WATEF Network Newsletter: April 2019

World Water Day 22 March 2019: Leaving no one behind

Whoever you are, wherever you are, water is your human right.

The theme for this year's World Water Day 2019 is ‘Leaving no one behind’. This is an adaptation of the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: as sustainable development progresses, everyone must benefit.

How does it relate to water?

Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) includes a target to ensure availability and sustainable management of water for all by 2030. By definition, this means leaving no one behind.

What is the problem?

Today, billions of people are still living without safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive.

Marginalized groups – women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.

Find out more at the world water day website

The United Nations World Water Development Report, Leaving no one behind, launched 19 March 2019 during the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and in conjunction to the World Water Day, demonstrates how improvements in water resources management and access to water supply and sanitation services are essential to addressing various social and economic inequities, such that ‘no one is left behind’ when it comes to enjoying the multiple benefits and opportunities that water provides.

Read the report here

Waterwise conference 2019

Speech by Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency at the Waterwise Conference, 19 March 2019

Hats off to Waterwise and Sir James Bevan for bringing water efficiency to the top of the headlines with this ringing challenge on what needs to be done urgently to kerb our consumption and prevent water scarcity in the UK in the future.

Read a transcript of Sir James' speech here

Update from REDAWN

Pilot plant testing potential for energy recovery in irrigation networks begins operation

Our first demonstration pilot plant will begin running this Spring, testing our REDAWN micro-hydropower technology by replacing an existing diesel generator.

The pilot is located in the Guadalquivir river basin in Andalucia, Spain. Known as the “European California”, the area is noted for its fertile soils and the perfect climate for the production of nuts and pecans. The technology has been developed by Tecnoturbines, with our partners FAEN, FERAGUA and University of Cordoba.   This is one of three demonstration pilot sites testing the technology for the project; the others are a paper production site in Portugal and a drinking water site in France. More information will be released on these as the sites come online. For more information on REDAWN visit www.redawn.eu

From the blog

January: Bath Abbey: A New Sustainable Heating System  Over one million litres of natural hot spring water at up to 45°C rises in the centre of Bath every day, flowing through the Roman Baths and the Great Drain to discharge into the River Avon.  Neil Francis of BuroHappold details the scheme at Bath Abbey to recover energy from the water in the Great Drain for heating as part of the much broader £20m Footprint Project currently underway on site.
February: Micropollutants and Wastewater Treatment Of all the weird and wonderful things that find their way into our sewers, micropollutants are some of the most difficult to remove. Dr Jannis Wenk (University of Bath) explores what effects these pollutants have on our environment, and what technologies can be employed to remove these before they reach the food chain
March: Water efficient hot and cold water system design: the problems and possible solutions Out of date regulations, design assumptions and practices result in oversized, inefficient water systems that can also be health risks.  John Griggs of Water&More explores solutions to improve the design process and defeat the silo mentality which has often existed in the regulatory world.
April: Equitable water access: leaving no one behind, wherever. UN-Water’s goal of “Leaving no one behind” needs all of us: academics, policy makers, practitioners and NGOs to work together to ensure we achieve water access for the few, as well as the many. WATEF network lead Dr Kemi Adeyeye sets out the challenge of achieving equity in access to safe water for rural communities.

Invitation for submissions to special issue of Water 

Water are inviting manuscript submissions for a special issue on "Resilient Water-Wise Cities: Social, Environmental and Technical Contributions of Rainwater Harvesting Systems and Water-Reuse Techniques". 

This Special Issue aims to consider a range of perspectives on and approaches to transformation for resilient and water-wise cities. Included papers should present recent advances, which can be social, environmental or technical in character, in relation to rainwater harvesting systems and water-reuse techniques with the aim of enhancing resilience and becoming more water-wise. Broad principles for the following objectives are also welcome: resilience to hydrological extremes (drought and flood); water quality impact; source runoff control; water resources protection; embedding socio-cultural values; facilitating changing social practices.

Guest editors include Assoc. Prof. Ilaria Gnecco and Assoc. Prof Sarah Ward. 

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2020

More information about this special issue here

29 April - 3 May 2019 Online

For the fifth time running, Waterwise is hosting its annual Water Saving Week. On every day of this online event, they will focus on a specific area of water use and raise awareness to the issues around it. Through sharing ideas, solutions and related challenges the aim is to help participants save water and maintain its efficient use in their daily lives.

Find out more at the Waterwise website or follow the event on Twitter using hashtag #watersavingweek

8 May 2019: 'Role of nanomaterials in waste water purification' by Professor Vinod Kumar Gupta from the University of Johannesburg    

 

29 May 2019: 'Improved capacitive deionization by using novel carbon materials' by Professor Dengsong Zhang from Shanghai University

Mrs Eleanor Eaton (Network Coordinator)
Dr Kemi Adeyeye (Lead - WATEF Network)