WELCOME BACK TO THE GWWI CORNER!
Message from the Chair
Dear Members of the Global Wastewater Initiative,
Season’s Greetings, and welcome back to the GWWI Corner! I hope you are all doing well. We are pleased to share this edition of the GWWI newsletter with all of you. It has been quite a productive year for the GWWI, especially in terms of participating and showcasing the Initiative at various events like the UN Water Conference in New York, World Water Week in Stockholm, and for the first time, at COP28 in Dubai.
In this issue, you will read about the GWWI’s achievements over the past year – a major one being the launch of the report, “Wastewater: Turning Problem to Solution”, which is a GWWI flagship report – along with updates from the members. As we bring this year to a close, there are many exciting things to look forward to in 2024, including the new and revamped webpage for the Initiative, new projects, and more opportunities to collaborate with each other! We hope you enjoy this edition as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you.
On this note, I wish you all a very happy New Year and happy holidays!
Aslihan Kerç
Chair of the GWWI
UPDATES FROM THE INITIATIVE
GWWI at COP28!
At COP28 in Dubai, the GWWI in partnership with the GPNM and with UNEP’s support organized a side event entitled “Wastewater and Nutrient Management: A Key for Climate, Water, Food and Energy Security”. Focusing on the role of wastewater and nutrient management as key for climate, water, food and energy security, the event took place on 10 Dec, the day dedicated to water and food, and brought together speakers from the European Union, the World Food Programme, UNEP-WCMC and UNEP’s Major Group on Children and Youth. It was attended and viewed by more 6,000 people in person and online, and was the first event focusing on this topic ever organised by UNEP at a COP, paving the way for new action and collaboration on wastewater and nutrients as solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. You can watch the recording here.
Additionally, you can watch the video and read the factsheet on Wastewater and Nutrients for #ClimateAction.
The Steering Committee Meeting of the GWWI
The GWWI's Steering Committee met virtually in November 2023, with the objective of engaging in discussions on key initiatives, recent developments, and promoting opportunities for collaboration among the participants. The meeting also discussed the current Rules of Procedure for meetings of the GWWI and agreed to support the Secretariat in 2024 to update this. The Steering Committee also emphasised the significance of these meetings to maintain networks and facilitate mutual updates and appreciated the GWWI for all the fantastic work done over the past year.
Some of the action items from the meeting are as follows:
- To do a revision on the Rules of Procedure.
- Identify missing regions and countries and develop a strategy to reach out to underrepresented countries through their governments.
We launched the report – Wastewater: Turning Problem to Solution!
The report “Wastewater: Turning Problem to Solution” was launched on 23 Aug 2023 at World Water Week in Stockholm. This GWWI flagship publication, developed jointly by UNEP and GRID Arendal, acts as a follow-up to the original report “Sick Water? The Central Role of Wastewater Management in Sustainable Development” and highlights the potential of wastewater as an invaluable resource, urging decision makers and action takers from all regions of the world to implement the three key actions, to overcome barriers, and to put in place the building blocks, described in the publication.
You can watch the launch here!
Other engagement at World Water Week in Stockholm
GWWI members were also actively involved in other side events at the 2023 World Water Week. UNEP organised two events on “Scaling up Solutions for Sustainable Wastewater and Nutrient Management” and “Wastewater Surveillance for Public Health and Environmental Management”, while also participating in other side events like “Voices from the Field: Source-to-Sea Stories from Around the World”, which was organised by the Source to Sea platform from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
Closing the Loop: Nutrient Recovery from Wastewater
The GWWI, in partnership with the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM), organized a webinar entitled "Closing the Loop: Nutrient Recovery from Wastewater" on 16th August 2023. This webinar was part of a series of webinars being organised by the GPNM to support the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen by sharing technical information and knowledge on related topics. This webinar aimed to discuss the potential of recovering nutrients from wastewater, and the value of such a resource. With over 80 participants, the webinar brought together stakeholders from different sectors such as private sector, governments, and NGOs, and highlighted good examples and innovations from the field.
The International Conference: Towards a Global Wastewater Surveillance System for Public Health
UNEP and WHO attended the International Conference “Towards a Global Wastewater Surveillance System for Public Health”, which was organised by the European Commission’s DG HERA and Joint Research Centre (JRC) from 15-17 Nov 2023. This conference, the first of its kind, was organised with the aim to create the basis for a Global Wastewater Surveillance Consortium to ensure the integration of wastewater-based surveillance into core public health functions. With a lot of fruitful engagements and interesting country perspectives, a key outcome of this conference was the development of a roadmap outlining future activities that would contribute to enhancing ongoing work on wastewater-based surveillance for public health and one health, also recognising the important role that the environment plays. UNEP and other GWWI members are expected to actively contribute towards the development of this global consortium.
NEWS AND ARTICLES
Down the drain lies a promising climate and nature solution – UN report
The press release for the launch of the report, “Wastewater: Turning Problem to Solution”. You can view it here.
Amid water, food, and energy crises, not a drop of wastewater should be wasted
UNEP contributed to this opinion piece by Reuters on the report, “Wastewater: Turning Problem to Solution”. You can read the entire article here.
An interview with the Smart Water Magazine
Leticia Carvalho, Head of the Marine and Freshwater Branch, gave an interview for the Smart Water Magazine’s latest edition on the importance of wastewater, its crucial role in achieving water security and the GWWI. You can read the magazine here.
THE PARTNERS' CORNER
The Appropriate Sanitation Institute
The Appropriate Sanitation Institute has been busy recently. In September they began production of a series of video classes on Condominial sewerage with CAESB, the water and sanitation company of Brasilia, Brazil. CAESB serves the entire Federal District with Condominial sewerage. CAESB 's Condominial system which began in 1991, currently serves more than 1.5 million inhabitants, rich and poor, often with fewer problems and at a much lower cost than a conventional system. CAESB has a 92% sewerage connection rate, and collects and treats wastewater from any unconnected households, so treatment is close to 100% of sewage produced in the city. We will release the video classes in 2024.
In September they also organized a tour of the Condominial sewer system in Salvador for two professors from the Federal University of ITAJUBÁ (UNIFEI), in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Embasa, the water and sanitation company in the state of Bahia, Brazil, has installed more than 400,000 connections in the greater Salvador area and serve more than 2.5 million people, and have a sewerage connection rate of 95%. During this visit, they saw many beaches that had been cleaned up, as well as an exciting new development: to keep the beaches clean, Embasa captures polluted rivers and streams and diverts the entire waterways into the sewerage system, but recently they have been able to re-release several streams into the ocean because they have been completely cleaned up. They visited two streams, one on either side of Salvador's iconic Itapuã lighthouse, which are now clean.
Operators Without Borders (OWB)
OWB has been very active in the past year. They have launched ‘Operators Without Borders Australia’ in December 2023 which will enable them to serve the Asian market much more efficiently. One of their biggest projects in 2023 has been providing assistance to Ukrainian Vodakanals (Water Utilities). They also received funds to successfully conduct preparation training for Level 1-2 Certification Exam in both Wastewater Treatment and Wastewater Collection in four countries: Belize, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Grenada. They were also named one of three ‘Charities of Choice’ by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the ‘Charity of Choice’ by the Environmental Operators Certificate Programme (EOCP). And finally, after almost two years’ hard work, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Committee launched over 225 SOPs at the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association Conference (CWWA).
Proman Consulting
The positions of the European Parliament and the Council (Member States) on the revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) both maintain the European Commission's proposal to set minimum reuse & recycling rates for phosphorus (Art. 20). Both EU bodies support amendments to cover reuse & recycling of nutrients from wastewater and not only from sludge, as proposed by the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP). The Parliament wants a more ambitious timetable for reuse. Discussions to finalise the revision of the UWWTD will now enter the "Trilogue" (negotiations between representatives of the European Parliament and the Council, with the participation of the European Commission) with the aim of agreeing on a compromise text to be adopted by both the Parliament and the Council before next year's European Parliament elections (6-9 June 2024, followed by the appointment of a new European Commission).
Ridge to Reefs
Ridge to Reefs, a new member of the GWWI, work on Bioreactor Gardens, which is a green infrastructure, nature-based wastewater treatment practice that purifies effluent resulting from traditional septic systems. Bioreactor Garden systems use nature-based processes which mimic the actions of wetland filtration in a concentrated system, including filtration through layers of activated biochar, beneficial bacteria, and wood chips made from invasive species. Bioreactor Gardens treat water to a high standard; this filtration results in nearly total removal of key nutrients and contaminants of concern. They are a resilient, circular economy approach to decentralized nature-based wastewater treatment.
Challenging conditions in Guánica, Puerto Rico have shown the Bioreactor Garden to be a climate resilient nature-based wastewater solution, as well as ecologically and economically resilient. The Bioreactor Garden thrived despite coastal salt intrusion, indicating this as an appropriate technology for areas facing sea level rise with porous geology and soil conditions. These highly adaptable nature-based designs can be adapted to a wide variety of conditions. The Bioreactor Garden system is self-maintaining, except for occasionally trimming back the verdant vegetation.
Nature based solutions can be readily engineered to meet the needs of local environmental conditions. The high treatment standard allows for water reuse, reframing disposal of wastewater as reuse of cleaned water resources. They invite communities to engage and advocate for nature-based wastewater solutions and green-gray infrastructure for improved health of groundwater, drinking water, freshwater and coastal ecosystems. By learning from nature’s solutions and leading science, hybrid treatment trains are emerging as state-of-the art practices that improve outcomes across all wastewater treatment scales.
Connect with our program staff on the web at www.ridgetoreefs.org. Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Nature-Based Wastewater Solutions.
RC-WEE Solutions
RC- WEE Solutions successfully conducted two 2-day workshops on: Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security (EHSS), and Environmental Permitting and Auditing (EP&A), at the Central State University OH (USA). They also presented an invited talk on “Energy Resilient Municipal Water Systems and Infrastructure”, the technical paper by William F. Ritter and S. Rao Chitikela - “A Historical Review Of Water Quality Conditions In Lake Erie Watershed From 1928 To 2022”, on “Landfills And Landfill Gas Management In The United States And Canada”, on “Treated and Regulated Municipal Wastewater Effluents to Direct Potable Reuse (DPR)”. They provided a 5-hr Operator Training to the water/wastewater operators, and peer-reviewed the upcoming WEF's MOP 8 Textbook - "Wastewater Engineering: Design of Water Resource Recovery Facilities".
Positive action for child and earth foundation
childrensearth.org, an Indian based non-profit start-up focussed on climate action, designed and built a sustainable horizontal flow constructed wetland to recycle greywater in a school with over 4500 students in New Delhi, India. The school can now save up to 7 lakh litre fresh water/year by reusing this treated greywater for non-potable purposes. Greywater was first diverted to the wetland (before it got mixed with sewage) and passed through multiple layers of natural filter materials like clay brick pieces, stone pieces, different sized grit, and sand. This is a working example of how schools can leverage sustainable solutions to reduce their carbon footprint when it comes to the recycle and reuse of greywater. Prashant Sharma, the founder states "The treated Greywater passes all test parameters and is safe for reuse as service water. In addition, school students now understand that greywater can be recycled and reused."
A short video is available on: https://fb.watch/o25tWg8nh5/?mibextid=cr9u03
You can also find them on Instagram: @water_recycle_reuse
FROM THE SECRETARIAT
Our team is growing!
After completing her internship in October 2023, Josphine Wairimu Nduguti has now re-joined UNEP, where she is performing her duties as a UN Volunteer within the Secretariat of the GWWI at the wastewater team. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Egerton University, Nakuru, Kenya. Previously, she worked as a temporary employee at Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in Geographic Information System (GIS) tasks. Josphine is also an active volunteer in her community through a community-based organization called ‘Touching hearts’ and finds it fulfilling to do community work.
Welcome back to Josphine!
We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration!
Secretariat services for the Global Wastewater Initiative are provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). For any comments, questions or suggestion, please contact us at unep-gwwi@un.org
The Global Wastewater Initiative (GWWI) is a multi-stakeholder partnership launched by UNEP in 2013. Its purpose is to address wastewater-related issues, prompt coordinated action and encourage new investments for sustainable wastewater management. The GWWI intends to bring about a paradigm shift in the way wastewater is seen, from waste to a resource, and prevent further pollution and degradation of our aquatic environment.