6
International water experts will meet
at the IWA Water and Development
Congress & Exhibition in Colombo, Sri
Lanka, from 1 to 5 December 2019, to
progress solutions and the uptake of
innovation needed to achieve the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) with the dedicated water goal
SDG6 by 2030.
Developing and emerging economies
face the greatest threat to their water
security where increasing water scarcity
and deteriorating water quality remain
critical issues. Global changes such as
rapid urbanisation and climate change
amplify these concerns. The need for safe
treatment of wastewater is fundamental
to the well-being of societies, economies
and the environment.
In a globalised and connected world,
such issues cannot be dealt with
separately but must be tackled together.
“With 2.1 billion people globally still lacking
access to safely managed water supplies
and 4.5 billion without safe sanitation,
there is an urgent need to accelerate the
diffusion of knowledge, innovation and
sustainable water solutions,” says Diane
d’Arras, president of the International
Water Association (IWA).
“Transformational change is required
to deliver water and sanitation for all
within the upcoming 11 years under the
Sustainable Development Goals agenda.”
It is in response to these needs and
opportunities that more than 3 000 water
experts from around the world will meet
in Colombo, Sri Lanka in December this
year. The IWA Water and Development
Congress & Exhibition series focuses on
the transition to new ways of managing
water resources and delivering water
services in emerging economies.
This 2019 edition, organised by IWA
together with the host country Sri Lanka
and the National Water Supply & Drainage
Board, deals in particular with drinking
water treatment supply, faecal sludge
and wastewater treatment for resource
recovery, urban and city water services,
integrated water management solutions
at city and basin scale and cross-cutting
areas that contribute to the achievement
of dedicated water goal SDG 6.
"We need to transition to a circular
economy approach, where we try
to reuse water as many times as
possible and where we endeavour to
generate value from the waste streams,
particularly energy and nutrients,” says
Kala Vairavamoorthy, executive director
of the IWA.
Global water experts to
tackle SDG6
According to the World Bank, the most polluted river in the world is Indonesia’s Citarum
river, which has more than 200 textile factories along its bank.
The IWA Water and Development
Congress & Exhibition in Asia In the Asia
Pacific region, home to two-thirds of the
world’s poor, water quality is at a critical
stage, as growing volumes of untreated
wastewater from households, cities,
agriculture and industry continue to be
released into the natural environment.
This links to the region’s role in IWA
(International Water Association: www.
iwa-network.org / www.iwa-connect.org)
and the globalised world.
As an example, 20% of our global
wastewater comes from the textile
industry and the dyeing industry is the
second largest water polluter worldwide,
according to UN Environment. The fashion
industry in Asia continues to grow to meet
global demand. According to the World
Bank, the most polluted river in the world
is Indonesia’s Citarum river, which has
more than 200 textile factories along its
bank.
Over the years, the Indonesian
government has established several
ongoing clean-up efforts as a clean
river brings countless benefits to the
ecosystem, economies and societies.
“Unprecedented
challenges
offer
opportunities to implement a new
paradigm for sustainable water and
wastewater management,” comments
Vairavamoorthy.
“This is particularly the case in
emerging economies, where more
than 85% of wastewater is discharged
untreated into rivers, lakes and oceans.
The next 10 to 20 years will be the
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2019
golden age for solutions for wastewater
and sanitation provision in emerging
economies. The potential to innovate and
implement a step change in approach is
great and will result in improved health of
our societies and the environment.”
In Asian countries, as with emerging
economies in general, there is an
urgent need to accelerate diffusion of
innovation and uptake of sustainable
water solutions, products and services.
This can catalyse the transformation
required to deliver water and sanitation
for all by 2030 under the Sustainable
Development Goals agenda. The 2019
IWA Water and Development Congress
& Exhibition in Colombo, Sri Lanka is
the international biennial water event
with a special focus on developing
and emerging economies – some
countries with the most significant water
challenges now and in the future.
The 2019 congress is the second of
the congress series organised by the
International Water Association taking
place in the Asia region. Congress
participants and exhibitors will explore
how policies, regulation, new financial
models, innovative research and best
practices from around the world can help
meet the growing threats to both water
availability and water quality and make
progress towards achieving the human
rights to water and sanitation.
For
more
information
about
the IWA Water and Development
Congress & Exhibition 2019, visit:
www.waterdevelopmentcongress.org.
www.waterafrica.co.za