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
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
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050
Year
bil
lio
n p
eop
le
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
0
500.000
1.000.000
1.500.000
2.000.000
2.500.000
3.000.000
1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060
Po
pu
lati
on
, 1
00
0'
PoPW Sim PoPW Obs PoPS Sim PoPS Obs
MDG Goals
Inspired by: Financing Water For All, World Panel, 2003
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!
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
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
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
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