12th conference european regions Investment in sustainable water management
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12th conference european regions Investment in sustainable water management
- 1. Clean water and sanitation Investment for health and sustainable development Dr Christoph Hamelmann Head of WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development, Venice, Italy 12th Conference of European Regions and Cities ‘Sustainability in the Regions and Cities of Europe’ Salzburg, Austria, 25 - 27 September 2016
- 2. No water, no health, no growth • “Sustainable” & “safe” water and sanitation services are cornerstones for creating healthy & resilient communities • Improvement in water and sanitation are the greatest “public health milestones” since the 1840s • Water & sanitation management is a core responsibility of cities and regions
- 3. The unfinished business in the European Region • 62 million people lack access to: – Piped water at home – Adequate sanitation • Major inequalities exist: – Wealthy vs. poor – Minorities vs. general pop – Home vs. schools
- 4. Recent waterborne outbreaks (examples) Place Infectious agent Cause Number of people Year Northamptonshire , United Kingdom Parasite Ingress in water reservoir 25% increase of diarrhoea cases 2008 Zealand, Denmark Virus Break of water pipe 368 households 2012 Vuorela, Finland Multiple pathogens Ingress in distribution system 3,000 cases 2012 Prague, Czech Republic Virus Repair work 12,000 cases 2015 Kahramanmaraş, Turkey Multiple pathogens Sewage outflow 32,000 people admitted to hospital 2016
- 5. The water-energy-food nexus Source: Adapted from International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015: Renewable Energy in the Water, Energy & Food Nexus Source: International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015: Renewable Energy in the Water, Energy & Food Nexus Climate change Urbanization Population increase Societal demands
- 6. Sustainable water management at stake Draught events Water stress Regional wastewater reuse Efficient water use & systems High usage patterns Alternative sources (desalination) Flooding events Torrential rains Climate resilient water & sanitation services & infrastructures TRANSITION
- 7. PARTNERSHIPS Health 2020 framework • Improving health for all, reducing health inequalities • Improving leadership and participatory governance for health DEVELOPMENTS Two strategic objectives:
- 8. Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation SDG 6 6.1 Drinking water 6.2 Sanitation and hygiene 6.3 Water quality and reuse 6.4 Water-use efficiency 6.5 Water resource managemt. 6.6 Eco- systems
- 9. The Protocol on Water and Health • Multilateral agreement linking sustainable water management & protection of health • Legally-binding requirement for time- bound national and local target setting • Platform for cooperation between water, health, environment & other sectors • Regional hub for mutual support and capacity building
- 10. PARTNERSHIPS
- 11. PARTNERSHIPS
- 12. State of the art tools by WHO
- 13. PARTNERSHIPS
- 14. PARTNERSHIPS Agenda 2030: Health is central to development Photo: Fotolia Leaving no one behind Health for all
- 15. Better health for Europe More equitable and sustainable Special thanks to Oliver Schmoll, WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bonn, Germany
Editor's Notes
- Water and sanitation are key determinants of health, wellbeing and economic development. Disease related to water and sanitation causes misery, hinders productivity, strains health systems and submerges people in poverty. Safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation are a cornerstone in creating healthy and resilient communities where people can work and children grow up in supportive environments. If communities do not manage water and sanitation well, the health of the people will be impaired and economic growth hampered. This was one of the earliest lessons learned in public health (refer fro example to the disastrous cholera outbreak in 1892 in Hamburg as a turning point in history). Recently, a poll of 11,000 readers of the British Medical Journal chose “the sanitary revolution”, the introduction of clean water and sewage disposal, as the most important public health milestone since 1840. Whereas big picture policy decisions are typically made at national level – in the European Region municipalities or regional entities are largely in charge for management of water and sanitation services. You are therefore key players for and beneficiaries of making sustainable water and sanitation management happen.
- This slide shows data for the WHO European Region derived from the 2016 environmental burden of disease estimate: Poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are estimated to cause 14 deaths a day from diarrhea in the WHO European Region. Basic access to services is not guaranteed in many parts of the region: 62 million lack access to basic water and sanitation services. Even where there is access, inequalities persist, including in well-off countries, in many cities and regions in the European Region. Think of the poor in peri-urban areas. Think of minorities such as Roma populations. Think of poor WASH services in institutions, especially schools which are an “emerging crisis” in the region.
- Water-related diseases and outbreaks still occur across the WHO European Region, including in EU countries. A recent review undertaken by the WHO Regional Office for Europe revealed that approximately 18% of the investigated outbreaks in the Region may be associated with water. Examples of recent waterborne outbreaks are provided in this slide. The infectious agents were individual parasites, viruses or multiple pathogens. The most recent outbreak affected over 32 000 people.
- The provision of sustainable water and sanitation services, however, need to be looked at in an integrated manner because the management of water resources is inevitably linked with energy and food production. This is what we call the water-food-energy nexus. Sufficient water is needed for growing food (irrigation) - food production impacts water quality (pesticides, nitrate). Sufficient water is also essential for energy production (cooling) – energy is needed for producing and distributing drinking-water. In a regional context this means, all needs require proper allocation, especially for securing long-term availability of resources for producing safe and clean drinking-water. Further, considering all needs of production and services, a close cooperation among sectors is needed, as well as between cities, surrounding regions, and in cross-border settings. Climate change, urbanization, population increase and increasing water demands in European societies accelerate pressures and needs on sustainable water management in several dimensions. This requires careful attention and close cooperation at all levels. (NEXT SLIDE PROVIDES EXAMPLES.)
- Climate change is likely to increase water stress and impact on water quality in many regions. These effects are expected to proliferate particularly in regions that also experience increasing demands for water due to growth and influx of populations and/or irrigated agriculture. Management and infrastructure of water and sanitation systems need to be adapted. Regional wastewater reuse will increase, as well as the demand for desalination solutions. Increasing the efficiency of water use at home and in agriculture is a necessity. Most importantly, these transitions in water management need to consider protection of public health and environmental health at the core: there is no value in increasing wastewater reuse in agriculture but risking exposure to pathogens in food and workers, or triggering accumulation of chemicals in soils, produce and groundwater. Extreme weather events, such as torrential rains, also become an increasing reality in the region with flooding as one of the most severe consequence causing death, damage at scale, economic loss and other tragedy. Establishing regional and municipal disaster response plans are essential. Rethinking and adapting water and sanitation services to make them climate resilient is a must. WHO supports Member States in these efforts and provides advice and capacity building.
- In my last slides, I will now highlight some of the key frameworks we are working with, and which are equally relevant on national, regional or cities level: The WHO European Health 2020 framework has been adopted by all 53 Member States in 2012. Its two strategic objectives, reducing health inequalities and participatory governance are also fully applicable for intersectoral action, such as investments in sustainable water management.
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (193 Member States) in September 2015. Water and sanitation has become an own goal. SDG 6 focuses on the entire water cycle and puts due emphasis on safely managed water and sanitation services, safe wastewater disposal and safe reuse. Together with SDG 3 on health and well-being which calls for combating waterborne disease and reducing illness and death from water pollution, the 2030 Agenda provides a clear framework for action at all levels – global, national, regional and local. It is important that regions and cities translate and operationalize the aspirations of the SDGs into local action.
- The Protocol on Water and Health: Its principal aim is to protect human health and well-being through better water management. Adopted in 1999 at the third European Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, the Protocol is the first international agreement of its kind and specifically addresses attaining an adequate supply of safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone. As of September 2016, there are 26 Parties to the Protocol covering approximately 60% of the pan-European population. The WHO Regional Office for Europe, together with the UN Economic Commission for Europe, provides the Secretariat to the Protocol. To meet the Protocol’s objectives, Parties are required to establish national and local targets linked to the entire water cycle, including on drinking water quality, wastewater discharge quality, water supply and wastewater treatment performance. The Protocol’s target-setting framework fosters stakeholder engagement, development of coherent policies and programs, and national intersectoral coordination platforms. The Protocol provides a clear framework for translating and operationalizing SDGs in national and local contexts. Increased cooperation and engagement of cities and regions under the Protocol is highly desirable. This year, the fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol will take place in Geneva, 14-16 November, to define priorities for 2017-2019. Among many other topics, urban resilience to climate change will be adopted as a priority topic. It would be fantastic if we can further discuss with you possible avenues of engagement and cooperation under the Protocol. You can attend the meeting and voice issues and interests from a cities’ and regions’ perspective.
- WHO Europe is coordinating a Regions for Health Network, which is currently particularly active in the area of intersectoral interventions. Some of the regions are overlapping with your regions. The coordination of our Regions for Health Network is hosted in my office, the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development. There could be opportunities for future collaboration.
- The same applies for the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, which is coordinated by my colleagues in our Regional Office in Copenhagen.
- The World Health Organization provides guidelines which set international benchmarks for water and sanitation management, such as the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality which provide the point of reference for regulations and standard setting worldwide, including the European Union. The EU Drinking Water Directive, for example, is based on WHO guidelines , and we are currently advising the European Commission on a substantive revision of the Directive to align with our Guidelines. WHO specifically promotes the “Water Safety Plan” and the “Sanitation Safety Plan” manuals. There is currently significant momentum throughout the European Region towards scaling up the use of these manuals. It is one of WHO’s priorities to assist Member States, Regions and Municipalities towards the implementation of these guidelines, concepts and plans. Municipalities play a vital role in this regard: they are the ones who can promote implementation in local practice. We are keen to discuss with you further on how we can collaborate with cities and regions on this very important matter in terms of sensitization, capacity building and policy uptake.
- Ladies and Gentlemen, the 64th World Health Assembly was recalling the famous 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata (now Almaty) on Primary Health Care in it’s resolution on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Health. It also stressed other UN resolutions recognizing the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights, and reconfirmed that the human right to safe drinking-water and sanitation is inextricable related to the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as well as the right to life and human dignity.
- Investments in improving comprehensively sustainable water management systems in your region and city will therefore make a major contribution for inclusive, green economies and the well-being and sustainable development of current and future generations.
- I want to acknowledge the substantial contributions of my colleague Oliver Schmoll, Programme Manager for Water and Sanitation at the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany, to this presentation. Thank you for your attention.