The 9th World Water Forum in Dakar  21-26 March and the Dushanbe Water Process 6-9 June 2022 will set the stage for the major UN Conference on water to be held in New York in 2023. It will be the first since Mar del Plata in 1977.

The Water Diplomat and The water Diplomat are hosting interviews and special articles before, during and after these events to provide additional media coverage on the events, their agendae, and their outcomes. 

This information will appear in this additional section of The Water Diplomat.

The full interview in French with English subtitles with Abdoulaye Sene can be viewed on the The water Diplomat website. Below is an English transcription of the full interview.

The Water Diplomat: The title of the 9th World Water Forum is “Water Security for Peace and Development”. The ambition of the 9th Forum is to develop a form that is effective at the social, political and economic levels - a Forum which seeks to accelerate the realisation of universal access to water and sanitation in line with the agendas, platforms and commitments made in terms of Sustainable Development Goal 6.  What are the main differences between this Forum and its preceding Forums?

Abdoulaye Sene: As you have indicated, Senegal, in the name of the whole of Africa, would like to welcome participants to a Forum of efficient responses.

To do this, we have developed a number of innovations.

First of all, at the level of the preparatory process, we wished to increase the level of inclusiveness and participation, without going back to the parallel processes of previous editions, in a decompartmentalised fashion. We wanted to achieve a unique and integrated preparatory process: all stakeholders including political actors, civil society organisations, the scientific community, the youth knowledge – were brought together within one platform to develop joint messages.

Secondly, we have launched what we call the Dakar 2022 Initiative. This process has enabled us to develop a number of concrete responses at field level in the form of earmarked projects which will be presented during the Forum to illustrate the concrete results which this Forum aims to achieve.

The third innovation is at the political level. In the context of the Forum, we will be developing a High-Level Segment which will bring in heads of state as well as prominent international institutions in order to renew the commitment of the international community in all its diversity and at the highest possible level to accelerate access to water and sanitation. As you know very well, the current trajectory for SDG 6 is not positive, and the COVID 19 pandemic has served to complicate the situation. In this context, Dakar presents a good opportunity to re-commit and re-engage.

Fourth, as you will see, we have worked to draw attention to sanitation through a ‘sanitation village’ which will be the focal point of responses in the field of sanitation and which will ensure that when we discuss water we do not just discuss household water and productive water but we will ask ourselves how water, after being used, can be treated in such a way that it can be reused and that the risks of pollution are minimised.

Lastly, we will do everything in our power to ensure that innovations which have an African dimension to them are also implemented.  In short, there are a range of innovations which we hope will bring a new vitality and a new dynamic to the commitments towards universal access, but also to the protection of the resource.

 

The Water Diplomat: Could I return to the topic of political involvement: it is my understanding that the Senegalese President, his excellency Macky Sall, wishes to have participation in the Forum at the level of heads of state.  How is this aspect envisaged currently?

Sene: As I indicated to you earlier, the political aspect is very important in the context of the Dakar Forum 2022. At this point in time, the declarations have been taken up to the Ministerial and Parliamentary levels, but this time the President would like to involve Heads of State as well as prominent international institutions through a declaration which will enable us to remind ourselves of a number goals, reformulate a number of them and recommit to them.

Heads of State have therefore been invited, international institutions have been invited, and we expect representation at the highest levels. I would also like to emphasise that, in addition to the declaration, we are calling on other political actors such as Ministers, members of Parliament, elected Councillors and River Basin Organisations to develop road maps for the implementation of the Dakar Declaration. We will therefore have the Declaration, which will therefore be the signpost, and the other political segments which will elaborate the plans of action for this declaration.

The sessions of the Forum will be designed with a view to provide content to the recommendations and facilitate the implementation of the Declaration at all levels: at local level, national level, but also at international level.

 

The Water Diplomat: There is therefore still quite a lot of preparation to be done in the phase before the Forum. There are now some five weeks left before the Forum commences, also to ensure that the Heads of State are involved. What can the different stakeholders that you mentioned do to help prepare an efficient and effective Forum?

Sene: First of all, we would request that Heads of State support and consolidate the political Declaration, which should at the same time contribute to the preparation of the global Water Conference which the United Nations is organising in 2023. For us this is an extremely important meeting for all the countries in the world and for Africa in particular.

Since the United Nations Conference on Water at Mar del Plata in 1977, we have worked hard in the water sector, but we have not had a conference at this level, so the UN conference is an occasion that is not to be missed and the Dakar conference should make its contribution and bring quality recommendations, so we hope that all political authorities will support and consolidate the Dakar Declaration. 

What can other actors do? We expect that from everywhere around the world Ministers, Parliamentarians, local Councillors and members of River Basin Organisations come to Dakar to support the plans of action our efforts. We also expect organisations from civil society, and the private sector to come to the Forum in Dakar - which will be a Forum that is mainly in person – to participate in the sessions, elaborate proposals, take initiative. We expect some very concrete proposals from heads of institutions to launch new programmes, and we expect each to contribute their own flavour to the exposition which is to be held in Dakar.

We also we ask that partners support and be open to the participation of youth in the Forum, as they are the carriers of our heritage and that of the Forum and we place a lot of importance in this intergenerational dialogue.

The Forum is very open: we wish to speak of the youth, we wish to speak of women, but we also wish to speak of  rural producers organisations.

One thing that I have not mentioned yet is that there will be emphasis on and priority for the links between water and rural development: how to improve rural life through universal access to water and sanitation, through the provisioning of water for agricultural production, for stock keeping and for the protection of ecosystems. We therefore expect rural organisations from around the world to attend.

This is how we are trying to mobilise the global community in all its diversity to take part in the Forum.

 

The Water Diplomat: You have already mentioned the UN Water Conference in 2023. I imagine that the World Water Forum in Dakar is in fact a stage in a process: here is the upcoming conference in Dushanbe in Tajikistan June, and after that the UN Water Conference in New York. I imagine also that all that you are describing is positioned in the context of the longer process which leads to New York in 2023?

Sene: Exactly. Our ambition is that the results of the Dakar Forum, which will be results developed by the entire global community, be seen by Senegal as a contribution of Senegal and of the African Continent to the success of the conference in 2023.

We are already in discussion with Tajikistan, which has honoured us by making us partners of their Forum, to ensure that the results from Dakar are taken on board and included in the Dushanbe Process. We are working together with Tajikistan and the Netherlands on special sessions that will facilitate a better understanding of the issues and process on the UN conference in 2023.

We are working also to ensure that Dakar is a fundamental stage in the construction of the proposals that will be made during the UN water conference in 2023.           

 

The Water Diplomat: If you allow me, I would like to raise the subject of the African Water Vision 2025 which speaks of the pursuit of peace and of regional cooperation based on water cooperation and joint river basin management. The 9thWorld Water Forum also has the theme of peace in its title. Therefore, I imagine that there is a link between the African Water Vision 2025 and the vision for the 9th World Water Forum. Is this correct?  

Sene: Absolutely. You know that Senegal is particularly involved in all of the debates related to water, peace and security.

I would like to remind you that in 2016 when Senegal assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council, we proposed to the world to hold this debate and initiated a discussion to find answers which enable water to become a vector of peace and security.

You can see clearly that across the world, water has often been a cause for solidarity and cooperation, but sometimes water has also appeared as a factor which generates conflicts. I do not need to cite examples, you are no doubt aware of the risks which are involved.

The President of Senegal wishes to share its experiences with the Organisation Pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Sénégal (OMVS) and the Organisation Pour la Mise en Valeur de la Fleuve Gambie (OMVG) in which Senegal has played a key role – the two organisations have their headquarters in Senegal – as models for the construction of peaceful international cooperation on water.

Therefore, the African Vision 2025 to which you refer is at the heart of our preoccupations and we wish that the Forum contributes to the development of synergies to enable the construction of peaceful cooperation around water.                

 

The Water Diplomat: Could I perhaps ask you to speak to the four priority themes of the Forum, i.e. water security and sanitation, water and rural development, Cooperation, and Means and Tools?

Sene: Thank you.

This is another innovation of the Forum: we did not want to discuss all possible subjects but preferred to focus on four priority areas, knowing that there are also other important areas but these are considered to be priority issues for Africa and for the world. 

For us, the theme of water security and sanitation refers in the first place to universal access to water and sanitation for all, everywhere.  This is a question of human rights, it is a question of security and of peace for everyone. But we also consider that we must ensure that this access to water and sanitation should be guaranteed even in times of crisis, whether these are natural disasters or whether they are created through conflicts. All of this falls under ‘water security’.

Beyond this however we feel that we need, beyond matters of access, to be focusing on the security of the resource itself: we need to combat pollution, examine the links between water resources and climate change to develop adaptation programmes, we need to protect ecosystems and biodiversity which are essential for water security.

But we also know that currently the problem of rapid population growth can place additional pressure on water, causing water stress and generating risks in terms of water scarcity. We have a limited resource. If the demand increases, we need to find modalities and mechanisms to make sure that this same quantity of water is available and can satisfy basic needs. Thus, all these themes have been grouped together under ‘water security’.  

Next, there is water for rural development. Africa is confronted with a problem of rural development which carries with it important risk linked to migration such as the rural exodus and international migration. We believe that if we can assure rural access to water in the correct manner, we will improve living conditions for rural populations. If we can ensure access to water for agriculture and stock farming without creating conflicts between farmers and pastoralists, this will improve the attractiveness and living conditions in rural areas.

We also believe that water is essential to keep populations in their territories: we believe that water in rural areas has an extremely important role to play for mankind but also for nature.  

Therefore, this is an extremely important theme that we have brought forward, also in relation to African realities. Cooperation: you have said it yourself, it is essential. If we wish, in the context of climate change, in the context of increasing scarcity, in the context of pollution, in the context of water sharing arrangements, it is important to develop instruments to ensure a form of cooperation that is more dynamic, more efficient, and more more diverse.

Lastly, our fourth priority is what we call tools and means. We need sufficient finances, and they need to be sufficiently adapted: Senegal is in the process of developing a “Blue Fund” which will be a dedicated fund for the water sector in all its diversity. We also believe that work is required in the field of governance, which is a factor that improves the performance of water management, and we believe that we need to work on science, knowledge and innovations which can help overcome our water challenges.

This is a broad summary of the four main priorities which are the subject of high-level round tables and official sessions which form the basis for some 100 sessions which will enable the elaboration and improvement of the support provided to take this forward.     

 

The Water Diplomat: How can participants to the Forum support the objectives of the Executive Secretariat both in the preparation of but also during the 9th World Water Forum?

Sene: I would remind you that this is a World Water Forum, which means that we hope that all the regions of the world will be represented: Americans, Europeans, etc.

This is also an opportunity for Africa to make itself heard, to take initiative, and to develop partnerships. We therefore expect all the major institutions, the private sector, civil society, the world of knowledge to come to Dakar, participate in the sessions, take initiatives, make commitments, establish partnerships and participate in the exhibitions. We also encourage everyone to assist those whose means are modest to participate: we should leave no one behind. For this we need a high level of synergy and solidarity.

We would also like a Forum in person, a physical Forum , which will enable us to bond again and renew friendships and enable more productive exchanges.                             

 

The Water Diplomat: Thank you. If you permit me a question on COVID 19: currently there are many countries which are in the process of relaxing their restrictions related to the global pandemic. Are you envisaging a hybrid Forum currently?

Sene: We are aiming for a Forum in person. We would like the actors to be in Dakar. We would like the sessions to take place directly between actors. This is for various reasons.

Holding a hybrid Forum will strongly limit its effectiveness, if only because of the time differences between different parts of the world. For Africa and Europe, it is not a big problem, but for other continents this is a relevant concern.

Therefore, the Secretariat has taken the decision to hold a Forum that is essentially in person. Nevertheless, we will open some sessions to live streaming, most notably the opening and closing ceremonies.  Otherwise, it will become a Forum in which Senegal communicates with the world, whereas we prefer interaction in person.  Of course, we will record sessions and transmit them after the Forum, so the Forum will continue to live after its closure. 

Fundamentally we want a Forum in person and we will offer the opportunity to follow sessions online for those who simply cannot come. We are encouraged by the relaxation of Covid measures and we have good hope that by March we will be able to receive everyone.

 

The Water Diplomat: Mr Sene, hoping then that we will be able to meet each other soon in person together with all other participants of the Forum, I would like to thank you in the name of the Geneva Water Hub, The water Diplomat, and our monthly news bulletin The Water Diplomat for your time and for this exchange which is very valuable for us. Looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks‘ time!                

Sene: Thank you also for this exchange, looking forward to meeting you and to extend our partnership on other themes. Congratulations for the excellent work you are doing and greetings to our partners at Geneva Water Hub and OOSKA news!  

The 9th World Water Forum will be held in Dakar, Senegal from 21 -26 March 2022. Register here.

The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with the United Nations from June 6 to 9, 2022 in Dushanbe is holding the Second High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028 entitled“Catalyzing water action and partnership at the local, national, regional and global levels”.

The Conference is the main preparatory event for the UN Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the implementation of the objectives of the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development", 2018-2028, which will be held in 2023 in New York, and will also provide recommendations to the forthcoming High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

For more information, please view/download - "First Announcement”, where you can find the necessary information about the Conference.

Registration for the Second Dushanbe Conference on the Water Decade for Action is free and available at the following link: https://dushanbewaterprocess.org/registration/

Injuries on both sides of the northern Tajik- southern Kyrgyz border in late January left two civilians dead and an estimated 10 injured, four of whom are civilians, according to Tajikistan’s national security committee.

The skirmishes broke out at a key flashpoint along the contested border in Kyrgyzstan’s Batken province where communities often clash over land and water supplies. Border guards are often involved.

This escalation was the most serious since May 2021 when over 50 people on both sides of the border died and over 150 were reported to have been injured in unprecedented violence. It was reported that at on the Kyrgyz side, at least one border post and several houses were destroyed; the Tajiks reported damage to a bridge.

That incident arose over the “ownership” of the reservoir and pumping station at the Isfara River and the installation of surveillance equipment that has since been removed. At the time a “complete ceasefire” was declared.

In January, an estimated 1,500 people were evacuated from nearby villages at the intersection of Sughd province and Kyrgyzstan’s southwestern Batken province.

A total ceasefire has since been agreed, including a withdrawal of forces. Both sides have agreed to coordinate border patrols to ensure the safe passage of traffic along the strategic road between both countries.

The situation is considered to have been stabilized but a full investigation of the event by a joint commission will be conducted.

The Kyrgz / Tajik border is 600 miles long and much of it has been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet regime. The hard, sometimes seemingly arbitrary border between the two countries is often disputed. The border is meandering and both sides claim the territory where recent fighting has occurred. There are multiple and large ethnic enclaves on either side of the border and access restrictions have contributed to the tension along the border.

Restrictions on access to land and water resources in the fertile Fergana Valley often lead to deadly clashes among the three countries adjacent to the valley (Kyrgyzstan, Takjistan, and Uzbekistan).

The United Nations’ Emergency Relief Coordinator has called on the UN Security Council to expand access and funds for humanitarian operations in Syria.

Syria continues to struggle with increased violence, economic crisis, and winter weather. “It is not over for the Syrian people,” said Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, as he outlined the significant challenges. “And your responsibility is not over either.”

Martin Griffiths specifically called for new and effective early recovery programs that would restore basic services and offer an approach to self-sufficiency.

In his address, he drew attention to the recent attack on a military detention facility in Al-Hasakah that trapped hundreds of children and the early January attack at the Al-Arshani water pumping station north of Idlib city that cut off water supply to at least 240,000 people.

UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, has previously reported on fatalities of children bot at the Al-Hasakah facility and those trapped by ISIL-affiliated armed militias throughout the country. Griffiths insisted that: “[it is of] critical importance that all children are accounted for, evacuated to safety, and supported”.

Griffiths will also be essential to resume a deconfliction system, ensure cross-border and cross-line relief, secure access to water and agreement around waterways from the north, support the rehabilitation of civilian infrastructure, enable durable solutions for refugees and close the funding gap for humanitarian operations.

The war in Syria has been defined by targeting civilian infrastructure, which has destroyed half of all health facilities and sewerage systems. Essential services are undermined by severe water shortages due to high temperatures and diminished supply from the Euphrates River.

An estimated 5 million people are affected by the water crisis and there is insufficient supply to maintain electricity across the region. Prolonged water shortages will affect agriculture and it is expected that Syrians will abandon farmlands and livestock, further exacerbating the food shortages that are rife throughout the country.

“2021 was one of the worst years on record for civilians in Syria,” Griffiths said. “We urge donor countries not to turn their backs in 2022.”

Three airstrikes on Sa’ada City reservoirs on January 11 have been condemned by Yemeni officials as war crimes.

Deputy Minister of Water and Environment, Hanin al-Darib told news networks that the Talmous water station and its reservoirs were targeted by Saudi Arabia. The water station is the sole supplier of water to Sa’ada City and its suburbs including a large population of displaced people. In total, an estimated 200,000 are affected by the attacks that have cut off supply.

Yemeni officials have labelled the attacks war crimes and Al-Darib emphasized that the attacks came during a severe fuel shortage in the country, further aggravating the situation in Sa’ada City. The Talmous drinking water project was a civilian facility and international organizations have been urged to fulfill their responsibilities towards the women and children in Sa’ada.

The United Nations and human rights groups have been urged to condemn the Saudi attack on water fields and resources that provide the residents of Sa’ada city with safe drinking water.

In this context, the Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure (the Geneva List) could be applied.

The Geneva List is a reference document prepared by the Geneva Water Hub for the use of parties to armed conflicts, international organizations, and other practitioners working in the contexts of armed conflicts, including in pre- and post-conflict situations. It is the first text that systematizes the main rules applicable to the protection of water infrastructure during armed conflicts, specifically in the conduct of hostilities, as well as in pre-conflict and post-conflict situations and sets forth good practices.

The current conflict, launched by Saudi Arabia and some of its regional allies in 2015, has failed to reach its goals of reinstating former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, but has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemeni people in the meantime. Incoming fuel shipments have been blocked, looting of resources continues.

The UN, labelling the situation the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, asserts that 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger. The war has destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure, including hospitals, factories, and water services.

On the 25th of January Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced on Facebook that Egypt is ready to resume the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister called for discussions towards a legally binding agreement that furthers the interests of the three countries affected by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), i.e. Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Negotiations over the construction and filling of the dam have been hosted by the African Union (AU) since 2011 when Ethiopia began constructing the dam. Tensions had escalated over the dam in July 2021, when Ethiopia announced the second filling of the dam, while Egypt and Sudan took the position that a binding agreement should be reached on the dam before it being filled.  

As reported in The water Diplomat, Egypt and Sudan referred the matter to the UN Security Council, which urged the three countries to resume talks in September and stressed the need for an agreement to be reached under AU auspices.

The announcement by the Egyptian Prime Minister came a little over a week before a two-day summit of African leaders (AU summit). It followed conciliatory statements made on the 21st of January by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who stated that the GERD holds multiple benefits for the two downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, including flood management and water storage.

Ahmed also emphasised that the main purpose of the dam is to produce electricity, not to consume water and expressed a desire to nurture a narrative towards building peace, cooperation and coexistence.

The Egyptian government, however, remains opposed to any action, such as the filling of the dam, that may compromise Egypt’s supply of Nile water.            

The Director of Water Regulation for Punjab Irrigation Department in Pakistan has requested the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to investigate water losses being reported by the Sindh Irrigation Department.

The letter refers to ‘exceptional losses in Sindh reaches’ of the Indus River and claims that Sindh province is underreporting inflows at Guddu barrage, located just inside the province downstream of Punjab. Sindh province is reportedly claiming to have measured 60% water losses at Guddu barrage compared to the outflows measured upstream at Taunsa and Panjnad barrages. 

These losses contrast with an estimate by IRSA of 10% conveyance losses for the same stretch of the river. Available data from IRSA shows that Sindh province reported an average loss of 35.15% during the first three weeks of January, fluctuating between 6% and 63% loss in the same period. Reported losses in the November – December period were in the same order of magnitude, as against losses of less than 10% reported by Punjab Province. 

In June 2021, Sindh Province had refused to allow Federal inspectors to visit Guddu barrage to inspect the water measurement mechanism and determine actual flows and losses along that section of the river. Sindh Province had argued that the resolution of water disputes was not up to the federal ministry of water resources but rather falls under the authority of IRSA. 

An accord was reached in 1991 between the Provinces of Pakistan on the use and allocation of water of the Indus Basin, but this accord is a consensus document rather than an Act of Parliament. IRSA by contrast was established in 1992 by an act of parliament and has representation from Pakistan’s four Provinces.      

In mid-January, the European Commission established a new drinking water “watch list” in order to monitor more closely substances and compounds that are of concern if contained in water allocated for human consumption.

Of immediate interest is to prevent the spread of “endocrine-disrupting compounds”, particularly beta-estradiol and nonylphenol, which are now on the watch list.

All EU member states now have until January 2023 to, “place monitoring requirements throughout the drinking water supply chain, as well as take measures if guidance values are exceeded.”

The EC said that their first draft of the watch list will reduce potential health risks to life and support efforts to reduce toxins in the environment in line with the EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment at the EC said: ““There can be no compromise on the quality standards for our tap water.

“Today we are giving effect to new rules that not only prevent well-known pollutants but also give us tools to address emerging concerns.

“We start with two substances that are endocrine disruptors affecting our health, the environment and biodiversity.” 

The watch list is a requirement of the EU Drinking Water Directive (DWD) which came into effect in 2021. The directive aims to make safe tap water available to all EU countries and to reduce bottled water consumption by 17% before 2030.

The EC announcement in Jan 2022 said: “Over time, if new substances emerge that are likely to be present in drinking water and could pose a potential health risk - such as endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals or microplastics - the Commission will add them to the list.” 

On the 26th of January, a consortium of interveners including the Environmental Law Foundation and the Good Law Project was given permission to intervene in a Court of Appeal sewage dumping case to be heard in March 2022.

The case was brought by the Manchester Shipping Canal Limited (MSC) against United Utilities in reference to the discharge of untreated sewage into the Manchester ship canal.

An earlier judgement of the High Court in this case had ruled in favour of United Utilities. The judge confirmed that the Water Industry Act of 1991 effectively gives United Utilities the right to discharge untreated sewage into waterways in circumstances of high rainfall or storms when United Utilities’ infrastructure might be unable to cope.  In the case, United Utilities had also sought and had been granted protection from private legal action, arguing that this was a matter for the regulator.

However, MSC was permitted to appeal the case, prompting intervention from legal activists. The case is seen as important against the background of data released by the Environmental Agency during 2021 showing that there were 403,171 spills of sewage in England over 2020 which lasted a total of 3.1 million hours.

Of these, United Utilities was responsible for 726,450 hours of sewage discharge into rivers.  The public debate and petition in response to the news on discharges led to the Duke of Wellington submitting an amendment to the Environment Bill, in terms of which utilities would be given a legal duty to demonstrate a progressive reduction in sewage discharges from storm overflows over the next five years. 

In mid-October 2021, 22 conservative members of parliament rebelled against the government to vote in favour of the amendment to the environment bill.        

Entire communities across three countries in South America are struggling with extremely low levels in the Parana River. Second in size only to the Amazon River and crossing Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, the Parana is at its lowest level since 1944.

The impact is being felt in all three countries as Brazil continues to experience its worst drought in 91 years. The historic low water level has hindered grain transportation which used the waterway, has triggered a rise in wildfires, and has damaged entire ecosystems.

In the areas surrounding the Brazilian part of the river, rainfall has halved in the past 30 years and there are fears that this is a trend that will only intensify as a result of climate change and global warming.

Experts also point out more direct human intervention that is having a negative impact on the river’s ability to self-regulate. Dam building, cattle ranching and soybean farming are having a negative impact on wetlands causing a domino effect.

This is having a significant economic impact in the region’s economy with billions of dollars in losses.

In fact, the region is one of the world’s largest producers of soybean and maize, but the ongoing drought has been having an impact not only on yields but also on the ability to transport the grains.  Brazilian authorities estimate that soybean yield could drop as much as 38 percent due to the drought.

Low water levels are also impacting electricity production as the water reaching dams is insufficient to produce the desired output causing price hikes in energy.

Another sector struggling with the drought is fisheries and fishery-related tourism, due not just to the vast arid areas where the river once flowed, but due also to the quick changes in the regions ecosystem.

Forecasts predict that, for the foreseeable future, the region will see below-normal levels of precipitation, which means that the reversal of the situation and overcoming the crisis is something which is not yet on the horizon.

Recently published research examines potential social and ecological impacts from freshwater stress and storage loss, identifies hotspot basins which require prioritisation, and offers accepted management methods as solutions.

The article titled ‘Hotspots for social and ecological impacts from freshwater stress and storage loss’ contains data from 12 geospatial datasets and one basin scheme. The research team includes experts from Canada, Finland, Austria, and the United States.

The research findings suggest that freshwater storage loss is linked to increased drought frequency and hotspot basins are required to address depleting water resources to meet domestic, industrial, and agricultural demands.

With wells at risk of drying up and water tables dropping, there is a potential for access inequalities to  widen as only the wealthy may be able to afford to drill deeper wells. This inequality could increase the risk of water-related conflict.

Data from the research paper reveals that the most vulnerable water basins “encompass over 1.5 billion people, 17% of global food crop production, 13% of global gross domestic product, and hundreds of significant wetlands”.

To address freshwater stress and storage loss, the article identifies hydro-diplomacy, social adaptive capacity building, and integrated water resources management practices as effective solutions.

Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya have each in turn raised the alarm as the Horn of Africa experiences its third consecutive year of drought.

The World Food Programme reports that the region is facing its driest conditions since 1981 and estimates that between 12 and 14 million people in the region will be facing severe hunger in the first quarter of 2022.

Three consecutive years of below average rainfall have decimated crops and caused abnormally high livestock deaths. A special report of the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group found that in 2021, 22.3 million people were already highly food insecure, a situation which represented a 77 percent increase relative to peak levels in 2020.

In the period from October to December 2021, the poor performance of the ‘short rains’ season constitutes the third successive failure of seasonal rains. Historically, consecutive below average rainfall seasons are highly correlated with declines in food security.

In Somalia, a humanitarian  assessment conducted by Save The Children noted that 1.8 million people face severe food insecurity and at least one third of households included at least one person going without food for a 24 hour period. More than 700,000 camels, goats, sheep and cattle died over a two-month period in October and November last year.

A Somali NGO consortium released a joint statement to the donor community on the 1st of February, calling on donors to urgently fund the Somali drought crisis and noting that current commitments stand at only 2% of funding requirements.

In southern Ethiopia, prolonged droughts are affecting some 6.8 million people, and livestock losses of 172,000 were reported in December and 260,000 in January.

According to the United Nations, around 2.9 million people in eastern Kenya are in urgent need of aid, and more than half a million people are malnourished.          

Uganda hosted the 2nd Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Water Dialogue Forum in January, which ran under the theme ‘Groundwater for Resilience.’

The three-day forum discussed the key water development challenges of the IGAD region with a major focus on building joint knowledge, development strategies and potential projects requiring groundwater development.

The forum, which was organized by the IGAD Department of Agriculture and Environment discussed the axis of groundwater for peace and stability, groundwater for climate change and resilience to drought, groundwater for social and economic development, innovation in groundwater financing and technological development, and capacity building in groundwater.

In a statement the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda noted that: “It should be recalled that the 1st Water forum was organized by the IGAD Inland Water Resources Department in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2014. The Nairobi forum focused on the urgent need for regional cooperation in the management of water resources, and highlighted the need to enhance dialogue and understanding, increasing cooperation in all water management programs, engaging development partners in these initiatives as well as building consensus on regional water management.”

IGAD and its predecessor entity were formed following recurring and severe drought and other natural disasters between 1974 and 1984 that caused widespread famine, ecological degradation and economic hardship in the Eastern Africa region. Although individual countries made substantial efforts to cope with the situation and received generous support from the international community, the magnitude and extent of the problem argued strongly for a regional approach to supplement national efforts.

IGAD’s main objectives include: promote joint development strategies and gradually harmonize macro-economic policies and programmes in the social, technological and scientific fields; harmonize policies concerning trade, customs, transport, communications, agriculture, and natural resources, and promote free movement of goods, services, and people within the region; create an enabling environment for foreign, cross-border and domestic trade and investment.

Other objectives include: promoting peace and stability, as well as creating mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of inter-State and intra-State conflicts in the region through dialogue; mobilize resources for the implementation of emergency, short-term, medium-term and long-term programmes within the framework of regional cooperation; facilitate, promote and strengthen cooperation in research development and application in science and technology; and promote and realize the objectives of the African Economic Community.

Diplomacy Talks and The water Diplomat Voices are a series of guest columns written by participants in different parts of the international water community. 

Dr. Renee Martin-Nagle, special correspondent to The water Diplomat, highlights facts about agricultural production and how it might change given evidence of climate change.

Martin-Nagle is a globally recognized water expert and consultant focusing on surface water, groundwater, unconventional water resources, contaminants, climate change, and oceans.  She currently has several affiliations: Treasurer of the International Water Resources Association; President and CEO of A Ripple Effect; Special Counsel at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC; Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute; Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee of the Mount Aloysius College Board of Trustees, and Member of the Ebensburg Municipal (water) Authority.  She is also an Expert Reviewer of the UN IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.

Human population is projected to grow from a current 8 billion to 10 billion by 2050, which, according to some estimates, will require a 50% increase in food supplies.  Production of the main agricultural commodities – sugarcane, rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, and potatoes – has become concentrated in only a few countries, many if not most of which will experience water-related impacts from climate change such as droughts and floods. 

As agricultural yields decline either acutely or chronically, the producing countries will obviously be affected, but those countries reliant on imported food will also experience consequences.  Food security is critical not only for survival of individuals but also for stability of political regimes, since wide-spread famine can lead to social unrest.

To draw attention to the risks associated with the current concentration of crop production and the need to consider alternate systems in the coming decades, this article lists the countries producing, exporting and importing key commodities and then discusses water-related climate change impacts on top crop-producing areas.

Main producers and exporters of principal commodities

The agricultural commodities that are produced in greatest volume globally are sugarcane, corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, and soybeans, and each of them serves purposes in addition to providing food for humans.  For example, sugarcane, the crop grown in the most volume globally, is used for fiber, fodder, biofuels and chemicals.  Most corn and soybeans are slated for animal feed, with food and biofuels also being supported by the crops.  On the other hand, while wheat contributes to paper, pharmaceuticals and soaps, two-thirds of the global wheat production is consumed by humans for food, and rice forms a dietary staple of more than half of the world’s population.    Potatoes are the third most important food crop for humans, although like other crops they also feed animals. 

Production of these crops and others, which are vital to humans and the animals eaten by humans, is highly concentrated in only a few countries.  As the following chart illustrates, China is the world’s largest producer of wheat, rice and potatoes, the second largest producer of corn and the third largest producer of sugarcane.  The US is the largest producer of corn and the second largest producer of soybeans.  India is the second largest producer of wheat, rice and sugarcane, the fourth largest producer of soybeans, and the sixth largest producer of corn and potatoes. 

However, because many crops are utilized for a nation’s own populace, especially in China and India, the principal exporters of the key commodities are quite different from the producers.

The US is the world’s largest exporter of corn and soybeans and the third largest exporter of wheat, the EU countries together are the largest exporter of wheat and potatoes, Thailand is the largest exporter of rice, Brazil is the second largest exporter of corn and soybeans, and Russia is the second largest exporter of wheat, with Canada and Australia the fifth and sixth largest exporters of wheat. 

A review of the countries importing the major crops gives a fuller picture of the global food commodity trade.  China imports the most rice and soybeans, Egypt imports the most wheat, the EU countries as a whole import the most potatoes, Saudi Arabia and the US together are responsible for more than 90% of the sugarcane imports, and Japan imports the most corn, followed by Mexico.  Top importers of the massive volumes of US commodities are Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and Germany.

The impact of climate change on water supplies for agriculture

Looking at the major crop producers and exporters through the lens of climate change, the US immediately jumps out. Many of its export crops are grown in the country’s Midwest region, which has been experiencing severe and even extraordinary drought. Nonrenewable groundwater supplies much of the water for agriculture; estimates of the frequency of floods and droughts in that area during climate change vary significantly depending on the emissions scenario. 

In recent years, China has experienced both floods and droughts in crop-growing areas, Brazil had its worst frost in two decades, heat and drought have affected Canadian crops, and torrential rains in Europe led to fears of fungal disease in grain crops.  Australia’s wheat-growing region has had both multi-year droughts and flooding, with the excess water producing wheat with less protein. 

By 2040, 32% of global cropland is projected to experience severe drought, and groundwater tables will be lower than current levels. 

On a global average, 70% of freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture, and 20% of cultivated land is irrigated as opposed to rainfed, since irrigated land is more productive. 

In the future, water demand for other purposes is expected to increase, which may require a reallocation of water supplies.  Indeed, as the world becomes more urbanized, water will probably be diverted to cities. 

For example, due to historically low flow in the US Colorado River system, Arizona has already determined that the share of water allocated to agriculture in 2022 will be decreased in favor of cities.  Sinking groundwater levels mean that tapping into aquifers cannot fill the void.

In a future where growing populations need food security, droughts impact agriculture more frequently, and groundwater tables are declining, hard decisions will have to be made about where the crops that feed the world are grown.

The Biden administration announced plans to increase the cybersecurity of the water sector through a public private partnership.

This measure, known as the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative (ICSCI), was established last year and applied initially to the natural gas and electricity sector but was extended to the water sector on the 27th of January.  

In 2021, the United States witnessed an increasing number of cyber-attacks including on an oil pipeline and on the meat packing industry. In response, the administration moved beyond efforts to protect government institutions against cyber-attacks, launching ICSCI as a voluntary partnership with private sector institutions.

The Water and Wastewater Sector Action Plan is to be unrolled over a period of 100 days and include the deployment of technologies and systems that will enable monitoring of and real time information on cybersecurity threats.

Utilities will be invited to take part in a pilot programme for Industrial Control Systems monitoring and information sharing.

The water sector in the United States is complex and multifaceted and includes more than 50,000 water utilities ranging widely in the size of the service area and the number of clients that they serve.  Many of these institutions do not have cybersecurity measures in place, and therefore the partnership is open to all institutions that may want to increase the protection of their infrastructure.

The measure will initially focus on the utilities that serve the largest populations or whose systems have a large impact, laying the ground for further expansion of protection in the water sector.            

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental and Agriculture Research in 2021 has found that pollution of the Muvumba River in Rwanda  - part of the upper headwaters of the Nile - could adversely affect its economic importance.

The objective of the study was to assess the potential effect of agricultural activities on water quality in Northeast Rwanda’s Nyangatare District. To do so, researchers sampled water at three points in the river every month for a period of twelve months. Results show agriculture’s negative impact on river water quality.

The researchers found that the release of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the encroachment of buffer zones along riverbanks, and inappropriate management of wetlands had all contributed to the undermining of the water quality.  

The catchment area of the Muvumba River is one of four areas in Rwanda where catchment management plans have been developed according to the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management. Five remaining areas in Rwanda do not yet have such long-term strategies which could balance competing demands on water resources.

National law defines a buffer zone of 10 metres from large rivers and 50 metres for key lakes, but recent research points to the continued encroachment and pollution of major water bodies.  

Legislation has also been developed in Rwanda to categorise the islands in the country’s 213 lakes which are often biodiversity hotspots. The islands could be classified into inhabitable islands, islands which allow some infrastructure development for tourism purposes, and conservation islands on which no human activities are permitted.          

The January 15 eruption of Tonga’s  volcano, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, killed at least three people and is estimated to have affected approximately 100,000 people. The eruption sent a plume of ash into the upper atmosphere and triggered a tsunami that destroyed homes on Tonga’s nearby islands.

According to the Unite Nations between 60 and 70 percent of people who rely on agriculture and livestock as a source of income have been impacted by this catastrophic event.

Teams are working to establish clean drinking-water supplies, to clear away the thick layer of ash that has blanketed everything, and to recover from the crop damage, estimated to equate to nearly $17 Million USD. At least three people have died in Tonga as a result of the eruption.

The crisis is being compounded by COVID-19, which started after relief ships arrived from other countries.

Tonga’s water supply was contaminated from a combination of ash from the volcanic eruption and salt water intrusion from the subsequent tsunami. Animals and crops have been killed and grazing land devastated.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stated its concern about water safety and groundwater quality in the region and has advised people against drinking the acidic rainwater.

Several countries including Australia, New Zealand, UK and USA have delivered aid and financial support to Tonga, with one Australian naval ship reported to have delivered as much as 250, 000 litres of water.

The HMAS Adelaide, which has the capacity to generate electricity, houses a small hospital and can purify 70,000 litres of water a day.

Katie Greenwood, the Pacific Head of Delegation at the Red Cross said: "Securing access to safe drinking water is a critical immediate priority as there is a mounting risk of diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.

“From what little updates we have, the scale of the devastation could be immense- especially for outer lying Islands. We are trying hard to establish contact with our colleagues at Tonga Red Cross and establish the scale and specific nature of the support they need.”

In the meantime, health officials are reporting rapidly spreading cases of COVID-19 throughout the country, with both fully vaccinated adults and children being affected.

The Observer Research Foundation has taken a fresh look at India - Nepal relations by assessing the use of water to generate hydropower for maximum benefit. The assessment comes from a place of mutual interest, allowing for optimum leverage for the socio-economic development of both countries. The new brief outlines a history of the India-Nepal hydroelectric power scenario and offers recommendations for growth.

Read full report here.

The journey of the giant iceberg that started four and a half years ago after splitting from Antartica has come to an end, but its impacts can be everlasting and the scientific community is yet to determine whether the impacts will be good or bad.

The iceberg split from the planet’s south pole region in July 2017 and was, during its lifetime, the biggest iceberg in the planet. With an area of 2,300 square miles (6,000 square kilometres), were it a city, it would be the seventh largest in the world or just about the size of Moscow.

A-68, as it was called, broke off the Larsen C ice shelf in Antartica and started drifting North to the Southeast of Argentina.

For the first two years, the mass remained largely the same size, but when it began to enter the warmer waters of the Scotia Sea, the melting rate increased substantially eventually shedding 1 trillion tonnes (900 million metric tonnes) of fresh water into the sea.

There were initial concerns that the iceberg was on a collision course with South Georgia Island, a British overseas territory with an area of just 1,450 square miles (3,500 square kilometres). There were fears that this might have cataclysmic consequences on the island’s wildlife, namely its population of penguins and seals. However, the iceberg melted enough to avoid impact and eventually disintegrated completely.

The evaporation of the iceberg has meant that the equivalent of 61 million Olympic-sized swimming pools (or 20 Lochs Ness) of fresh water has entered the ecosystem; the consequences are yet undetermined.

Icebergs hold water trapped in frozen state and, with it, other nutrients and substances. The release of cold meltwater will certainly have an immediate impact on the surrounding ecosystem that could be felt for generations to come. But the release of old water and old air could also have very unpredictable future consequences, the exact nature of which is still not known.

Climate change and global warming are causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt which, in turn, is causing sea levels to rise. In 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report on the on the state of oceans and cryosphere.

As reported in The water Diplomat, the Panel's report highlights the urgency of prioritising ambitious and coordinated action to cope with rapid, unprecedented and long-lasting changes in the frozen components of the earth caused by climate change. The report addresses water in its “cold” status: snow, glaciers, ice sheets, icebergs and sea ice, ice on lakes and rivers in addition to permafrost and seasonally frozen ground as well as ocean “health”.

The cryosphere represents about 70% of all fresh water on Earth, where the oceans represent 96.5% of all water everywhere. Put differently, the cryosphere and ocean represent, in turn, the majority of all potable water and all water on Earth.

New South Wales plans for the Warragamba Dam have been labelled "fundamentally deficient" by an international cultural group that is advising UNESCO's World Heritage Committee. The government's plans for the dam appear to conflict with commitments to conserve the area.

The Australian branch of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has objected to the dam proposal in a submission report responding to the dam’s environmental impact statement.

“Australia ICOMOS is concerned that the environmental impact statement is fundamentally deficient, and that the very nature of the project is at odds with both appropriate cultural heritage practice and obligations that arise from the World Heritage Convention,” the submission stated.

The areas that are affected by the Dam Proposal include a World Heritage property, a National Heritage place, two national parks, a declared Wilderness area, a declared Wild River, and the Warragamba Special Catchment Area. The subject area is recognised globally for its biodiversity and rare species.

ICOMOS also said that the registered Aboriginal parties of the plan were not properly informed.

Flood plain councils, including Wollondilly Council, Penrith City Council and Blue Mountains Council, have also voiced their concerns about the project.

An $88 Million USD grant awarded to Murrumbidgee Irrigation by the Australian federal government has been criticised as a “scandalous waste of taxpayers’ money”, according the Nature Conservation Council. 

The grant is for infrastructure upgrades to improve water efficiency. Murrumbidgee Irrigation is one of Australia's largest private irrigation companies in the Murray-Darling Basin catchment area. The company claims that automation works, along with the replacement of 20 kilometres of open channels and the construction of a surge reservoir, will save 7.4 gigalitres in water. Of that, it is possible that 6.3 gigalitres could be returned to the environment.

Nature Conservation Council Acting Chief Executive has criticised the award: “That means every megalitre of water saved will cost taxpayers [$14,032 USD]. That is almost eight times the most recent price paid for the permanent trade of general security access to water on the open market in the Murrumbidgee. By some estimates, this is the most expensive water yet in Murray-Darling River system.”

Water buybacks are a far cheaper way to achieve the same result, according to Mumford. “The result is more certain than forecast gains from water efficiency measures, which are highly uncertain,” she added.

Mumford questioned why the Morrison Government was giving irrigators 1,100 megalitres under this arrangement, rather than returning that water to the environment to restore natural river flows.  

“With climate change making less water available, such large sums should be used to diversify regional economies rather than subsidise already planned works of private irrigation schemes,” she continued.

“Reports show that each dollar spent on human services like hospitals and schools creates four times as many jobs as spending on infrastructure upgrades.” 

Murrumbidgee Irrigation says the $88 Million USD grant will enable it to complete an almost decade-long project to halve its water losses. CEO, Brett Jones, told the ABC (Australia), “This is the last component of all the works done to make our system as efficient as possible.”

Pakistan President Dr. Arif Alvi has called for solutions for increased efficiency in water management in the country. He emphasised the importance of the use of new technology to monitor and manage water resources at a meeting on Employment of Integrated Satellite Communication and Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Water Management.

Climate change and rapid population growth has greatly reduced per capita availability of water. Kashif Kifayat Coordinator of Air University, a Pakistani public institution mostly dedicated to technology, confirmed that Pakistan is facing a severe water scarcity problem and estimated $12 Billion USD in annual losses to the economy caused by drought and floods.

It is believed that deployment of integrated satellite services would improve monitoring and contribute to more efficient utilization of water resources.

Pakistan is already ranked as one of the top 10 countries in the world with the lowest access to safe, clean water with about 40 Percent of all deaths in the country attributed to drinking contaminated water. 

According to NGO WaterAid, 21 million people in Pakistan do not have access to clean water close to home and the country still sees 20,000 children dying every year from diarrhoea, an illness that can be drastically decreased by generalised access to clean water.