The post Bursting at the seams: new study highlights the realities of water loss appeared first on The Source.
]]>For decades, untold volumes of fresh water quietly bled from our pipes and paperwork. This unaccounted for nonrevenue water (NRW) was by definition ‘out of sight,’ and therefore ‘out of mind.’ Yet it could not be ignored or erased from accounting sheets forever.
In 2005, the World Bank finally crunched the water data and estimated that pipes around the world were annually sacrificing around 48.6 billion cubic metres of the life-giving asset. A subsequent study in 2009 found that Asia alone lost half of all NRW.
This is costly in two ways. First, because potable water is labour-, chemical-, and energy-intensive, it wastes investment funds few governments can spare. And second, the lost clean water undermines the health and lives of the millions deprived of it.
Yet, while the NRW figures generated shock and dismay at the scope of the problem, few cities and nations took steps to address it.
A troubling new study may finally provoke both debate and action. Using more extensive and rigorous methodology, two researchers have discovered that water loss is in fact two to three times worse than anyone had previously thought: the world annually loses 126 billion cubic metres, equivalent to US$39 billion worth of water.
To visualise this invisible hemorrhage, the study’s authors, Roland Liemberger and Alan Wyatt, put the lost volume in perspective. Imagine that two-thirds of the annual flow of the Niger River, the principal artery that supplies West Africa, suddenly vanishing, or that half of India’s Ganges River quietly goes missing.
”Water loss is in fact two to three times worse than anyone had previously thought: the world annually loses 126 billion cubic metres, equivalent to US$39 billion worth of water”
Yet even that doesn’t do water loss justice, since river water, once treated to potable quality for human use, is even more productive and vital. Focusing on cities, where clean water is most desperately needed and adds the most economic value, the study claims that “the aggregate NRW is 30 percent of all water system input volumes across the world.”
In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, water loss presents an ugly crisis–but also a hidden opportunity. “If the world’s volume of NRW was reduced by only one third, the savings would be sufficient to supply 800 million people,” says Liemberger.
Two dynamics help explain the difference of past and present figures. The higher 2018 numbers are “due to overconservative estimates used in previous studies, as well as growth in population and expansion of water supply systems,” the study’s authors explain.
At a closer level, the regional discrepancies stand out as especially significant. According to the study’s authors: “The lowest NRW levels (36 l/capita/d) can be found in Australia, due to the big water loss reduction efforts that have been made during the last ten to fifteen years in the attempt to better cope with the long droughts.” Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean lose 121 litres/capita/day.
Could the study estimates trigger change at local and national levels of water governance? Liemberger appears positive, if not wildly optimistic, that NRW could attract political will as the quickest, cheapest option.
“Chronic water losses have long been the hallmark of water utilities,” he explains. Now, paradoxically, the lack of time, water and money could finally get utilities to call in system-wide plumbers. After all, leaks “may not have been a large concern during an era of assumed plenty,” but today, as pollution, prosperity and population growth have combined with climate change impacts–cities can’t defer action.
Rather than ask if water systems can afford to staunch the flow, a better question is whether they can afford not to. If global NRW was reduced by one third, or 115 million cubic metres per day, the study shows that cities would save US$13 billion, earning a total return on investment of just over five years.
” Water loss is in fact two to three times worse than anyone had previously thought: the world annually loses 126 billion cubic metres, equivalent to US$39 billion worth of water”
If that sounds rosy, the authorsconcede their experience suggests realistic payback times of 7 to 10 years. But even that span, compared to hard infrastructure supply projects, makes it increasingly “difficult to understand why water utilities and governments are so reluctant to invest in NRW reduction.”
Indeed, the authors drily note, given the volatility of climate change, reducing water loss can cut operating costs, increase revenues, drive resource efficiency and “expand water supply at a cost far lower than new water production facilities.”
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]]>The post IWMI brings in new leadership appeared first on The Source.
]]>The International Water Management Institute has appointed two new executives with broad experience in the conservation and use of transboundary rivers.
Claudia W. Sadoff arrived in October 2017 to serve as Director General of the Colombo, Sri Lanka-based scientific research organisation. She brings to the post three decades of building a global network of development partners, and distinguished experience as a global researcher and development practitioner.
“Through sustained and strategic efforts, Dr Sadoff has made a major contribution toward the achievement of global water security,” said Donald Blackmore, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Governors.
Sadoff previously led the World Bank’s Water Security and Integrated Water Resources Management division where she engaged with development experts and policy makers at the highest levels addressing challenges from climate adaptation to drought and flood response, and transboundary river basin management. Most recently, she has led major studies on water security in the Middle East and on water management in fragile and conflict-affected states.
“IWMI is uniquely well placed to champion the cause of improved water management worldwide, and I look forward to offering my knowledge, experience and energy in support of the Institute’s mission to deliver evidence-based solutions for water management,” Sadoff said.
To that end, one of her first decisions was to bring on board Mark Smith as IWMI’s new Deputy Director General (Research for Development), starting in May 2018. Smith comes from 10 years serving as Director of the Global Water Programme at IUCN, where he led major, cross-sector initiatives–BRIDGE, SUSTAIN-Africa and WISE-UP to Climate–at the interface of water resources, development, conservation, food security, governance and resilience.
As Deputy Director General, Smith will lead IWMI’s science agenda to address global development challenges for water security and natural resources management. His responsibilities will include assuring research quality and relevance; leading the identification and prioritisation of innovative research areas; and ensuring that IMWI’s work contributes effectively to the SDGs, the global climate agenda, and CGIAR’s Strategy and Results Framework.
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]]>The post BlueTech Research and Water Environment Federation partner on innovation appeared first on The Source.
]]>A key component of this initiative will be a visiting scientist fellowship programme, which will see BlueTech water technology market analysts working closely with WEF team members on a number of specific joint initiatives. It is expected that this will drive a cross-pollination of knowledge and sharing of information.
“BlueTech has a long history of working closely with the Water Environment Federation and I am delighted to be able to strengthen this relationship with a formal MoU relating to the visiting fellowship programme,” said Paul O’Callaghan, Chief Executive of BlueTech Research. “There are many synergies in our expertise and the goals we share for the global water industry. Collaboration between BlueTech and WEF on initiatives such as LIFT link and the IR2 Forum will enhance analysis of the data and intelligence provided to all stakeholders.”
BlueTech supported WEF’s Intensification of Resource Recovery (IR2) Forum and expects to work closely to develop innovation-related programming at other global events and help disseminate findings to WEF members and BlueTech clients.
BlueTech’s expertise in market analysis could be leveraged into an initiative undertaken by Water Environment & Reuse Foundation and WEF. The Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) helps bring new water technology to the field quickly and efficiently.
“We will be using our data analytics capability to identify key industry trends by analysing conference papers and proceedings,” added O’Callaghan. “We may also identify opportunities to collaborate on specific technical projects that will advance the missions of both organisations.”
BlueTech Research provides investors, water companies, researchers and regulators with the latest information. The company provides clarity and analysis on emerging water technology market areas.
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]]>The post Key takeaways from the IWA Reuse 2017 conference in California appeared first on The Source.
]]>At the 30th anniversary of IWA’s specialist group, water professionals discussed how reusing water can be the ‘cornerstone of the circular economy’
In Long Beach, California, host of the 11th “IWA Reuse 2017” conference, water professionals shared field experience, 400 abstracts, and a sense that water reclamation and reuse was going mainstream, due to the twin forces of regulatory ‘push’ and market ‘pull’.
Michael McMennis, of the Kiewit Engineering Group said rules ensured that a 300MW California power plant he designed had to reuse 87 percent of its wastewater for cooling. Yet industries are investing in reuse to secure reliability. “The CEOs of some of our largest clients are concerned that they’re going to run out of water,” explained panelist Michael Lesniak, of Ecolab. Meanwhile, Cheryl Davis called for more incentives that reward companies for managing water more sustainably.
Punctuating wide ranging technical discussions, water reuse luminary Takashi Asano of UC Davis highlighted how far the water reuse industry has come during his 40 years of experience. His words were backed by deeds, as site visits showcased cutting-edge water recycling projects.
Visitors to the Orange County Water District Groundwater Replenishment System had tasting options, and global competition, since Peter Joo Hee Ng, CEO of PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, had also distributed bottled samples from Singapore’s own pioneering marketing venture of (recycled) NEWater. And the Metropolitan Water District’s General Manager Jeff Kightlinger discussed his city’s plan to build America’s largest advanced purification plant, to reuse over 567,000 m3/day.
Such milestones suggested the larger world is at last recognising the inherent but neglected value of wastewater, defined by George Tchobanoglous as “a renewable, recoverable source of drinking water, resources, and energy.”
Beyond recent technology advances, timely discussions focused on the role of and demand for water reuse in mitigating climate change impacts, or applied to water and food, urban and industrial use.
“This milestone for the global water reuse community illustrated the growing applications of water reclamation and reuse as key elements of integrated water resource management,” said Jörg E. Drewes, Chair of the water reuse specialist group, and Professor of Urban Water Systems Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. Drewes showcased recent trends in water reuse planning, and was excited to see reuse become “a cornerstone of a circular economy, embracing the concept of resource recovery, including water, energy and nutrients.”
One theme centred on risk. IWA President Diane D’arras addressed water reuse in the context of increasingly at-risk Cities of the Future and Basins of the Future. Joan Rose of Michigan State University praised water reclamation researchers who “have led the way
in monitoring, risk assessment and treatment innovation.” Indeed, these efforts took a leap forward during the
last decade, said Stuart Khan of the University of New South Wales. “While qualitative risk matrix assessments still have an important role to play, the need to quantify performance variability, reliability and likelihoods of failures has produced some impressive research from both industry and academia.”
There was room for improvement. Shane Snyder felt “disappointed to see relatively few presentations from foreign participants.” And Ian Law was “surprised by the lack of discussion on the importance of source control and the impact that the type and performance of the wastewater treatment plant has on the downstream advanced water treatment plant.” There was only one paper covering these two important aspects at the conference, which focused more on potable reuse in developed economies than “the full spectrum of reuse opportunities and applications.”
Yet ultimately, Olivier Patrick of the National University of Singapore hailed the conference as a ‘landmark’ that succeeded through its combination of “large attendance, right mix of industry and academic representatives, and intergenerational exchange.”
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]]>The post Water efficiency experts meet in Bath to debate solutions appeared first on The Source.
]]>Waterwise hosted the IWA ‘Efficient 2017’ conference, leveraging new standards, labels, incentives, data, markets and policies
Demand management through conservation and leak reduction is arguably the cleanest, cheapest, fairest and fastest way for any city to achieve water security. It can help the world meet the Sustainable Development Goals. It’s also at the heart of resilience, added Trevor Bishop, Strategy and Policy Director of the UK’s regulatory agency, Ofwat.
“But if water efficiency is so great,” asked Stuart White, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at the University of Technology Sydney, “Why isn’t it happening everywhere?”
On 18 July, hundreds of water professionals arrived in the ancient Roman spa town of Bath, England, to answer that rhetorical question. Some said it is happening, and shared experiences about how cities are doing more with less.
Change comes quietly through market pressure. Chris Philpot of Smart Approved WaterMark shared how his expert panel advises and certifies a broad array of goods and services in Europe and Australia, from pool and garden care to car washing and rainwater harvesting. The companies seek exposure and measure up.
Meanwhile Jonah Schein described how 25,000 parts and products–from urinals to dishwashers to irrigation controllers–have since 2006 earned the US federal government’s WaterSense label. These in aggregate have reduced demand by more than 2.1 trillion gallons over the last decade, saving consumers US$43 billion off their water and energy bills.
Yet a lingering problem is that the playing field is not level, limiting real change. Various sessions pointed out that efficiency eats into the bottom line, and cities that pay for new supply infrastructure add assets that count while invisible demand management does not. “We’re doing the economics wrong,” Stuart White suggested in a case study in how to break the Kuznets curve, “unless we can cancel lost revenue as a net benefit. Otherwise there’s no incentive for the utility to invest in savings.”
Others harnessed Big Data in new ways. Andrew Tucker of Thames Water leveraged smart meters to reduce usage through behavioural change, leak detection, home visits, and ‘GreenRedeem’ incentives through a long-term online portal.
Christine Boyle, founder and CEO of Valor Water Analytics, showed how through automation and machine learning, her technology could locate hidden revenue within utility systems through an “apparent loss detection tool.”
“Cluster analysis” tools, combined with real-time metering allowed Rob Lawson of Artesia to explode the very concept of ‘the water customer’ into several behavioural types, each of whom had different levels of engagement and demand at disparate times of day.
Some efficiency veterans have turned inward. Paul Lander of the University of Colorado and Michelle Maddaus revealed “the campus as a living laboratory.” Why? Colleges are needy. The University of California alone uses nearly 20 billion litres per year. They’re also big. Cloistered mini-cities of students, faculty and staff in arid California add up to one-tenth of the population. But despite technical expertise and open minds, colleges had not connected the dots, and were thus ripe for interventions, which revealed dramatic savings.
Wrapping up the conference, host Mary Ann Dickinson, Chair of IWA’s Efficient Urban Water Management Specialist Group described how cities worldwide face the same pressures: reduced water availability, rising energy costs, changing weather patterns, and new supplies becoming more expensive than ever. As head of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, she advocated for “Net Blue” a national ordinance that allows growth but drives water neutrality though “water offsets.”
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]]>The post Wastewater expert becomes IWA Fellow appeared first on The Source.
]]>Ekama has 40 years of research experience into bioprocess engineering of aerobic and anaerobic wastewater and solids treatment systems at the University of Cape Town, where some of the original biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal kinetic simulation modelling research was done in the 1980s, which found its way into activated sludge models 1 and 2.
“I really appreciate being recognised by my peers,” Ekama told The Source from Cape Town. “I was very fortunate to start in a new and fledgling field and I grew with the field as it expanded.”
Over the years Ekama has been at the forefront of developments in biological nitrogen removal activated sludge systems modelling, filamentous bulking, secondary settling tank design and modelling and anaerobic systems.
Ekama noted that, although he has seen great advances over the years in biological nutrient removal activated sludge based wastewater treatment plants, a big shift is needed.
“It is not ultimately going to [reduce] the thirst for water and stem the hunger for resources of burgeoning cities in a water and resource scarce future,” he added. “A paradigm shift is required that makes a step change that will make a big difference from which then small incremental improvements can again be made.”
A member of the International Water Association since 1984, Professor Ekama has published 45 articles in Water Science and Technology as well as 24 articles in Water Research; his book, Biological wastewater treatment–Principles, modelling and design, has been translated into Spanish, Chinese and Arabic, and has become the second best seller from IWA Publishing.
Over the years Ekama has been at the forefront of developments in biological nitrogen removal, activated sludge systems modelling, filamentous bulking, secondary settling tank design and modelling and anaerobic systems
Professor Ekama has been an active participant in several IWA Specialist Groups, including the Nutrient Removal and Recovery, Anaerobic Digestion and Design, Operation and Costs of Large Wastewater Treatment Plants Specialist Groups. He is co-author of four of the IWA Scientific and Technical Reports on activated sludge modelling, community analysis and secondary settling tanks.
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]]>The post Global food companies ranked on water risk management appeared first on The Source.
]]>Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit organisation, has ranked the 42 largest global food and beverage companies–nearly all US-based–on how effectively they are responding to water dependence, water security and operational water use efficiency.
Feeding Ourselves Thirsty: Tracking Food Company Progress Toward a Water-Smart Future, compares the companies to its first report released in 2015. It calls on major food companies to reduce the impacts of a warming climate–on both the global water supply and on their bottom lines–by adopting stronger practices to use limited fresh water resources more efficiently. It says that climate change is one of the biggest risks facing the US$5 trillion food industry.
“Smart water management is a business imperative for food companies, as the impacts of climate change and water scarcity and pollution accelerate around the world,” said Brooke Barton, Senior Director of Water and Food at Ceres, who co-authored the report. “Some corporate leaders are making strong progress, but the majority must do more to water-proof their businesses to protect and sustain our water supplies.”
Companies were divided into four industry categories: packaged food, beverage, agricultural products and meat, and analysed against actions in four categories of water risk management. The top scoring companies, out of a possible score of 100, by industry were: Nestlé (Packaged Food) 82 up from 64 in 2015; Coca-Cola (Beverage) 72 up from 67 in 2015; Smithfield Foods (Meat) 33 no change from 2015; and Olam (Agricultural Products) 49, which was not part of the 2015 analysis.
The report found a 10 percent improvement in the average score of the food sector’s management of water risk since 2015. The packaged food and meat industries made the biggest gains in improvement at 16 and 20 percent, respectively. However, the average score for the 42 companies benchmarked was still only 31 points and despite big gains, the meat and agricultural products industries continue to lag far behind the packaged food and beverage industries.
The analysis notes that the food sector is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.
“Over 70 percent of the world’s irrigated land faces water shortage either chronically, seasonally, or during dry periods, and that means our food supplies are at risk,” said Kate A Brauman, Lead Scientist, University of Minnesota Global Water Initiative. “Food companies need to step up sustainable management of water resources, including by working collaboratively with their agricultural suppliers.”
The analysis found that, overall, companies need to improve most on governance and board oversight, wastewater management, integrating water risk into procurement processes and collaboration to protect watersheds.
“More than 85 percent of our water footprint is from growing and transporting crops, and turning those crops into food ingredients,” said Jerry Lynch, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at General Mills, a packaged food manufacturer. “This underscores the role we must play to address water stewardship issues in our agricultural supply chain. We continue to identify opportunities to increase efficiency and conservation upstream of our operations, which is where we can have the most impact.”
The report used publicly available data from annual reports, sustainability reports and the CDP Global Water Report.
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]]>The post New portal highlights water consumption in cities appeared first on The Source.
]]>“Utility managers as well as regulators and ‘water politicians’ can benchmark their water bills on a city and country level but not on a company level,” Jan Hammenecker, leader of the IWA Working Group Statistics, and Commercial Director of De Watergroep, Belgium, told The Source.
Users can view how water services are financed, how various water tariff structures are set up, which measurements of performance service providers use and how they analyse their micro-economics and manage their services.
The portal includes data from all five continents from 40 countries and 170 cities. Hammenecker said the data shows the following key trends:
1. Household consumption of potable water varies from 28 to 631 litres per day per capita, a factor of 20.
2. Water taxes that form part of the water bill vary between 0 and 28 percent of the total bill.
3. No single tariff structure is trending worldwide. Hammenecker said that fixed charges versus variable charges and environmental charges or not, all have different advantages and disadvantages.
4. Water consumption remains subsidised in many countries and cities.
5. Water pricing is a useful tool for reducing water consumption in times of water scarcity.
“To run a water company in a sustainable way, cost recovery must be reflected in the water bill,” added Hammenecker. “From the point of view of the consumer, the water bill should be affordable, as potable water for everyone is a human right. So, the ‘best in class’ are the companies that run their company in a cost-efficient, sustainable way, so that the consumer pays a fair, cost-covering price.”
Hammenecker and Ann Bijnens, a statistics expert from De Watergroep, plan to update the database and website every six months.
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]]>The post Rand Water wins innovation prize appeared first on The Source.
]]>The IWA Project Innovation Awards are now in their tenth year. They are a global competition for innovation and excellence in water management. To win an award, a project must improve efficiency, and provide real economic and health benefits throughout the water cycle.
“The water sector is facing unprecedented global challenges,” said Ger Bergkamp, IWA Executive Director. “Urgent and innovative action is necessary to ensure a sustainable water future. The drought that is still gripping South Africa is one such challenge. The only way to take better advantage of limited water resources is by changing people’s attitude and their behaviour so that water is used more wisely. Rand Water are innovating on how to do this, and are setting a successful example to other water utilities.”
The Project Innovation Awards were held during the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Brisbane, Australia. The winners were announced at an award ceremony at Rydges, South Bank.
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]]>The post UN’s immunity upheld over cholera epidemic in Haiti appeared first on The Source.
]]>“The Secretary-General notes [the] decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which upheld the immunity of the organisation from legal proceedings in
the case of Georges et al v. United Nations et al, in accordance with the UN Charter and other international treaties,” said a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson in New York.
The class action lawsuit was filed in October 2013 in the US Federal Court in New York in connection with the cholera outbreak in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. The suit called on the UN to compensate victims of the epidemic. The cholera outbreak has affected an estimated 780,000 people and claimed the lives of over 9,100 people.“The United Nations has a moral responsibility to the victims of the cholera epidemic and for supporting Haiti in overcoming the epidemic and building sound water, sanitation and health systems,” said the statement.
According to the UN, Ban is actively working to develop a package that would provide material assistance and support to those Haitians most directly affected by cholera
Sustained efforts by national authorities and the international community have contributed to a 90 percent reduction in the number of cases since the peak in 2011.
“However, eliminating cholera from Haiti will take the full commitment of the Haitian Government and the international community and, crucially, the resources to fulfil our shared duty,” the statement explained.
According to the UN, Ban is actively working to develop a package that would provide material assistance and support to those Haitians most directly affected by cholera. This will include, as a central focus, the victims of the disease and their families.
“Despite repeated appeals, these efforts have been seriously underfunded, and severe and persistent funding shortfalls remain,” the statement said. “The Secretary-General urges Member States to demonstrate their solidarity with the people of Haiti by increasing their
contributions to eliminate cholera and provide assistance to those affected.”
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