Water, Sewage & Effluent November December 2018 | Page 3

www.waterafrica.co.za the entire water basin is essential, as urban water resilience is not possible without rural water resilience. In simple terms, we must be more water-wise. With up to 4.3-billion people expected to live in cities by 2050, this is something city leaders and water managers need to be looking at now. Whilst this is a challenge, it also provides a significant opportunity to revolutionise how urban water systems are designed and retrofitted, and how they can deliver greater benefits for all.” In a more local context in our Environment feature on page 26, Mike Muller looks at precisely this issue in his article “Developing more water-sensitive cities”. He comments on what students are thinking — and learning — about water and wetlands, and how final-year civil engineering students are encouraged to consider how to develop more ‘water- sensitive’ cities. As part of this broad approach, he touches on how some have looked at the role that wetlands can play in urban drainage, and the challenges of ensuring water security for growing African cities in a highly variable climate. Helgard Muller, in his article titled “Icebergs and Hunger Stones”, comments on how, over the centuries, the human race has been able to reduce hunger through scientific and engineering developments, but, despite water being stored in dams and having sophisticated water supply systems, we are still vulnerable to droughts — as the past few years have acutely proven. So, what are we to make of all this? Well, for one thing, the only constant is change. Climate change, population growth, urbanisation, and resource depletion are the major global challenges facing humankind, and these issues are all most prevalent in our cities. With one in four large cities facing water stress, and water demand projected to increase by 55% by 2050, city leaders and developers must act now to meet future needs. As the new skipper at the helm of Water, Sewage & Effluent, I hope that the magazine can give you some insight into the issues outlined above, and at the very least, some interesting reading. Since I value and rely heavily on your expert opinions, views, and insights, please feel free to email me at [email protected] to share your pearls of wisdom, suggestions, and comments. I’d love to hear from you! Tarren Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2018 1 I f anything ‘good’ has come of Cape Town’s recent water crisis, it’s that it has alerted major cities to threats to their own water supplies. According to the Arup report (Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants, and technical specialists), Cities Alive: Water for People, released in September this year and endorsed by the International Water Association (IWA), cities need to expand what they might now consider ‘their’ water infrastructure to include the entire river basin on which they depend. The report, which was launched at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2018 in Tokyo, Japan, highlights that the world’s 100 largest cities occupy less than 1% of the planet’s land area, while the basins that provide their water resources cover over 12% and serve almost a billion people. Water basins are vital for supplying cities with water, collecting all the surface water and groundwater in the area. Cities impact stewardship for hundreds of miles. They have the potential to influence how their water basins are managed, yet they invest very little in them. Basically, the report calls for more ‘upstream thinking’ in how cities approach water management. It presents an economic pathway of addressing the challenges of population growth and climate change in our cities. To move towards a more sustainable future, it is critical that cities adapt, so that they can address these contemporary challenges. Understanding how a city’s water basin behaves does not only lead to better water management, but can protect the local environment and ensure the well-being of residents. The Arup report outlines recommendations for successfully managing and maintaining water issues, including how governments, businesses, and water organisations should be working with land owners and land managers further upstream to reduce risks, improve water quality, and encourage more sustainable water sources. “It’s really about people taking responsibility for building water-wise cities — cities that are connected to their basins, designed in a water-sensitive way, and delivering services that are sustainable, flexible, and robust,” states Corinne Trommsdorff, programme manager: Cities of the Future at IWA. “Building water-wise communities is the key to achieving that. Water for people is also water by people.” Dr Mark Fletcher, global water leader at Arup, said, “Recognising the importance of Hunger Stones, icebergs, and upstream thinking