Applying a Gender and Science Lens to Water Issues

Apply a Gender and Science Lens to Water Issues , Trieste, Italy 1 -4 Dec 2015 GENDER InSITE SUMMARY – 28 DEC 2015 KSS

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Applying a Gender and Science Lens to Water Issues

Kathleen Sullivan Sealey, Ph.D.

Overview of the TWAS Science Diplomacy/ Gender InSITE Meeting

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Welcome remarks – Romain Murenzi, TWAS Executive Director;

The goal to address water sustainability issues through science diplomacy stems from the Sustainable

Development Goals. Most developing countries have the challenge to manage economic growth without

compromising resources. The complexity of climate change will require improved water resource management

– this issue can’t be left to future generations.

Globally, there are serious transboundary issues with water. In Africa, water resources that span several

countries are mis-used and mis-managed because of civil war and political instability. Watersheds that provide

water for millions of people are in jeopardy, and political problems are exacerbated by issues of water

protection and water security.

The World Academy of Science (TWAS) 1was founded in 1983 by under the leadership of the Nobel Laureate

Abdus Salam of Pakistan by a group of distinguished scientists who were determined to do something about the

dismal state of scientific research in countries. Although developing countries account for 80% of the world’s

population, only 28% of the world's scientists hail from these countries. This fact reflects the lack of innovative

potential necessary to solve real-life problems affecting poor nations. A chronic lack of funds for research often

forces scientists in developing countries into intellectual isolation, jeopardizing their careers, their institutions

and, ultimately, their nations.

TWAS started with 43 members, and 1100 fellows from 92 countries. The organization aimed to promote

science in the least-developed countries with three strategies: 1) recognizing scientists and scientific

accomplishment in developing countries with prizes; 2) Promoting education through courses and conferences,

and 3.) Funding fellowships for Ph.D. study. Even with this activity over the past 30 years, Africa is lagging

behind in producing research scientists. Most recently, TWAS is promoting:

A) PhD training fellowships more “South-South” programs for Ph.D. training, as the cost of sending a

student to the UK, US and Canada escalates. The cost to train a Ph.D. in the traditional “North-South”

programs exceeds US$300,000. More training can occur at less costly universities in the southern

hemisphere,

B) TWAS is also promoting 3-month postdoctoral training opportunities to facilitate the exchange of new

technologies. These exchanges are occurring between African countries with Germany and Canada.

These visiting scholar opportunities are designed to improve teaching and research, and,

C) Research Funding for innovative research that addresses developing world problems, and

D) Science Diplomacy – this is a critical new area for TWAS to bridge the gap between science and policy

makers. Science Diplomacy aims to get different parties talking about problem resolution relating to

climate change and gender issues.

This natural network of scientists and institutions around the globe is recognizing the growing role of women in

science.

1 See http://twas.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Laureate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdus_Salam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan


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Setting the scene on science diplomacy, Peter McGrath

Water is really central to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [See Box 1 for a more

detailed explanation of the history of the SDGs]. What is Science Diplomacy? This idea was developed by the

AAAS and Royal Society –UK. The goal of the Science Diplomacy initiative was to take a new approach to

solving the world’s “wicked problems” [See Box 2 for an explanation]. The initiative aimed to

Put Science in Diplomacy;

Promote Diplomacy for Science, and

Advocate Science for Diplomacy.

The strategies included bringing together the policy-making community and the scientific community (both

experts and young researchers) to discuss and access information on important national and global issues.

Science AND Diplomacy are seen as essential components for solving the vexing “wicked issues” of the world

for which there are NO military solutions. Since 2011, TWAS has adopted the Science Diplomacy curriculum,

and recognized the need to expose young scientists to the policy arena, and concurrently, allow the policy-

makers to see the importance of building research capacity.

Integrate Water Resource Management (IWRM) is an area that requires Science Diplomacy – issues of

sustainable water management require a wide range of expertise from engineers to scientists to user groups and

politicians. Since 1977, the concept of IWRM has been proposed, but not globally acted on. Now, more than

ever, IWRM is required to meet the SDGs. There has been a rapid increase in global water use, with growing

demands for water from the agriculture sector and growing urban areas. With development, and increase in the

global per capita water, there is already water stress approaching high levels in the US and Mexico.

The World Resource Institute (WRI) has compiled data on water needs and population growth, and has

identified future water issues emerging in sub-Saharan Africa – the global region with the fastest population

growth.

There are 5 principles in IWRM:

1) Water has to be recognized as a finite resource, we do not have unlimited freshwater resources;

2) Water management requires participation from all sectors and user groups. No decision can be made

without considering impacts on water resources;

3) Women have an important role to play in water resource management

4) The aesthetic value of water and waterways must be recognized; and

5) The three E’s of sustainability have to be applied, water management must be economical, equitable and

make ecological sense.

How does science play a role in solving these “wicked” societal problems? Science and engineering is often

focused on the “tame” or controllable problems. Scientists are guilty of reporting technical solutions without

societal challenges for implementation. There tend to be three types of water issues: A: Simple problems

B: Complicated problems, and

C: Complex or “wicked” problems – these problems need to span the societal, natural and political domain.

Many of the armed conflicts today have some aspect of water resource limitations or shortages.

A key reference to look at is the book by Shaiful Islam and Lawrence Susskind, Water Diplomacy: A

Negotiated Approach to Managing Complex Water Networks.


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Figure 1: This figure from the Water Diplomacy Book, illustrates the nature of complex problems, and the

systematic approach to solutions.

,


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Geospatial Perspective on Water Resource Managements – Vijaya Lakshmi Thatiparthi, Jawaharlal

Nehru Technological University, India

Management of water in India has a deep spiritual connection, water for life theme resonates socially, and

stakeholders are encourages to consider:

3 R’s = reduce, reuse and recycle, and

5 P’s = population, policy, power, pollution and poverty

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is Natural Resource management. Large scale assessment of

resources requires remote sensing. This means a combination of aerial photography, satellite images, and

specialized sensors. The Indian Remote Sensing Agency combines national tools with NOAA AVHRR and

MODIS platforms to do complete assessment of water resources, and the changes status of these resources

The major threats to Indian water resources include: 1) Salt water intrusion and increased salinity in soils, the

can come from overuse of ground water sources, or in coastal areas; 2) Anthropogenic activities such as water

diversion, and 3) land degradation and poor land management of small scale land owners that results in a

decrease in water quality in coastal and ground water resources.

The use of Remote Sensing (RS) is important to build the data platform for IWRM, many examples were

presented that combine RS with ground measurements. Change detection is critical to understand trends. The

major goal is to build a knowledge platform for individual water shed or large river basin that can be presented

to stakeholders and be publically available. Management goals are to MINIMIZE NON-RECOVERABLE

LOSSES.

Even large countries such as India have the need to collaborate with neighboring countries, Water systems go

beyond political borders.

Science, Technology and Innovation – International Cooperation Network for Central Asian Countries,

Yannis Kechagiaras, IncoNet, CA

This presentation presented an overview of a development project for water resources in central Asia = 16

partners in four countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkistan and Kyrgyzstan). The project aims to build

analytical evidence for the status of water resources, including the threat of melting glaciers and loss of

snowfall/ mountain water resources. This will be accomplished through Policy reviews, bibliometric standards,

mapping of actions, and benchmarking exercises to document status of water resources.

The ability for developing countries to have access to technologies that allow the assessment or

“benchmarking” of water resources is a recurring issue. Part of the issue in this region to support and allow the

travel and networking of central Asian (CA) scientists. The Horizon 2020 initiative will be funding researchers

from CA to join European research teams for capacity building. The project can create KIC – Key Innovation

Communities.

The threats that need to be addressed include: 1) lack of regional data on water-related issues, 2) lack of

information on how/ how much water is used, and viewing water as a commodity, 3) Expansion of water-

intensive agriculture in low-land areas (growing cotton, rice and wheat); these areas use water resources from

mountain sources, and need to be more sustainable.

Today, there are tensions over transboundary water issues, the glaciers are shrinking, and restricted technical

and scientific cooperation between countries. The EU will be the facilitator for this new initiative. In the future,

there will be more workshops to more forward the idea of Science Diplomacy in water resource management.


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The first workshop is planned for April 2016, more information available at www.inco-ca.net and

www.ciriss.eu

Benefit Sharing: A strong tool to motivate States to cooperate- Jordon transboundary water management

(The case of the Jordon River and Yarmouk River). Maysoon Eid Hasan Al Zoubi, Water and Sanitation

Consultant, Jordan.

Looking at a map of Jordan, one can see the dynamic political landscape surrounding Jordan. This is a country

with 6 million people, and over 4 million refugees. These refugees are from neighboring Arab countries, and

cannot be turned away. With the present rate of water consumption, and damage to water resources, there will

be no water left after 2030.

Aqaba, in southern Jordan, uses desalination for water; but even before the arrival of refugees, demand exceeded

supply by over 1000 MCM (metric cubic meters). Jordan is located in the Middle East and shares borders with

Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. The fundamental importance of water cannot be overstated. The supply of

fresh potable water is essential to life, socioeconomic development, and political stability in the region. The need

for a rationalized holistic management of this most vital natural resource is paramount in order to attain a

sustainable society.

If current trends continue, it has been estimated that the country will experience a chronic water shortage by 2020.

Although a significant scope exists to reduce the demand deficit through systematic changes to the current

management, extraction, and distribution regimes, they will not be sufficient for fully satisfy the requirements;

hence a need to look beyond conventional water sources is critical.

Solutions being actively pursued include: 1) Use of wastewater for agriculture, 2) Disi Water Conveyance

project, re-enforcing the policy that no water is free; and 3) building better transboundary relationship with

countries that share Jordan’s water resources. The Disi Aquafer Water Conveyance Project is a water

supply project in Jordan. It is designed to pump 100 million MCM (2.2×1010 imp gal) of water per year from

the Disi aquifer, which lies beneath the desert in southern Jordan and northwestern Saudi Arabia. The water is

piped to the capital, Amman, and other cities to meet increased demand.

Trans-Boundary Water complexity: sharing water is challenging, especially when power is unequal between

two countries. Water is indispensable, people cannot live without water, and thus water is an issue of national

security. Jordan has the downstream end of rivers entering the country, the water rights of the Jordan River are

shared by four countries; and there is a need for enhanced cooperation. The conflicts arise between Jordan,

Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The Status Quo shows a number of isolated national programs that do not coordinate

regional water resource limitations. For example, the Israeli National Water Carrier Project (1958) that pumps

water from Lake Tiberius to the Negev; this project accounts for half of all the power needs of the country.

Syria has built a number of dams on shared water resources both for water and power. The Dead Sea has over

95% of the flow into this water body diverted, creating an ecological disaster. There have been some examples

of transboundary water management agreements incorporated into international treaties. New initiative do show

promise – the most important include

1) Red Sea- Dead Sea Conveyance Project - The need to save the unique values of the Dead Sea, the desire

to avoid an environmental calamity, and the need to develop additional water resources have led Jordan

and Israel to promote the rehabilitation of the Dead Sea. As part of peace negotiations, they conceived

the concept of water conveyance from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea as a means to arrest the declining

water level and to allow gradual refilling over time to a feasible level. The concept was also agreed to by

the Palestinian Authority. The three Beneficiary Parties have articulated a shared vision of the Red Sea–

Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept, centered on:

• Saving the Dead Sea from environmental degradation;

http://www.inco-ca.net/

http://www.ciriss.eu/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_metre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_gallon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquifer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amman


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• Desalinating water and generating energy at affordable prices for Jordan, Israel, and the

Palestinian Authority; and

• Building a symbol of peace and cooperation in the Middle East.

2) Middle East Regional Water Data Base, and

3) Engagement of civil society for the Restoration of the Jordan River Basin. The Friends of the Middle

East and Eco-Peace have a broad range of partnerships for sustainable development and restoration of

the river basin 2

The conflict in Syria continues to challenge the region to accommodate refugees. However, with the conflict,

farms have been abandoned, and there is significantly less water use in Syria, meaning that some river flow

levels are recovering. Also worth noting is the Blue Peace Initiative that seeks to help build regional

management of water resources.3

Figure 2: From Al-Bakri et al., 2013. Sustainability 2013, 5(2), 724-748.

Water U

2 See documents here foeme.org/www/?module=publications&project_id=172 3 See latest meeting discussion here http://moderndiplomacy.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=734:blue-peace-in-the-middle-east&Itemid=566


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GENDER, SCIENCE AND WATER – Why it matters. Alice Abreu, GenderInSITE, Organization for

Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).

Two key points to recognize: 1) More women is science leads to better science; Women bring diversity,

different perspectives and asking different questions, and 2) Looking at sustainability issue requires a gender

lens to make progress, Women in science face the challenges of gaining qualifications, recruitment, along with

professional retention and advancement.

Women and girls globally are responsible for collecting and providing water for households, they deal more

directly and personally with shortages of water. Women are also responsible for sanitation and hygiene in the

house. Women produce children and are the key to population management. Men and women use water

differently.

Agriculture uses approximately 70% of the world’s freshwater supply. Agricultural water use is under growing

pressure as demands for water increase; competition among cities, farmers, and the environment grows; and as

concerns grow over large-scale overdraft of groundwater and water contamination from agricultural runoff.

New threats include the challenges of climate change, which is likely to alter both water availability and

agricultural water demands. Water management projects are 6 to 7 times MORE effective when women are

involved.

The SDG will require innovative research to resolve these “wicked problems”, and 50% of the workforce

(women) can’t be excluded from the work. Gender InSITE (SITE = Science, Innovation, Technology and

Engineering) has six key sectors of interest: Transportation, Agriculture & food security, Energy, Water and

Education. The outcomes from this meeting, and future planning venues need to consider:

1) What are the main messages we are sending to policymakers? Have we communicated the critical role

of women in Science and Water Challenges?, and

2) The SDGs can be accomplished only with greater engagement and involvement of women – how can the

targets be met with unique approaches.

DRINKADRIA PROJECT – Enrico Altran

This project represents a new framework for transboundary management of water resources; DRINKADRIA

includes 17 partners in 8 countries. The project engages water utilities, researchers and government

administrators. The project GOAL is to create a stable network of experts and managers to provide a safe water

supply for Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Greece and Montenegro.

The project includes SIX work packages (WP):

WP1 – Management Coordination

WP2 – Communications and Dissemination of information

WP3 – Capitalization and Sustainability

WP4 – Cross-Border Water Resource Management – looking at how water passes through national boundaries,

combined with problems of salt water intrusion. Cross-boundary management challenges especially need to be

improved with climate change projections.

WP5 – Cross-Border Water Supply Management

WP6 – Pilot Cases examining the application of new technologies

The work that has been completed to date include reports on: 1) Predictions of climate change impacts on

regional water supply, 2) Delineation of springs and well-head protection sites, and 3) draft of cooperative

protection. A key issue has been the price of water, as some countries had provided water at no cost to citizens,

but this practice cannot continue with the increased demand and infra-structure costs.


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SBR (Sequencing batch reactors) Process for Industrial and Wastewater Treatment: Carla Galizia and

Marine Vittoria Marra, IMR E & T.

IMR designs and builds special wastewater treatment plants for over 30 years. The plants are produced with the

SBR technology and are intended for the treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater. The plant is

modular: plants is suitable for urban center, from villages to large cities, and production unit such as farm, milk

factories, beverage industry. Sequencing batch reactors (SBR) or sequential batch reactors are a type

of activated sludge process for the treatment of wastewater. SBR reactors treat wastewater such as sewage or

output from anaerobic digesters or mechanical biological treatment facilities in batches.

The problem of wastewater treatment globally cannot be overstated: 80% of wastewater worldwide is

discharged un-treated. 2.4 billion people live without any sewage system in place (no toilets, no wastewater

management). This is a tremendous health issue, and with growing populations, the problem is growing as

well.

Waste water has to be considered a resource – not something that can be thrown away. The SBR Process

allows the rapid, economical treatment of both municipal and industrial wastes – the Vertical structure of the

plants allows the placement of these systems in small areas. The use of Oxygen in the SBR means that water

can be recovered for drinking.

The SBR process can be customized to remove organic and inorganic contaminants of waste water. Pre-

treatment of the wastewater removed sediment and solids. Examples were presented of clean water recovered

from municipal wastes in small areas.

A summary of the Afternoon Break-out group discussions found in the GENDER InSITE White Paper.

DAY 1 Comments related to The Bahamas:

The overwhelming consensus at the meeting is the need for decision makers to understand the value

of INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – IWRM. Many countries are

struggling with the management of watersheds and reducing pollution to ground water, even if the

ground water resources are a back-up water source.

College of the Bahamas faces many of the same challenges as African universities, particularly in

the lack of PhD scientists on the faculty. Less than 10% of the science faculty at COB have

doctorates in science (most have doctorates in science education) but the need to be engaged in

scientific research is critical to national development. Is the Bahamas a member of TWAS, and how

can this type of assistance be used to increase the number of PhD scientists in The Bahamas.

Technologies exist to process wastewater on islands, and the recovery of waste water could be

important in managing the dependence on Reverse Osmosis Water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_sludge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastewater_treatment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digester

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_biological_treatment


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Wednesday, 2 December 2015

Presentation on application of electrochemical methods for water and wastewater treatment Tomislav

Masic, Dutch Institute for Water Treatment

Electrocoagulation (EC) and electro-oxidation technologies are playing a larger role in cleaning industrial waste

water throughout the EU. Managing pollutants and recycling waste water can be accomplished effectively with

new technologies.

Electrochemical methods, and EC in particular, have shown to be promising technologies also for the removal

of heavy metals from a vast range of effluents, being more efficient than other conventional techniques such as

chemical coagulation or absorption. EP and EC processes allow a higher energy saving with respect to the

mineralization process, since a quick and (almost) complete removal of the organic pollutants occurs with the

involvement of a low charge consumption. Furthermore, EC has been proven to be effective also in the

abatement of some heavy metal complexes. Although there are few examples in the literature reporting the

successful abatement of Cr (III) complexes by means of EC treatment alone, the efficiency of the process may

indeed be considerably enhanced by combining it with chemical or electrochemical pre-treatments.

Figure 3: Illustration of the principles behind Electro-coagulation. Pre-

treatments are critical, but most waters can be discharged or re-used

after the EC process. EC combined with Ozone, and UV treatment can

make the resulting water drinkable.

Applications of the EC process are economical and efficient for the treatment of boatyards, and marina wastes,

Landfill leachate, paper industry wastes, and food processing wastes. For example, cleaning the hulls of ships,

and shipyard wastes contain high levels of Zn (zinc) and Cu (copper), these metals can be efficiently removed,

and the sea water discharged. There are a number of pilot projects to remove heavy metals from drinking water

sources. One challenge in pharmaceutical wastes; the removal of volatile organic compounds that can act as

endocrine disruptors in biological systems (people and other organisms) is difficult.

Arsenic can be removed 100% through this technology, and landfill leachate can be sufficiently cleaned that the

resulting water can be discharged into natural waterways.


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Plenary Discussions I: Analysis by thematic groups (Basic Research, Deployment, and Policy)

BASIC RESEARCH - Oliusegun Abass, Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Urban Environments –

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Basic research is focused on key questions: 1) what are solutions to wastewater treatment across urban and rural

settings? And 2) what are the solutions for water sustainability? These questions have to be addressed through

integrated research programs. There are pressing global challenges addressed in the SDG that mean that

researchers need to look at the scope of LACK of water/ scarcity of water and LACK OF QUALITY of water

due to pollutants,

Part of the research question is addressing issues of collaboration, and sharing information. African countries in

particular lack a central source of information that allows a comprehensive study of water management. There

are emerging technologies, most notable being the use of Remote Sensing and GIS in India to create regional

assessments of water resources and uses. This does not exist in most countries; there is a lack of funding, will

and technologies to do simple assessments of water resources.

New membrane-based technologies offer new possibilities to purify water for drinking, and recycling waste

waters. Technologies such as forward osmosis, nanocomposites4 and aquaporin membranes can open up new

cost-effective ways to clean water. Membranes technologies face the challenges of fouling membrane surfaces.

For developing countries, an integrated approach is needed, not just new membrane technologies should be

considered. An emerging area of GREEN TECHNOLOGIES include incorporating biological systems into

Constructed wetlands constructed using ecologically appropriate species

Phyto-remediation using specific plants to remove heavy metals, and

Bio-remediation using ecosystem services from constructed or natural systems

Integration is key, multi-disciplinary teams are needed for planning. For example, most countries do not

adequately understand or manage ground water (e.g. aquafers and freshwater lenses). No one method of water

management or treatment can address all the challenges of pollution. But water supply and protection is not a

problem in isolation, there are important examples of INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS, such as

Malaeb, L., et al. (2014). "The Effect of Cover Geometry on the Productivity of a Modified Solar Still Desalination Unit."

Energy Procedia 50: 406-413.

Desalination methods based on renewable energy offer a promising solution to both water shortage and

environmental degradation problems that continue to grow globally. The solar still is one such method that uses a

sustainable energy source to produce potable water albeit at a relatively low productivity rate. A new modification

has been introduced to the conventional solar still to enhance its productivity. The modification consists of a light

weight, black finished, slowly-rotating drum, which leads to a sustainable, cost-effective, and low-tech amendment

that preserves the key features of the still while considerably increasing its yield compared to a control still that

does not include the drum. In this paper, three different cover geometries of the modified still are studied and the

effect of cover design on the performance of the still in terms of measured temperatures and productivity is

considered. The three cover designs are as follows: double-sloped or triangular, single-sloped and curved cover. In

addition, a conventional double-sloped still without the rotating drum is operated in parallel as a control and the

findings of this study are reported and discussed.

The challenge is to find SUSTAINABLE solutions like the example above, but these solutions are EXPENSIVE

and require EXPERTISE. A new challenge to water purification is the removal of Endocrine Disruptors

(volatile organics that mimic hormones). The more communication and information dissemination that occurs,

4 See a review of nanocomposites for waste water treatment http://vzj.geoscienceworld.org/content/14/7/vzj2015.06.0087br.extract


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the better the local solutions will be. Wastewater treatment requires community engagement and innovation.

Four components must come together for sustainability of water resources:

1. Wastewater must be considered a resource, and a new exploitable market. Governments can promote

the creation of these markets for water recovery, optimizing energy use, and resource protection.

2. Water resource monitoring and control needs real-time information. A sophisticated system of water

resource monitoring (pollutant loading, flow, quantities) and production of drinkable water.

3. New water use and water distribution models – water distribution leads to excessive losses through

pipes, and this needs more attention.

4. New multi-disciplinary approaches to water management – it is counterproductive to separate water

resources, water moves across the landscape and links ecology to human built environments. Integrated

water resource management insures a comprehensive planning environment, and is key to long-term

sustainability.

This talk was followed a number of questions and comments.

Fog Harvesting was mentioned as a new innovation for arid environments.

Education about sustainable water resource use is a critical component that should be added to the list.

Education is a gender issue, as women play a major role in household water use.

Papaya seeds were mentioned as a low-cost water filter that can remove many pollutants.

DEPLOYMENT REPORT – DERRICK DJAMANI, Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability,

University of South Africa.

Challenges facing the deployment of water resource management projects require new approaches, project

quickly become outdated because of:

Frequency and severity of droughts and floods – climate change impacts have to be taken seriously in long-

term planning and project implementation.

Long-term view of water availability – both quantity and quality of water

Consideration of the Water – Food – Energy Nexus – will there always be a “green” solution? Water is

critical to agriculture, and growing populations need food sources and food security now.

Industrial growth vs. population growth – as the development goals are implemented, the per capita use of

water increases in all countries.

The role of gender in water scarcity, and

Disputes over shared water resources.

The GOAL is to deploy affordable technologies that result in reliable, secure and safe water for all sectors.

There are some key issues that need

A. Flooding is becoming a critical issue, when houses are flooded, the government pays the homeowners.

This is no longer a viable option. Increasingly, governments will need to control flooding and store

water from extreme rainfall events. Deployment of future government projects will require better

understanding of paleo-flood events – what has happened in the past (beyond human memory) and how

can we better plan for the future? Governments need planning tools to delineate flood risk zones.

B. Rainwater harvesting will become more important, even micro-catchments on roof tops, and for small

scale farming. Macro-catchments will use the landscape to collect and contain water in constructed

wetlands and basins to protect land and coastal resources.

C. Water conservation education will become more important – people will need to more efficiently use

water and waste less.

D. Pollution is increasing with development. All countries need to manage their solid waste as part of

Integrated Water Resource Management. Increased electronic waste (e-waste), more plastics and overall

more waste per capita is adding significant challenges in leachate management as well as groundwater


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contamination. LANDFILLS ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE, just as wastewater is considered an

exploitable resource, waste needs to develop into a recycling market.

E. Population control is now an issue, this is openly discussed by African countries. There are practical

limits to how many people can be accommodated in each town, city and country.

F. Private-Public partnerships are vital, and will require new attitudes and legal mechanisms for

governments to take advantage of these partnerships.

G. Deployment of water resource projects will need to invest in Remote Sensing and GIS systems for real-

time monitoring. Data is needed on many different scales, but the cost of Remote Sensing systems has

drastically decreased, and is more affordable with new tools like drones.

POLICY REPORT – HUBERT ONIBON, UNICEF, Cameroon

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is a goal, but difficult to achieve across policy arenas. IWRM

incorporates many policy goals of ecosystem management, and providing a platform for understanding future

threats and disasters. There are number of key issues:

Limited access to information and expertise in a timely manner, Policy makers need information now in a

format that can be understood

Water scarcity is a key driver for policy

Climate change impacts are challenging to capture in workable policies

Ecosystem degradation and loss of ecosystem services (like fisheries) are difficult to account for in policy

decisions

Many countries have WEAK GOVERNANCE – meaning that there is not a strong coalition of ministers

with common interests in long-term planning and sustainability issues

Lack of expertise in planning and monitoring – two components needed in adaptive management of

resources

The GOAL of policy makers is to have universal access to water. Water should not be used as a tool for

political control. Adequate sanitation is critical for humans and the environment. Water needs for agriculture

have to be met, but agriculture has to be more efficient and innovative in the use of water. Water needs to be

available for the economic sector – like tourism – but there are limits. Development of water resources has to

be balances with ecosystem services to be sustainable. Especially after the COP21 agreement in Paris

(December 2015), natural ecosystems play a critical role in the overall carbon (and nitrogen) budget of a

country).

The policy GOAL has to be accurately identify the supplies and demands of water within a country, develop a

masterplan that is vetted and revised over time, and effective implementation of strategies and regulations.

Water can no longer be free and be used in an un-regulated manner. New water policies need to consider

Climate Change Resilience – what are the back-up plans with a disaster or chronic flooding. Policy

development needs financial resources, human resources, natural resources, and DATA. Ideally, new

technologies will use less energy to secure and move water; there should be more re-use of water and

wastewater in a comprehensive water-energy plan. What is the role of corruption in water resource

management? National Regulatory Agencies need power over private and public actors in management of water

utilities. Improved governance of the water sector is critical.


The accessibility of information from government sources is critical to meeting sustainability goals.

This is especially important in The Bahamas to make available information on water resources,

water uses, and pollution loading.


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OPEN DATA appears to be a big issue globally, and open access to information is one mechanism

to combating the issues of corruption, and management of funds on large infra-structure projects.

Flooding seems to be a global issue, but this is especially important to The Bahamas after Hurricane

Joaquin – how will flooding compensation move forward in this environment of increased flooding?

Should a “rebuild vs. relocate” tool be developed?

What are the Climate Change Planning Standards for The Bahamas? Do we accept and plan by the

Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact5? We should be planning infrastructure with a 2-foot

sea level rise by 2040 as a basic assumption.

If Landfills are un-sustainable, what are open dumps? The Bahamas appears woefully behind many

other countries in addressing the challenges and opportunities to deal with solid waste, especially the

volume of waste generated by a tourism economy.

The Bahamas had to carefully consider the linked issues of Water and Energy. Energy is required

for Reverse Osmosis, and WSC is already considering the energy considerations of the process.

Thursday 3 December 2015

Groundwater of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) Region, Italy, Bruno della Vedova, Universita degli Studi di

Trieste

This region is situated in Italy's northeast and borders Slovenia and Austria. Friuli Venezia Giulia overlooks

the Adriatic Sea and is surrounded by high mountains, enclosing the Carso plateau (with windswept rocks, and

soil erosion with caves, hollows and resurgences created over time). The coast contains large lagoons and has

long sandy beaches, as well as rocky cliffs. Water management deals with the mountainous region when snow

accumulates, the high plain and low plain. This region has a high rainfall, with abundant input of water to the

system. Groundwater was not managed historically because of its abundance.

Figure 4: The surface and groundwater flow directions of FVG mainly are from North to South. The High Plain is characterized by a phreatic aquifer, while the Low Plain consists of several confined aquifer systems. The two physiographic zones are divided by the resurgence belt that represent a kind of “overflow” for the High Plain into the Low Plain.

In the 1990’s groundwater standards were set in the European Union under Directive 2000/#60. This new

Groundwater Directive set acceptable limits for micro-pollutants in groundwater. FVG never historically

considered water shortages with abundance groundwater resources, however, in the 1990’s problems were

becoming evident:

5 See Planning Documents and overview here http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/


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Ground water was being over exploited and wasted; artisanal wells were uncapped,

Climate change was bringing changes in snow and rain patterns that were not well understood

Increasing anthropogenic demands on water, more water was being used by industry and agriculture.

With the EU Groundwater Directive, a project was initiated to protect groundwater resources, reduce pollutants

and monitoring groundwater conditions. The methods used in groundwater studies were to map, monitor and

protect the stakeholder uses of water in a sustainable manner.

There are now 50,000 wells across the high and low plains for domestic and agricultural use. The quality of the

groundwater resources is a function of the average flow velocities (usually 10’s of meters per day in unconfined

aquafers, but less than 0.5 m per day in confined aquafers). Overexploitation of the ground water leads to

increased introduction of contaminants in the ground water. Numerical modelling is used to model flow, water

use, and even surface river flow to develop a RECHARGE BUDGET. The issue in the region is that withdraw

of water is at the same order of magnitude as Recharge of the aquafers. This is a problem in terms of both

pollution loading, and at the coast, salt water intrusion.

At the current usage rate, only 40 years are left before a complete replacement of the aquafer water, and the loss

of clean drinking water. In 40 years the aquafer will be completely contaminated, and thus water will require

treatment before drinking to remove contaminants. The most vulnerable areas to contaminating the ground

water are in the High Plains6. The groundwater resources are under pressure from human land use changes”

- Buried fuel tanks are particularly an issue as the contaminants can do significant damage before a leak is

detected.

- High vertical transfer in the groundwater resources increases the range of contamination

- Nitrates are increasing as a pollutant, making the well water not drinkable

- Over-use in a unconfined aquifer over the past 30 years has meant the loss of 3 meters in the water table;

- Too many artesian wells, where water is flowing continuously,

- Drinking water production plan will need knowledge of the contaminant plumes, included chlorinated

solvents, and heavy metals from landfills, and

- Salt water intrusions.

Sustainable management needs to integrate the technical information on geo-hydrology, pollutants, and use

patterns. Sustainable management will include

Set up a strategy to control and management water withdrawal

Plan for integrated use of agriculture, industry, and potential of heat exchange (again, the nexus of energy

and water resources, possible in this region with geo-thermal features).

Protect critical recharge areas in the High Plains, protect cleanest aquafers as drinking water sources

Use Inter-regional agreements

Monitor well construction and management

Monitor the quality of water, and land-use impact assessment; this information needs to be readily available

on a website for a regional water protection plan

Climate change will make all the problems worse; climate change should be the motivation for better, integrated

water resource management. Nitrate pollution is increasing and requires coordination with agricultural sectors.

Lastly, more funding is needed for researchers, engineers and policy-makers to work together on water issues.

Communicating with the Public, Ed Lempinen , TWAS Public Information Officer

6 See Discussion of FVG Groundwater sustainability at http://www.acquesotterranee.it/sites/default/files/Am07058.pdf


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Effective Science Communication is a vital part of addressing “wicked” problems. Scientists can no longer just

publish results and think the problem is “solved”. All scientists need to this about values and strategies in

communicating their information. Global challenges will require a new approach to communicating across

disciplines. Communication is like conducting an experiment; we make basic assumptions when we try to

communicate:

1) People form responses from the first word or glance,

2) People consume information superficially and randomly, and

3) People are overwhelmed with information, new information just becomes NOISE!

What is your message? Think about what you want to achieve within a strategic framework to inform, to

explain, to persuade and to motivate. Who is your audience? You must know your audience, will the people

you are trying to communicate with embrace your message? Communication must be approached as a form of

diplomacy. Clarity is the highest value, simplicity is in service of clarity.

Scientist should use wider communication platforms: word, radio, film and internet. Radio is probably the most

under-used.

Plenary Discussions II: Analysis by water issue

Supply and Demand

Supply and Demand of water resources changes with population growth and development. The US, with its

strong economy and large agricultural sector has the largest demand per capita in the world: 342 litres.

Supplying water resources can no longer be dependent on one source – it is important moving forward to

diversity water resources; promote Public-Private partnerships with strong regulation and oversight, and

decrease economic losses with delivery and sanitation. All this takes money, and new sources of funding need

to be found. Access to water is a fundamental right but water is not free.

Figure 5: The cycle for IWRM, A key component is setting national

goals that have to be clearly articulated, and agreed upon

Supply and Demand issues are different in Urban vs Rural areas, solutions will vary with geography and scale.

Sanitation and waste water treatment has to be the highest priority of Water Utilities, wastewater is a resource in

itself to be managed. Wastewater management is most important in low income and poor areas, these are areas

where advanced waste water treatment can have long term improvements on health care, ecology and welfare of


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children. Wastewater management is largely un-regulated and not monitored, and this has to change.

Aggressive application of new funding and technologies to wastewater treatment can have long term impacts on

communities.

The second area of new attention has to be management of agricultural run-off. Nitrates from agriculture are a

global pollution problem that is growing with increasing population and increasing affluence (more meat

consumption is linked to high agricultural pollution7).

Water Supply and Demand issues are not restricted to developing countries, the US and South Africa are two

countries that have unsustainable water withdrawal. High income countries use more water for industrial uses,

low income countries have high uses from agriculture, but in all countries, water use and conservation has to be

a serious focus. Point and non-point sources of pollution will be more important to manage as water resources

become limited – this just ties into the first point that wastewater treatment has to become the most important

focus for IWRM everywhere.


The presentations today just emphasized the need for Integrated Water Resource Management in

The Bahamas. As WSC moved towards more RO plants for drinking water supplies, there is still a

need to protect and management well fields (as natural recharge areas for freshwater resources). The

old well fields still need protection and management.

Wastewater management has to become a priority for The Bahamas with the growing threat of

coastal eutrophication. The growing resorts and hotels should be using advanced waste water

treated, or net-zero water systems8. Tourism should be pushed to invest in better infrastructure than

injection wells (which we know are wasting fresh water resources and polluting).

Friday 4 December 2015

Plenary Discussions III: Policy Development Exercise

Three case studies were discussed by break-pout groups.

Final Presentation by Gender InSITE group

Closing Ceremony

7 See a discussion linking meat diets, nitrogen pollution and climate change at https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/changing-climate-changing-diets?gclid=CjwKEAiA2IO0BRDXmLndksSB0WgSJADNKqqoshFLIascLpk97xuScQpOsn32_sNmFOJUv653H5fCZxoCWxDw_wcB 8 See description of Autonomous Net-Zero Water project here http://coe.miami.edu/wqel/netzero/index.html


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BOX 1 : SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT9: The United Nations adopted in 2015 an ambitious new set of global goals to end poverty, hunger, advance equality and protect the environment over the next 15 years. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the result of three years of brainstorming and negotiations among the U.N.'s 193 member states and are designed to help shape government policies and programs in coming years. The SDGs are a set of 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at resolving global social, economic and environmental problems. To be met over the next 15 years, beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, the SDGs replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were adopted in 2000 and expire this year. Implementation of the new goals, requiring trillions of dollars in investment, will be monitored and reviewed using a set of global indicators to be agreed by March 2016. Governments came up with the idea at the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development in Brazil 2012. A working group with representatives of 70 nations drafted a proposed set of goals. At the same time, the United Nations ran public consultations around the world and an online survey asking people about their priorities for the goals. Why are these SDGs important?

o Some 795 million people still go hungry and around 800 million people live in extreme poverty, with fragile and conflict-torn states experiencing the highest poverty rates.

o Between 2008 and 2012, 144 million people were displaced from their homes by natural disasters, a number predicted to rise as the planet warms, bringing more extreme weather and rising seas, Water scarcity affects 40 percent of the global population and is projected to increase,

o Some 946 million people still practice open defecation Gender inequality persists in spite of more representation for women in parliaments and more girls going to school

o 57 million children still denied right to primary education The 17 goals aim to achieve these wider aims by 2030: a.) End poverty and hunger everywhere, b.) Combat inequalities within and between countries, c.) Build peaceful, just and inclusive societies, d.) Protect human rights, and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, e.) Ensure lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources, and f.) Create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared

prosperity and decent work for all. Many goals are linked to successful water management, and water issues are tied to Energy, Human Health, Agriculture and protection of biodiversity. The three goals that specifically deal with water are:

GOAL 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all GOAL 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable GOAL 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

9 See https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs for more detail

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs


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BOX 2: THE EMERGENCE OF “WICKED PROBLEMS10” AND “COUPLES SYSTEMS” APPROACHES TO SOLUTIONS A “wicked problem” is a social or cultural problem that is difficult or impossible to solve for as many as four reasons:

1) Incomplete or contradictory knowledge, 2) The number of people and opinions involved, 3) The large economic burden, and 4) The inter-connected nature of these problems with other problems.

The emergence of complex systems or “coupled systems” approaches to major challenges of the twenty-first century – such as eradication of extreme poverty– requires a new integration of expertise and skills to work across disciplines and in integrated teams. For example, poverty is linked with education, nutrition with poverty, the economy with nutrition, and so on. These problems are typically offloaded to policy makers, or are written off as being too cumbersome to handle en masse. Yet these are the problems—poverty, sustainability, equality, and health and wellness—that plague our cities and our world and that touch each and every one of us. These problems can be mitigated through the process of design, which is an intellectual approach that emphasizes empathy, abductive reasoning, and rapid prototyping. – See more at: https://www.wickedproblems.com/1_wicked_problems.php#sthash.aAhEcgrq.dpuf

10 See a full explanation of the theory of “wicked problems” here: https://www.wickedproblems.com/1_wicked_problems.php. This explains a new approach of integrating science into policy and decision making.

https://www.wickedproblems.com/1_wicked_problems.php