Water and associated ecosystems in the

post-2015 discourse: The imperatives for

Africa

T. Olalekan WilliamsDirector, Africa

International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

7th July 2015, Accra High-Level Dialogue on Mobilizing STI

for Africa’s SD Post 2015

Presentation Outline• Introduction to Water SDG

• Four imperatives for Africa to achieve water SDG and targets

• Potential contribution of science, technology and innovation to the SDG process

• IWMI’s research in support of water SDG and targets.

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

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] per cent 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.

GOAL 6 ENSURE AVAILABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION FOR ALL

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 By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity- building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.

6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation

management.

2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, strengthen capacity…to progressively improve land and soil quality.

11.5 By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and decrease by [x] per cent the economic losses relative to gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.

13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

Links to other SDGs

SDGs emphasize integration

E

Ecosystems

Context is crucial

Four imperativesmust be met inorder to achieve water SDG in Africa.

First imperative

1. Increase investment in water infrastructure and technologies to augment water supply. Investments are needed to:

- to improve water harvesting from rain and flood water.

- develop and sustainably manage groundwater resources.

- develop a variety of built and natural storage infrastructure at farm, community and basin

levels.

Opportunity for further development of GW in SSA where less than 5% of water used for irrigation comes from GW.

Second imperative

2. Improve governance systems to guarantee water and land rights for women, youths and other poor farmers.

Include women and youths in water management decisions. Photo: Practical Action/Martha Munyoro Katsi

Third and Fourth imperatives

3. Include smallholder farmers in viable value chains and improve their access to adequate financial and extension services and markets.

4. Increase water use efficiency across all sectors.

How can STI contribute to the SDG process?

1. Using new data and tools to develop metrics for setting feasible and pragmatic targets and monitoring progress towards the achievement of those targets.

Water Metrics:

New data and tools

Low-cost opportunities:• data collected through

remote and near sensing.

• Dissemination of data through mobile technologies.

Challenge: Ownership and full integration within the national water monitoring & reporting mechanisms.

Nigeria: Flood Mapping and Mobile Apps, http://dialogues.cgiar.org/blog/nigerian-flood-story/

AWM Nigeria (http://frdsan.iwmi.org/)

Targeting 1000s of farmers to gain access

to the right information at the right time on flood

risks and opportunities from flood recession

agriculture.

Flood risk assessment to reduce vulnerability and improve flood recession agriculture in Nigeria

How can STI contribute to the SDG process?

2. Developing scalable solutions suited to different contexts and that can be used to harness underutilized water resources (e.g. groundwater for irrigation), while maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Suitability domains example: WLT

OR+

and

=

Identifying and Up-scaling feasible solutions

One scenario for Individual motor pumps

Integration

Resource recovery and reuse from waste for food and energy production

SDG targets on wastewater management, recycling & reuse: other nexus benefits → reduced use of chemical fertilizers, opportunity to combine organic and inorganic fertilizers.

Photo: IWMI

IWMI RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF WATER SDG

• Discussing with UN-DESA support to African countries in setting realistic national SDG targets and developing a framework for implementation and monitoring of progress.

• IWMI scientists are involved in UN-led working groups to develop indicators for SDG targets: 6.3 – Water quality & Wastewater reuse; 6.4 – Water-use efficiency; 6.6 – Water withdrawals and ecosystems.

• Opportunity to use research tools and products to support implementation of the SDGs (e.g. Water Accounting developed in partnership with IWMI, FAO and UNESCO-IHE).

• Capacity building for the implementation and monitoring of SDG targets.

Capacity building to use new data and

tools.

Photo: Petterik Wiggers / IWMI

You can download IWMI’s publication:

On Target for People and Planet: Setting and Achieving Water-related Sustainable

Development Goals

http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Books/PDF/setting_and_achieving_water-related_sustainable_development_goals.pdf

Take-home messages• Partnerships: Achieving water-related SDGs will require a

broad partnership within the water sector and beyond, including the science community.

• Opportunities for Growth: The emphasis should be on facilitating a sustainable and equitable growth path.

• Balancing the Scales: investments in water resources and agriculture need to support, rather than undermine, small-scale producers.

• Integration: thinking across sectors and out of ‘sectoral boxes’ will produce practical and effective solutions.

Thank you for your attention.