A new report presented at COP27’s water pavilion on the 9th of November sheds light on the fundamental role of water in climate mitigation.  The report , entitled “The essential drop to reach Net-Zero: Unpacking Freshwater's Role in Climate Change Mitigation,” argues that the role of water in climate mitigation is much greater than has previously been thought. Its point of departure is that climate mitigation efforts depend on water resources: for instance, most forms of energy production require substantial quantities of water, and in managing the energy transition to a low carbon future, the water dependence of the energy sector needs to be taken into account. Similarly, all nature-based solutions for mitigation depend strongly on water supply for their sustainability.

Secondly, the research argues that climate mitigation measures have an impact on water resources. For instance, the production of energy from biological sources (bioenergy) such as biofuels has a large water footprint, and these elements need to be considered in a broader analysis of the sustainability of mitigation efforts. Similarly, construction of dams for hydropower production may lead to increased methane emissions, and large-scale tree planting projects have an implicit impact on water consumption.

Thirdly, improved water and sanitation management reduces emissions: wastewater and fecal sludge, if untreated, can decompose and release large amounts of greenhouse gases, especially methane, into the atmosphere. Therefore, the authors argue, wastewater treatment and discharge for domestic and industrial sectors should be reported, as should emissions from untreated wastewater.

Fourth, water sustains nature-based solutions in their ability to absorb and store atmospheric carbon. Water is at the basis of all life, and therefore an intact water cycle is required to achieve full mitigation potential and to ensure long-term carbon storage.  But there are values of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) beyond carbon absorption: wetlands, for instance, serve as a store for water in high rainfall periods and release water in drier periods, acting as a buffer to the effects of climate change.

Fifth, water and climate are highly interrelated and joint water and climate governance is needed for effective mitigation.  Efforts are needed to establish water coordination mechanisms with other governance processes, in particular in relation to the role of water in Nationally Determined Contributions agreed in the context of the Paris Agreement.

The research for the report was coordinated by Dr Malin Lundberg from the Stockholm International Water Institute but it brought together inputs and expertise from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London have released the latest edition of the Living Planet Report (LPR), which indicates that the world has witnessed an average decline in vertebrate species numbers of 69% since 1970.  The LPR is based on a review of the most comprehensive database on vertebrate species to date: 89 authors compiled evidence from data samples of almost 32,000 populations of 5,230 species from across the world to assemble the LPR. The decline in species numbers cannot be attributed to a single determinant: the authors point to a combination of changes in land and sea use, the overexploitation of plants and animals, climate change, pollution and invasive species.  The losses in species numbers vary across species as well as across geographical regions: for instance, Latin America shows the greatest decline in average population numbers with a decline of 94% and Africa experienced a decline of 66%, as against 55% for the Asia-Pacific region, 20% for North America and 18% for Europe.

Amongst ecosystems, freshwater species decline was the highest at 83%. These high losses represent a threat to ecosystem integrity, ecosystem functions, and resilience to climate change. Freshwater availability is interrelated with ecosystem integrity and plant cover: deforestation and land denudation lead to warmer, drier local climates, with higher rates of evaporation, increasing the number of droughts, and reducing rainfall. This undermines rainfed agriculture, which still produces 60% of global food. Halting deforestation, therefore, contributes to the integrity of the water cycle and increases water security. In freshwater systems, dams and other infrastructure fragment ecosystems and reduce habitat for aquatic species. The free flow of nutrients and minerals as well as the movement of aquatic species is essential to the functioning of aquatic ecosystems.

Currently, however, only 37% of rivers longer than1,000 km remains free flowing along their entire length. Freshwater habitats need to be reconnected by building fish passages and removing dams: attempts to do so have resulted in enormous increases of fish populations.                            

Senegal  - and the other states sharing the waters of the Senegal and Gambia river basins - have provided one of the best-known examples of hydro-diplomacy and international cooperation around shared waters, leading to the well-deserved leadership role played by Senegal in hosting the 9th World Water Forum (WWF). The theme of the water forum, i.e., “water security for peace and development” is a signal of Senegal’s leadership role in developing a blueprint for peace and development through transboundary cooperation. Perhaps less well known, but equally important, is the Dakar Water Hub, which aims to be the regional flag bearer for the commitments of the ‘Blue Deal ‘ announced at the conclusion of the 9th WWF. The Hub, due to be launched in 2021 but delayed to 2022 due to the Covid 19 pandemic, is to build a reference framework in Africa to catalyze cooperation, inclusive dialogue, governance, and the development of innovative solutions on water. The Pôle Eau Dakar (PED), as it is known in French, will take forward the concrete list of flagship projects identified in the context of the Blue Deal also aims to help implement the proposals of the 9th World Water Forum in Senegal. The PED revolves around four strategic axes, i.e., networking, capacity development, sharing of knowledge and innovations, and support for the follow-up to the 9th World Water Forum.

After a founding phase from 2018 to 2021 which included feasibility studies and market analysis, the PED has developed its first ten-year strategy, defining the Cluster's niche in the context of emerging issues of shared water governance in Africa. The strategy – which is divided into two phases of five years each – includes six areas of intervention i.e., firstly, practical demonstration initiatives relating to conflict prevention/resolution and cooperation and promotion of peace. Secondly it will strive to mobilise key actors to promote the effective implementation of hydro-diplomacy and emerging standards for the governance of shared water resources. Third, PED aims to build the capacity of actors and institutions for the management of shared waters in the prevention of conflicts, the promotion of cooperation and the practice of hydro-diplomacy. Fourth it is dedicated to the production and sharing of knowledge for decision support on cooperation, and lastly it will monitor the implementation of the conclusions of the World Water Forum held in Senegal in March 2022.

A prominent output the Hub is working on currently is the development of an Atlas on the major scientific questions related to water in West and Central Africa. The purpose of this atlas is to review the state of scientific knowledge on water resources and then to define, on this basis, perspectives for scientific research in terms of orientations for research and development programs on these resources. The scaling up of knowledge about the resource, of dialogue and consultation in its management, makes it possible to defuse the factors and uncertainties which could spark conflict and the risks and disasters linked to water. These include the intensification of water shortages, water stress, unsustainable livelihoods in rural areas, rapid growth of urban water demand combined with unplanned urbanization, and intersectoral competition over access to water. It is argued that the production of knowledge and the development of the capacities of water stakeholders are essential for better management and planning of water resources. PED also promotes an interdisciplinary approach, decompartmentalizing knowledge on water and the dissemination of good practices in hydro-diplomacy.

In 2022, PED published a report on emerging issues in shared water management in Africa. This is a collective work that analyzes fifteen cases of disputes as well as successful or promising examples of interstate cooperation around shared water resources in Africa. These case studies have made it possible to identify and analyze the factors facilitating or hindering the outbreak of crises or the search for formulas of cooperation and peaceful coexistence. On this basis, the book draws lessons that can be useful for the coordinated and sustainable development of the continent's water resources and the promotion of cooperation, peace and security. In addition, PED contributed a chapter to the First Report (2022) of the Global Observatory on Water and Peace, which was launched at the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar in March 2022 

To help and to inform member states so that the deliberations in preparation of the UN water conference are supported by a wide stakeholder consultation. Primarily, the consultations aimed to ensure that the work of the scientific community and civil society is connected to the work of the General Assembly. The meeting was opened by Mr Li Junhua, the UN under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, who pointed out that next year will mark the midpoint for the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, which has been negatively impacted by the consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic and the increasing dangers posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and that without addressing these environmental problems there can be no durable social and economic development. A well-managed water cycle, he stated, lies at the nexus of these interrelated challenges. According to the 2022 SDG progress report issued by UNDESA in July, achieving the targets of SDG 6 would require a fourfold increase in current efforts. Therefore, the UN Water Conference is a much-needed solution to ramp up efforts towards the achievement of these goals.    

In the context of online consultations held by UNDESA, stakeholders have called on the theme of water for health to take a more interdisciplinary approach and to forge partnerships with local communities. Stakeholders also called on the conference to consider innovative means of financing, including enabling conditions for public private partnerships to facilitate access to water and sanitation services for all. On the theme of water for development, stakeholder have proposed that consideration be given to given to legal mechanisms that give better protection to water related ecosystems and called on developed nations to strengthen their efforts to help less developed nations to achieve their water related goals.  On the theme of water for climate resilience and the environment, stakeholders recommended that more efforts be made to conduct research connected to water availability and changes in weather patterns, as well as educational campaigns on the connections between climate change and water. On water for cooperation, stakeholders have called for cross sectoral and multistakeholder dialogues and mobilisation at all levels including local and regional governments. On the theme of the water action decade, stakeholders called for increased involvement of youth, indigenous leaders and scientific communities.

Melissa Powell, chief of staff of the UN Global Compact, mentioned that the Compact was launched in the year 2000 as a pact between the UN and business leaders, and it is currently composed of more than 16,000 companies across 160 countries focusing on global sustainability issues. Water was recognised in 2007 as a critical sustainability topic, leading to the establishment of the CEO Water Mandate together with the Pacific Institute. Today the CEO water mandate has 220 companies with a market value of 3.5 trillion US dollars oriented towards more sustainable business practices. Water is essential to all business practices, and recent events such as the drought in Europe have highlighted the importance of water to global supply chains. Members of the CEO water mandate strive to have a net positive impact on water management through their activities: this requires investment in implementing best practices in water management internally with investments in the river basins in which they are operating. This includes the water resilience coalition which seeks to work together across businesses, with governments and civil society, to achieve change at scale.         

Keziah Gerosano from the Unify movement, member of the water for climate coalition mentioned that she grew up in the Philippines which is yearly hit one average by 15 cyclones and who has witnessed how the water and climate havoc has affected her family and her country. Globally UNICEF estimates that by 2040, almost one in four children will reside in areas of extremely high water stress, while some 780 million people do not have access to potable water supplies. In March this year the Water and Climate Coalition called for urgent and united action towards climate related water disasters and increasing threats to global water availability to protect present and future generations. As the youth constituency of the water and climate coalition, unify was mandated to consolidate youth inputs in the form of the water and climate youth development plan and agenda (YDPA). The YDPA outlines five action points: one, institutionalise a Youth Secretariat to monitor the implementation of YDPA commitments, two, establish a water and climate youth fund, three, UN member states should integrate the YDPA into their national contexts.  Fourth, UN agencies are requested to allocate at least 15% of their annual budgets to water and climate related activities (SSPA’s). Fifth, conduct a biennial youth led conference to monitor the progress of the YDPA.

Lindsey Blodgétt, also speaking on behalf of the water for climate youth leadership, argued that the existing water stakeholder group are out of synchronisation, and there is a need to avoid duplication and activity in silo’s. She called of a harmonisation around ‘game changer ideas’.

Prof Petri Talas, speaking in his role as Executive Secretary of the World Meteorological Organisation, reminded participants that World Economic Forum analysis of economic threats listed climate action failure as the biggest risk in the period 2022-2032, followed by extreme weather events and biodiversity loss. World disaster trends over the last fifty years show that there has been a tenfold increase in natural disasters over the last fifty years, and that storms and flooding events dominate these. The recent IPCC sixth assessment report shows that more than half the planet has experienced heavy precipitation events and there has been an increase in agricultural droughts. The melting of glaciers has continued to accelerate, which decreases water security in areas dependent on flows of meltwater from high mountain ranges. All climate scenario’s show decline in soil moisture around the Mediterranean basin, the western coast of Latin America, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. The damage from extreme weather events is very much dependent on the availability of accurate and timely early warning data, which is still not sufficiently available in large parts of Africa and Latin America. Currently, ten UN agencies have united behind the water for climate coalition which will work to improve water information systems, water and climate stocktaking, the financing of water information and strengthening regional and local cooperation on information sharing.                   

At Cairo Water Week, Soltan Rahimzoda, in his capacity as chair of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea, summarised some of the key contemporary issues in transboundary cooperation in the Aral Sea Basin.  This falls within the theme of water for cooperation that has been identified as one of the key issues for discussion during the UN Water Conference in March 2023. Tajikistan regards water cooperation as one of the most important tools for transboundary water management.

The Central Asian region is comprised of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The countries of the region are united by two great rivers: the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, which provide water for household uses, agriculture and other economic sectors. The Amu Darya arises predominantly in the mountains of Tajikistan and to a lesser extent in Afghanistan and flows in a north westerly direction through Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the Aral Sea. Similarly, the Syr Darya originates in Kyrgyzstan and flows westwards between Kazakhstan and Uzbekhistan to the Aral Sea. In terms of water formation, the lion’s share of the waters of the basin, amounting to 64 km³ per year, originate in the territory of Tajikistan. Kyrgyzstan contributes 29.3 km³ per year, and thus more than 85% of the water resources of the basin originate in these two countries and Uzbekhistan and Afghanistan contribute 8.8 km ³ and 6.28 km³ respectively while Kazachstan and Turkmenistan contribute 4.5 km³ and 2.8 km³.  By contrast, more than 80% of the water resources are being used by downstream countries: for example, Uzbekistan is the largest recipient of water allocations at 71.7 km³/a, followed by Turkmenistan which receives 27.1 km³, and Kazachstan which receives 15.3km³.  With such discrepancies in water availability and utilisation between the countries, transboundary cooperation became a key vehicle for water management, and after the independence of the basin states in 1992, one of the first actions that took place is the signing of an agreement for the joint management of the water resources of the basin.          

The water resources of the region have been strongly affected by climate change: much of the water originates from glaciers, and these have lost a large amount of their volume in the 20th century. During the second half of the 20th century, the glacial resources of Central Asia declined to less than a third of the original volume, and they continue to decline by an average of 0,6% to 0,8% per year in terms of surface area and 0,1% on average in total volume. As a result, there has been a decline in runoff in the Amu Darya River Basin by 0,51km³ between 2001 and 2018. For the Aral Sea Basin as a whole, the runoff reduction was 1.41km³ for the same period. It is estimated that under harsh climate scenario’s, the flow of the Syr Darya River could be reduced by 15-30% while the Amu Darya could witness a reduction of between 21-40%. In the meantime, the water demand in the region is increasing at a rate of approximately 1% per annum, amounting to 30% by 2050.  Per capita water availability has declined from more than 8,000m³/c/a in the 1960’s to less than 2,000m³/c/a currently.    

In terms of water availability, a lot can be done to improve water use efficiency: the utilisation of water resources in Central Asia is one of the most wasteful in the world: the current average utilisation of water per hectare for irrigation is 11,800 m³/ha, which is 2-3 times higher than water utilisation in other parts of the world. Studies have shown that only 30% of the water is used productively, due to the use of outdated irrigation infrastructure and technique such as furrow irrigation. Possible responses include increasing the capacity of storage infrastructure, the modernisation of irrigation infrastructure, the introduction of water demand management, improvements in water metering and other monitoring systems, the introduction of economic and financial incentives, and most importantly strengthening regional cooperation.    

The countries of the region are strongly interconnected at the level of infrastructure: water energy, transport, etc. Much benefit is to be gained from cooperation: a recent report entitled ‘Rethinking Water in Central Asia’ came to the conclusion that improved water cooperation could yield an extra U.S. $ 4.5 billion in economic benefits for the region.   Recent changes in political economic and social dynamics have improved regional cooperation: thus, the heads of state meet together each year to strengthen regional cooperation. In the context of climate change it is recognised that intensified regional cooperation will be needed to achieve regional water security in the future.

In terms of the fourth edition f the Aral Sea Basin Programme, a vision for a regional programme on sustainable development to 2030 has been developed. In 2018 the countries presented a joint statement regarding the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, and joint statements of the heads of state have been made in 2021 and 2022. For the future, a roadmap has been developed for regional cooperation in the period from 2022 to 2024, and a vision has been developed for a regional “Green Agenda” for Central Asia. The next meeting of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea is due in 2023                        

The Water Diplomat caught up with Karishma Asoodani, Youth Delegate for Asia at the World Water Council, in the margins of Cairo Water Week, to look at youth issues in the run up to the UN Water Conference in New York in March 2023.

Tobias Schmitz: please tell us what you do currently

Karishma Asoodani: So my name is Karishma, I am a Youth Delegate for the World Water Council for Asia, I joined them in 2018, and because of the pandemic my mandate kind of extended until this December: I will finish my term as a youth delegate with them in December and I am also a young representative in the Water Youth  Network, in which I have an interest in youth communications and mobilisation, but I also have an interest in water finance: I am a financial journalist in India with six years of experience. In the WWC there are four delegates and over the past years I have been given a platform and expanded my network, and I have learned a lot about the water sector and developed a bit of a niche in the area of finances.

Tobias Schmitz: As an international water sector, we are currently on the ‘road to New York’: how does this look from your perspective, what has been achieved so far and what remains to be done?

Karishma Asoodani: To be honest, I think from a stakeholder perspective and a youth perspective, it is going great. Youth does still lack that constant support and coordination from key stakeholders, and here I would like to really mention Henk Ovink, because each time we meet across different forums he does really stand firm on including youth in the preparations for the UN Water Conference. However, we need to make sure we do not have youth just ‘by the word’: we need to have them involved in the action. And that is lacking because the support is lacking: we do not want to be just the cherry on the cheesecake, i.e. just to show that youth are present. In each stakeholder consultation that takes place, we do want to be a part of it. We want to be part of the key mandates, the discussions, the financials, etc. Organisations need to re-strategise in order to bring youth into the discussions. I have brought this to the table at the World Water Council: I believe that a youth delegate should be party to the preparatory committee for the World Water Forum. When you do it there, when the youth are involved, it is a team going forward. So organisations need to stop thinking of youth as a separate category from stakeholders: the youth IS a stakeholder.   

Tobias Schmitz: Thank you very much: it reminds me of the women and water diplomacy network, where they have very clear structures: where the decisions at the top of transboundary cooperation are male dominated and it is difficult for women, whether they have capacity or not, to take part in discussions on an equal footing. Therefore, the senior diplomats who have a particular level of achievement and track record have set up a mentoring and coaching systems to support younger, upcoming talent. Do you have any ideas on this from the perspective of youth inclusion?  How could that be accelerated?   

Karishma Asoodani: So in terms of concrete ideas, one of the key areas we agree on as a youth caucus is the need for the UN 2023 Committee to allocate a portion of the budget exclusively to youth inclusion. This is where the conversations tend to end with the youth: we don’t have the budget. We have also proposed to have a youth committee that is a part of deliberations, i.e. to set aside a budget that is dedicated to their remuneration. One could start by at least compensating the youth for what they are doing. Something that we flagged in our Youth Declaration for the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar but that has not taken hold is that national delegations should have at least one youth representative. We have raised the issue with international financial institutions such as the World Bank that beyond specific water related issues for which budgets are set aside, consideration should be given to setting up a Blue Youth Fund which could be used for our on the ground activities.  For example, I would like to start campaigning about sanitation in rural India, but I have nothing except my own resources. If my State or National government could provide me with some resources, that would enable us to move forward and have continued action towards New York.      

Tobias Schmitz: You mentioned Dakar: what was it about the 9th World Water Forum that motivated you to start thinking about this Fund?  

Karishma Asoodani: For the 9th World Water Forum we were encouraged to bring voices from disadvantaged or marginalised communities, and it was through this vision that we put out these priorities for action that I just mentioned to you. The emotional strength of Dakar was also that we had the opportunity to meet after two years of lockdown and to propagate our ideas. At the same time the Youth Space was located away from the crowd, so for the tenth World Water Forum we not only want to be there, but we want to be there with everybody. We need a youth speaker slot at the opening ceremony. We need to start an intergenerational dialogue because we want to start the Forum with that energy: it is a ‘green-red’ dialogue in that we are green and we are ready to be involved, but it is still red in terms of the level of our involvement. For the Tenth Forum, the Youth Space needs to be as attractive and mainstream as the rest of the interaction spaces.          

Tobias Schmitz: Since you are a journalist, may I raise the topic of journalism? Currently The Water Diplomat, with UNDP Cap Net, GWP and Africa 21, is conducting regional trainings of journalists with the intention to boost public attention for water through TV, radio and written press. In most regions, there is no specialised cadre yet of journalists reporting on water issues. We would like to open this space to young journalists who would like to develop these skills. Please give me your thoughts on this.    

Karishma Asoodani: I think it is an excellent idea: as youth delegates we have had similar online sessions in 2020 and 2021  - predominantly about WASH issues – we disseminated tips and tricks about water advocacy, so I think what The Water Diplomat is doing is excellent and doing this together with journalists is very helpful because I know that most of  my media counterparts would not be interested in covering water and sanitation: they would prefer for instance to cover death from malnutrition than to cover death from water. For global leaders, malnutrition will get more traction than water or sanitation. It is important to bring the attention of the public to the fact that this is equally important. I would like to share with you that we have some 23 cohorts involving youth and there are tens of thousands of youth involved through them, so I would love to add you through that chain. I know that all of our youth counterparts are very interested to take through this idea. Nowadays, through water, climate change has begun to affect the economic fundamentals. And it is at this moment that people begin to pay attention: when the money starts going, the problem is real. It is better to pay attention to these issues now before the money goes down as the water did before it.                

At Cairo Water Week, the International Committee of the Red Cross presented an overview of the organisation’s perspective on the impact of conflict, climate change and environmental degradation on human security.  According to the ICRC, 60% of the 20 countries most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to climate change are affected by an armed conflict. This insight relies on data drawn from the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) which summarises a country’s vulnerability to climate change and other global challenges in combination with its preparedness to improve resilience. Examples from the global ranking include Yemen (ranked at no. 171 of 182), Syria (ranked at no. 153) and Iraq (ranked at no. 120). The ICRC points out that people in fragile and conflict affected countries are among those most requiring support for climate action but are often left out.

In the field of water, for those living in marginal, arid lands which are the scene of conflict, access to water is critical and is a matter of survival. When food stops growing, the only coping strategy has been to migrate out of the region. As of May 2022, for instance, in Somalia, 90-% of the country faced drought, 1,4 million children are likely to suffer from malnutrition, crops are failing, water resources are depleted, livestock is lost, and some 270, 000 have left their homes in search of food and water. In urban areas, the destruction of water supply and treatment infrastructure in combination with the fact that citizens can be trapped by combat leads to the reliance on untreated water and the spread of disease. In Mariupol, Ukraine for example citizens took to melting snow or using water from radiators. In Syria, damage to water infrastructure has reduced supply by between 30-40%. There is a growing funding discrepancy between ‘stable’ countries and countries in conflict.

Water supply is affected by direct and indirect factors: conflict can cause direct damage to electricity supplies and/or water supply infrastructure or he death of technician and maintenance crew. Indirect factors include a ‘brain drain’ due to the out migration of skilled staff, the shortage of spare parts, or the shortage of funds with which to purchase them. In many areas, the lack of sufficient quantities of safely managed water makes the battle against an outbreak of disease almost impossible.

In terms of adaptation, at national level, efforts to adapt to climate change can be hampered by the focus on security considerations. At the local level, a response mechanism is to change or diversify livelihood sources or, in the absence of alternatives, simply to migrate out of the region. In these areas international support predominantly comes in the form of humanitarian aid. This aid was originally designed to be a short-term intervention but is increasingly turning to long term considerations.                               

As a result, the ICRC calls for the acknowledgement of human vulnerability to climate risks in areas of conflict and support in these areas for programmes aimed at increasing resilience. It calls for the global community to live up to its commitments to bolster climate action in vulnerable countries and to ensure that fit-for-purpose climate finance is available for such vulnerable conflict zones.   

A new World Health Organisation (WHO) report on the water situation in the North East of Syria (NES) reveals the situation of one million people in the region as they struggle to access clean water.

The report, entitled “WHO’s Report on Water Situation and Diarrheal Diseases in NES”, focuses on the Alouk water station in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, an area controlled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

460.000 of the Governorate’s inhabitants rely on the Alouk water station for drinking water and a further 500.000 - including 140.000 internally displaced people distributed through several camps - also rely on water transported from there. Many of the region’s healthcare services are also dependent on water provided by this station.

However, this water station goes out of service frequently leaving these people forced to buy unsafe private water at high costs or to use unsafe sources. Many are drilling their own wells in search of water. The report says: “Water shortages impose serious public health risks, including outbreaks of water-borne and water-related diseases such as diarrhoea, hepatitis, and skin diseases which might eventually further challenge the weakened health system in NES by more than a decade of crisis. “

Alouk Water Station is situated in Turkey controlled territory and, in 2019, a deal between Turkey and AANES was reached where NES would have access to water produced by the station in exchange for providing local populations with electricity.

However, AANES has accused Turkish armed forces of interfering with the water station’s operations repeatedly leaving one million Syrians with no access to clean water. Since May, according to the WHO, the NES has seen a rise in acute diarrhoea cases with 99.079 reported cases in 2022 so far, a figure which is already higher than the 2021 total. The report attributes this rise to acute water shortages.

Cholera has returned to Haiti after gang activity blocked roads in the country preventing fuel distribution. This has led to fuel shortages which have made it impossible for water distribution services to supply clean drinking water to the country. Between 2010 and 2019, there were 820.000 reported cases of cholera and Haiti and 10.000 died of the disease. Now, after the country registered no cases for three years, authorities are issuing a new epidemiological alert.

There have now been more than 200 confirmed cases and more than 15 deaths caused by the new outbreak.Cholera causes extreme cases of diarrhoea and vomiting which may lead to dehydration and can quickly lead to death if left untreated. It spreads through the consumption of contaminated water. Haiti has been the stage of violent confrontations and gang violence which killed 470 people in July. Now, gangs have blocked the Varreaux fuel terminal, making it impossible for water suppliers to have their trucks on the road providing clean drinking water to the population.

There are currently seven cholera treatment centres operational, which means 204 beds. Not only is this figure insufficient for the growing number of cases, the centres themselves see their activity hindered by lack of access to fuel and fresh water. Although the cases were initially confined to the capital, there are now reports of suspected cases in Mirebalais, 50km North of Port-au-Prince.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent a letter to the Security Council urging members to send a “specialised armed force” to Haiti. A spokesperson to the Secretary-General said in a statement: “The Secretary-General urges the international community, including the members of the Security Council, to consider as a matter of urgency the request by the Haitian Government for the immediate deployment of an international specialised armed force to address the humanitarian crisis.”

On the 16th of October, At Cairo Water Week, a special event was held on the scaling up of water action for water and food security through an interregional platform of international organisations, national and local government and non-governmental and scientific organisations. This follows from the launch in June 2022 of the Interregional Platform on Water Scarcity. The Water Scarcity Platform is designed as a ‘centre of excellence’ which brings together experts and stakeholders from different regions, drawing on their collective knowledge, in an action oriented and result based partnership to accelerate the achievement of water and food security and sustainable development in the various regions. The observation is that currently in the Middle East and North Africa, the interconnected systems of land, soil and water are currently being stretched to the limit. Currently, land and water resources have been stretched to the point at which the productivity of key agricutural systems is compromised, and livelihoods are being threatened. Land degradation, soil erosion, salinisation and groundwater pollution are not being perceived as urgent risks, but they run deep and are persistent. The complexity of the task of responding to this, experts argue, should not be underestimated. For all regions, the past records and future projections of renewable water availability per capita demonstrate systematic decline since the 1960’s. According to the 2021 review of the state of the world’s land and water resources conducted by the FAO, currently about 1,2 billion people live in areas where severe water shortages and scarcity challenge and where there is high drought frequency in rainfed cropland and pastureland areas or high water stress in irrigated areas challenge agriculture.

The UN food systems summit last year called for a review of existing systems and more environmentally smart food systems. This seems at first glance to include managing trade- offs and competition between different sectors, but there are solutions which do not emphasise differences but accentuate synergies. Currently, the panel members at the event argued, the meaningful engagement with key stakeholders, i.e. local farmers, is absolutely key to effectuating a transformation. In the region, furthermore, the availability of cropland is 0.16 ha per capita as compared to the global average of 0,20 ha: the transformation must take place with less cropland than the global average.   FAO launched its new regional platform to cope with water scarcity: the understanding is that it is necessary to flag the main water food and climate issues that need attention and explore ways to work together on key areas for intervention while doing this inclusively and mobilising the requisite finances.

On September 4th, Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Minister for Federal Planning made an appeal for an “immense humanitarian response for 33 million people” following the widespread and unprecedented flooding that the country experienced over the past months. Rainfall during July and August was 190% above the thirty-year average and during August, and rainfall in Balochistan and Sindh provinces was 590% and 726% above average respectively. As a result, in early September, one third of the entire country was flooded, affecting 15% of Pakistan’s population. According to Relief Web, as of the 14th of September, nearly 1,400 people had lost their lives, of which 499 children. In addition, floods have washed away 65% of Pakistan’s main food crops, and 3 million livestock have disappeared. 1,4 million hectares of cropland are flooded in the most affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan Provinces, and an estimated 750 000 livestock have been killed. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated in early September that 6.4 million people  were in direct need of assistance. It further estimated that some 900 health facilities had been affected and warned of outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases, skin infections, respiratory tract infections, malaria, and dengue virus. By mid-September these outbreaks were manifesting themselves: the World Food Programme reported 134,000 cases of diarrhoea and 44,000 cases of malaria in Sindh province. The WHO has delivered mobile medical camps to affected districts, has delivered more than 1.7 million water purification tablets, and has provided test kits to detect the emergence of infectious diseases.

International relief efforts have been pouring in and are being coordinated by the National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities and the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum. To date the World Bank has announced US $ 350 million in support, the World Food Programme has offered $ 110 million, The U.S. government has committed $ 33 million, the UK has committed $ 46.6 million, the Asian Development Bank has committed $ 20 million, the Disasters Emergency Committee has raised US $ 15,8 million, Islamic Relief has raised US $ 7,5 million, and Japan has contributed $ 7 million.

The economic impact of the floods is expected to be significant: a report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development points out that Sindh province accounts for 42% of national rice production, 23% of cotton production, and 31% of sugarcane production. Beyond direct economic losses there are major losses to agricultural equipment, rural infrastructure, and the costs of draining and rehabilitating agricultural land.                    

On the 16th of October, At Cairo Water Week, a special event was held on the scaling up of water action for water and food security through an interregional platform of international organisations, national and local government and non-governmental and scientific organisations. This follows from the launch in June 2022 of the Interregional Platform on Water Scarcity. The Water Scarcity Platform is designed as a ‘centre of excellence’ which brings together experts and stakeholders from different regions, drawing on their collective knowledge, in an action oriented and result based partnership to accelerate the achievement of water and food security and sustainable development in the various regions. The observation is that currently in the Middle East and North Africa, the interconnected systems of land, soil and water are currently being stretched to the limit. Currently, land and water resources have been stretched to the point at which the productivity of key agricultural systems is compromised, and livelihoods are being threatened. Land degradation, soil erosion, salinisation and groundwater pollution are not being perceived as urgent risks, but they run deep and are persistent. The complexity of the task of responding to this, experts argue, should not be underestimated. For all regions, the past records and future projections of renewable water availability per capita demonstrate systematic decline since the 1960’s. According to the 2021 review of the state of the world’s land and water resources conducted by the FAO, currently about 1,2 billion people live in areas where severe water shortages and scarcity challenge and where there is high drought frequency in rainfed cropland and pastureland areas or high water stress in irrigated areas challenge agriculture.

The UN food systems summit last year called for a review of existing systems and more environmentally smart food systems. This seems at first glance to include managing trade- offs and competition between different sectors, but there are solutions which do not emphasise differences but accentuate synergies. Currently, the panel members at the event argued, the meaningful engagement with key stakeholders, i.e. local farmers, is absolutely key to effectuating a transformation. In the region, furthermore, the availability of cropland is 0.16 ha per capita as compared to the global average of 0,20 ha: the transformation must take place with less cropland than the global average.   FAO launched its new regional platform to cope with water scarcity: the understanding is that it is necessary to flag the main water food and climate issues that need attention and explore ways to work together on key areas for intervention while doing this inclusively and mobilising the requisite finances.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the country’s Department of State have launched the 2022-2027 US Global Water Strategy.

According to USAID’s press release, the document “envisions a water-secure world that advances health, prosperity, stability, and resilience through sustainable and equitable water resources management and access to safe drinking water, sanitation services, and hygiene.”

Indeed, this sets the guidelines for the role the country is going to play in the world for the next five years when it comes to water-related issues. 14 government agencies contributed to create what’s going to be the main instrument of implementation of the White House Global Water Security Action Plan announced by Vice-President Kamala Harris in June.

The document was structured around four main goals: to strengthen sector governance, financing, institutions, and markets; to increase equitable access to safe, sustainable, and climate-resilient water and sanitation services, and the adoption of key hygiene behaviours, to improve climate-resilient conservation and management of freshwater resources and associated ecosystems; to anticipate and reduce conflict and fragility related to water.

During the previous five years, USAID programmes exceeded objectives to provide 15 million people with access to safe drinking water and eight million people with access to sanitation services.Now, for the 2022-2027 period, the agency aims to provide an additional 22 million people with safe drinking water and also 22 million people with access to sanitation.

In addition, the programme will aim to mobilise, over the next five years, US$ 1bn for water security, sanitation and hygiene. 

Widespread flooding in Nigeria has led to the displacement of more than 1.4 million people, left 90,000 homes under water and led to the deaths of more than 500 people. The floods have affected 27 of Nigeria’s 36 states from the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers to the Bayelsa National Forest at the head of the Niger delta. In addition, it is estimated that some 70,566 hectares of farmland have been completely inundated. The Nigerian federal government has described the situation as being ‘beyond its control’. According to NASA’s earth observatory, the rainy season, which normally occurs from April to October, has been exceptionally harsh this year, and the floods are the worst on record since 2012.  The floods started in Yobe in July and Jigawa state in August before spreading to other states in September.   In September, reportedly opened overflow spillways at Lagdo dam to reduce pressure on the dam from rising waters.

However the Nigerian news outlet Punch argues that, as a result of feasibility studies conducted in 1982 for the Lagdo dam, Cameroon urged its neighbour Nigeria to build a buffer dam downstream, which the Nigerian government had initially agreed to do. This downstream dam, known as the Dasin Hausa dam, was to be located downstream inside Nigeria and was to have a capacity sufficient to capture excess water released from the Lagdo dam. In 2015, three years after destructive floods which took place in 2012, the House of Representatives discussed continuing the construction of the envisaged Dasin Hausa dam to prevent loss of life from flowing. However, this dam has never been completed. In a similar vein, the Guardian Nigeria questions disaster existing response mechanisms including awareness raising, the allocation of land for development in designated floodplains, the low levels of funding for disaster mitigation, the centralisation of decisions on flood protection and disaster response.   

Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation includes target (SDG) 6.3, which commits states to halve the proportion of untreated wastewater released into the environment by 2030. This target, researchers have found,  is insufficient to avoid water quality problems in several regions of the world. This is the conclusion of a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and published by Communications Earth & Environment.

As populations grow in some areas of the globe, the issue of wastewater treatment becomes a more difficult problem to solve. Water contaminated with faecal matter may result in outbreaks of diseases like cholera which, when left untreated, can and often does result in death by dehydration. The researchers acknowledged the existence of a knowledge gap when it came to understanding the impacts of halving wastewater by 2030 and developed a new model to understand if this would be sufficient to guarantee safe drinking water worldwide. “Our results highlight the need to go beyond the SDG-target for wastewater treatment in order to achieve the overarching goal of clean water for all,” stated the researchers in the study. 

Speaking to the Environment Journal, Edward Jones, the main author, said: “Our simulations show that, for a large part of the year, water quality in several regions would still exceed critical thresholds for human uses and ecosystem health. This is especially the case for developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.” The study found that, although implementing wastewater treatment measures would improve the quality of water locally, it would be the populations located downstream from water sources that would end up not having access to clean water due to the cumulative effect of the pollutants upstream.

As even achieving SDG 6.3 will mean a great expenditure, the authors warn that providing clean water worldwide may be a very expensive process. Jones stated: “‘Even achieving the current SDG target will pose serious economic challenges, as expansion of wastewater treatment can be an expensive process.” He added: “Yet the cost disadvantages of inadequate water quality for sectoral uses must also be considered. Ultimately, however, we also need to reduce our pollutant emissions and develop new approaches towards wastewater management”.

A new study published by Water Research has found that deforestation caused by climate change can have a negative impact on water quality in reservoirs. A team of researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) conducted a study on the Rappbode reservoir in the Harz region of Germany and found that the indirect consequences of climate change on water quality are being seriously underestimated.

The Rappbode reservoir is Germany’s largest and serves one million people. Periods of drought from 2015 to 2020 have weakened surrounding trees and made them more vulnerable to disease and plagues, reducing the tree population by 50%.Prof. Michael Rode, one of the authors and a UFZ hydrologist, said: “This massive forest dieback is advancing rapidly and is dramatic. This will have consequences for the drinking water reservoir." 

Forests, the study found, filter water and bind nutrients. This facilitates water treatment processes, as it diminishes the amount of algae in the reservoir’s waters. By retaining elements like nitrogen or phosphorous, waters leave less available nutrients for algae to flourish.The research found that an anticipated deforestation of 80% will result in an 85% increase in phosphorus and a 120% increase in nitrogen in the dam. As a result, there would be a 80% increase in diatoms (micro algae) and a 200% increase in green algae.

Prof. Rode stated: “Nutrient input to reservoir catchment areas should be reduced even more than previously, reforestation projects with drought-resistant tree species should be further promoted and waterworks should be adapted to the impending developments with selective water removal strategies.”

Dr. Xiangzhen Kong, the study’s main author, stated: “Forest dieback as an indirect consequence of climate change has a more pronounced effect on reservoir water quality than direct effects of climate change such as elevated water temperature. We were actually surprised by the extent of this effect.”

A new study has found that warming winters may cause an increased downstream exposure to chemicals. Although there is still insufficient data to determine the exact impact on water quality, it is certain that the phenomenon causes an increase in phosphorus and nitrogen levels in both groundwater and surface water.

The study, conducted by six researchers led by University of Kansas’ Erin C Seybold was published in Environmental Research Letter under the title “Winter runoff events pose an unquantified continental-scale risk of high wintertime nutrient export.”

Chemicals usually used for agriculture typically freeze during cold winters. Under normal circumstances, the slow melt of frozen areas in the Spring gives plants a chance to absorb them and prevent excessive accumulation downstream.

However, warming winters mean that this process is becoming quicker and starting sooner. As a result, nutrients are released much quicker and plants are unable to absorb them as they rush downstream contaminating water bodies.

The study focused on the United States, assessing the impact of early thawing and rains. It states: “Runoff from such midwinter events was historically infrequent, but these increasingly common winter flushing events can interact with nutrient-rich landscapes to export large pulses of nutrients from soils to receiving waters, with potentially detrimental, but largely unknown, impacts on downstream water quality.”

The increased levels of these chemicals can cause water contamination, algal overgrowth and may lead to the appearance of hypoxic dead zones: patches of water where conditions are not suitable for animal life leading to fish die-offs or fauna migration.

According to the study, this phenomenon is caused by two anthropogenic factors: climate change and use of phosphorus and nitrogen in agriculture.

Research from the Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago has provided evidence from India on the direct relationship between water treatment and the reduction in child mortality. Although ample evidence already exists on the relationship between untreated water and the spread of potentially deadly waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, it is difficult to quantify the reduction in child mortality that is directly attributable to efforts to reduce microbial contamination through water treatment. Such analysis requires prohibitively large sample sizes and needs to be extracted by comparing a range of studies of impacts of water quality interventions on child diarrhoea with recent studies which include child mortality data.

The study was conducted by Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer and others and entitled ‘Potential Reduction in Child Mortality through Expanding Access to Safe Drinking Water in India’. It concluded that safely managed water reduces under-five child mortality by about 25%. The study also showed that water treatment is among the most cost-effective ways to reduce child mortality.

The evidence for the study was based on the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), a programme of the Modi government to supply an adequate quantity of safe drinking water to all rural households on a long- term basis.  The programme aims to create rural infrastructure that enables each rural household to have a functional tap connection by 2024. Based on the results of the study it is estimated that the JJM could prevent the premature deaths of 136,000 children every year in India. The requirement for this is that there is no microbial contamination in the water, which places quite high demands on water quality management throughout the country.   

On the 8th of November, the Asian Development Bank announced a U.S. $ 200 million goal to finance water resilience initiatives in the Asia Pacific region. This was announced at COP 27 in Egypt where during the first of ten thematic days of the Water Pavilion at COP 27, the World Resources Institute, the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank organised an event on financing climate resilience through investments in water. The event departed from the observation that water related investment can make a considerable contribution to both adaptation and mitigation efforts, as well as accelerate the transition to net zero emissions, strengthen resilience and achieve SDG 6.  However, organisers observe, even though several studies have shown that the benefit of investing in resilience can outweigh the cost by a factor of four to one, investments in resilience are still lagging behind. The goal of the session was to help show the way forward, knowing that time is in short supply to respond adequately to the challenges of climate change. 

With the impact of climate change likely to increase over the coming years, focusing on resilience in water resources management has become central to climate adaptation. ARe yoU Water Resilient, for instance, is a technical assistance programme to support developing member countries and other institutional entities in achieving resilience by analysing gaps, needs and opportunities, and building the capacity and mobilising the resources needed. The Asia Pacific Water Resilience Initiative

In the past 12 months the Asia Pacific region has witnessed many examples of climate change such as heat stress in India, and floods in Bangladesh and Pakistan.  Permafrost is melting in the Hindu Kush mountains, which threatens the long-term water security of the region. Investing in resilience therefore is logical from a financial perspective, and resilience needs to be built into most investment decisions. Over the past year, the ADB increased its investment package in climate resilience from US $ 80 million to US $ 100 million, of which some two thirds are dedicated to mitigation measures while one third is dedicated to adaptation measures, and a large proportion of this amount will be invested in the water sector. The initiative is supported by the government of the Netherlands (US $ 20 million) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundatin (U.S. $ 10 million)Three key initiatives have been launched: first the ADB has recently established the Asia Pacific Water Resilience Hub, which will provide technical assistance to local water institutions to embed resilience into their programmes and operations. Secondly, the ADB has produced a guidance note on mainstreaming water resilience in the Asian Pacific region which will help equip staff and clients to operationalise resilience and adaptive capacity in the water sector. Third, the ADB seeks to mobilise $ 200 million in grant financing to mobilise and leverage $ 10 billion climate adaptation financing for the ADB’s water sector operations from 2023 to 2030. The initiative will be critical to achieving climate related goals and targets including those contained in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai framework The action includes additional tools such as boosting gender mainstreaming, increasing private sector participation and investing in water entities.

Roger Voorhies, speaking on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, mentioned that the foundation’s focus on sanitation in partnership with the ADB has only increased since climate impacts became evident such as safely managed sanitation systems that are now overflowing into natural watercourses, for instance in Uganda in calculating overall emissions the impact of sanitation on emissions had not yet been taken into account, but it was found that the emissions from water bodies into which untreated sewage was leaking, together with emissions from open pits and similar sources actually amounted to the same as the rest of the country’s overall emissions. Sanitation is therefore a huge issue both in terms of access and in terms of climate resilience. A partnership was initiated together with the ADB several years ago to look at investments in city wide inclusive sanitation. In the beginning only a small proportion of investment – less than 0,2%of investments – were going into safely managed, non-sewered sanitation. And currently, through the partnership, $ 1,5 billion is being invested in city wide inclusive sanitation, of which 400 million $ is being invested in non-sewered sanitation solutions. The latter are important because they have an impact in reducing water demand, in reducing the amount of wastewater produced, in reducing emissions, and they increase sanitation access for low-income population groups. The Asian experience in a very positive one in terms of leading people out of poverty, but with climate change there is an increased need to invest in resilience.   

Civil penalties for UK water companies caught releasing untreated wastewater are going to increase 1000-fold from US$286 thousand to US$286 million, announced Ranil Jayawardena, the UK’s Environment Secretary. After 2021 saw an increase from 40 to 62 pollution incidents by water companies, the UK Government is moving to push for more investment in infrastructure and a subsequent decrease in these incidents.

Although criminal action may result in unlimited penalties, these processes are lengthy and costly. On the other hand, civil sanctions called Variable Monetary Penalties (VMP) are much quicker and can be implemented directly by the Environment Agency (EA). However,VMPs have a limit of £250.000 (US$286.000), an amount the EA finds insufficient and is, therefore, raising.

In response to the increase in water pollution incidents, the EA has requested all water companies to submit plans to improve environmental performance and infrastructure. In an announcement by the EA, Jayawardena said: “I have been clear that if water companies don’t do what is expected, there will be consequences. Bigger financial penalties will act as a greater deterrent and push water companies to do more, and faster, when it comes to investing in infrastructure and improving the quality of our water.”

Quoted by the same announcement, Sir James Bevan, the Environment Agency Chief Executive said: “Criminal prosecutions can be lengthy and costly, so we welcome today’s proposals which will make it easier for us to hold water companies to account for environmental crimes. We will now work closely with government to put this plan into action.”

Miyahuna, the Jordan Water Company, has signed a US$22.6 million grant agreement with USAID to finance national projects aiming to reduce water losses. The deal was signed by Miyahuna Director-General Mohammad Al-Oran and is going to finance projects in the Amman and Zarqa regions to reduce water loss by up to 3.6 million cubic metres per year. 

Jordan had already implemented, between 2015 and 2019, The Water Loss Project, also funded by USAID, that tackled water efficiency issues in the country. Miyahuna will contribute a further $2.4 million and this will integrate the country’s effort to reduce water loss by 25% by 2040. Jordan has been suffering with insufficient water after a long-standing drought has hit the country and the government is determined to reduce water loss, increase efficiency and build and improve water infrastructure.

This project will fund the insulation of water lines, installation of leak detectors and a greater surveillance to detect illegal water links. As part of the agreement, Miyahuna will also draft a plan for the Central Region’s governorate to improve water infrastructure and accommodate increasing water demand. 

Back in June, the Jordan Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar and USAID had signed an agreement where the American aid agency pledged to increase funding to the country from $152 million to $227 million to tackle water loss. More recently, in September, US Ambassador to Jordan Henry Wooster toured the Jordan Valley to oversee progress being made on water efficiency projects in the region.

Public Services International (PSI), a global union of workers in public services and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) have held a four day event called Africa Water Week Against Water Privatisation to push against IMF and World Bank led efforts to sell water resources.

The event preceded the Cairo Water Week, but coincided with the annual World Bank and IMF meeting, and was held between the 11th and 14th of October under the theme “African Communities, Connected Struggles Against Water Privatisation.”

Activities included community water assemblies in participating countries, visits to executive and legislative bodies demanding action, petitions and rallies. In Lagos, the African Women Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network (AWWASHNet) listened to women who work in markets explain that the lack of safe, clean water makes keeping produce fresh very costly.

Quoted by the event’s organisation, Grace Oshonaike, a  Lagos food seller, said: “Our inability to get adequate water to wash food items compromises food safety and increases the chances of food contamination. If there is adequate water this will be avoided.”

In a statement made available on the event’s website, CAPPA stated that communities from Nigeria, Mozambique, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya and Gaboon had united in this second edition of the Africa Water Week Against Water Privatisation to make their voices heard.

Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA said in the statement: “When communities are deprived of a fundamental right that guarantees their existence and the bond that has kept them linked to their culture and spirituality for generations, they will eventually cease to exist. (…) But the message is clear. We do not want our water systems to be privatised.”

A Uruguayan company, Taficor, has seen its bid approved by the government to install water purification systems to bring the country’s water arsenic levels down to international standards. Levels of arsenic in Uruguay's water have been historically high and, in 2010, the country adhered to an international norm that establishes a maximum level of 10 micrograms per litre, bringing it down from a maximum of 50.

Despite being given, originally, a 10 year period to comply, the country asked for two more and now has until November 2023 to comply with the new maximum levels allowed. While the National Administration of State Sanitary Works (OSE) was debating whether to implement reverse osmosis, water purification or filter absorption systems, the private company put forward a proposal to invest US$ 10mn in water purification units.

On top of this, a US $900 thousand maintenance cost needs to be factored in for a project that will install 190 water purification units over 15 years.OSE data indicate that 136.000 people in Uruguay have access to water with arsenic levels of more than 20 micrograms per litre.

780 State-authorised boreholes are known to exist from which 28% of the country’s needs are met, however, 37% of them show levels of arsenic higher that will be allowed after November 2023.

Inorganic arsenic, the kind that can be found in groundwater can have adverse health effects. According to the WHO, “Intake of inorganic arsenic over a long period can lead to chronic arsenic poisoning (arsenicosis). Effects (…) include skin lesions, peripheral neuropathy, gastrointestinal symptoms, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, developmental toxicity, and cancer of the skin and internal organs.’

The Ghana Water Company Limited stated this month that the pollution of water bodies through illegal mining is increasing the cost of water purification. Up to 50% of water supplied by water treatment facilities must be discarded for use because the salinity level does not comply with national standards.The result is a substantial reduction of the amount of water of sufficient quality that is available for use. 

Clifford Braimah was talking to national media outlet Ghanian Times as he toured water bodies in mining communities with Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.

Braimah said that mining activity was having an impact on water treatment processes and, instead of disposing of the usual 5% treated water due to high levels of salinity, the company was having to dispose of as much as 50% of treated water leaving populations with insufficient provision.

Illegal and artisanal small-scale mining, also known in the country as Galamsey has considerable environmental impact in the country destroying forest cover and releasing sludge to water streams.

This makes water treatment difficult and expensive as companies like GWCL see themselves forced to invest in specific chemicals and to stop operations frequently for maintenance.

During the same visit, Minister Dapaah condemned illegal mining practices. She said: “We all sit down and say it is the Ghanaian who leads the foreigners into the hinterlands to do this evil work. We should stop it. Every village and community knows its people. In every region, we know where they are. (…) So we should all work together as citizens to make sure we reclaim what God has given us.”

With water quality deteriorating in Ghana, the resource is becoming scarcer and more expensive. Braimah said in an interview to a local news outlet that if Ghanians insisted on maintaining illegal mining practices, then he would have to factor these into the water tariff and pass them on to the consumer.

As the Ghanian government is trying to come up with effective ways to tackle illegal mining, the Minister remains adamant in trying to shut it down: She said: “No matter who you are, if you go wrong in this fight, you will be dealt with seriously.”