High Level ConferenceWater, Climate and HealthArezzo, Italy, Nov 23rd 2012

Luciana Sinisi, ISPRA, ItalyChair Task Force Extreme Weather Events WHO/UNECE Protocol Water and Health to UNECE Water Convention

Jos Timmerman, MoE, NLChair Task Force Water and Climate

UNECE Water Convention

Water & Climate Strategy in UNECE Region: the case of water supply and sanitation under adverse weather events

L.SINISI, ISPRA, Italy

UNECE STRATEGY ON WATER & CLIMATE

ADOPTED COP 2009

ADOPTED MOP

2010ADOPTED MOP 2010

http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=29338

ADDED VALUE - Transboundary

focus

- Environment & health issues

- water supply and sanitation in extremes with link to utilities management

http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=11658

Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change Task Force Water and Climate UNECE Water Convention

Leadership and support : NL, Germany, Italy

• Climate change impacts on water

resources are visible – first

adaptation efforts are starting

• Few countries have developed

adaptation strategies, none at the

transboundary level

• The UNECE Water Convention

represents a strategic framework

for cooperation on adaptation

Developing water & adaptation strategy

Need for flexible agreements, possibly for

revision of existing agreements and procedures

Sharing of data, joint monitoring of climate

change impactsElaboration of common

scenarios

Basin-wide joint vulnerability assessmentAgreement on adaptation

strategy and measures likely to have

transboundary impactsSharing benefits and risks

LINK TO EU GUIDANCE

River basin management

Water Framework Directive

Floods Directive

Strategy on Water Scarcity and Droughts.

Develop measures: safety chain and extremes

Prevent

Improve resilience

Extreme event Respond

Recover

Prepare

Water supply and sanitation in extremes:old problems and new risks

Under critical meteoclimatic water supply and sanitation

services aren’t anymore a healthy delivery services, but a significant source of contamination, sometimes irreversible and that goes beyond local and national border.

Health risk are not only related to direct damages, supply disruption but also to contamination of water and biota

Nevertheless there was a lack of “institutional” attention to E&H risks under recurrent extremes

Develop measures: safety chainthe case of water supply and sanitation under adverse weather events

Prevent

Improve resilience

Extreme event Respond

Recover

Prepare

Guidance on Water Supply and Sanitationin Extreme Weather Events

Task Force Extreme Weather events Protocol On Water And Health To The UNECE Water ConventionLEADERSHIP : Italy Ministry of Environment Joint Secretariat: WHO & UNECE

• Increased of direct impacts on people’s health & well being infrastructures & assets, safety of natural resource

• Increase in demand of safe water in emergencies

• Increase in water/soil contamination from waste water services

• Higher demand of risk reduction strategies and recovery cost

• Resilience WSS Utilities

RISK MANAGEMENT IN EXTREMES

WSS utilities performance and E&H risks in extremes

• Contaminated discharge in environment and water bodies

Lack of available safe water

Higher pollutants concentrations

and/ or overload

Impairment of waste water treatment performance

Unsafe use of new water sources

►Chemical and biological safety of

• Drinking water• Bathing waters• Irrigated crops• Food and sea food

► Risk increase of vectors and rodents borne diseases ►(Costly) impairment of effectiveness of environmental protectionof healthy water resources

High vulnerability of WSS infrastructuresin the Region

Risk management E&H risks connected to

performance in extremes Different settings (e.g. costal

areas) Adaptation measures for health ,

environment and utilities sectors

GUIDANCE WSS as a starting tool for adaptation

WSS «System» vulnerablities Utilities standards , small suppliers Preparedness to cope with risks Communication,staff training,

information

RESILIENCE: improve what you’re doing

STRUCTURAL INTERV: protect what you have

NO- STRUCTURAL INTERV: manage what you don’t have

sea level rise

DW supply:adaptation

Courtesy by Jim Foster, UK

Courtesy by

Courtesy by UNDP, B.Beli

PROTECT WHAT YOU HAVE

Improve what you’re doing

WWTP & sewerage:higher vulnerabilities

Courtesy by D. Nedvedova, MoE Czech Rep

Effectiveness of urban wastewater treatment policies in selected countries: an EEA pilot study “, EEA, 2005

Courtesy by C.Lasagna, IRIDE aquagas, Italy

WSS in extremes ( barriers to) risk mananagement

GOVERNANCE AWARENESS

• water supply and sanitation (WSS) “just” as a costly service not health determinant.

• involvement of utility managers in adaptation and risk reduction strategies

RISK CHARACTERIZATION/EXPOSURE/ IMPACTS KNOWLEDGE

• Resilience of surveillance & environmental monitoring

• lack of knowledge on exposure to chemical

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER & CAPACITY BUILDING

• Disaster preparedness and early warning

• Rapid assessment techniques (water, soil and food)

LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL , APPROPRIATE MULTIDISCIPLINARY EXPERT TEAM

SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT AND MEASURES IMPLEMENTATION

UNECE STRATEGY ON WATER & CLIMATE

ADOPTED COP 2009

ADOPTED MOP

2010ADOPTED MOP 2010

http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=29338http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=11658

Getting together is a beginning,

Staying together is a progress,

but working together is a success

( H. Ford)

Thank youLuciana.sinisi@isprambiente.it