as well as for ensuring new developments and renovations implement water-efficient fixtures and appliances. Meanwhile, education and public awareness are important to generate an understanding of water scarcity and create the acceptance of the need to implement water conservation programs. Examples of non-fiscal tools to encourage the wise use of water include: J The City of Boston enacting its Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance that requires the city’s medium- and large-sized buildings to report their annual energy and water use. J Scottish Water developing a series of games for children to understand the water cycle and understand the importance of water efficiency. modify water users’ behavior in a predictable, cost-effective way. Urban water managers typically price water using increasing block tariff rates, which contain different prices for two or more pre-specified quantities (blocks) of water with the price increasing with each successive block, or two-part tariff systems which contain a fixed charge and variable charge. Subsidies and rebates meanwhile are used to encourage water users to make sustainable consumption choices. For instance, subsidies are commonly used to encourage the uptake of water-saving devices and water-efficient appliances or technologies while rebates are common-
ly used to accelerate the replacement of old water-using fixtures and appliances. Overall, positive incentives are found to be more effective than disincentives in promoting water conservation. Examples of fiscal policy tools to encourage water conservation and water efficiency include: J The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission offering rebates for a variety of domestic and non-domestic appliance and equipment upgrades. J Singapore’s Public Utilities Board revising its water prices upwards in two phases to meet future demand while delivering a high quality and reliable supply of water.
Digitalization of water The digital transformation of water is well framed in the World Economic Forum Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Water report. It is just one more aspect of society that has transformed as a result of digital
Digital technologies enable a shift from exclusively centralized water systems to localized (distributed and decentralized) systems
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FEATURE
The pandemic revealed the fragility of our water infrastructure but has also accelerated interest and adoption of digital technologies
advancements. These technologies are everywhere: in transportation through services such as mobility on demand and micro-mobility, in healthcare in the form of digital record keeping and robotics, in education where digital readers, tablets and gamification are used to teach, and in the power sector in the form of smart devices and advanced analytics for optimizing network flows. Several recent reports highlight the ongoing digital transformation of water including the International Water Association and Xylem publication Digital Water: Industry Leaders Chart the Digital Transformation, as well as the report Accelerating the Digital Water Utility, which is focused on the water and wastewater utility sector and geographically focused digital water technology solutions. The applications of digital technologies for water and wastewater utilities are increasing. Digital technologies are being used across the digital water value chain from the watershed, utility operations and connecting to the customer and consumer.
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The primary focus of digital water technology applications has been in managing infrastructure assets. Digital technologies are now used to: J Identify leaks in pipes through satellite data and analytics (for example, Utilis) J Monitor and predict treatment membrane performance using artificial intelligence (for example, Plutoshift). J Support the workforce with access to asset construction information (for example, Redeye) J Conduct real-time monitoring of stormwater sewer system (for example, Smartcover) We are also now able to provide wastewater network intelligence that visualizes, analyzes, predicts and pinpoints network behavior upstream (for example, Kando). A complete suite of digital technology solutions are available to monitor asset performance and quickly react or predict system failure. The far-reaching nature of digital applications Digital water technology applications are not confined to managing utility assets
through sensors and water use monitoring through smart meters. Digital applications now include the use of satellite data and analytics to monitor water quality within source areas (Gybe), flood prediction (Cloud to Street) and also to vastly improve connectivity to the consumer and customers (Water Smart and dropcountr). The application of digital technologies to build more sustainable and resilient water infrastructure is also scaling in parallel with the move to smart water homes. Systems that monitor real-time lead concentrations at the tap (spout), smart tap filters (TAPP Water) along
THE CRITICAL ROLE OF WATER-SMART CITIES
with leak detection in home plumbing (Conservation Labs) are being deployed. Digital technologies enable a shift from exclusively centralized water systems to localized (distributed and decentralized) systems. This includes innovative water supply systems such as air moisture capture (Zero Mass Water and Water-Gen) and small-scale treatment systems (Organica and Aqwise). As we have seen in the energy sector, small scale localized systems such as solar, are more resilient to extreme weather events. Smart water utilities and homes make the reality of water-smart cities within our reach.
Conclusion The pandemic has raised the question of whether there will be an exodus from major global cities. For us, regardless of the outcomes, cities of all sizes and locations have an opportunity to rethink public policies, infrastructure and technologies to be more resilient and sustainable. Innovation in public policy and the adoption of digital technologies will create truly smart cities. Smart policies and digitally intelligent cities will be better capable to respond to black swan events such as pandemics, extreme weather events and the strains of growth.
The time is now to chart a course for water-smart cities to ensure we can deliver water for economic development, business growth, social well-being and ecosystem growth. We must build back better.
The digital transformation of the water sector was well underway in 2019 and has significantly increased over the past several months
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INTERVIEW
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AUDE GIARD
AUDE GIARD
Z Olivia Tempest
CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER (CDO) OF VEOLIA WATER TECHNOLOGIES
“Digital solutions are key elements when it comes to business continuity and resilience planning” A subsidiary of the Veolia group, Veolia Water Technologies specializes in water treatment, offering a range of services, including the latest digital tools, to provide all water treatment solutions that plant management needs. Veolia Water Technologies has a lot of experience, 160 years to be exact. The French-based firm offers its water customers its last solutions and technologies to reduce operating costs, improve competitiveness and strengthen social responsibility. The company is especially proud of AQUAVISTA™, a digital portal that gives clients access to all of Veolia’s water cycle expertise. To review the latest developments in the digital water market, its future and what impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on this growing sector, and the benefits of AQUAVISTA™, we spoke with Aude Giard, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Veolia Water Technologies. Firstly, we would like to briefly know your career path and your current role. I joined Veolia Water Technologies over 10 years ago, initially in the IT department, after having worked as a consultant on the energy markets. I am currently Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Veolia Water Technologies, a position I have occupied since late 2016.
Over the past 10 years, I have worked on Veolia’s digital transformation, starting with the digitalization of IT assets and then moving on to improving the services the company provides to its customers by looking into how water treatment technologies can all be connected, and how we can make Veolia’s global water treatment expertise easily accessible through digital. The outcome has allowed water treatment plants and systems all around the world to optimize their operation, from chemical dosing to energy consumption, environmental compliance and a stronger resilience. Globally, the current health crisis has made the digital water market unclear. What are your predictions for the future? Everything we thought about and had planned for the future has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, a reality that we now integrate into our daily lives. The world during, and most certainly after, the pandemic will look quite different than before, but one thing is certain: digital solutions are key
elements when it comes to business continuity and resilience planning. Globally, we will witness a downgrade of capital spending in the water sector but the opportunities in the digital sector will remain unchanged. Water utilities will stay the course on digital implementations that ensure easier remote operations and better asset performance management. Customers who haven’t yet embraced the benefits of digital, will be attracted to digital opportunities; they have learned through COVID-19 and the new workfrom-home reality that technologies have changed a great deal in the last years and that digital is no longer an expensive addon but a business-saving essential. Now that over six months have passed since the pandemic hit, what digital water trends have you been witnessing? Do you think these have changed compared to previous years? The COVID outbreak and the experience of lockdown has shed light on digital solutions that facilitate remote working (e.g. augmented reality), ensure operational resilience (e.g. predictive analytics) and reduce operational expenditure (e.g. prescriptive maintenance). The needs remain unchanged. However, the economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic is shifting the buying behaviour of the water utility sec-
"We will witness a downgrade of capital spending in the water sector but the opportunities in the digital sector will remain unchanged"
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INTERVIEW
Water utilities will stay the course on digital implementations that ensure easier remote operations and better asset performance management
tor. Both municipal and industrial customers are becoming less reluctant to use cloud solutions than before. Along with cloud solutions, we see a rise in interest in new business models. The Software as a Service (SaaS) model has already gained attractiveness thanks to the “pay as you go” flexibility offered to the client. Now we are witnessing a shift from SaaS to Anything as a Service (AaaS): clients will be reluctant to invest large sums of money on sensors and IoT, they will be looking for a holistic and cost-efficient solution that bundles hardware, software and human expertise. This opens up new perspectives in terms of revenue model and knowing which metrics really matter to the customer.
sponse to critical problems, especially for difficult-to-reach sites. J Access to online content and innovative e-learning courses allows the operator to stay at the forefront of knowledge in a context of scarcity of operational skills. J Predictive maintenance ensures efficient planning for interventions and gives better visibility beforehand in terms of stock management. At Veolia Water Technologies, we are developing the Smart Membrane product that relies on machine learning techniques to predict when membrane fouling is likely to happen. This is very important for a membrane operator, because he or she can reduce the risk of shutdowns and maintain the integrity of the membrane.
How can digitalization help water operators in their daily work? When placed at the service of human expertise, digital facilitates the daily work of water operators in many ways. Here are a few examples: J Data visualization and alarm management, for example, reduce the necessity of on-site presence of operators. J Augmented reality combined with remote assistance shorten the delay re-
Veolia Water Technologies is meeting the needs of customers in terms of control with AQUAVISTA™. Could you tell us a bit more about this modular solution? In which countries is it successfully implemented? Thanks to AQUAVISTA™, our clients can now easily face their daily challenges: they can effortlessly meet their compliance requirements, optimize their facility while generating OPEX savings (by re-
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AUDE GIARD
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INTERVIEW
The outbreak and the experience of lockdown has shed light on digital solutions that facilitate remote working, like augmented reality
ducing energy and chemical consumption, for example), and with a glimpse on their phone or tablet, have real-time access to their operations anytime, anywhere, and in a secure way. Our digital offer tightens a long-term relationship with our clients: with IoT, cloud solutions and advanced analytics, the know-how of our technologies and expertise on the whole water cycle is “digitally” at the service of our clients. AQUAVISTA™ is currently being deployed in China and is already available in more than 25 countries. How can AQUAVISTA help municipalities and industrial companies to better operate their plants? AQUAVISTA™ provides solutions for the whole water cycle, for both industrial and municipal clients. For process water or drinking water, IoT and cloud computing, combined with our expertise, help the client to enhance the plant’s availability by maintaining water quality. For example, the use of AQUAVISTA™ on ingredient water in the Food & Beverage industry can help track the quality of water throughout the process, monitor the operational performance of the plant (ratio between incom-
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ing water and finished product liquid) but also better prevent plant shutdowns that can be very costly for customers. The pharmaceutical market has also warmly welcomed our digital solutions in order to monitor the water quality and compliance to the industry standards, but also to optimize and benchmark the operational performance of several water units located at different sites. Our customers in this industry have also told us that the use of AQUAVISTA™ helped free up operator’s time for tasks of greater added value, avoid unnecessary call-outs and ultimately increased the team’s morale. For wastewater treatment, we propose AQUAVISTA™ Plant which optimizes the operations of the plant 24/7 by reducing the operating costs (energy and chemical consumption) or increasing the hydraulic or biological capacity of the plant thus decreasing the investments required for a possible expansion of capacity (ensuring that the discharged water quality meets the regulations). An example comes from Milan in Italy where commissioning of the AQUAVISTA™ Plant real-time optimization tool at the Nosedo wastewater treatment facility allows annual operational costs savings of close to EUR 400,000. Significant energy
AUDE GIARD
The Software as a Service (SaaS) model has already gained attractiveness thanks to the “pay as you go” flexibility offered to the client
savings come from aeration, mixing, return of activated sludge, grit chamber aeration, and nitrate recirculation activities. In terms of chemical usage, there is a 4060% reduction in the use of precipitation chemicals like ferric chloride, while sludge reduction is at around 65-90 tons per year. There is also the example of a coke production site in Northern Europe which has reduced total-N in its effluent by 50% — allowing the facility to comply with new and more stringent regulations and eliminate the need for significant capital expenditure that would otherwise have been incurred. Veolia also created the performance control centre Hubgrade, conveying data in real time from thousands of sites to 15 digital platforms across 13 countries. How can this centre help water companies? Hubgrade is Veolia’s smart monitoring solution which brings together the company’s vast digital offering. Hubgrade relies on a set of SMART tools that can be used to remotely display, assess and optimize the management of water, waste and energy resources. A key element of Veolia’s digitalization strategy is how we relate to customers.
The goal is to use digital technology to be more customer focused in how we interact and deliver services. By gathering real-time data, analysis and human expertise, Hubgrade creates new opportunities to optimize the management of water, waste and energy resources and to ensure the delivery of our value proposition to our customers. There are tremendous advantages to having a global (water/energy/waste) approach when operating a site to maximize processes and savings. Hubgrade allows the advanced modelling of these services while optimizing resources and infrastructures, and reducing operating costs. The features of AQUAVISTA™ fit well into the HUBGRADE offer and HUBGRADE will help us to make all of Veolia’s know-how available to our customers in a safe and modern digital way.
"The use of AQUAVISTA™ on ingredient water in the Food & Beverage industry can help track the quality of water throughout the process"
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OPINION
NUNO FRAGOSO CONSULTANT, ENVIRONMENT, ORGANIZATION & TECHNOLOGY
Digital transformation can be a challenging process in any sec- to the lack of funding or lack of interest of decision-makers. So, tor and in any company, impacting the organization in all its how can we overcome this and push for digitization? dimensions and requiring strong commitment from top manThe fact is that to make people work differently and use agement to line managers and staff. new tools and techniques is difficult – it is time-consuming, To be aware of such impact is not so common but is of ut- introduces new risks, requires different departments to intermost importance, either for service providers aiming to sell act, demands new technological skills, it distracts the teams their digital and innovative solutions or to companies aspiring from their main responsibilities and requires an important to catch the train of digital transformation. commitment from the board and management teams. This Building a company digital mindset that promotes innova- can be overwhelming. tion and the systematic introduction of new technologies can If the competitive context is not pushing for change and be a difficult process when, as in the case of water utilities, new technology adoption or if the management and sharefundamental constraints may deter the adoption of digitiza- holders are not prone to this (although they will never admit tion: water utilities operate in a context of natural monopoly so in the surveys), it will become a herculean task to introfree of competition, companies may not be financially sus- duce any digitization initiative. tainable and need to be subsidized Nevertheless, the unprecedented to keep running, the management time we are living, and the curBuilding a company digital team may be struggling to underrent state of technology, have crestand the numerous digital soluated a favourable context to intromindset that promotes tions popping-up every day and, duce digitization in water utilities. innovation and the systematic at the end of the day, their main More importantly, there is growing direct mandate is not to innovate awareness that we have functioning introduction of new technologies or digitize companies but “simtechnology required to economicalcan be a difficult process ply” to provide drinkable water 24 ly and efficiently address the same hours a day and treat used water. old problems: the critical need for The company culture, its structure, organization, systems and non-revenue water reduction, efficient and non-disruptive staff profiles reflect this context. maintenance, lower energy consumption, automatic water While in finance, retail or automotive sectors, digitaliza- quality monitoring, better customer service, corporate and tion is key for the companies to thrive or at least survive, in business processes automation, etc. the water sector, digitalization is not yet commonly perceived But this is not enough. Either we are service providers inby all stakeholders as a fundamental lever for long-term social terested in selling new technology or decision- makers eager and economic growth. Some stakeholders can do their share, to improve operations and P&L, it’s important to be aware of like regulators or end-users pushing for more efficient ways relevant levers that will push or constraint the introduction of for the companies to operate and better client service, but innovation in the water sector and specifically in water utilities. digitizing the company depends mainly on the water utility Introducing organizational or technical innovation requires management. more than a good idea, a powerful selling pitch, or a departUltimately, it’s not uncommon to see our sector colleagues ment staffed with technologically driven people. To successfully (usually the ones on the vendors’ side) complain about how introduce innovation and new technologies into our compadifficult it is to introduce new technologies into utilities, due nies, we need to address other non-technological perspectives
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such as: i) the expected economic benefits and the possibility zation of the work, the time required from the implementation to scale them; ii) the organizational impact in people and in the teams, etc. The ability to construct a holistic approach that conorganization of work; iii) new operational risks and; iv) always siders all relevant perspectives will, for sure, differentiate such neglected: the specific professional risk assumed by people in vendor from the competition. charge of decision making and implementation. If the vendor has confidence in the solution he proposes, If the above aspects are not addressed, it will become more then a risk and benefit-sharing value proposition would for sure difficult for service providers to sell their great ideas or compa- be appreciated by the client. Some vendors are moving towards ny managers to adopt them. The fact that, to defend the bene- this model with success, and the exponential growth of solufits of an innovative solution, we mention frequently technical tions “Software as a Service”, avoids the need for investment buzzwords such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence or Machine and allows the client to simply “disconnect” from the Service Learning (what percentage of utility managers really under- Provider if they think the solution is not delivering as promised. stand such concepts?), or that we make a demo with the full Another facilitator is the adoption of performance-based range of functionalities of the new app, will not add much to contract and pricing models where the vendor finances the inimportant questions for decision making such as: how will this vestment required (for example in sensors), so that the client solution impact on the P&L, what does not have to make any initial is the ROI of the solution and how disbursement. In such cases, the Digitalization is not yet can I finance it?, what risks am I future payments to the vendor will taking if this fails?, what organizabe made by the utility through a fee commonly perceived by all tional and business disruptions can correlated with the savings generatstakeholders as a fundamental this cause? or, what impact will this ed by the introduction of the new have on my current systems and solution into client operations. lever for long-term social how do I integrate? As per the water utility, the most and economic growth There is work to do. From the effective way to approach the digitivendors’ side, any selling initiative zation challenge is to design a digishould start with an estimate of the impact of the solution on tization strategy and an implementation roadmap. Calculating the specific client P&L account. There must be a “promise” of the economic benefits of the implementation of digital technolincreased revenues, cost reduction or improved productivity to ogies, the resources required and the risks to manage is the best be initially estimated and later confirmed after the implemen- way to start and push for the digitization program. A change tation, using client-specific data. It is also important to under- management program is also critical (although normally not stand how scalable the solution is, as it is prudent to start with taken into consideration by top management), to communiproject pilots and later escalate. cate, address the normal resistance to any change, align people’s The vendor and his representatives must fully understand the agenda, identify blockages, and prioritize actions. client’s business and the specific problems to solve, not just the To identify people in the organization that can manage the bits and bytes of the solution, so the conversation goes well digitalization program, to partner with firms that have collectbeyond the great technology that is under the hood. Vendor ed experiences and best practices in the digitization of water and Client must talk as sector partners, about business issues utilities, as well as with companies that can scout the market for and how they can be addressed at a minimum cost in terms of the most relevant technologies will support and accelerate the financial resources, potential operation disruptions, the organi- digitization program and extract its benefits.
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FEATURE
What do Trappist monks, a whisky distillery and water utilities have in common? How can water utilities and industries seamlessly exchange resources to future-proof their businesses? The answer lies in the Circular Economy.
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Gerard van den Berg, Coordinator of ULTIMATE and Project Manager International Research Programme at KWR Water Research Institute Jos Frijns, Coordinator of NextGen and Resilience Management & Governance team leader at KWR Water Research Institute Christos Makropoulos, principal scientist at KWR Water Research Institut
The need for a Water Circular Economy has become more evident and urgent in 2020. Traditional, linear supply chains involving production, consumption and disposal have become vulnerable. Climatic changes, commercial competition and environmental degradation are putting existing business models under strain. While solving each of these challenges on their own is very difficult, what if we could help to solve all three problems at once? Developing local, robust and transparent markets for water-embedded resources, including water, energy and materials, can help to climate-proof the whole of European society. To unlock these resources and the benefits of water in the circular economy, there is a need for innovative technology, business and governance solutions. Furthermore, if stakeholders and citizens are engaged, it will accelerate not only the uptake but also the acceptance of circular solutions. Rethinking and redesigning workflows One expression being used to summarise the collaboration needed between differ-
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ent stakeholders and markets is “industrial symbiosis”. This describes utilities and industry, public and private sectors, seamlessly collaborating. A water circular economy model promises lower costs, as well as new types of revenues, exploiting ‘waste’ management not only as a legal obligation but as a new business opportunity. Furthermore, rejuvenation of local, national and regional economic activity could help towards economic growth with low environmental impact: a truly green recovery. While industrial symbiosis and a circular approach can make industries future and climate-proof, the transition to get there is far from easy. To date, innovations in the domain remain fragmented. Small scale experiments are encouraging but the wider uptake is still missing. In light of the progress needed, there is a critical mass of projects being assembled to really push the circular economy forward in the next few years. Two exciting European projects, being led by KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands, are exploring how we can accelerate water circular economy ambitions and navigate the potential hurdles in our path. Project ULTIMATE: increasing economic value and sustainability A total of 27 project partners have come together under the ULTIMATE project (indUstry water-utiLiTy symbIosis for a sMarter wATEr society).
Co-financed by the European Commission, the four-year Horizon2020 project is being carried out under the EU Water in the Context of the Circular Economy programme. Kickstarting in the summer, the ambition is to create economic value and increase sustainability by valorising resources with the water cycle. The project will help to catalyse water’s role away from being collected, treated and disposed of, into instead being a vector for energy and materials.
KWR WATER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
N WATER CIRCULAR ECONOMY SOLUTIONS
Real-world, large scale demonstrations will be used to help build an evidence-base of industrial symbiosis applications. To help the transition to a circular economy, ULTIMATE will explore unlocking the following water-embedded resources: J (Waste)water: reuse at multiple scales, supported by advanced treatment technologies to produce fit-for-purpose water, compact/mobile/scalable systems, and where possible striving for near-Zero Liquid Discharge.
J Energy: improved biogas production, water-enabled heat transfer, storage and recovery for allied industries and commercial sectors, combined water-energy management, treatment plants as energy factories. J Materials: nutrient mining and reuse, extraction of value-added compounds (e.g. antioxidants, precious metals), manufacturing new products from waste streams, and producing activated carbon from sludge to minimise costs of micro-pollutant removal.
Whisky to horticulture - 9 project partners In total, nine large-scale demonstrations across Europe have been selected from
To unlock the benefits of water in the circular economy, there is a need for innovative technology, business and governance solutions
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FEATURE
Christos Makropoulos, Principal Scientist at KWR.
the agro-food, petrochemical and biotech sectors. From water utilities to whisky distilleries, the partners represent a variety of stakeholders who could participate and benefit from circular economy activities. In Tuscany, Italy, the Aretusa Consortium treats residue waters from two communities and has an ambitious vision to increase its annual water process capacity by 30 per cent. Meanwhile, the famous Glenmorangie whisky distillery in Scotland aims to extract ammonia for usage as fertiliser and to recover heat for use in the distillery processes. Furthermore, the project aims to reuse the water and nutrients after-treatment of the wastewater to remove pesticides
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Gerard van den Berg, Coordinator of ULTIMATE.
and plant pathogens. The goal is to achieve zero wastewater discharge. NextGen: increasing economic value and sustainability Another project being coordinated by KWR under the EU Water in the Context of the Circular Economy programme is NextGen. The four-year H2020 project brings together a partnership of 30 organisations to demonstrate technological, business and governance solutions for water in the circular economy. Similarly to ULTIMATE, NextGen is addressing how the circular economy will be driven through a wide range of water-embedded resources, including: J Water:Â reuse at multiple scales supported by nature-based storage, optimal management strategies, advanced treatment technologies, engineered ecosystems and compact/mobile/scalable systems. J Energy:Â combined water-energy management, treatment plants as energy factories, water-enabled heat transfer, storage and recovery for allied industries and commercial sectors.
J Materials:Â nutrient mining and reuse, manufacturing new products from waste streams, regenerating and repurposing membranes to reduce water reuse costs, and producing activated carbon from sludge to minimise costs of micro-pollutant removal. UK airfield to Dutch brewery - ten demo cases Innovative circular water solutions are being demonstrated at ten large-scale sites across Europe. Emphasis will be on the conditions for successful application and upscaling. Examples include in the UK, a former airfield north of Bristol is being developed into an attractive and sustainable area. As part of a masterplan, NextGen water and energy management will include a strategic Surface Water System, ensuring reliable drainage and allow local use of captured rainwater and water reuse. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, developments at the La Trappe brewery are enabling the recovery of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus materials from wastewater. Furthermore, treated water is being reused primarily as irrigation
KWR WATER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
In total, nine large-scale demonstrations across Europe have been selected from the agro-food, petrochemical and biotech sectors Jos Frijns, Coordinator of NextGen.
water, and potentially as the water used during the bottle-washing process. In the Costa Brava region in Spain, high seasonal demand can lead to frequent episodes of water scarcity, as well as causing saltwater intrusion. In light of this, the area is championing water reuse in Europe, with reused water being used for agricultural irrigation, environmental and non-potable uses. A key innovation through NextGen is the regeneration of end-of-life membranes. Different molecular cut-offs will be used in the reclamation system, demonstrated through the operation of a pilot plant for two years. From the UK to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and other partners, it’s expected that cross-fertilisation will occur during the course of NextGen, with key findings helping to develop an EU Roadmap to support wider uptake of circular solutions in the water sector. Creating a smarter water society By building bridges between science and practice, we can position water as the enabler in the broader context of the Water-Energy-Food nexus.
Resource-efficient solutions linking water treatment to industries, at scale, will help to build experience, knowledge and momentum
We need to rethink and redesign workflows, processes and business models, including governance and shareholder participation. Resource-efficient solutions linking water treatment to industries, at scale, will help to build experience, knowledge and momentum. In doing so, we can create local, non-relocatable direct and indirect jobs,
as well as local economic development for European territories. This will help to future-proof European industries, climate-proof European society and safeguard the environment. Leading the Ultimate and Nextgen projects, KWR is at the forefront of scientific solutions to global water issues, both nationally and internationally.
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OPINION
DR. RICHARD J. VESTNER SENIOR DIRECTOR, BENTLEY SYSTEMS
RECOGNIZABLE GLOBAL RESPONSE PATTERNS TO WATER THREATS The global community has over-utilized natural resources for velopments. Hence, sudden step-changes aren’t feasible. Instead, many years, resulting in megatrends that can destabilize natural intelligent complementation can foster decentralization over time. ecosystems and lead to a loss of resilience. Climate change, in- Democratization creasing pollution and biodiversity loss are just a few to name. Like other industries, the water sector benefits from a democraWhen addressing these threats, some general response patterns tization of technology, information, and knowledge. This trend emerge across industries. These patterns also apply for the water promotes low-threshold access to advanced technology and daindustry, which must respond with new strategies, thought-out ta. UX design, open-source capabilities, immersive visibility, solutions and services that improve water quality and availability. and seamless connectivity between individual devices and systems can be named as enablers. In order to allow the best brains Decarbonization Reducing water use is a primary means of reducing associated car- to collaborate and innovate at speed, organizations are creating bon emissions, and the water industry has made various efforts to new ways of working that promote a culture of sharing, supsupport this. Applied new methods of construction can lower the ported by a more collaborative planning and design methodtotal resource input, and sustainable new materials such as ‘green’ ology (BIM). However, this implies the need to educate and concrete and steel are introduced. Operations benefit from more train employees so that they can keep up with and benefit from disruptive changes in their jobs and efficient pumping, lifting, mixing, working environment. aeration, heating, drying, and air Well-prepared water Digitalization compression. Wastewater treatment The cross-sectional approach to plants are re-considered as prosumcompanies and utilities are leveraging data drives much of the ers and facilities for resource recovnow embracing digitalization, previous three response patterns. ery. And if the removal of CO2 from Well-prepared water companies and the atmosphere through weathering such as by creating Digital utilities are now embracing digitalof silicate minerals and generation Twins of water systems ization, such as by creating Digital of alkalinity in receiving waters can Twins of water systems. Digitalizabe understood, enhanced and controlled, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) might add an im- tion improves insights and efficiency by combining IT, OT and Engineering Technology (ET). Interoperability with and integraportant contribution of the sector to meeting net zero carbon. tion into existing infrastructure is key to going beyond the status Decentralization In many industries with networks of supply and demand chains, quo and making advancements toward automation. However, a decentralization can simplify and accelerate workflows, processes, rebound effect could counteract the digitalization of the water secand decisions. This improves production and decision-making tor. Less resource consumption, longer lifetimes, and recyclability in complex and pressured systems. Decentralizing water infor- of digital elements and building blocks can make a difference. mation is enhanced by creating an open Connected Data Envi- Outlook ronment (CDE) in which various data sources and applications The water industry must find acceptable and balanced answers co-exist and provide easily accessible data. Physically, distributed to the challenges that come with global megatrends. Water is a water systems facilitate circular economy solutions, including vital public resource and is simply too intertwined with other locally integrated water management, and are especially attrac- critical elements like energy, food, and land use. As a result of tive for non-potable water applications. However, they can clash keeping up with changing demands, the water sector will reagainst legacy investments and often only prevail in greenfield de- main a constant and exciting field of creativity and innovation.
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OPINION
CHENGZI CHEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, DHI
DIGITAL WATER TECHNOLOGY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY ADOPTERS Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory seeks to explain Open and transparent discussions how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread, Research and innovation have their upsides and risks and so it is including the important role that early adopters play. Early important to have open and transparent discussions, with a view to adopters look to exploit the advantages of new technology maximizing the learning experience. At DHI, we like to bring our when it addresses an unfulfilled need. They carefully select in- partners into our core team so we can clearly determine success crinovation, so they can retain their opinion leadership status and teria and navigate constraints. Turning back to the above example, continue to improve their lives and businesses with it. one of the key issues we faced was, how often should the control Research and innovation are a key focus area for us here at actions be updated. The solution should optimize the operation of DHI, and we are very aware of the need to stay relevant and all pumping stations in a 6-hour forecast window to maximize the bring value to our partners and customers through our MIKE use of the storage capacity of the retention basins. It also needed to software and consultancy services. For more than 50 years, be able to do that every 5 minutes to capture the dynamic changes we have been fortunate and privileged to have partnered with in the system for the solution to be viable in an operational way. many early adopters across the globe. They are amongst our To achieve this, we would require either massive compumost valued partners, as they encourage the exchange of ideas tational resources using a traditional modelling approach or that can lead to co-creation proapply an innovative approach that cesses that break new and importcombines new efficient modelling Research and innovation ant ground. and optimization technologies. The What’re the best ways to interact discussions about issues, objectives, are a key focus area for DHI with early adopters? and ways forward helped us underand we are aware of the need Focus on the challenge stand what was key and enabled us One of the innovation traps we to get to the desired solution. At to stay relevant and bring try to avoid is to develop new the end of the project, we managed value to our customers technology for the sake of new to achieve what we set out to do – technology. We have learnt to showed that we can coordinate all maintain focus on the challenge which we want to solve. pumping stations operations and maximize in real-time the opFor example, a water utility needed to find ways to reduce erational capacity of the retention basins with model predictive sewer overflows to comply with legislative requirements of control that is continuously being updated every 5 minutes. water quality in receiving waters. One solution was to build Support innovation with real case examples more retention basins in the drainage system, but this was The success criteria for whether a new technology fits the chalfound to be very costly. We decided to explore the use of one lenge are important. In the above case, we were fortunate to of our latest technologies - model predictive control. This have an engaged partner who shared details of requirements in would enable them to better coordinate the operations of their day-to-day operational work, and we were able to adapt different pumping stations to maximize the capacity of exist- the technology to match those expectations. As a result, they ing retention basins remotely and in real-time. If this project have a feasible, alternative option to consider and that puts worked out, it would not only save infrastructure investment them in a better position to make their investment decisions. costs but also help to accelerate the automation of the utilThrough our experiences, we learnt that these are important ity’s operational system, which is one of their longer-term considerations when working with early adopters, to better ensure ambitions. that new technology can work and bring value to our partners.
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WATER & NEWS
DIGITAL
THE 4 LESSONS LEARNED IN THE WATER SECTOR AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS During COVID-19, global water utilities have undergone a deep transformation to continue guaranteeing water service For this to be possible, remote control of processes and infrastructures, teleworking or social distancing have made digitalization an essential tool to maintain the quality of service. These are the 4 lessons learned in the water sector after its response to the crisis. Water has become a key element in the fight against the coronavirus: the crisis has made even more obvious that water and sanitation systems must be expanded and improved in unserved areas. Consequently, governments around the world are promoting projects and specific investments, which are necessary in a context of reduced income for utilities. Water is an essential resource. In addition to making hygiene and handwashing habits possible, the early detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is helping authorities take preventive measures and anticipate outbreaks in cities. The crisis has triggered digital transformation in the sector: the public administration, which in some countries was still reluctant to collaborate with the private sector, is beginning to value positively and prioritize innovative technological solutions. The crisis has highlighted that continuity and quality of supply is possible thanks to technology. For this reason, the pandemic is expected to boost the implementation of automation and remote control processes, reducing the exposure of workers and customers to the virus, and offering value-added services to the population, such as alerts for lack of consumption in homes.
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The greater the degree of digitalization, the higher the resiliency of countries and utilities: the speed and efficiency of the response have varied widely depending on the degree of technological maturity prior to the crisis. Those who had already started their transformation process have been able to maintain their activity, thanks to the implementation of remote reading, remote detection of leaks and fraud, or off-site billing and collection, just to cite a few examples. Companies that had previously established systems for the control and remote operation of networks and treatment plants continued providing service without interruptions. Likewise, automated protocols for events have allowed to offer a more efficient response, minimizing the exposure of staff to the virus.
The water sector must be prepared for an uncertain future: the coronavirus crisis is not a one-off event, we do not know how long it will last and we will certainly see other similar crises in the coming years. Thanks to digitalization, the industry can better face the new scenario of uncertainty. In it, it is necessary to promote a cultural change within organizations and in the relationship with customers, where face-to-face conversations will be reduced to make way for interactions through digital media. In this context, water companies can also be useful for citizens by promoting awareness campaigns on the importance of good hygiene habits. The water sector can definitely be at the forefront of the fight against the crisis.
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN US-QATAR AIMS TO FIND BURIED WATER IN EARTH'S DESERTS Researchers will study how climate change might affect aquifers in the Sahara Earth's driest ecosystems are a study in extremes: They can be blazingly hot stretches of sand like the Sahara Desert or shatteringly cold expanses of ice such as those in Greenland and Antarctica. These arid regions receive little annual precipitation, and the effects of climate change in these ecosystems are poorly understood. A joint effort between NASA and the Qatar Foundation aims to address that - and, in the process, help communities that are being impacted by those changes.
Researchers with the Orbiting Arid Subsurfaces and Ice Sheet Sounder (OASIS) study project are designing a satellite mission to probe the sand dunes and ice sheets of some of Earth's driest places with radar technology similar to that used by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The project's primary goal would be to discover and monitor underground sources of fresh water called aquifers beneath the desert’s surface. Many aquifers in the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, among oth-
ers, are being rapidly depleted to support the needs of local communities. At the same time, aquifers in coastal regions are being threatened by sea level rise caused by the melting of ice sheets in places like Greenland. If the saltwater from rising seas contaminates the fresh water in aquifers, it would affect not only drinking water but also regional agriculture and food security. A secondary goal of the project is to gain a better understanding of how melting ice sheets contribute to rising seas.
GROUND-BREAKING AI WATER LEAK DETECTION PILOTED IN QUEENSLAND New smart water management technology lands in Australia and New Zealand Pioneering tech which leads engineers straight to the site of hard-to-find water leaks is to be trialled in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. UK-based FIDO Tech’s innovative technology couples sophisticated AI with the world’s largest and growing library of leak data to pinpoint leak location to within one metre. Now a forward-thinking collaboration between FIDO Tech and Australia’s Detection Services Ltd will introduce the technology in Australia and New Zealand.
Detection Services is Australasia’s largest specialised water management business and has a track record for bringing the region some of the world’s most innovative ideas in the fields of pipeline inspection, assessment, monitoring, maintenance, data collection and analysis. FIDO’s over 90% accuracy improves with every new leak it finds and its simplicity and flexibility lends itself to an ever-increasing number of novel applications. Detection Services will demonstrate FIDO’s capability with a series of pilot
projects in Australia and New Zealand. The first pilot is under way in Queensland where Detection Services carries out services for a Queensland Water Services Provider. FIDO is being used on its network of water pipes serving its Central Business District (CBD). The zone was selected because it is a high-density urban environment, recently equipped with acoustic loggers, but with a lot of ongoing construction, which can affect the sounds loggers record and make traditional leak detection by ear more difficult.
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PERSON OF THE MONTH
PEDRO ARROJO-AGUDO NEW SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Doctor in Physics and Professor Emeritus in Economic Analysis, has been appointed the new Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation by the United Nations Human Rights Council. He will replace Léo Heller in the position of Special Rapporteur, becoming the third person to occupy this position, and the first Spanish person to become a United Nations Special Rapporteur. Arrojo has been a professor at the University of Zaragoza, in Spain, where his research focused on water economics. He has extensive experience in the field of water management and is
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the author of a large number of publications on the subject. He has also been active in politics as a Member of the Spanish Parliament for the past few years, for the Unidas Podemos Party. He has been active in the water sector since 2001 when he led the opposition to the Spanish National Hydrological Plan. In 2003 he was awarded the Goldman Environment Prize, considered as the “Nobel Prize in Ecology”, because of his efforts to change water management policy through the work of the New Water Culture Foundation (Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua, FNCA).
SDGs
FEATURE
2020 has not been the year we hoped for. The COVID-19 health crisis has hit when action to tackle the climate crisis, and hence, water security, was at a critical point: we either went all out to achieve the 2030 Agenda, or we left it at a half-hearted effort. Now we have no choice but to look ahead again and decide how we want to face the future.
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Laura F. Zarza
Opening a tap is simple; having running water is not so simple. While you and me, as we go about our daily routine, can see the water running through our fingers, transparent, clean and almost invisible, thousands of people face huge difficulties every day to access water and sanitation services which, together with hygiene, are a fundamental right. Today, more so than ever. 2020: a turning point 2020 was the start of the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, a crucial ten-year period to give one last push to the joint vision for the future that the SDGs aim for: a turning point for our common vision to rescue the planet and do away with inequality at all levels. Even
though there has been advancement in many places since the UN member states adopted the 17 Goals in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the measures in place to achieve them - which were not moving forward at the desired speed - have been thwarted by a virus that is challenging the whole world. 2020 also marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, a celebration that comes at a time when the world is enduring an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social repercussions, which is putting livelihoods at risk. We may highlight the threat to access to water and sanitation, embodied in SDG 6, which focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
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The irruption of COVID-19 in our lives has revealed and exacerbated the inequalities which were already present in this area, where something as simple as opening the tap and washing your hands with soap and water - a cheap and effective way to prevent infection by this virus (and to prevent many other diseases) - is not something within everybody’s reach. According to the 2020 Sustainable Development Goals Report, in 2017 about 3 billion people worldwide lacked basic handwashing facilities at home. Water, sanitation and hygiene services are not only missing in the family environment, but also in those places which are crucial for social development: health care facilities and schools. According to the report, in 2016 one in four health care facilities around the world lacked basic water supplies, one in five had no sanitation services, and two in five had no soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub, at points of care. Moreover, 47% of schools worldwide lacked hand-washing facilities with soap and water. These data have become even worse as a result of the pandemic. “It is essential”, notes the UN, to “solve the differences in access to water, sanitation and hygiene, to contain the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases”. But, unfortunately, SARS-CoV-2 is not the only problem that threatens achieving SDG 6 by 2030.
2020: A BEFORE AND AN AFTER FOR SDG 6
The same problems in a different context Although they are now behind the scenes because of the health crisis, other problems that threaten water security have not disappeared. Because of the uneven distribution of freshwater, the overexploitation of water resources, and the increase in droughts and desertification as a result of climate change, more and more countries are experiencing high water stress. This is “the biggest crisis no one is talking about”, noted Dr Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the World Resources Institute, at the time of the launch of the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas in 2019, warning that a quarter of the world’s population face extremely high water stress. Water is the medium through which societies will perceive the most severe impacts of climate change, and, with the climate crisis upon us - 2019 was the second warmest year on record and the end of the warmest decade (2010-2019) and the lack of commitment to reverse it, the perspectives for the coming ten years are not positive. The Global Risks Report 2020 by the World Economic Forum provides a broad perspective of the main threats to global prosperity in the next decade. In the report, for the first time, environmental threats are the top five global risks in terms of likelihood (extreme
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FEATURE
SDG 6 is at the centre of the Sustainable Development Goals, as it is closely correlated with the remaining sixteen goals weather events, failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change, natural disasters, biodiversity loss and environmental disasters caused by humans). The eighthplace is for water crises, classified as a societal threat instead of an environmental
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threat, which also occupies the fifth place in terms of impact in the next ten years, after climate action failure, weapons of mass destruction, biodiversity loss and extreme weather events. This highlights once again the importance of integrating water and sanitation into the policies and plans of other sectors, and places SDG 6 at the centre of the Sustainable Development Goals, as it is closely correlated with the remaining sixteen goals. Water - as the UN points out - “is essential not only for health but also for poverty reduction, food security, peace and human rights, ecosystems and education�. In
other words, water poses some of the most pressing social, political and economic challenges for the world. An uncertain future for a clear-cut problem COVID-19 has shaken up each and every one of the advances achieved up to now in terms of the SDGs, slowing down sustainable solutions to address the top world challenges. It has also made us ask ourselves whether we will come out stronger and better able to work together, in cooperation, as needed to attain the Sustainable Development Objectives.
2020: A BEFORE AND AN AFTER FOR SDG 6 Making a difference regarding water management is in our hands. “Addressing the issue of water is not a task to be taken lightly�, says Audry Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, in the foreword of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2020: water and climate change, and she is right. Freshwater is key for development: we must have the capacity to address the challenges using an integrated approach that considers social, economic and environmental aspects. And for that, we must understand that we are all in this fight together, and ours is a common future.
Although they are now behind the scenes because of the health crisis, other problems that threaten water security have not disappeared
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OPINION
JOSIEN SLUIJS MANAGING DIRECTOR AQUA FOR ALL
In August 2019 I joined the water and sanitation sector as tise and demands other skills. Impact investors steer towards Aqua for All’s Managing Director. Prior to Aqua for All, I had a efficiency, accountability and profitability, which require a difsimilar role at NpM, the Dutch Platform for Inclusive Finance, ferent way of running operations, reporting, etc. working with impact investors to provide access to affordable The water and sanitation sector has historically been grant definancial services, while obtaining both social and financial pendent and often missed opportunities to scale up. Countless returns. The water and sanitation sector fulfils these require- donors have supported good projects, but many ideas focused ments, but has been unable to engage these investors so far. primarily on health benefits and social wellbeing, whereas ecoInvestments in water and sanitation cannot be postponed nomic value languished pending for more grant money. Nuany longer. Clean water and sanitation for all, Sustainable De- merous promising pilots have been replicated elsewhere, repeatvelopment Goal 6 (SDG 6), requires an estimated US $114 ing minor successes without realising their full scaling potential. billion per year in the run-up to 2030. Less than $5 billion per One of the reasons is that grants for early-stage initiatives are year is currently available in donor funds however. We urgent- widely available, whereas funding to scale is hard to find. ly need to unlock private funding through blended finance Innovative financial models and solutions solutions to expand the provision of safe drinking water and The good news is that Aqua for All is developing a range of sanitation, and to build the secfinancial models and solutions, to tor’s resilience. address varying demand and supMost investors perceive Aqua for All aims to be an inply requirements in different marfluential catalyser within the waket contexts. Innovative finance is the water and sanitation ter and sanitation economy. Our critical for achieving the large-scale sector as too risky, funds de-risk investments and transformation the sector needs. mobilise new and additional capCoupled with our support to enunprofitable or involving ital. We seek partners among comterprises in becoming investment delayed returns on capital panies, foundations and governready, we also use our own funds to ments interested in financing and provide de-risking instruments, e.g. other forms of support. first-loss tranches and guarantees. This catalyses new sources of Change of mindset finance for viable water and sanitation solutions. Our priority is to embrace and promote a change in thinking. Impact incentives, leasing arrangements, franchise models For sustainable growth of water and sanitation initiatives, proj- and carbon credits are part of this innovative approach. Our ect inputs and outputs matter, but results matter most. new partnership with Roots of Impact implements a social imPrivate investments in the water and sanitation sector can pact incentives model. Through this scheme, water and sanitaprovide social and financial return and we need to show suc- tion social enterprises receive temporary, outcomes-linked paycesses. However, most investors do not know the sector well ments to increase profitability. In turn, this strengthens their enough to understand its risks, financing needs and opportuni- business case for larger investments that will enable them to ties. They perceive the water and sanitation sector as too risky, grow from innovators to substantial service providers. unprofitable or involving delayed returns on capital. Another partner, Spring Health in India, operates subI have seen a change in mindset among all actors when pri- scription- and franchise-based service provision through local vate capital flows into the sector. Access to capital facilitates shops and motorised rickshaw distribution, partly-financed growth, but more importantly, it often brings different exper- with carbon credits.
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For service-using households, microfinance and mobile phone These service and finance gaps have major human and economfee-payment systems offer much potential. Innovative service ic consequences. According to the World Bank, 675,000 peodelivery models targeting lower-middle-class households in ple die prematurely each year because of poor-quality water, low-income countries can contribute to bring safe and afford- sanitation and hygiene, resulting in losses of up to 7% of GDP able water and sanitation to people on low incomes. By build- in some countries. Another estimate states that the annual ecoing capacity and creating momentum, the ‘last mile’ can be nomic costs worldwide of inadequate water and sanitation serreached, especially with grant support. vices comes to USD250 billion. The costs of ill health from Out-of-the-box finance solutions to respond to COVID-19 waterborne diseases in peri-urban and rural populations run In Kenya, many micro, small and medium enterprises (MS- into hundreds of millions of US dollars each year. MEs) in the water and sanitation sector are struggling to surBy contrast, bridging the gaps removes costs and generates vive the COVID-19 pandemic. They face revenue loss and in- value. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Decreasing costs arising from the need to meet rising demand, as velopment (OECD) has found that investment in water and people more frequently wash their hands and stay at home. An sanitation in low-income countries can deliver up to US $7 for Aqua for All survey of the Kenyan sector in April 2020 revealed every $1. Consider for example the loss of an estimated 40% an urgent need among MSMEs for to 60% of piped water in Africa capital to repair and expand essenthrough leakages. If we can mobilAqua for All is developing a tial water infrastructure, to supise finance to stop this happening, port the government’s emergency it will bring about huge savings in range of financial models response to the pandemic, and to terms of service provision, while to address varying demand protect vulnerable groups. suppliers can increase their income In partnership with Sidian by selling more water to households and supply requirements in Bank, a pioneer in microfinance (keeping in mind affordability for different market contexts for small-scale water infrastruclow-income people). There will also ture initiatives since 2007, we have be a climate dividend through enestablished the COVID-19 WASH Loan Facility to support ergy savings on water extraction, treatment and distribution. Kenyan MSMEs with favourable working capital, to overcome Aqua for All has worked towards catalysing an innovative, challenges resulting from the pandemic. Our initiative also sustainable and inclusive water and sanitation economy worldaims to help service providers respond to new opportunities, wide for almost two decades. We have managed over €140 milsuch as to make the transition to renewable energy sources that lion in funds, helping to bring access to clean water and/or will bring greater sustainability and reduce consumers’ future good sanitation to more than 5.64 million low-income people water bills. We aim to scale up and replicate these approaches in 65 countries, especially in Africa and Asia. In addition, we with other banking partners in Kenya and beyond. use our funds to mobilise private and public capital to increase No time to waste investments in water and sanitation. We believe that partnerThe world is currently not on course to meet SDG 6 by 2030. ships with impact investors and innovators/enterprises working With less than a decade to go, 2.2 billion people still lack ac- on water and sanitation service provision will bring us closer to cess to safe drinking water, 4.2 billion are without sanitation achieving SDG 6. amenities compatible with the SDG 6 objectives, and 3 billion ‘This article was written with assistance from Miles Litvinoff, an people lack basic handwashing facilities. NGO writer/editor and consultant.’
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INTERVIEW
CATARINA DE ALBUQUERQUE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF SANITATION AND WATER FOR ALL
“Reaching universal access is more about systems - a holistic approach to water and sanitation - than infrastructure alone” Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) is a multi-stakeholder platform of governments and their partners: civil society, private sector, UN agencies, research and learning institutions, and the philanthropic community, who share the belief that collaborative decision making, led by governments, leads to more effective solutions.
Z Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) intends to be a catalyst for change, encouraging high-level political dialogue to prioritise water, sanitation, and hygiene. With a remarkable background in human rights diplomacy at the highest level, and after serving as the first UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation from 2008 to 2014, Ms. de Albuquerque joined SWA in 2014 and became its CEO in 2018. From her current position, she provides strategic leadership and is an influential and powerful advocate for the partnership. We had the chance to ask her about how SWA carries out its mission and what we can expect going forward in terms of achieving SDG 6.
"When multilateralism seems under attack, it’s a privilege to witness the power of cooperation, as water doesn’t care about borders" 78
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Cristina Novo Pérez
You joined the UN-hosted partnership Sanitation and Water for All in 2014 after being the first UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. Could you tell us briefly about your career path and your current role in Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)? I’m first and foremost a human rights lawyer. Before joining the water world, I was involved in negotiating United Nations treaties on Child Rights and chaired the ground-breaking negotiations of a new UN treaty that allows individuals to bring complaints against their governments before the UN when their social and economic rights are being violated. I was also a University professor for 20 years, which was something I loved to do, as I do like to talk and try to inspire younger generations! I’ve been lucky in my career because I managed to take on new assignments at exciting times! I was invited to become the first UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation just before the UN Member States started to discuss a formal
recognition of these human rights (which happened in 2010 – this year we’re celebrating its 10th anniversary). Then I joined Sanitation and Water for All global partnership as Executive Chair just before the Sustainable Development Goals were approved. The SWA partnership was already working towards the goal of universal access to water and sanitation long before the SDGs made it a dedicated Goal (SDG 6). However, the bottom-up development of the SDGs– the importance it gave to the global partnerships, and the demand to move away from the donor-recipient dichotomy to focusing more on the leadership of national governments, made it an exciting time to join SWA. Now as CEO for the past 2 years, I lead this global multi-stakeholder platform with partners that range from national governments to local NGOs, from international multi-nationals to UN agencies, from universities to trade associations. Different partners united by the ultimate vision of universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all, always and
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INTERVIEW
"In terms of priorities for the SWA partnership, especially in a post-emergency world, is to advocate for preventive solutions" everywhere. This diversity is the wealth and the challenge of SWA– it is here that my diplomatic knowledge and skills come handy. As the old proverb says, if you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go together. In this time when multilateralism seems under attack, it’s a privilege to witness first-hand the power of cooperation, especially around these topics as water doesn’t care about borders. The global health and economic crisis has set back development efforts, undoing the progress achieved in recent years. What do you think are the priorities at this time and what are your organization’s plans looking into the future? That statement is not so straight forward. There was a decrease in aid during the financial crisis of 2008, but it has seen a new increase as the world economy picked up. Recent OECD data indicated a rise in Official Development Assistance in 2019, particularly to the poorest countries. We’ll likely see another decrease as the economic fall-out of COVID hits. So rich countries are stepping up, despite the doom and gloom you read about daily. The last decades have seen more people lifted out of poverty than at any time in human history, so let’s keep our hopes up! In terms of priorities for the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, especially in a post-emergency world, is to advocate for preventive solutions. Our partners champion solutions that are sustainable and ensure countries can manage their water and sanitation services through national taxes and tariffs (or user fees), decreasing their dependency on external help. This means a move away from just infrastructure and
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to a systems approach. I can imagine most readers’ eyes glazing over reading “systems approach”. It’s not sexy, but essential. A systems approach to universal access to water and sanitation is not merely about more money or building more pipes and toilets or more charitable gifts from INGOs. It’s about politicians committing to putting in place the systems and services that make everything work: regulation, legislation, tariffs, capacity building, access by marginalized groups, stakeholder coordination, information sharing, financial transparency, among others. As you can imagine, these are much more complex commitments than
building latrines (and offer fewer opportunities for a good photo-op). However, they will guarantee that the latrines are used and maintained and that the waste they collect is managed safely. SWA is organised at the country level. To what extent have you seen governments’ commitments materialising into improvements in water governance? What are the challenges and bottlenecks? The core of SWA’s work is done by country-level partners. By the governments that are the duty-bearers, and by their partners (civil society, donors, UN agencies, private sector, academia) that play
CATARINA DE ALBUQUERQUE a crucial role in the water and sanitation sector. Joining a global partnership increases the mobilization and energy of the partners at the country level. This is especially true in countries where the government is incredibly active and a champion of a multi-stakeholder approach. In Zambia, for instance, a dormant multi-stakeholder platform used by the government to consult partners has been brought to life and since then organized a Joint Water Sanitation and Environmental Sector Review. The government added a partners-consultation process to its National Plan for Drinking Water and Sanitation. In Pakistan, the government uses
the SWA language to align work between national, regional and sub-regional levels. When I speak to ministers responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene, and ask them about bottlenecks, by far the most common answer is finance. This can mean different things. In some countries, it can be persuading the financial decision-makers in the government to prioritize water and sanitation. For other countries, it can mean having the systems in place that allow them to absorb the financing they already have. In yet others, the challenge is about balancing the money coming from tariffs from more affluent households or urban areas to ensure the
"A systems approach is about politicians putting in place the systems and services that make everything work: regulation, legislation, tariffs" population in more remote (and more expensive to serve) areas have access. This, to me once again proves how reaching universal access is more about systems – a holistic approach to water and sanitation - than infrastructure alone.
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INTERVIEW Achieving the water, sanitation and hygiene targets of the SDGs requires unprecedented levels of funding and finance. Can you tell us about any breakthroughs in terms of ways to attract investments to the WASH sector? The World Bank has estimated that US $114 billion per year are required to achieve universal basic access to water and sanitation by 2030. Access to safely managed water and sanitation (as required by the Sustainable Development Goals), will need at least three times more. This estimate does not even count maintenance and operation costs or the expected impact of climate change. These are daunting figures, and as you can imagine, it will discourage any financial decision-maker. Historically, water and sanitation have been considered a burden on national budgets. Water and sanitation suffer from the interlinked challenges of underinvestment and a poor performance record. Without the required ongoing investment, performance declines, undermining confidence in the sector’s ability to deliver good services; this may discourage further investments, in a vicious cycle. To break this cycle, SWA is engaging ministers of finance in conversations that are about making the business case for investment in water and sanitation. This would help the ministers’ focus on the impact that this sector has in the economic development of the country, such as health, environment, education, tourism, etc. – and how it can even act as a source of revenue for the state. This perspective, under the context of COVID-19, will be the focus of our 5th Finance Ministers’ Meetings. This year, instead of one global meeting, we’ll organize three regional ones. Our recently-launched publication ”Water and Sanitation - How to make public investment work: A Handbook for Finance Ministers” will be the basis for these meetings. The mix of hard evidence and successful examples of countries whose investment in water and sanitation paid off has been very well received
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The equation is simple: less focus on water and sanitation equals more illness, more strain on healthcare systems and less productivity and shifted the conversation from ‘brain of budgets’ to ‘sound investment’. How do you raise political will to work on sanitation and water for all in times of economic recession? By ensuring that, in more stable times, all actors in the sector align; they cooperate, have a unified vision, and speak with one voice. We motivate our partners to ensure that the evidence is sound for informed policymaking, messages are strong, and champions are mobilized. Then when hard times come, they are in a much better position - as the water and sanitation sector has the prioritization it deserves as a tool that mitigates the impacts of an economic crisis. The equation is simple - less focus on water and sanitation equals more illness, a more significant strain on healthcare systems and less productivity. Has SWA identified any strategies for those left furthest behind, to eliminate inequalities and address gender issues? The elimination of inequalities is one of SWA’s Guiding Principles and is critical for realizing not just the human rights to water and sanitation, but all other human rights. The SWA global multi-stakeholder partnership exists to mobilize its partners to better work together to
CATARINA DE ALBUQUERQUE achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including ensuring that no one is left behind. We have incorporated this principle into our activities, including our High-level Ministerial Meetings. Besides, several commitments are made by SWA country partners with the specific aim of reducing inequalities. Let’s be clear – SDG 6 will only be met if by 2030 all women and girls can access adequate water, hygiene and sanitation services. Still, equally, women and girls must be empowered to engage and participate in decision-making and action on achieving SDG 6. SWA High-Level Meetings are increasingly diverse, with women represented throughout the ses-
sions whether giving keynotes or joining the panels. This is facilitated through a marked increase in the number of female ministers leading the water and sanitation sector in many of SWA’s partner countries. The UN has highlighted the importance of timely, quality, open and disaggregated data, to manage the effects of the pandemic as well as to accelerate actions to achieve the SDGs. Based on your experience with high-level stakeholders, how can this be managed going forward? COVID-19 has shown us the importance of timely, open and disaggregated
data in reaching the most marginalised. The time to hide behind national averages when setting development goals is over. The principle of leaving no one behind means that the furthest behind must now be reached first, rather than aiming for the lowest hanging fruit as a way of achieving rapid success in meeting general targets. Data must be disaggregated according to identified inequalities, including gender, disability, age, specific ethnic or indigenous groups, language, geographic location, occupation, and poverty. This would help Governments create effective and equitable measures and policies to build forward better.
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WATER & NEWS
SDG
THE WORLD BANK PROVIDES $200 MILLION TO HELP BANGLADESH IMPROVE ACCESS TO WATER AND SANITATION The rural areas of Bangladesh will improve their access to safe water and sanitation systems with help from the World Bank
The World Bank approved $200 million to help Bangladesh improve access to safe water and sanitation services in rural areas. The Bangladesh Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Human Capital Development Project will help about 600,000 people avail safe and clean water through large and small piped water schemes in rural areas. It will also provide access to improved sanitation services to over 3.6 million rural people. Through providing better access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities at homes and in public places and motivating people to adopt proper handwashing practices, the project will help prevent diseases and protect from infectious disease outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, it will address urgent WASH needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in providing access to basic water supply to all and end open-defecation. However, the quality of water and sanitation and the link between safe water and sanitation and human capital development remains a challenge,” said Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan. “This project will provide clean water and sanitation services that will reduce diarrheal diseases, improve nutrition, health, and reduce stunting among children under five, and especially benefit those in vulnerable groups. This will help the country to reduce poverty and accelerate economic growth.” In rural areas, only about 3% of households had piped water connections in 2017. In addition to investing in large and small piped schemes, the project
will facilitate loans for households to improve their water and sanitation facilities and for local WASH entrepreneurs to expand their business. Furthermore, to ensure the quality and sustainability of the piped water schemes and fecal sludge management, the project will train the local entrepreneurs. In crowded public spaces—such as markets, bus stations and community clinics—the project will set up about 2,514 handwashing stations with overhead tanks for running water, drainage, and sanitation facilities, which will be equipped with soaps. “Bangladesh is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts. Extreme weather events and climate change affect the WASH sector by reducing drinking water quality and availability,” said Rokeya Ahmed, World Bank Senior Water Specialist and Team Leader for the project. In Bangladesh, about one in every four women use appropriate menstrual materials; the low usage rate leads to infection and often prevents girls from attending school. The project will facilitate micro-finance loans to about 150 female entrepreneurs to sell sanitary napkins at the doorsteps. It will also promote women’s representation and leadership in water management committees at the community level. The project will impart a behavioral change campaign for better WASH practices and utilize community health workers to deliver regular training on handwashing and menstrual hygiene.
WATER BORROWING: AN INVISIBLE, GLOBAL COPING STRATEGY FOR HOUSEHOLD WATER ISSUES
UNHCR WINS €1 MILLION EURO PRIZE FOR NOVEL WATER TECH IN REFUGEE CAMPS
Sometimes safe drinking water is unavailable in households. When it is unavailable, people acquire it in other ways
The affordable high-tech system allows real-time water use monitoring
Nearly two billion people worldwide lack access to a safe, managed water supply. Despite decades of studying how to cope with this problem, the practice of borrowing water from a neighbor has had little coverage. A team of researchers led by Asher Rosinger, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and anthropology at Penn State, found that water borrowing is a common coping strategy globally and that the practice may be costly for the borrower. Due to the problems associated with lack of access to safe water, understanding how people acquire water is critical to understanding the health and well-being of these communities. The researchers gathered data from nearly 5,500 households in low-resource communities with water issues. The study spanned 19 low- and middle-in-
come nations across sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Central/South America, and Asia. The researchers found water borrowing is common in communities dealing with water problems. Forty-five percent of households reported borrowing water during the previous month. The borrowing rate, however, varied widely from site to site. In Nepal, where the research was conducted during the rainy season, only 11% of households borrowed water. In Pakistan, where the research was conducted during the dry season, 85% of households borrowed water. Water borrowing may improve a community’s ability to cope with water problems, but it might also shift even greater burdens onto the most disadvantaged members of these communities.
When David Githiri arrived in Uganda in 2017 to oversee the technical team delivering services to refugees and host communities in the country for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, his posting began amid a massive influx of people fleeing conflict in South Sudan. One of the biggest challenges that Githiri – a civil and environmental engineer from Kenya – and his team faced was how to ensure the supply of enough water to meet the daily needs of the refugees. With over half a million refugees arriving to the northwest region of the country, the only way UNHCR could deliver water to refugees in these underdeveloped locations was by using a fleet of 630 trucks to supply water at a prohibitive cost. “Safe drinking water was needed to prevent death and disease but delivering water by truck is expensive and difficult to monitor,” Githiri said. To try to address these concerns, another group of UNHCR engineers with experience working on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) operations set out to find an innovative way of monitoring water truck deliveries. The solution they created uses a series of networked, ultra-sonic water-level sensors that are installed in the tanks of water delivery trucks as well as static water tanks in refugee settlements to provide real-time data on water deliveries and consumption. It is now being used in refugee and displacement camps in five different countries and was announced by the European Commission as the winner of a prestigious 1-million-euro technology prize.
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OPINION
OLCAY ÜNVER UN-WATER VICE CHAIR
OUTRUNNING COVID -
ACCELERATING PROGRESS ON WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE Never before has the global population collectively faced a threat A lack of progress towards SDG 6 risks the entire international like COVID-19. However, while this new coronavirus threatens sustainable development agenda and the overarching aim to rich and poor alike, the vulnerabilities of different population eradicate extreme poverty by the end of this decade. groups and their abilities to manage the risk are far from equal. We can and must turn this around. In most developed countries, this might be the first time To help make this change happen, during the 2020 Session many people have realised that good public health, and the sys- of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development tems and infrastructure that sustain and protect it, is the most in July, UN-Water introduced the SDG 6 Global Acceleration fundamental bulwark against personal and societal disaster. Framework – a new, unifying initiative that involves all sectors of For billions of people who have been living without safe society to speed up progress. The intent is for the UN system and water or sanitation for many years before COVID-19 hit – its multi-stakeholder partners to unify the international commuperhaps since they were born – the terrifying danger posed by nity’s support to countries – driven by national-level demand and infectious diseases has long been a daily reality. coordinating through UN-Water – for achieving SDG 6. Today, there are 2.2 billion people around the world who We have examples from many countries around the world still lack safely managed drinking water, including 785 million which prove that dramatic gains in water and sanitation are without basic drinking water. possible in just a few years and that And while the proportion of the some of the solutions are inexpenA lack of progress towards global population using safely mansive, effective and can be quickly aged sanitation services increased from deployed. SDG 6 risks the entire international 28 per cent in 2000 to 45 per cent in So, what’s new about the SDG 6 sustainable development agenda 2017, 4.2 billion people worldwide Global Acceleration Framework? still lack safely managed sanitation, One: an increased focus on conand the aim to eradicate including 2 billion without basic sancrete country support will enable a extreme poverty itation. Of these, 673 million people scaled-up impact at the country level. practise open defecation. Two: a clear commitment from This is the global sanitation crisis we face. Principals of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes will enable At UN-Water, we coordinate the United Nations’ response. UN entities to work better together. This represents a unique Together with our partners, the focus is on achieving Sustainable shift in how the UN system and its partners deliver collectively. Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): ‘to ensure the availability and And, three: a multi-stakeholder, high-level, annual stock-taksustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030’. ing moment (scheduled for 2023 in New York) will enable Unfortunately, with less than ten years to go, the world is stakeholders to keep up momentum on SDG 6, as well as share alarmingly off-track to meet this goal. lessons and best practices. There are three main challenges we have to overcome: The onus falls on all of us to act. Absolutely everyone has a J Global demand for water is rocketing, while many water role to play in solving the water and sanitation crisis. sources are becoming more polluted. Let us tackle this challenge together and learn from one anJ Agriculture is getting thirstier, as is industry, manufactur- other. Please take action in two ways. ing and energy generation. J Record your initiatives as part of the SDG Acceleration Actions. J Climate change is making water scarcer and more unpreJ Add your name and join the community finding solutions dictable, wreaking havoc and displacing millions of people. to the water and sanitation crisis.
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CLIMATE CHANGE
INTERVIEW
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MAHMOUD HARB
MAHMOUD HARB DIRECTOR SOVEREIGNS AND SUPRANATIONALS GROUP, FITCH RATINGS
“The relevance of water risks for sovereign rating is set to rise as water stress intensifies and extreme rainfall events increase” Fitch Ratings is a provider of credit ratings, commentary and research. Their human insight enables clients all over the world to make better decisions.
Z
Cristina Novo Pérez
The Fitch Publishing Company, founded in 1913, developed and introduced the AAA to D rating scale, which has become the most common grading scoring system for credit-worthiness. Last September a new report by Fitch Ratings explored the links between water risks and sovereign ratings. Two types of risks, water stress and droughts, and flood risks are already a reality and a rising vulnerability, aggravated by climate change. In this interview, Mahmoud Harb, Director at Fitch, explains how these risks are taken into account for rating decisions and the factors that impact a country’s ability to manage those risks.
Firstly, we would like to know briefly your career path and your current role in Fitch Ratings. I am a Director with Fitch Ratings and I am part of the team analysing Middle Eastern and African sovereigns. Prior to joining Fitch, I worked as an economist in the asset management and investment banking industries and have covered a wide range of developed and emerging economies. I have also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in economics and finance in several universities, including the University of Paris Dauphine.
broad deterioration in macroeconomic performance, along with other factors, leading to a negative rating action. In that sense, water risks have not caused a rating action on a standalone basis, but they have been relevant to rating actions, in combination with other factors, acting as amplifiers of other shocks. For example, we have taken several negative rating actions on both Namibia and South Africa in recent years due to continued deterioration in public finances against the background of subdued economic growth which has thwarted fiscal consolidation efforts aim-
"Water risks have not caused a rating action on a standalone basis, but they have been relevant, acting as amplifiers of other shocks"
Since when did Fitch Ratings start taking into account water risks, and how did you come to realise the significance of these risks? Water risks have recurrently featured amongst the key drivers underpinning our rating decisions in recent years. In several instances, droughts and, less frequently, floods have contributed to a
"We currently assign an ESG relevance score of 3 for Water Resources and Management to three countries, namely Egypt, Laos and Namibia"
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INTERVIEW ing at stabilising the two sovereign’s debt trajectories. Repeated acute droughts in the southern African region since 2016 have contributed the deterioration in the macroeconomic environment affecting agriculture, mining and power generations in both countries. Other examples where droughts or floods have been mentioned among challenges to growth, external finances and/or inflation in the context of a negative rating action include Morocco (March 2020), Sri Lanka (December 2018), Thailand (March 2020), Uruguay (October 2018) and Zambia (April 2020). Water Resources and Management are also one of the five environmental factors captured under our ESG relevance scores. Our ESG scores for sovereigns were launched in 2019. Fitch was the first credit rating agency to apply a systematic approach to publishing opinions about how ESG issues are relevant and material to individual entity credit ratings. Our ESG relevance scores show the relevance and materiality of 15 different ESG factors to the rating decision for each Fitch-rated sovereign on a scale of one (irrelevant to all sovereigns from a credit perspective) to five (highly relevant to the rating, a key rating driver with a high weight). In that sense, they provide greater transparency on the intersection of ESG risks with rating decisions under our existing sovereign rating criteria. We currently assign an ESG relevance score of ‘3’ for Water Resources and Management to three countries, namely Egypt, Laos and Namibia. This indicates that for these countries, Water Resources and Management are relevant for the rat-
ing, and have an impact in combination with other factors.
"We are seeing increased interest in ESG factors in general from the investor community and the focus on water risks is set to continue"
In the report on Water Risks and Sovereign Ratings, you describe a country’s overall vulnerability to water risks as a product of both its exposure and resilience to these risks, but you note resilience itself cannot be quantified as it depends on countries’ capacity to
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Do you think that further integration of environmental risks into models used to derive sovereign ratings will contribute to countries’ awareness and willingness to address such risks? What do you think is the future outlook in terms of this type of risks driving ratings? We are seeing increased interest in ESG factors in general from the investor community and the focus on water risks is set to continue. The relevance of water risks for sovereign rating is set to rise as region-level water stress intensifies and the incidence of extreme rainfall events increases. However, while ratings are forward-looking, water risks are likely to affect sovereign ratings only as a product of their proximity and severity. This approach reflects the high degree of uncertainty surrounding the magnitude of future water risks and their relevant drivers for Fitch-rated countries. Under our rating framework, we do not include a single measure of water risks but aim to capture water risks through their impact on structural, macroeconomic, public finance and external finance variables feeding into our quantitative Sovereign Rating Model (SRM). This is reflective of our view that no single indicator can capture a country’s overall vulnerability to water risks. We will also apply qualitative judgement under our Qualitative Overlay (QO) framework where we believe material risks to creditworthiness are not fully captured in the current and forecast quantitative numbers feeding through to the SRM.
mitigate and adapt to water stress. If a country increases its resilience, will it affect its sovereign rating? We believe that countries with stronger policymaking and institutional capacity are likely to be able to reduce the costs from adaptation to aggravating water risks by complementing investment spending on infrastructure with adequate policy measures and reforms. Investments in water infrastructure tend to be massive, costly and irreversible. Countries, where public investment planning capacity is adequate, would be able to minimise waste and enhance investment efficiency, reducing costs. A sound institutional framework would also guarantee strong governance of the water sector and support its financial sustainability, reducing the burden for the government. Moreover, well-designed fiscal and regulatory policies would provide appropriate incentives to the private sector through supply and demand manage-
MAHMOUD HARB
We aim to capture water risks through their impact on structural, macroeconomic, public finance and external finance variables
ment measures, mitigating the magnitude of water risks. On the supply side, governments would be less affected where they are able to enhance the efficiency of water utilities by instituting transparent public bidding procedures and procurement rules, flexible pricing mechanisms and cost auditing. Capacity to implement demand-side measures is generally weaker in emerging countries given the complexity of these measures and the conflicting objectives they usually pursue. For example, promoting water efficiency might require imposing high prices for access or “Pigouvian” taxes while guaranteeing universal access to the most basic of necessity goods requires instituting subsidies. Over the years there have been successful examples of cooperation over transboundary water resources. Do you think there could be a positive trend in terms of decreased geopolitical risks stemming from shared resources?
Lake and river basins often go beyond human-defined geographical frontiers, raising challenges for their management. For the time being, cooperation remains the rule and violent conflicts the exception in terms of water dispute resolution. The UN recorded only 37 incidents of violent conflicts over water sharing versus the signature of 295 international water agreements since 1948. A significant number of river basin organizations have also been created in recent years. However, more than half of shared basins reportedly lack a cooperative framework. Increasing scarcity will aggravate competition for water. Hence, water is likely to be a trigger and weapon of an increased number of violent disputes in the future, all the more so that many transboundary water basins are located in regions where protracted conflicts and tensions continue to simmer. To what extent have wealthy countries exposed to high water stress risks, such as those in the Middle East, been able to manage successfully those risks by enhancing efficiency and water management? The level of available fiscal space and technology penetration varies great-
ly between emerging markets. Countries with greater fiscal resources and more advanced technology level can indeed invest in water management infrastructure to respond to increased incidence of water risks. For instance, Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar present a high share of water reuse relative to total withdrawals compared to other emerging markets. In emerging markets with low initial asset bases, the cost of mitigating water risks will add to those stemming from the need to bridge existing infrastructure gaps. For instance, reaching the Millennium Development goal of securing safe drinking water and sanitation for all in Sub-Saharan Africa would require an annual investment of about USD35 billion, 2% of the region’s aggregate 2019 GDP, based on the World Bank’s estimates.
"A sound institutional framework would guarantee strong governance of the water sector and support its financial sustainability"
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WATER & NEWS
CLIMATE CHANGE
GLOBAL LAKE WARMING TREND THREATENS FRESHWATER SPECIES A new study uses satellite data to calculate temperature changes in lakes and warns of consequences for freshwater species
Rising lake water temperatures, a consequence of climate change, strongly influences the distribution and abundance of freshwater species. A recent study, published in Nature Climate Change, estimates the rate of future global lake surface water temperature changes using the latest generation of climate projections from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and compares this to the ability of some species to disperse to cooler areas. The authors calculated the speed at which lake habitats are warming and the distance species would need to migrate or shift their distribution over time to maintain a suitable thermal habitat. Often referred to as climate change velocity, this latter figure is used by scientists to help understand the impacts of climate change.
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In line with previous studies, the majority of lakes, 99%, were found to be warming by 0.13°C per decade on average between 1979 to 2018. Importantly, they show climate change velocity is expected to accelerate in the current century, with potentially serious consequences for freshwater species. The study shows that climate change velocity was 3.5 km per decade from 1861-2005. While this figure is similar to, or lower than, rates of dispersal of some motile species, the rate is expected to accelerate from now to the end of the century. Under a future low greenhouse gas emissions scenario, the climate velocity increases to 8.7 km per decade (with a standard deviation of 5.5 km) and as high as 57 km per decade (standard deviation of 17 km) with the IPCC’s
worst-case climate projections that assume high-levels of greenhouse gas emissions. According to Iestyn Woolway, co-author of the study and ESA research fellow, “Lake temperatures are set to rise faster than the ability of some species to disperse to cooler areas. The consequences will be more serious for species that disperse less readily, such as freshwater molluscs, but even more motile species, such as some fish, which could migrate more rapidly are likely to be restricted by physical barriers.” The researchers illustrate that while lake climate change velocity is half that of marine environments, the fragmented and isolated distribution of lakes across the landscape limits dispersal and magnifies the negative outlook for freshwater species conservation and the goods and services they provide. Satellite observations play an important role in the development and validation of models. This study exploited the first global dataset for the lakes essential climate variables. Generated by ESA Climate Change Initiative’s lake project, the dataset addresses the urgent need for global, long-term observations required by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) to characterise Earth’s climate. The freely available data covers the period 1992 to 2019 and provides information for five key lake variables, including daily observations of lake surface temperature, level, extent, ice cover and reflectance for 250 globally distributed lakes.
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE COULD SEE UP TO 30% LESS RAIN AT END OF THE CENTURY A new research studies past natural climate variability to help elucidate future climate scenarios in the southern hemisphere Projections based on climate models for the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (about 3 million years ago) suggest that countries in the tropical and subtropical southern hemisphere, including Brazil, may face longer droughts in the future. Annual rainfall may decrease as much as 30% compared with current levels. One of the main variables considered in this scenario is a rise of 3 °C in the global average temperature, which may happen between 2050 and the end of the century unless the effects of climate change are mitigated. The mid-Pliocene, before the emergence of Homo sapiens, shares characteristics with modern warming because temperatures were then between 2 °C and 3 °C higher than in the pre-industrial age (around the 1850s). High-latitude sea surface temperatures rose as much as 9 °C in the northern hemisphere and 4 °C in the southern hemisphere. Atmospheric CO2 levels were similar to today's at about 400 parts per million (ppm). These considerations are in the article "Drier tropical and subtropical Southern Hemisphere in the mid-Pliocene Warm Period," published in Scientific Reports. The lead author is Gabriel Marques Pontes, a PhD candidate at the University of São Paulo's Oceanographic Institute (IO-USP) in Brazil with a scholarship from São Paulo Research Foundation— FAPESP. The second author is Ilana Wainer, a professor in IO-USP and Pontes' thesis adviser. Other co-authors include Andréa Taschetto of the University of New
South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, a former awardee of a scholarship from FAPESP. According to the authors, their simulations showed that one of the most notable changes in southern hemisphere summer rainfall in the mid-Pliocene compared to pre-industrial conditions occurs in subtropical regions along the subtropical convergence zones (STCZs). Another change, they add, is associated with a northward shift of the inter-tropical convergence zone due to consistently increased rainfall in the northern hemisphere tropics. The total November-to-March mean rainfall along the STCZs decreases in both models. "These changes result in drier-than-normal southern hemisphere tropics and subtropics. The evaluation of the mid-Pliocene adds a constraint
to possible future warmer scenarios associated with differing rates of warming between hemispheres," the article states. In an interview, Wainer explained that the mid-Pliocene is the most recent period in Earth's history when global warming was similar to that projected for the rest of this century. "It's possible to put the expected natural variability in this context and distinguish it from the change caused by human activity," she said. "Studying past climate extremes helps elucidate future scenarios and address the associated uncertainties." For Pontes, this is the first detailed investigation of southern hemisphere rainfall changes in the mid-Pliocene. "Understanding atmospheric circulation and precipitation during past warm climates is useful to add constraints to future change scenarios," he said.
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WATER & NEWS
CLIMATE CHANGE
OVER ONE BILLION PEOPLE AT THREAT OF BEING DISPLACED BY 2050 DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
NEW CLIMATE MODEL HELPS RESEARCHERS BETTER PREDICT WATER NEEDS
Ecological threats loom over countries most at risk, but will also affect refugee flows to developed countries and global security
A tool integrates land use projections with future climate data
The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) has published the Ecological Threat Register (ETR), a report analysing risk from population growth, water stress, food insecurity, droughts, floods, cyclones, rising temperatures and sea levels. It finds that 141 countries are exposed to at least one threat by 2050. The 19 countries with the highest number of threats have a combined population of 2.1 billion people. The ETR analyses the levels of resilience within countries to determine their coping capacities to deal with future ecological shocks. More than one billion people live in countries that are unlikely to have the ability to mitigate and adapt to new ecological threats, creating conditions for mass displacement by 2050.
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The country with the largest number of people at risk of mass displacements is Pakistan, followed by Ethiopia and Iran. Haiti faces the highest threat in Central America. In these countries, even small ecological threats and natural disasters could result in mass population displacement, affecting regional and global security. Steve Killelea, Founder & Chairman of the IEP, said: “This will have huge social and political impacts, not just in the developing world, but also in the developed, as mass displacement will lead to larger refugee flows to the most developed countries. Ecological change is the next big global threat to our planet and people’s lives, and we must unlock the power of business and government action to build resilience for the places most at risk.”
New research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering combines climate and land-use projections to predict water availability, information that is crucial for resource managers and land-use planners. “This research presented a new method that can be used to generate future climate data for the existing hydrological models,” said Gang Chen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the college. Chen is leading a team of experts to produce new data techniques to improve hydrological modelling that is essential for water resource management planning. Their work was published in WATER. The researchers examined the hydrological processes in Alabama’s Upper Choctawhatchee River Watershed, which flows into Florida. “Using water balance simulations, we discovered that surface runoff and evapotranspiration are dominant pathways for water loss in the Southeast,” Chen said. Yashar Makhtoumi, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is working with Chen on new data downscaling techniques. “Few research projects have been done to investigate the combined effects of land use change and climate change using projections,” Makhtoumi said. “Our model demonstrated that it could capture hydrologic parameters accurately and could be used for future studies of water quality,” Chen said. “It can provide the necessary data to determine sustainable conservation practices needed now and in the future, and help manage and protect our water resources.”
OPINION
WILLIAM NUTTLE CONSULTING HYDROLOGIST
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PROMISES WE’VE MADE Water management is one of the activities most vulnerable to wells will always provide the water the utility needs. Managers the impacts of climate change. Changes in precipitation and at the regional water management district show a similar relucdrought, the loss of glaciers, and accelerating sea level rise di- tance to face the facts of climate change. rectly affect the availability of water for human use, flooding Two years ago, the US National Academy of Science delivhazards, and water needed to sustain natural ecosystems. But ered unwelcomed news. In light of growing knowledge about even more vulnerable are our water management institutions, climate change, the academy said that the water management including management agencies and enabling agreements such district must redirect on-going efforts to restore the iconic as basin compacts and transboundary treaties. Everglades wetlands. This is a huge, multi-agency, intergovTo put it simply, because of climate change, we can no longer ernmental effort that has been a major focus of the district’s honor many of the promises that we have made to each other. activities for the past 20 years. Understandably, the district’s This point was brought home to me last month. I happened to managers are reluctant to change course because that risks upbe studying a map of the Biscayne aquifer with a manager of a mu- setting the intricate web of interagency agreements and collabnicipal water utility at the southern tip of Florida. The Biscayne orations that sustain this work. aquifer is the sole source for freshwater in the region, and the aqWhether it is groundwater supplies in south Florida, ecosysuifer is threatened with intrusion by tem restoration in the Everglades, seawater from three directions. So, flood control along the MississipThe greatest challenge I asked him, “When do you expect pi River, streamflow allocations in that sea level rise will force you to the western US or any number of of climate change for water move your supply wells?” similar situations around the world, managers is how do we maintain “Never,” was his reply. The municclimate change has this immediate ipal utility is part of a regional water effect on the agreements, undercooperation and trust in the management district. The district standings, and expectations that are face of broken promises limits the amount of water that the the institutional machinery of wautility can get from the aquifer. In ter management. return, Florida state law requires the regional water management Water managers have been trying to understand the implidistrict to guarantee that the utility will always get the amount of cations of climate change for over thirty years. Early in my cawater allocated to it. The purpose of the law is to regulate compe- reer, I studied the future impacts of climate change on water tition among different users vying for a limited resource. resources across Canada. Since that time, a growing army of This might have seemed possible when the water manage- climatologists, geophysicists, hydrologists, and ecologists has ment district was given control over the Biscayne aquifer, fifty been engaged in providing ever more accurate and more precise years ago. At that time, over-pumping the aquifer was recog- information on the impact of climate change on elements of nized as the primary cause of salt water intrusion. The threat the hydrologic cycle: precipitation, evaporation, soil moisture, of rising sea level was in the future. Today, sea level rise is ac- aquifer recharge, and water stored in groundwater, lakes and ice. celerating rapidly. Large areas of the aquifer will be inundated However, I suggest that the greatest challenge of climate within the next thirty years. An increase in competition for a change for water managers is this – how do we maintain coshrinking freshwater resource is inevitable. operation and trust, which are essential when sharing a limThe utility manager doesn’t admit it, but it is plain to see that ited resource, in the face of broken promises, which are now climate change has eroded long-standing assurances that his inevitable.
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SPEAKERS' CORNER
“PART OF THE BACKBONE OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS IS TO RAISE AWARENESS, EDUCATE AND PROGRESS” Ana Giménez, Marketing Manager at Idrica Idrica provides expertise in digital transformation for the water industry. We spoke with Ana Giménez, Marketing Manager at Idrica, to learn about the current communications scenario as companies immerse themselves in the digital transformation.
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Cristina Novo Pérez
How do you think communication in the water sector has evolved in recent years? In the last decade communication about water has changed from very technical to become more graspable, closer, sought and well received by audiences. It has adapted to the evolution of technology, with new channels and formats, to allow users to access more contents from multiple platforms. Furthermore, habits and interests have changed: we are more concerned at a global level about how to improve access to water information, make it more people-oriented, and understanding the implications of the digitalisation of the integrated water cycle, what Idrica is working on. Why do you think it is important to communicate about water? Water is an essential natural resource, the most important element in our lives. We must raise awareness, educate, and progress. This is part of the
backbone of our communications. We must lean on it to raise awareness about the industry and help it move forward. We’ve already seen it in other sectors which are technologically more advanced, but water will be one of the industries where the path towards the future will accelerate the most, and at Idrica we are striving to make that journey as efficient as possible. What are the main challenges your company faces when it comes to communicating about the water sector? Idrica was born to support water companies with their digital transformation journey, and a very important part is to facilitate communications between people and processes. It is not difficult to inform, but to enable a culture change in organisations, and particularly in a mature sector. Conveying the message to water management companies that they must embrace digitalisation is crucial. Optimisation, efficiency
and sustainability are still outstanding issues. This is why Idrica is positioning itself as a world leader in digitalisation. Furthermore, in the future, good water management – and technological models and platforms such as GoAigua – will help to bring water to those who lack it, to optimise each process, and ultimately, to make the world a bit more liveable. Efficient water management is one of the great challenges we face and communications will have an important role. Could you highlight one of your organization’s communication success stories? Idrica was born in early 2020 and this has not been an easy year. However, we have been able to consolidate Idrica’s communications globally as a water sector leader. Creating a new brand, a corporate identity and a reputation cannot be done overnight, it takes a lot of effort. In one year, we have seen our competitors follow our path, and we are in the sector’s spotlight. Consol-
idating our image, committing to international events like WEX Global, to worldwide communications, and a digital, current, and committed image, has been the great success of this year. Who or what organization inspires you when it comes to ways of communicating? Several people come to mind who throughout my career have inspired me and helped me grow. I would like to mention The Paloma Project, founded by Ramón Pedrosa; with them, we have conceptualised the company’s international communications policies. In this line of work, we designed the Water Security Series by Idrica, a series of virtual events focusing on one of the main water resources problems the world faces. We held three events (for Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East) where our directors joined some of the main security experts worldwide, and we strengthened the international status of Idrica.
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MEDIA LIBRARY BY: OLIVIA TEMPEST SOMETHING TO READ...
THE DREAMT LAND Confronting the “Golden State” myth Mark Arax, award-winning journalist and author tells the story of California’s intensifying water crisis while exploring the state’s one-of-a-kind water distribution system, designed in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, giving voice to the people who are responsible for the highest water consumption and the politics behind it all. SOMETHING TO WATCH...
WATERWORLD A distant future? This 25-year old film that cost $235 million to make and market and considered the most expensive film ever at that time, describes a world in which the polar ice caps have completely melted and the sea level has risen over 7,600 m (25,000 ft), covering nearly all the land. Starred by Kevin Costner, this postapocalyptical story suddenly does not seem such a far-removed reality.
SOMETHING TO ENJOY...
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE The power of water as a metaphor This disco-pop song written by Adele when she was just 25 years old for her third album is based on the singer’s personal relationship in which she decides to accept the past and move forward with that special person. In the ballad, Adele uses water as a symbol of transformation. It was a hit in several countries, making the top 20 in various countries.
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