World Water Week brings together the scientists, activists, creative thinkers and policy makers to save lives and improve water stewardship

Water has captured our imagination for centuries, but in recent decades it’s been taken for granted by people that have it and it has required too much from people who don’t.  The good news is that if we manage water properly and prioritize water where it can have the most benefit we can save millions of lives each year (mostly children).  Bringing clean water to the world raises education levels, protects precious natural resources and empowers women.   To paraphrase Hillary Clinton on World Water Day – there aren’t many diplomatic efforts that can do that.

The folks at the Stockholm International Water Institute which hosts World Water Week each year recognize how essential water is to all life.  And the focus of their meeting this September was the challenge of water quality.   The meeting brought together some of the most exciting new ideas about water and water management. 

Highlights of the Meeting

Dr. Rita Colwell received the Stockholm Water Prize for her work identifying the disease pathways of cholera, and the correlation between water temperature, presence of zooplankton and the presence of cholera in the water.  Her work utilizes sophisticated satellite technology which can measure water temperature and zooplankton to predict outbreaks of cholera.   Dr. Colwell also discovered that one of the best readily available filters to fight the cholera is a well-worn sari folded several times and use of the sari filter has reduced the incidence of cholera in India.

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize went to students from Canada Alexandre Allaard and Danny Luong who developed a new method to breakdown polystyrene using microorganisms and enzymes.  Several contestants for the Junior Water Prize worked along the same theme, identifying systems to remove contaminants like nitrogen and phosphorous from greywater, using constructed wetlands to make water safe for use in household gardens.  And students from Ghana implemented an end-to-end community water system training a community to use proper hygiene practices at sanitation and design a primary water treatment system.

Reinventing our approach to water

Rethinking approaches to wastewater and sanitation was a prevalent theme which couldn’t be more critical to the 2.6 billion people who lack have a sanitary toilet. Half of the world’s malnutrition is caused by water and sanitation-related diseases. Malnutrition and repeated episodes of diarrhea during childhood can impair physical growth and cognitive function throughout life.  Children that live long enough to attend school often start off at a disadvantage.  The good news is that efforts to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene in schools significantly reduces diseases and increases student attendance and academic success.

At World Water Week, water managers sought to find new solutions the water and sanitation challenge.  With an eye to ‘shortcuting historical pollution trends’  they hope to improve water quality by leapfrogging outdated water treatment methods.  Given the pressures on growing communities, the old models of water and sanitation services often result in significant water quality impairment.  Water quality degradation delays development, impacts people's quality of life and often irreversibly damages ecosystems.  

Sunita Narain, of the Center for Science and the Environment in New Delhi explained that all countries are forced to deal with water pollution, but face different pollutants depending on levels of development.   The developing world faces the challenges of providing basic sanitation to reduce waterborne illness and treat human waste.  Parasitic intestinal worms caused by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene infect two billion people (one-third of the world’s population) annually. Worms affect an estimated 400 million school-aged children in the developing world, causing developmental and behavioral disturbances that can diminish their ability to learn.  In the the developed world, which has largely addressed bacterial threats, pesticides, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals pose new threats to safe water. 

Dr. Narain challenged participants to think outside the box – about economical solutions, that would help developing countries break the cycle of increasing economic growth and resulting pollution.   A new engineering approach was required she claimed.  She recommended decentralized sewage treatment and increased dependence on local water sources; recharging local water aquifers; protecting tanks, ponds, and rainwater harvesting. 

Achim Steiner (the head of UNEP) emphasized the opportunity to view water quality through the ‘Green Economy’ lens encouraging participants to reflect on a systems perspective (social, ecological and economic).   UNEP has found that for everyone dollar of investment in water, there are between 5 and 46 dollars in economic gains.

Integration of water tools

Integration of locally available natural water storage and transportation solutions, rather than traditional centralized treatment and long pipes was another approach echoed throughout the conference.  Climate change threats to water supply and sanitation systems was a primary reason the International Water Management Institute argued for integrated water management rather than reliance on large dams. They recommended small farmers use water from wetlands, water stored in the soil, groundwater and water collected in ponds, tanks and reservoirs to ‘diversify and reduce risk in their water accounts to provide a buffer against climate impacts’.

Get Involved

And now, as the global water and sanitation crisis continues to loom over the billions of people affected, it is up to us to bring the lessons of World Water Week to our policy makers and to development agencies to make sure that they prioritize water and sanitation.  Take action now, to protect life by bringing water to the world.