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Water Afteruse – Protecting Health and Ecosystems
Tuesday 19 August
Workshop 2 - Full Day Workshop
Convenor : Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Co-Convenors: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) together with AquaFed, Water Environment Federation (WEF) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Poor sanitation, pollution and abuse of water in upstream areas have harmful implications for downstream users and ecosystems. This causes deep concern in many societies, but users turn a blind eye to the afteruse part of the water cycle. The human and ecosystem health costs of this attitude are growing. Inadequate attention is paid to the source – supply – use – afteruse sequence. After returning to the river system, polluted water affects raw water sources habitats and aquatic ecosystems. The relative roles of microbiological, chemical and other pollutants in river basins have important implications for users and ecosystems’ health.
Strategies are needed for water source protection, river restoration and pollution abatement. Water source protection and river restoration have up till now been given less focus in developing countries than in the industrialised ones. Working upstream from sink to source as a mode of analysis could help to control downstream water quality. Without safe sanitation and pollution abatement, and reuse strategies, rivers and aquatic ecosystems cannot be maintained or restored to a healthy state.
This workshop will examine: 1) the relative role of different types of pollution in real basin cases, 2) river basin management strategies for river protection and restoration, 3) examples of sink-to-source analyses, and 4) the potential for “working the water cycle backwards” to achieve an integrated approach to improving human and environmental health.
Workshop Details :
Chair: Mr. Gérard Payen, WBCSD/AquaFed
Co-chair: Mr. Tim Kasten, UNEP
Commentator: Ms. Marian Orfeo, National Association of
Clean Water Agencies, USA (tbc)
Rapporteur: Mr. Jack Moss, WBCSD/AquaFed
Co-rapporteur: Prof. Malin Falkenmark, SIWI
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