Water Supply and Sanitation and the Green Economy in the ESCWA Region: Building upon the

Millennium Development Goals

Mohamed I. Al-Hamdi First Economic Affairs Officer, SDPD – ESCWA

Water In the Green Economy in Practice: Towards RIO +20 3-5 October 2011 – Zaragoza, Spain

Green Economy

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Environment Agency (EEA) have launched an Assessment of Assessments report in September 2011.

• “The ‘green economy’ is still an emerging concept. At its core is the idea of revitalizing economies as they emerge from the recent economic crisis while significantly reducing environmental risks and addressing ecological scarcities.”

• “Globally, greening the economy is at the heart of renewed efforts to integrate environmental and social considerations with mainstream economic decision-making.”

Environment within development agenda

• At expense of environment • Ozone depletion • Polluted rivers • Soil salinization • Air pollution • Etc

Economic Development

• Environmental protection • Liability • Costly • Impede growth • Not priority to many

countries • Etc.

Sustainable Development • Green Economy

• It pays to protect the environment (Environmental Services)

• e.g. Water-shed management (greater water quantity, improved quality, flood control, etc.)

Sustainable Development +

Industrial revolution Rio (1992) Rio +20

• Maintain biodiversity – Environmental water rights

– In-stream water demands

– Sustainability of water resources

• Maintain ecosystem services – Water resources allocation

– Reduce, reuse and recycle

– Polluter pays principle

– Water use efficiency

– Full cost pricing

– Indicators • Access to water and sanitation

• Per capita water availability

• Water losses (domestic and irrigation)

• Virtual water and water footprints

• Etc.

Role of water in green economy

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

• Water Scarcity

• Food security

• Water and energy linkages • Institutional set up and development

• Access to water supply and sanitation

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(1) Water Scarcity – Growing demand and declining supplies

67

115

206

253

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1961 1980 2000 2009

Millions Total Population of the ESCWA

1,857

1,316

971

735 566

0

400

800

1,200

1,600

2,000

1967 1977 1987 1997 2008

m3 per year

Total Per Capita Renewable Water Resources

Country Bahrain 2007

Egypt 2002

Iraq 2002

Jordan 2007

Kuwait 2002

Qatar 2007

S. A. 2007

Syria 2007

UAE 2007

Yemen 2007

Withdrawal 220 119 87 99 2465 544 943 100 2032 169

Water withdrawals (as percentage of total renewable water resources)

Source: World bank and FAO - Aquastat

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(1) Water Scarcity (cont.) – Dependence on external water resources

Country Bahrain Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Occ. Palest. Territories

Dependency Ratio (%) 97 97 53 27 100 0.80 3.0

Country Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Syria UAE Yemen

Dependency Ratio (%) 0 3.5 0 77 72 0 0

Source: FAO - Aquastat

– Climate change – Rainfall variability

– Higher frequency of extreme weather events

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(1) Water Scarcity (cont.) – Non-conventional water resources

0 500

1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500

Saudi Arabia UAE Kuwait Qatar Oman Bahrain

Annu

al P

rodu

ctio

n (m

illio

n m

3 ) Annual production of desalinated water in GCC countries

17%

14%

4% 3% 1.5% 1.3%

% of global production as of 2008

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Bahrain Egypt Jordan Kuwait Qatar Saudi Arabia

Syria UAE Yemen

Treated wastewater in selected ESCWA countries

1988-1992 1993-1997

1998-2002 2003-2007

Billion m3/yr

• Desalination as a industry – and promotion as green industry? • Desalination capacity of Saudi Arabia and the UAE accounts for over 30% of

global desalinated freshwater production. • Desalination increasing in Egypt due to real estate and tourism expansion. • GCC examining desalination as an industry: R&D, O&M, training, jobs, exports • Not better than fossil groundwater extraction?

Examining the full cost of Desalination • Water-Energy Linkages • Energy rich v/s Energy

poor endowments cause difference

• Solar options being explored, but not well developed: KSA, UAE

• Transfer/transmission costs need to be considered

• Environmental externalities (CO2 emissions)

$0.00

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

$3.00

$3.50

$4.00

Sana’a SWRO

Amman SWRO (from

Dead Sea)

Riyadh SW MED

Damascus SWRO

Muscat SW MSF

Amman Brackish

RO (from Disi)

Gaza City SWRO

Cos

t in

$ p

er m

3

Environmental Externality

Transportation Cost

Supply Cost

Source: ESCWA Water Development Report 3 (2009)

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(1) Water Scarcity (cont.) – Water quality

– Sea water intrusion (over pumping / reduced river flow)

– Naturally contaminated deep groundwater (salinity, heat, Fluoride, etc.).

– Water pollution from domestic and industrial wastewater.

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(2) Food security – Policy focus on internal agricultural production

– Agriculture consumes around 80% of total water use – Groundwater mining

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Yemen Oman Saudi Arabia Syria UAE Jordan Lebanon Qatar Palestine Bahrain

Industrial Municipal Agricultural

Sectoral Water Withdrawal in Selected ESCWA Countries

0

50

100

1990 1995 2000 2005 2008

Mil

lio

n t

on

ne

Cereal production, import and total consumption in the ESCWA region

Production Import Total consumption

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1995 2000 2005 2008

Pe

rce

nt

(%)

Cereal import dependency in the ESCWA region

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(2) Food security (cont.) – Employment in agriculture in relation to economic output

– Inefficient irrigation practices

– Land leasing in water rich countries

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(3) Water – Energy linkages – Diversity in access to and use of energy

0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Qatar UAE Bahrain Kuwait Saudi Arabia

Oman Jordan Iraq Syria Lebanon Egypt Sudan Yemen

Energy Use per capita, 2007 GDP/capita

USD kg of oil equivalent

Source: ESCWA, Sustainable Production and Consumption Patterns in the Energy and Water Sectors in the ESCWA Region (forthcoming, 2011)

Energy Use per capita, 2007

ESCWA region mostly depends on oil and gas for its energy supply, while renewable resources represent very low share of energy supply (0-2%).

– Need for energy in water supply – Pumping , water treatment (desalination), wastewater treatment, etc. – Saudi Arabia, the top desalinated water producer in the world, uses 1.5

million barrels of oil per day at its plants (Arab news).

0

15

30

45

60

75

90

0

15,000

30,000

45,000

60,000

75,000

90,000

Average 2008 Apr-09 May-09 Jul-09

m3 /d

ay

Impacts of electricity cut-offs on water supply in Sana’a

Expected production capacity

Actual water production (due to power cut offs)

Total no. of operational wells

Reduction in water production (due to power cut offs): %

water production (bar graph) No. of wells (line graph)

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(3) Water – Energy linkages (cont.) – Need for water in power production

– Hydropower – Steam generation – Cleaning (solar panels / mirrors) – Etc.

Regional Specificities / Challenges / Response measures

(4) Institutional setup and development • Many countries have developed IWRM policies, strategies and plans

• Fragmentation of water resources management among various institutions.

• Ineffective stakeholders participation.

• Poor monitoring, reporting, sharing and dissemination of water quality and quantity data.

• Outdated water laws & legislation in some countries

• Ineffective inspection, implementation & enforcement of water legislation.

• Social & political constraints on water management.

• Low morale & low pay for water professionals in some countries.

• Inadequate financial allocation for investment in the water sector.

• Reform programs have taken place in many countries in the water and sanitation subsector.

Contribution of access to safe water supply and sanitation services (goal 7-c) to the other MDGs:

• Improved public health leads to higher productivity (goal (1) on poverty alleviation, goal (4) on child mortality, and goal (6) on combating HIV, malaria and other diseases).

• Higher enrollment rates of children in schools (Goals (2) on access to primary education and goal (3) on gender equality).

Water supply and sanitation in green economy

Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability

Target 7-C Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable

access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

Indicator 7.8: Proportion of population using an improved drinking water source

Indicator 7.9: Proportion of population using an improved sanitation facility

Observation: Protection of public health from water born and water related diseases is the main rationale behind the water and sanitation MDG.

MDGs monitoring systems

• National level – Progress reports with assistance from UNDP

• Regional level (Arab region)

– UN-LAS progress report

• Global level (Joint Monitoring Program – JMP)

– Biennial reports (March 2010)

– Country reports

JMP Water supply indicators classification

• Access to improved drinking water source

– Definition of improved water source

“By the nature of their construction or through active intervention, are protected from outside contamination, particularly from faecal matter.”

• Unprotected dug wells, unprotected springs tanker truck, surface water (river, dam, lake, pond, stream, canal, irrigation channel) and bottled water.

Unimproved

• public taps or standpipes, tube wells, protected dug wells, protected springs, and rainwater collection.

Other Improved

• Piped house connections.

Improved

protected from outside

contamination, particularly faecal

matter

JMP sanitation indicators classification

• Access to improved Sanitation facility

– Definition of Improved sanitation facility

“Facilities that ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact.”

• Defecation in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water, or disposal of human faeces with solid waste.

Open defecation

• Pit latrines without slab or platform, hanging latrines and bucket latrines

Unimproved

• Acceptable type, but shared between two or more households (incl. public toilets)

Shared (improved or unimproved)

• Flush or pour flush toilet/latrine to: piped sewer system, septic tank or pit latrine

• Ventilated improved pit latrine • Composting toilet

Improved

Status of access to improved water and sanitation in the Arab region (1)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1990

2006 2008

Population with access to improved water supply source (%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

1990 2006 2008

Population with access to improved sanitation facilities (%)

Status of access to improved water and sanitation in the Arab region (2)

Algeria 5843 10%

Comoros 33 0%

Djibouti 68 0%

Egypt 815 1%

Iraq 6320 11%

Jordan 245 0%

Kuwait 29 0%

Mauritania 1640 3% Morocco

6005 10%

Oman 334 1%

Palestine 373 1%

Somalia 6248 11%

Sudan 17780 31%

Syrian Arab Republic

2335 4%

Tunisia 610 1% Yemen

8708 15%

Number of People without access to improved Water source (2008)

TOTAL NUMBER 57.4 million

Data source : 2010 JMP report Figures in 000, and % are related to uncovered regional population

Algeria, 4764, 6%

Comoros, 247, 0%

Djibouti, 350, 0%

Egypt, 28706, 35%

Iraq, 9132, 11%

Jordan, 2734, 3%

Kuwait, 768, 1%

Lebanon, 1219, 1%

Mauritania, 979, 1%

Morocco, 7243, 9%

Oman, 977, 1%

Palestine, 845, 1%

Qatar, 813, 1%

Somalia, 977, 1%

Sudan, 5959, 7%

Syrian Arab Republic, 8079, 10%

Tunisia, 2905, 4%

UAE, 2618, 3% Yemen,

2390, 3%

Number of People gained access to improved Water source (1990-2008)

TOTAL NUMBER 81.7 million

Data source : 2010 JMP report Figures in 000, and % are related to uncovered regional population

Status of access to improved water and sanitation in the Arab region (3)

Algeria 1719 2%

Comoros 423 1%

Djibouti 374 0%

Egypt 4892

6%

Iraq 8126 11%

Jordan 123 0%

Libya 189 0%

Mauritania 2379 3%

Morocco 9798 13%

Palestine 456 1%

Somalia 6873 9%

Sudan 27290 36%

Syrian Arab Republic

849 1%

Tunisia 1525 2%

UAE 135 0% Yemen

11000 14%

Number of People without access to improved sanitation facilities (2008)

Data source : 2010 JMP report Figures in 000, and % are related to uncovered regional population

TOTAL NUMBER 76.2 million Algeria 10406

12%

Comoros 163 0%

Djibouti 106 0%

Egypt 35030

40%

Kuwait 776 1%

Libya 1872 2%

Mauritania 518 1%

Morocco 8660 10%

Qatar 813 1%

Sudan 4847 6%

Syrian Arab Republic

9819 11%

Tunisia 2565 3%

UAE 2539 3%

Yemen 9701 11%

Number of People gained access to improved sanitation facilities (1990-2008)

TOTAL NUMBER 87.8 million

Data source : 2010 JMP report Figures in 000, and % are related to uncovered regional population

MDG+ Initiative: Justification and Content

• AMWC resolutions

• Scope – Level and quality of services

– Environmental protection

• Regional specificities

• Timeframe of original MDGs

• Indicators – Maximum additions with minimum efforts

– Availability and measurability

Water supply and sanitation service indicators

Technical

• Service coverage • Leakages • Water quality • wastewater

treatment • Continuity of service • Etc.

Administrative

• Non-revenue water • Number of staff per

1000 connections • Etc.

Financial

• Tariff structure • Cost recovery • Collection efficiency • Etc.

• Usually there are long lists of indicators found within: Standards (local or national level) Guidelines and manuals (national & global) Benchmarks and best practice (regional & global)

• These indicators are not incorporated within the global development agenda. • Opportunity to expand (build on) the current MDGs to incorporate additional

service related indicators.

MDG+ Indicators Water Supply Sanitation

• Water consumption

• Continuity of supply

• Water quality

• Distance to source

• Tariff structure

• Affordability

• Treated quantity

• Treatment type

• Reuse utilization

• Reuse type

• Tariff structure

• Affordability

Purpose is to consider not only accessibility to improved infrastructure, but also reliability, regularity, affordability, sustainability and quality of service provided.

Differentiates between conventional/non-conventional sources: Supply: rainwater harvesting; Sanitation: raw/treated reuse

These are particularly important issues to consider in water scarce environments and developing countries.

MDG + additional indicators

Data management

• Template – Two forms for basic MDG indicators (definitions and data

sources)

– Four forms for additional indicators • Two on water supply (urban and rural)

• Two on sanitation (urban and rural)

– Reference of the MDG+ initiative (template) in the Arab summit (Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt – 19 January 2011)

MDG+ data collection template

MDG+ data collection template

Conclusions/Reflections

• ‘Green Economy’ is still an emerging concept with the aim to revitalize economies while significantly reducing environmental risks and addressing ecological scarcities.

• Environmental protection is not fully integrated in socio-economic development in the ESCWA region.

• The region faces major water challenges that could impede development (water scarcity, food security, institutional capacity, finance, etc.).

• Access to safe water supply and sanitation facilities has been identified as an important requirement/element/driver of green economy.

• There is high discrepancy in access to water and sanitation among countries of the ESCWA region (GCC – LDCs).

• The Basic water and sanitation MDG indicators are health based and do not reflect the level or quality of services.

• A regional monitoring initiative has been approved by the Arab Ministerial Water Council to build upon the basic MDG indicators as to incorporate additional indicators that reflect level and quality of services as well as environmental protection.

Thanks for your attention …

Mohamed Al-Hamdi Water Resources Section Sustainable Development and Productivity Division UN-ESCWA Tel: +961 1 978 524 Fax: +961 1 981 510 Email: al-hamdi@un.org Web: www.escwa.un.org