water and the sustainable development goals (sdgs)

www.iwmi.orgA water-secure world

Water and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Peter G. McCornick, PhD, PE, D.WRE.

World Water Day Dialogue: Water, jobs and prosperity in Sri Lanka - Partnerships for sustainability

International Water Management InstitutePelawatta, Sri Lanka

March 23rd, 2016


World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report 2016

Water Risk


Van der Bliek, McCornick & Clark (2014)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)


Context is crucial

Context if crucial - Countries at different stages of economic development

SDG targets Stage 1 – Fully informal

Stage 2 – Largely informal

Stage 3 – Rapidly formalizing

Stage 4 – Fully formal water industry

Target 1 Investment Invest in local infrastructure to improve water access

Invest in meso-level infrastructure for sustainable development of water resources

Invest in improving water productivity and waste recycling

Invest in 100% coverage in high quality water service provision

Target 2 Institutional Make informal water institutions equitable

Integrate informal water institutions with formal ones in private or public sector

Create meso-level participatory water institutions

Create a full-fledged water industry with proactive regulator

Target 3 Policy and legal regime

Establish basic water information system

Establish water policy and legal regime

Establish basin-level water allocation mechanism

Full-fledged basin management authorities

Target 4 Financial sustainability

Establish the principle of water as a social and economic good

Provide a subsidy on operational and maintenance costs to 50%

Apply a 75% service fee for recovery of operational and maintenance costs of water infrastructure

Apply 100% water service as well as resource fee for management, operations and maintenance costs


Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

6.1 by 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2 by 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3 by 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse by x% globally

6.4 by 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from

water scarcity

6.5 by 2030 implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.6 by 2020 protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

6.A

Clean Water & Sanitation SDG


Managing groundwater sustainably

• Agricultural is the largest user of groundwater globally

• 44% of global food production is produced by groundwater, of which 33% is from non-renewable sources

• India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan = 1 billion households depend on GW for agriculture


Installation of agro-wells and pumps 1965-2000

• Groundwater management in Sri Lanka is at a very nascent stage

• Multiple mandates governing groundwater are across various institutions

• Threatens the resource

Groundwater (agro-well) in Sri Lanka: A silent revolution

• Farmer’s private investments• Generates livelihoods and jobs along the

value chain• Enables crop diversification• Increases resilience


Managing groundwater sustainably

Rehabilitation

Revitalization is more than just rehabilitation

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ProductivityFunctioning Ecosystems

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Revitalizing irrigation systems for food, water, energy and ecosystems services


• One million new farm tube-wells are sunk in India every year, each one relying on electric or diesel powered pumps.

• It takes an average of roughly 2,500 liters of water to produce 1 liter of liquid biofuel - the same amount needed, on average, to produce food for one person for one day.

Water, Energy, Food & EnvironmentSDG 6, 7, 2, 14 and others


SDG targets on wastewater management, recycling & reuse: other nexus benefits → reduced energy for chemical fertilizers, recovery of nutrients

Multiple benefits from wastewater reuse, food security and energy reduction


• SDG 12.5 - substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

• SDG 6.6.1 on water related ecosystems

Safeguarding our water bodies

Solid waste

Liquid waste

Eravur

Kalmunai

Co-Composti

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Partnering with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) to facilitate its use in Sri Lanka


• Achieving the SDG goal 6.6.1 on water related ecosystems• Working with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) to facilitate its

use in Sri Lanka

Healthy Rivers

How much water should be left in rivers to ensure they remain healthy?(Sri Lanka Environmental Flow Calculator)


Ratnapura

Nuwara Eliya

Anuradhapura

Vulnerability index

• Directly relevant to SDG Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

• Identify highly vulnerable areas

• Identify river basins which have the highest potential (best candidates) for further increases in surface water storage capacity

• Provide capacity building and expert advice to the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment on climate change

Adapting to Climate ChangeImproved water management is critical


Water productivity is an indicator of the efficient use of water; water accounting is a monitoring tool.

Water Accounting Plus (WA+) – partnership: IWMI, UNESCO-IHE, FAO – uses global open access data and the development of an international standard to express complex water management issues.

WA+ presents the data in different sheets, allowing easy and quick access to particular topics, such as agricultural production, ecosystem services, useable flows and groundwater depletion.

Targets & Monitoring: Water accounting


Partnerships: Achieving all water-related goals will require a broad partnership within the water sector and beyondOpportunities for Growth: Emphasis should be on facilitating a sustainable and equitable growth path.Balancing the Scales: Large scale investments in water resources and agriculture need to complement, rather than undermine, small-scale producersIntegration: Thinking across sectors and out of the ‘sectoral boxes’ has produced practical solutions

Overarching messages


• Consider the contextual realities in a given country• Determine practical national targets, requirements

and solutions for achieving targets and measuring progress

• Identify evidence-based solutions and interventions

Further Steps