Water Management Innovations

Across the Horn of Africa, climate shocks now unfold as compound crises. The 2020–2023 drought left over 46 million people food insecure and eroded their livelihoods. Before recovery could begin, the 2023–2024 El Niño rains triggered widespread flooding, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Drought–flood whiplash is no longer exceptional; it is the region’s operating climate. My research with the Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action in northern Kenya reveals that pastoralist communities are already adapting to these shifts with remarkable flexibility. From star calendars to animal behaviour and vegetation cues, herders read a rich tapestry of indicators and now complement these with radio forecasts and satellite data. They do not wait for a single forecast or a rigid trigger. Instead, they adjust grazing routes, stagger herd movements, and pool resources as signals evolve. This flexible anticipatory action challenges the dominant model of fixed thresholds and single-event triggers. It shows that forecast information only has value if it is trusted, timely, and open to renegotiation on the ground. Climate Information Services (CIS) enable this agility by translating global climate models into local, impact-based advisories. Regional centres, such as ICPAC, provide seasonal outlooks to guide rangeland management and food security planning. Communities use this information to develop innovative solutions by layering these scientific forecasts onto their own adaptive calendars. Formal Anticipatory Action (AA) frameworks can learn from this. Kenya’s 2024–2029 AA Roadmap is vital. Fundamentally, it will deliver more if it incorporates flexibility by allowing rolling triggers, locally defined indicators, and iterative decision-making, rather than treating early action as a one-off release of funds. The cost of inaction rises with every season. Investing in flexible, forecast-driven anticipatory systems is both fiscally prudent and politically essential. For governments, regional bodies, and development partners, the way forward is clear: move beyond crisis response and embed adaptive, plural, and community-grounded anticipatory action at the heart of policy and planning. In the Horn of Africa’s climate future, acting early and being flexible is the most innovative and cost-effective form of adaptation. Photo courtesy of United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵. 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲. 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆. Floods, droughts, and pollution already drive over 90% of disasters, causing $550 billion in losses last year alone. 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Too much → Floods and storms overwhelm cities, supply chains, and homes. Too little → Droughts threaten food, energy, and livelihoods. Too dirty → Pollution undermines health, ecosystems, and resilience. Yet, across most disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies, water management remains an afterthought. As Bapon Shm Fakhruddin, PhD, highlights in the latest #DRRVoices blog, water must be central to planning, reducing risk, and building resilience. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Senegal: Water & soil conservation + climate insurance = rural resilience. Thailand: Chao Phraya Basin integrates green-grey infrastructure for flood and drought management. Kenya: Eco-DRR restores rangelands, strengthens local governance, and boosts drought resilience. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗼: Yorkshire Water, through the Connected by Water partnership and Beyond Nature programme, is integrating nature-based solutions across thousands of hectares to cut flood risk, improve water quality, and enhance biodiversity. Water connects climate, Nature, disaster risk, and sustainable growth. ➡ Climate adaptation is about water ➡ Nature is infrastructure ➡ Investing in water resilience delivers both protection and return 🔗 Read the full UNDRR #DRRVoices blog by Bapon Shm Fakhruddin here: Reclaiming water’s role in preventing disasters https://lnkd.in/er3xn_Sb What’s your water resilience strategy for 2025?

Water matters by RJ - 7 "India’s Urban Water Plan: Cross Your Fingers & Hope It Rains?" (Or we could invest in centralized and decentralized water management. Just saying!) Rethinking Urban Water Management in India – A Centralized & Decentralized Approach As Indian cities expand, water scarcity is no longer a distant threat—it’s here. Climate change, pollution, and outdated infrastructure are pushing our resources to the brink. The solution? A hybrid model combining centralized and decentralized water management. 1️⃣ Centralized & Decentralized Solutions – A Balanced Approach • Centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) handle large urban loads efficiently (e.g., Delhi, Mumbai). • Decentralized solutions like on-site treatment, rainwater harvesting, and greywater recycling bridge the gaps in areas with limited infrastructure. • Where can both models work together? o Residential & commercial hubs: On-site plants provide recycled water for flushing, cooling, and irrigation. o Industrial zones: Large-scale WWTPs manage effluents, while local reuse systems reduce freshwater dependency. o Smart cities & new developments: Integrated water plans optimize freshwater use and maximize reuse. 2️⃣ Smarter, Water-Efficient Indian Cities • Reducing Demand: Mandating wastewater reuse for horticulture, landscaping, and non-potable applications. • Minimizing Loss: NRW (Non-Revenue Water) reduction through IoT-based leak detection & smart meters to track usage & billing. • Harnessing Nature: Rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable pavements enhance infiltration & reduce runoff. 3️⃣ Wastewater as a Resource – Reuse Beyond Irrigation Recycled wastewater isn’t just for greenery—it’s a strategic water source: 🚽 Flushing (dual plumbing) – Reducing fresh water use in residential & commercial buildings. ❄️ Cooling towers – Major water savings in malls, IT parks, and industrial facilities. 🌿 Horticulture & landscaping – Freshwater should be used only where necessary. ⚙️ Surplus water – Upgrading treated wastewater to potable standards for industrial & trade applications. 💧 Freshwater allocation – Optimized at Horticulture (essential use) + Loss (~5%), ensuring maximum reuse. India’s urban water strategy must shift from scarcity to sustainability. A mix of policy, technology, and responsible usage can redefine how cities use and conserve water. Let’s make every drop count! Data: As of July 2024 #WaterResilience #UrbanWaterManagement #SmartCities #WastewaterReuse #SustainableIndia #NRW #WaterBilling

What if the key to Africa’s clean water crisis is not just technology—but trust? In my latest piece for Business Daily, I argue that women—trusted, influential, and embedded in their communities—are our untapped superpower in delivering safe water at scale. We’ve seen it firsthand: when women lead the charge, adoption goes up, health outcomes improve, and entire communities thrive. It’s time to design water solutions with women, for communities, and towards lasting impact. 🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d6ekXjZD

These are strong women. These are happy women. But they haven’t forgotten those harsh summer afternoons when they had to listen to abuses hurled at them as they walked past men to fetch water for their families. The only community dugwell in their Neeche Mohalla (colony) in the Jharia coalfield area of Jharkhand had gone dry and was filled with muck. They had no choice but to beg to collect water from a community well in a neighbouring colony. Every year, the insults got worse. One day they decided that enough was enough. They couldn’t take abuse anymore and decided to desilt and revive their own dugwell. Their menfolk laughed at them. With fawda (spade/shovel) and hathoda (hammer), these women started to desilt their dugwell. With the help of village youth, they removed some three tractors full of muck from their dugwell and revived it. They descended into the well to break rocks and finally hit water! Since that day, in 2017, their dugwell has never gone dry, not even in a drought year. Now people from other communities come to their mohalla to fetch water. The dugwell of Neeche Mohalla is now cited as an example of successful shallow aquifer management under AMRUT 2.0 scheme of Government of India. Next time you want to talk about resilience, think of these women of Neeche Mohalla in the coalfields of Jharia. Read my ground report in Down To Earth. https://lnkd.in/dP_CDb_E Eklavya Prasad | Dhanbad Municipal Corporation | Biome Environmental Trust | ACWADAM Pune | National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) | Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Govt. of India

Understanding how the water sector is integrated into country climate and development reports(CCDRs) is essential for identifying emerging strategies that address both climate risks and development priorities.   This report by The World Bank Water examines how water-related climate risks and actions are captured in CCDRs published between 2022 and 2024. By analyzing over 3,900 pages of text using advanced text-mining techniques, the study uncovers the central role of water in climate and development strategies. Data visualizations reveal that water challenges are among the most frequently highlighted issues in CCDRs, with many countries recognizing water as a critical element for economic development, human well-being, and environmental sustainability. With thirty-nine countries conducting in-depth analyses of the water-climate-development nexus, the report underscores the importance of water-sector reforms in driving adaptation and mitigation efforts worldwide.   Key messages: Most critical climate change impact channels discussed in the CCDRs are directly or indirectly related to water, including water shocks affecting agricultural and energy production, water-related diseases impacting health and labor productivity, and water-related natural disasters and resulting infrastructure damages. While estimates of the impact differ across countries, the poor and vulnerable are often disproportionately affected. Water sector actions can contribute to both climate mitigation and adaptation. Approximately 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to water-related activities. The water sector offers significant untapped potential for climate mitigation and plays a crucial role in providing innovative solutions necessary for the transition to green energy. Investments in water adaptation deliver substantial social and economic benefits. The investment requirements in the water sector are substantial, and the financing gap is equally significant. The private sector needs to play a crucial role in bridging this investment gap. To encourage private participation, it is essential to establish clear and transparent governance and policies, implement blended financing mechanisms, and adopt pricing incentives that reward sustainable water investment and management. Demand-side management often proves to be more cost-effective in addressing water supply shortages than investing in supply-side solutions. Effective water demand management involves adjusting water tariffs to reflect the true value of water in water allocation and use, increasing consumer awareness, and strengthening regulations and technologies to improve water use efficiency. You can read the full report here. https://lnkd.in/gE7xBi_8 Also read blog that the UN Special Envoy for Water Retno Marsudi and I have co-authored. https://lnkd.in/g7uAe8u5

This year's #WorldFoodDay campaign reminds us that water is life, water is food. Our latest data and projections on the gender and water nexus show that the human rights to water and to sanitation are far from realized for many women and girls globally. To tackle the world's water crisis, we urgently need a feminist approach which: ✅ Tackles gender inequalities and other forms of discrimination which exacerbate inequality in accessing safe drinking water ✅ Enacts gender-responsive legal frameworks ✅ Recognizes the role of women as main collectors & managers of water ✅ Promotes women's equal participation and leadership in water governance and management ✅ Draws connections between ecological rights and women’s rights Read more in our Spotlight on #SDG6: https://lnkd.in/eHh9M72B #WFD2023 UN Women

Every day around the world, girls and women spend a collective 200 million hours collecting water for their communities and families. The constant need to seek clean water, robs them of not only their time but also their potential. They are not able to develop their own skills because they must spend all of their free time collecting water. This pursuit becomes more difficult and time consuming as climate change causes frequent and severe droughts and sea-level rise contaminates other sources of fresh water. Currently, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and nearly half the global population experiences severe water scarcity at least part of the year. With climate change and population growth, these numbers are expected to continue rising. Today is World Water Day, and we all have a role in making every drop count. Simple actions, like turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, can save up to 8 gallons a day. Learn more, including how you can help, on my page and by looking for organizations, locally and globally, making clean water a reality for everyone. Photos by Ami Vitale

In the parched terrains of conflict zones, from the Middle East to Africa, and across Latin America and the Caribbean, water scarcity is not just an environmental challenge but a profound crisis of #humanrights and #dignity. My peacebuilding journey through various parts of the globe 🌍🌎 systematically led me down a path intertwined with the quest for #watersecurity. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan & South Sudan, in Mali, ongoing conflict has made it unsafe for women to gather water, with the threat of gender-based violence looming large. Similarly, in the Caribbean, despite its surrounding seas, islands like Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Kitts and Nevis face acute water scarcity. The region’s outdated infrastructure and climate change-induced droughts exacerbate this scarcity. Women, as the primary water collectors, confront these challenges head-on, their daily quest for water made perilous by these systemic issues. Yet, in the face of adversity, #women have emerged as formidable #peacebuilders, ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources. Their role is pivotal. This is and has increasingly been embedded in the work we drive across United Nations Peacekeeping missions, agencies, funds and programs, which support these women by providing water directly to communities, building boreholes, and offering protection. But more needs to be done and governments and institutions have a strong role to play. This not only secures a vital resource but also empowers #women as agents of #peace and #stability in their communities. Find out more? Here’s an insightful study leveraged by Global Water Partnership : https://lnkd.in/dhQURYFj On this World Water 🌊 Day, let us acknowledge the critical role of women in peacebuilding and water security. Through our various efforts and across our multiple sectors let’s scale-up our investments. Their contributions are not just vital—they are transformative. As we strive for peace, let us also fight for the rights of every woman to access clean and safe water. For in the ripples of water’s reach, lies the potential for peace and prosperity. #WaterForPeace #WorldWaterDay2024 #WomenPeaceSecurity #SustainablePeace 💪🕊️💧 United Nations Arnauld Akodjenou David Gressly Elle Bushfield ⭕️ Elliott Bayev Tacko Ndiaye Gloria J. Burgess Kristin Engvig WIN Viviana Waisman Isabelle Rome Katja Iversen Brigitte Perrin Anna Cope, PCC - ICF, SP - EMCC Elena Fogli Barbara Laurenceau

Powerful reflections on how Mexico’s Indigenous women in the state of Oaxaca are navigating the considerable challenges of climate change, water scarcity, and empowerment and equality in a traditionally male-dominated culture. These women stand as examples of resilience – of learning and implementing what it takes to adapt to a changing climate and to recalibrate social norms. This means implementing water management strategies and using water tanks to withstand droughts. This means reverting to ancestral irrigation practices and growing medicinal plants and other crops that are drought-resilient. And this means turning to sustainable farming and moving up the value chain to animal breeding to equip these women with the means to provide for themselves and their families without having to rely on men. Their path to self-sufficiency and to making decisions for their economic futures is boosting gender equality and creating safe places for women. While we know that women are most vulnerable to climate change, the Oaxaca community demonstrates ways of minimizing those vulnerabilities and maximizing opportunities instead. https://lnkd.in/eGATVU3x