World Water Day 2021 - Valuing Water (Part II)

This second IWRA webinar to celebrate World Water Day 2021 on "Valuing Water" also took place on March 22nd, 2021. It was a dynamic event that brought new and differing perspectives and voices together to raise awareness and exchange knowledge on the multiple values of water, globally.

The panellists focused first on questions, such as the ways and values of groundwater. For example, whether groundwater can provide many of the same resources for humans as surface water. Special emphasis was given to groundwater and the aquifers, which serve specific benefits as temporal delay - allowing water flows to provide wildlife and ecological services, and then later serving for human needs and uses. Other panellists highlighted water access in areas such as Mongolia, needed to balance between water services in an equitable way with non-revenue water uses.

Additional panellists looked at ways that governments, the private sector, and NGOs can work together to gather information about the different values of water in areas like Bangladesh to guide policy and to help determine future planning and investments. This exercise can result for instance in “shadow pricing” projects, which looks at the pricing and value beyond only an economic focus.

Finally, panellists looked at the ways that water contributes to ecosystems and how a healthy environment can be understood to support water resources. For example, invasive plants or overgrazing ones can destroy water resources in catchment areas. At times, this might make sense to reflect using an economic perspective to have an understanding of the outcomes that come from certain restoration activities. It was agreed that water values need to span beyond just economic values and include other cultural, social, and environmental factors as well. It was further agreed that economic values should be used as part of a broader understanding while communicating those values and informing policy-making decision processes.

This second World Water Day 2021 webinar had over 200 registered attendees and strong audience participation. The IWRA would like to again thank its panellists and moderator: Nomundari Erdene, Asia Pacific Regional Ambassador, Water Science Policy; Graham Jewitt, Honorary Professor, Centre for Water Resources Research, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Anita Milman, Associate Profession, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, United States; and, Sayef Tanzeem Qayyum, Bangladesh Country Coordinator, 2030 Water Resources Group.

Видео World Water Day 2021 - Valuing Water (Part II) канала International Water Resources Association - IWRA