Jan Hassing Senior Policy Adviser, Water Resources Management DHI Water & Environment “The role of water in achieving the Millennium Development Goals”

Jan HassingSenior Policy Adviser, Water Resources Management

DHI Water & Environment

“The role of water in achieving the Millennium Development Goals”

Outline of presentation

• The global water situation - a water crisis?• The water challenge - what are the global priorities• New solutions - towards Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)• The international response - commitments and targets

• Water and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)• The Johannesburg 2005 target on IWRM

- how to meet it? - status on achieving it?

The global challenge and obligation

The global water situation

The global water situation:

Gloomy statistics- but no doomsday scenario!

Why is water resources management critical ?

Population growth Economic growth

Almost constantamount of water

in the cycle

Increasing pollution

Increasing demand

Increased competition for scarce water

Need for allocation and conflict resolution

A few global figures

The “blue planet”: 70% covered by water

But only 2.5% freshwater - of which <1% usable by mankind

The World’s freshwater (year 2000)(cubic km per year)

110,000precipitation

40,000runoff and infiltration

13,500economically available

4,500abstraction

2,440consumptive use

Global water situation

0

1

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6

7

8

9

10

1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

Year

bil

lio

n p

eop

le

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6

7

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10

1000

m3/

per

son

/yea

r

Population Water available per capita

12,000 km3/yr availableActual (year 2000): 4,000 km3/yr

”Water stress” = 1,700 m3/ps/yr

6+ billion people

”Water scarcity” = 1,000 m3/ps/yr

Sources: World Water Council; SAM Study Water: a market of the future (2007); Global Water Intelligence ; OECD, Global trends (2000); DHI (2009) ..

A water stressed World

Water availability per capita:World average: 7,000 cu.m/cap/yr

Canada 94,000 cu.m/cap/yrGaza Strip 52 cu.m/cap/yr

“Water stress”: < 1,700 cu.m/cap/yr“Water scarcity”: < 1,000 cu.m/cap/yr

Water stress

2000: 508 mill. in 31 countries2025: 3000 mill. in 48 countries

Physical scarcity: primary water supply of country exceeds 60 percent of potentially utilizable water resources

Economic scarcity: additional storage and conveyance facilities must be increased by more than 25 percent to meet primary water supply needs

Source: IWMI

Pressure on water: Global trends

Does climate change aggravate the World’s water problems?

The overall picture

IPCC WG 2 Fourth Assessment Report, April 2007:

Climate Change Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability

Global warming will hit through water:

• Through climate change : - changes in the hydrological cycle - sea level rise - increased water temperatures

• Through increased climate variability: - more serious and frequent extremes,

such as floods, droughts, typhoons

IPCC Precipitation projections

1990 -> 2090Northern Winter left; Summer right

Projected change in annual precipitation by 2050 (?) :Climate changes affecting water resources management - ?!

The overall picture

Wet getting wetter – dry getting drier - plus 10-40% in wet regions (mostly North) - minus 10-30% in dry regions (mostly South)

Changes in snow cover -> 1/6 of World population experiencing lower run-off from major mountain ranges

Some geographical hot spots - Africa South of Sahara - large coastal cities - mega deltas in Asia - small island states

- hurting the poor in the poor regions!

A message to take from the IPPC report

Energy is the focus for mitigation

Water must become focus of adaptation

The water challenge

The World’s assessment

A water crisis?Or a crisis of water governance?

11 basic water management challenges

-- as identified in the first

”World Water Development Report”

issued in Kyoto in March 2003

Challenges to life and well-being:

1. Securing basic needs and health

2. Securing food

3. Protecting ecosystems

4. Addressing competing urban needs

5. Promoting cleaner industry

6. Developing energy

Challenges to stewardship and water governance:

7. Mitigating risks and coping with uncertainty

8. Sharing water across boundaries

9. Valuing water

10. Ensuring the knowledge base

11. Governing water wisely

Meeting basic needs

Global figures (2003) - people without:Water: > 1.1 bill.

> 2.1 bill. less 50 lcpd

Sanitation: > 2.5 bill.

Water related deaths: > 5 mill./yr

Distance > 1 km => less than 10 lcpd

Water for people <=> Water for food

Securing basic water needs takes 50 l/cap/day

=> a political will problem!

Securing our basic diet takes 2500 l/cap/day

=> a real water problem !

Securing food supply

Food needs water!

1999 to 2025:

Grain production: + 40%=>Irrigation: +15-20%!? (IWMI)

Protecting ecosystems

Aquatic ecosystems (drying, polluting)

• Rivers running dry:Yellow River, Colorado ...

• Lakes drying: Aral Sea, Chad..

Biodiversity

UNEP: 50% decline in freshwater species since 1970!

Sharing our water resources ...

More than 40% live in shared basins!

Share “reasonably and equitably”!

(Helsinki Rules, in force 1966)

But how …..Water as a “source of conflict”?Or as a “lubricant of peace”?

Global examples:• Nile River• Mekong River • Murray-Darling

Changing directions

Why this situation?

What went wrong?

The problem: Traditional Supply Management

• Focus on technical solutions• Isolated projects:

– Irrigation and drainage– Water and sanitation– Flood control– Hydropower– Industry

by fragmented, sub-sectoral authorities• Supply fix, rather than demand management• Little attention to environmental and social

impacts

Towards a solution:

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

IWRM - a definition ?

“ IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated

development and management of water, land and related

resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic

and social welfare in an equitable manner without com-

promising the sustainability of vital ecosystems”

GWP, TEC

Managing competing uses:

Water for

people

Water for food

Water for

nature

Water for

otheruses

Cross-sectoral integration

• Enabling environment

• Institutions• Management

tools

The way forward…:Integrated Water Resources Management

Structure

EconomicEfficiency Equity Environmental

Sustainability

Management Instruments Assessment Information Allocation

Instruments

EnablingEnvironment Policies Legislation

InstitutionalFramework Central -

Local River Basin Public -

Private

Balance “water for livelihood” and “water as a resource”

What makes water special to manage?

Manage water in the context of the basin(ex. European law: EU Water Framework Directive)

Understanding IWRM

What to “integrate”? What is the “I” in IWRM?

Natural system integration

Freshwater <=> Coastal zone

Land <=> Water

Surface water <=> Groundwater

Quantity <=> Quality

Upstream <=> Downstream

Human system integration

Mainstreaming of water resources in national policies:

- economic policy

- food policy

- environment policy,

- health policy,

- energy policy

Virtual water as a means to manage water ?

The international response

The global agenda:

Mar del Plata 1977

Dublin/Rio 1992 Millennium 2000, WWF Hague 2000

UN 2002WSSD Johannesburg 2002

WWF Kyoto 2003

WWF Mexico 2006

The 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

Goal 7 – Ensure environmental sustainability

The “water target”:

“Halving proportion of people without access to safe drinking water supply and sanitation by 2015”:

=> serving 230,000 people/day with water=> serving 430,000 people/day with sanitation !!!

An important challenge, but not the only ….!

And the role of water in the other MDG’s often forgotten!

Water as a Human Right

UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural RightsNovember 2002

“The human right to drinking water is fundamental for lifeand health. Sufficient and safe drinking water is a

precondition for the realization of all human rights”

Population without improved Water Supply & Sanitation

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500.000

1.000.000

1.500.000

2.000.000

2.500.000

3.000.000

1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060

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PoPW Sim PoPW Obs PoPS Sim PoPS Obs

MDG Goals

Inspired by: Financing Water For All, World Panel, 2003

Existing Problems: Drinking Water

Existing Problems: Sanitation

Water and the MDG’s

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG)

Other MDG’s strongly dependent on water :

Poverty:Halving by 2015 the proportion on less than 1 $/day

Hunger:Halving by 2015 the proportion suffering from hunger

Health:Reducing child mortality, and major water related diseases

Water and the poverty goal

• Water as a production factor for the poor

• Water infrastructure as development catalyst

• Reduced vulnerability to floods and droughts

• Enhanced ecosystem - and livelihoods

• Reduced water related diseases - deaths!

Water and the hunger goal

• Grain production from irrigation

• Water for subsistence agriculture, gardens,

livestock and tree crops

• Water for fisheries and other foods

• Reduced urban hunger due to cheaper food prices

• Better nutritional status for healthy people

Water and the hunger goal- some recent figures

50% increase in water use for food production by 2015- from 4500 cukm/yr to 6700 cukm/yr!

Total2200

Rainfed1950

Irrigation250

New land600

Ex. land1000

Savings350

Water and the hunger goal- implications of these estimates

• Strong focus on rainfed agriculture

• Strong focus on smallholders

• Increasing challenge in trade-off between water for food production and water for ecosystems

(environmental flows)

• Need for IWRM approaches!

The WSSD target on IWRM

Johannesburg 2002- the 2005 target for water!!

The WSSD Plan of Implementation:

“… developing IWRM and water efficiency plans by 2005, with support to developing countries”

The only short term target on water=>a test on our willingness to act!

The WSSD target

“Develop integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans by 2005, with support to developing countries”

Why such IWRM plans ?

Two good reasons:

• Instrument to mainstream water in national economy and development

• Instrument to help achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG´s) by 2015: on poverty, hunger, health and environment (incl. water supply and sanitation!)

Why this target?What is the message?

Translate IWRM into concrete plans…

• Complete plans by specific date - 2005!• All countries - not just the poor and dry!• Focus on the MDG’s in the poorest countries• Support to developing countries

Good intentions, but unfortunate language:

Not traditional “plans”…!

Not completion by 2005..!

Some other messages in Art. 26

· The basin should be considered as the basic unit for integrating management.

· Priority to meeting basic human needs, particularly the poor.

· Balancing ecosystem needs with the needs of other water users.

· Stakeholder participation, empowerment and capacity building

· Accountability of public and private organisations

Meeting the WWSD target - how?

A coherent approach to change

Enabling environment

Institutional roles

Management instruments

Strategy

Not just another “master plan”

IWRM strategy >< traditional water plan:

– Dynamic rather than static—laying down a framework

– Cyclic, not linear

The IWRM planning cycle

COMMITMENT TO REFORMESTABLISH STATUS

PREPARE STRATEGY

ANALYSE GAPS

IMPLEMENT FRAMEWORKS

MONITOR PROGRESS

CCCOMMITMENT TO ACTIONS

Implement Frameworks

Framework for water governance

Framework for water infrastructure development

Framework for water and sanitation service delivery

Framework for water efficiency improvements

Not just another “Water Plan”

IWRM strategy >< traditional water plan:

– Broader focus: water in relation to larger development goals

– Extensive stakeholder participation

Approaches to developing a strategy

• Targeted approach - focusing on specific water problems

• Broad approach - considering the potential of water resources development and management to advance development goals.

Linking to other strategies and plans

– National strategies to meet Millennium Development Goals

– Country poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs)

– National Five Year Plans or Sustainable Development Strategies

– National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans– National Plans on women’s development and

empowerment– National Plans for Adaptation to Climate Change

An example: Burkina Faso’s water strategy ...

Strategies for WRM, supply and demandWater Policy, Water Act

Complementary strategies Education – Awareness- Consultation - R&D

National Plan =>Portfolio of actions !

Protection Uses Demand Mgt MonitoringInformation

Disasters

Pricing and financing International cooperation

Meeting the WWSD target - the status

Survey by Global Water Partnership 2004 & 2006: 10 indicators in 3 groups

Process and capacity

Substance of Plan

Steps towards implementation

Global status for developing countriesas reported to CSD 12 (2004), WWF (2006)

and to CSD (2008)

Total* world figures: 2004** 2006*** 2008****• Good progress: 14% 25% 38%• Some steps: 51% 50% 51%• Initial stage: 43% 25% 11%

*: Mostly developed countries

**: GWP survey

***: GWP survey

****:UN DESA survey

Conclusion - the challenge

The challenge

The World faces a challenge, and has an obligation…..:

WSSD:“Develop IWRM and water efficiency plans by

2005, with support to developing countries”

The MDG’s: a global challenge and commitment

Need for financial and technical assistance to the developing countries

Thank you!

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