Water Management
Managing water challenges : Learning from our development partners
Submitted By Aroha Bahuguna Co-Author Lilima Maskey
California is suffering from its fifth year of drought , the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in India are arguing over the sharing of Cauvery river water , and food security for 36 million people is threatened due to drought in large regions of Africa . On the flip side , Bangladesh , Maldives , and other island nations are confronted with the threat of rising seas , while extreme rainfall and flooding ( as experienced by Haiti just a few weeks ago ) are expected to become increasingly common . Even without these extremes , almost every country is facing its own challenges in managing water resources .
As Operations Analysts in the World Bank Water Global Practice , and as water management newbies , we were excited to go to the Netherlands and Israel , respectively , to understand how these two countries have overcome their unique obstacles to become prime examples in water engineering . Upon examining the findings alongside senior specialists in the Practice and practitioners from client countries , it is clear that despite each country ’ s distinct topography , they share a focus on collaboration among stakeholders and an emphasis on efficiency powered by innovative technology .
David Ben-Gurion , the founder of modern-day Israel , had a vision of “ making the desert bloom ” that was rooted in the larger political context of Jewish immigration into the Negev desert . However , Israel ’ s scarce freshwater sources make its lessons increasingly relevant in a water-parched world . Our week-long study tour exposed us not only to the technological aspects of managing water , but also the cultural attitude of the Israeli people towards saving water – that they would rather break down an entire section of a wall in their home to detect a leak in their pipes than let water drip . Israel ’ s relentless focus on efficiency
Tour of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research : Understanding the role of academia in leveraging hydrology and water engineering innovations
is reflected in their non-revenue water , or water that does not reach customers , which in most cities is as low as six percent . To put this in context , non-revenue water is 25 percent in Washington D . C ! Equally impressive is their reuse of 90 percent of treated wastewater , of which 80 percent is used by agriculture . Technological innovations like drip irrigation that help farmers and small landholders
increase yield and save water is another noteworthy example of efficient use of water . Indeed , of the three Rs for conserving resources : Reduce , Reuse and Recycle – the client delegation was inspired to follow Israel ’ s model for the first two .
The Netherlands has shown similar ingenuity in the reuse of treated wastewater to cool power plants and in the generation of innovative by-products from wastewater treatment plants .
As the best-protected delta in the world , more than 60 % of the Netherlands is below sea level or vulnerable to flooding . Seventy percent of the GDP in the Netherlands comes from vulnerable low-lying areas , forcing the Dutch to find effective and sustainable solutions for flood protection , water supply , and treatment . We had firsthand exposure to innovative ways to build flood resilience and integrated water management that the Dutch have perfected over centuries .
Particularly impressing is the concept of consensusbased decision-making , or “ polderen ,” for successful implementation of projects , and Room for the River , a flagship program of the Dutch Government . This program conceptualizes a new approach to flood management and spatial development , by emphasizing living with water and giving more space to the river . This approach is able to contain major floods and improve safety around the floodplains . These aspects of water management are especially important for the rapidly urbanizing countries of Asia and Africa where climate change looms large .
Learning by doing – applying Learning by doing – applying “ polderen ” principles “ polderen ” during in-depth discussion sessions with experts principles during in-depth discussion sessions with experts
Through this research , we came back at the end of the tour with the realization that the first step is to administer resources more efficiently – whether through polderen or by nurturing an ecosystem of various stakeholders to foster innovation . Irrespective of the income level of a country , reducing and reusing water , as well as prevention rather than evacuation in the event of a flood , are the most cost-effective ways to manage water resources .
Source : World Bank
24 Africa Water , Sanitation & Hygiene • March - April 2017