Accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis
This year’s theme for World Water Day 2023 is “accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.” At IWMI, we are proud to be an organization that researches innovative solutions and scales them to improve water security in more than thirty countries across the Global South. Through our partnerships and innovations, IWMI researchers are providing solutions that transform not only water security, but also consider how water intersects with climate resilience, food security, and sustainable ecosystem management, all while promoting gender equity, youth inclusion and advocating for the populations most vulnerable to these crises.
Accelerating change to solve water crises means recognizing that every drop of water counts—and so does the work of our young researchers who are tackling water and sanitation challenges. That’s why this #WorldWaterDay we are highlighting the contributions of our research interns and consultants to projects ranging from food rescue in Sri Lanka to analyzing gaps in urban water policies in Pakistan.
We encourage you to follow IWMI’s social media pages to watch short videos on projects underway in Africa, the Middle East, and Southern and Southeast Asia. Explore our UN Water Conference landing page to read about IWMI’s participation at the conference in New York and how the Transformative Futures for Water Security initiative created eight action-oriented missions that IWMI will advocate for at the conference to influence the UN Global Water Agenda and beyond.
This World Water Day, join us in accelerating change for water security around the world.
UN 2023 Water Conference
Latest updates about IWMI's participation at the UN 2023 Water Conference
Many countries, especially in Africa, suffer from water scarcity. IWMI's Henry Roman shares deeper insight into the problem and its possible solutions.
What we really need this World Water Day is the international multilateral system to take a stand against weaponising water, writes IWMI's Alan Nicol and Lyla Mehta of the Institute of Development Studies.
Researchers contributed to global policy discussions during the Rome Water Dialogue and the Committee on World Food Security, both hosted by FAO in October.
Early warning systems (EWS) facilitate societies’ preparedness and effective response capabilities to climate risks. Climate risks embody hazards, exposure, and vulnerability associated with a particular geographical area. Building an effective EWS requires consideration of the factors above to help people with coping mechanisms. The objective of this paper is to propose an approach that can enhance EWSs and ensure an effective climate risk resilience development. The paper focuses on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and highlights the issues with EWS, identifying weaknesses and characteristics of EWS to help in climate risk adaptation strategies. The SADC region was chosen as the context because it is a climate variability and change hotspot with many vulnerable populations residing in rural communities. Trending themes on building climate risk resilience were uncovered through scientific mapping and network analysis of published articles from 2008 to 2022. This paper contributes to on-going research on building climate risks resilience through early warning systems to identify hidden trends and emerging technologies from articles in order to enhance the operationalization and design of EWS. This review provides insight into technological interventions for assessing climate risks to build preparedness and resilience. From the review analysis, it is determined that there exists a plethora of evidence to support the argument that involving communities in the co-designing of EWS would improve risk knowledge, anticipation, and preparedness. Additionally, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies provide effective tools to address existing EWS’ weaknesses, such as lack of real-time data collection and automation. However, 4IR technology is still at a nascent stage in EWS applications in Africa. Furthermore, policy across societies, institutions, and technology industries ought to be coordinated and integrated to develop a strategy toward implementing climate resilient-based EWS to facilitate the operations of disaster risk managers. The Social, Institutional, and Technology model can potentially increase communities’ resilience; therefore, it is recommended to develop EWS.
Bibliometric analysis / SADC countries / Weather hazards / Extreme weather events / Community involvement / Climate change adaptation / Early warning systems / Disaster risk reduction / Climate resilience Record No:H052487
Hydro-climatic extremes, such as floods and droughts, are influenced by climate change and climate variability, significantly affecting natural ecosystems, human lives, and livelihood. It is crucial to advance the understanding of long-term trends of hydro-climatic extremes for effective water resource planning and management. We analyzed 25 climatic extremes-related indices and 33 hydrologic extremes-related indices in a medium-range river basin in western Nepal, the Babai River Basin. We used RClimDex and Indicators for Hydrologic Alterations to analyze extreme climatic and hydrologic parameters. We computed monotonic trends to evaluate temporal changes in extreme events. The results show a positive trend of total precipitation at Kusum (+ 2.2 mm/year) and Bargadaha (+ 17.7 mm/year) stations and a negative trend at Gulariya (- 5.7 mm/year), Nayabasti (- 7.0 mm/year), Luwamjula (- 5.9 mm/year), and Ghorai (- 18.5 mm/year) stations. Similarly, we observe that almost all temperature extreme indices have a rising trend except the percentage of the days when the maximum temperature is less than the 10th percentile index at Rani Jaruwa station, located at a low elevation. Notably, the cold day temperature index falls at 0.13 days per year. Overall, the hydrologic alteration value shows moderate variability and reduction in the median flow for the second half. The findings of this study indicate that the study area is subjected to a reduced flow regime with a medium degree of variability.
Spatial distribution / Trends / Discharge / Temperature / Precipitation / Parameters / Climate change / River basins / Indicators / Hydrological factors / Extreme weather events Record No:H052322
Antibiotics have revolutionised medicine in the last century and enabled the prevention of bacterial infections that were previously deemed untreatable. However, in parallel, bacteria have increasingly developed resistance to antibiotics through various mechanisms. When resistant bacteria find their way into terrestrial and aquatic environments, animal and human exposures increase, e.g., via polluted soil, food, and water, and health risks multiply. Understanding the fate and transport of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and the transfer mechanisms of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments is critical for evaluating and mitigating the risks of resistant-induced infections. The conceptual understanding of sources and pathways of antibiotics, ARB, and ARGs from society to the water environments is essential for setting the scene and developing an appropriate framework for modelling. Various factors and processes associated with hydrology, ecology, and climate change can significantly affect the fate and transport of ARB and ARGs in natural environments. This article reviews current knowledge, research gaps, and priorities for developing water quality models to assess the fate and transport of ARB and ARGs. The paper also provides inputs on future research needs, especially the need for new predictive models to guide risk assessment on AR transmission and spread in aquatic environments.
Climate change / Risk assessment / Bacteria / Microbial communities / Wastewater treatment plants / Groundwater / Sediment / Health hazards / Environmental factors / Modelling / Water quality / Gene transfer / Aquatic environment / Antibiotic resistance Record No:H052253
Quantifying water-saving potential (WSP) is crucial for sustainable water resource management in canal command areas and river basins. Previous studies have partially or fully ignored the importance of groundwater in WSP assessments, particularly in irrigated areas. This study is aimed at quantifying WSP in the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) command area of the Indus River Basin, Pakistan, under various scenarios of future climate change and groundwater recharge. These quantifications are conducted using an empirical model based on the Budyko theory. The model was forced using observed, remote sensing, and CMIP6 future climate data for two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) and their ensembles (cold-dry, cold-wet, warm-dry, and warm-wet) for possible futures. The results showed that the average WSP in the LCC command area was 466 48 mm/year during the historical period (2001–2020). The WSP is projected to decrease by – 68 3% under the warm-dry ensemble scenario (SSP245 and SSP585) and – 48 13% under the ensembled cold-wet scenario by 2100. The results also demonstrated that WSP could be increased by up to 70 9% by artificially recharging 20% of the abstracted groundwater per year in the LCC command area by the late twenty-first century. Our findings highlight the importance of adopting artificial groundwater recharge to enhance the WSP and sustainably manage water resources in the LCC command area. Policymakers should consider these findings when deciding on water resource management in the Indus River Basin.
Models / Projections / Water availability / Artificial recharge / Energy balance / Water management / Water resources / Irrigation efficiency / Irrigation systems / River basins / Groundwater recharge / Climate change / Water conservation Record No:H052239
Rweyemamu, M. R.; Mruma, T.; Nkanyani, S. 2024. Tanzania agricultural policy profile. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa 21p. More... | Fulltext (520 KB)
Tanzania places a significant emphasis on the importance of its agricultural sector, acknowledging its pivotal role in both the economy and the livelihoods of its citizens. The governmentapos;s commitment to the advancement of agriculture is evident through the execution of diverse policies and programs. The central pillar of Tanzaniaapos;s agricultural policies is the Agricultural Policy of 2013, which delineates strategies to boost productivity, ensure food security, and enhance the socio-economic conditions of farmers. The policy underscores the importance of sustainable practices and the adoption of technology.; Several key programs contribute to the realization of the regions agricultural policy objectives such as the Agricultural Sector Development Program (ASDP) II which focuses on modernizing agriculture, improving infrastructure, and enhancing market access. The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) seeks to attract investments and boost agricultural productivity in the southern regions and the quot;Kilimo Kwanzaquot; initiative, meaning quot;Agriculture First,quot; emphasizes the prioritization of agriculture in national development. It encourages private sector involvement, technology adoption, and increased agricultural productivity.; Tanzania has made significant progress in agricultural development, marked by increased production and improved livelihoods. However, challenges persist, encompassing the impacts of climate change, issues related to market access, and the imperative for sustained policy implementation tailored to fortify the agricultural sectorapos;s resilience. The Tanzanian government remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the agricultural sector. Future efforts are anticipated to emphasise the need for sustainable practices, technological innovations, and inclusive policies to address challenges and promote long-term growth.; In conclusion, Tanzaniaapos;s agricultural policy framework reflects a comprehensive approach to sector development. The implementation of key programs and initiatives demonstrates the governmentapos;s unwavering dedication to nurturing a robust, sustainable, and economically vibrant agricultural sector for the holistic benefit of its nation.
In the context of river basins, the threat of climate change has been extensively studied. However, many of these studies centred on hazard analysis while neglecting the need for comprehensive risk assessments that account for exposure and vulnerability. Hazard analysis alone is not adequate for making adaptive decisions. Thus, to effectively manage flood risk, it is essential to understand the elements that contribute to vulnerability and exposure in addition to hazard analysis. This study aims to assess flood risk (in space and time until the year 2100) for the agricultural system, in the White Volta Basin in northern Ghana. Employing the impact chain methodology, a mix of quantitative and qualitative data and techniques were used to assess hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Multi-model climate change data (RCP 8.5) from CORDEX and observation data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency were used for hazard analysis. Data on exposure, vulnerability, and adaptation were collected through structured interviews. Results indicate that flood hazard will increase by 79.1% with high spatial variability of wet periods but the flood risk of the catchment will increase by 19.3% by the end of the twenty-first century. The highest flood risk is found in the Upper East region, followed by North East, Northern, Savannah, and Upper West for all four analysed periods. Adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and exposure factors are driven by poverty, ineffective institutional governance, and a lack of livelihood alternatives. We conclude that the region is highly susceptible and vulnerable to floods, and that shifting from isolated hazard analysis to a comprehensive assessment that considers exposure and vulnerability reveals the underlying root causes of the risk. Also, the impact chain is useful in generating insight into flood risk for policymakers and researchers. We recommend the need to enhance local capacity and foster social transformation in the region.