Citywide Inclusive Sanitation Part 1: Good Practices in Water and Sanitation Investments

Summary

The global community is striving to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030, focusing on clean water and sanitation. Despite progress, challenges remain, especially in developing Asian countries where 1.5 billion lack modern sanitation. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of investing in water and sanitation infrastructure. The script discusses the need for a comprehensive approach to urban water and sanitation, emphasizing the importance of city-wide inclusive sanitation. It showcases the Gaubadian wastewater treatment plant in China as a model for success, emphasizing the role of international aid, institutional reforms, and capacity building in achieving sustainable sanitation systems.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The global community is off track in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030, with over 1.5 billion people in developing Asian countries lacking access to modern sanitation.
• 🚱 Approximately 80% of wastewater in developing countries is discharged untreated, endangering human health and the environment.
• 🌐 The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
• 💹 The World Bank estimates that $130 billion USD in capital investment is required to achieve water and sanitation targets.
• 🏙️ The traditional approach of investing in centralized sewer networks has limitations, prompting a call for a transformation in how water and sanitation are delivered to developing nations.
• 🌱 The concept of 'City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation' (C-WISE) is introduced as a comprehensive and holistic approach to urban water and sanitation.
• 🏭 The Gaubadian wastewater treatment plant in China serves as a case study for successful sanitation projects, with a treatment rate that has increased to over 95%.
• 💼 Institutional reforms, financing schemes, and capacity building are key to implementing sustainable water and sanitation services.
• 🎓 The Global Sanitation Graduate School aims to develop professionals in the field of C-WISE through a multidisciplinary curriculum and knowledge sharing.
• 💰 Setting appropriate tariff rates for sanitation services is crucial for ensuring their sustainability, with examples of gradual increases and integration with water tariffs.
• 🏛️ Strong central and local government support and foresight are essential for the success of long-term urban sanitation projects.

Q & A

What is the current global status regarding access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing nations?

Despite progress, the global community is still off track in meeting Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030, with over 1.5 billion people in developing Asian countries lacking access to modern sanitation and around 80% of wastewater being discharged untreated.

How has the global pandemic impacted the need for investments in water and sanitation?

The pandemic has highlighted the urgency for investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene services, emphasizing that these investments must be a key priority in the coming years.

What is the estimated capital investment required to achieve sustainable water and sanitation targets according to the World Bank?

The World Bank estimates that $130 billion USD in capital investment will be needed to achieve the sustainable water and sanitation targets.

What is the concept of 'city-wide inclusive sanitation' and why is it important?

City-wide inclusive sanitation is a comprehensive and holistic approach to urban water and sanitation that considers both basic human needs and environmental protection, cultural and social-political differences, and provides the full sanitation service chain. It is important for achieving sustainable water, sanitation, and sewage systems for all.

What are some of the challenges faced in implementing city-wide sanitation projects?

Challenges include building urban infrastructure, finding financial resources, and addressing the political and social aspects of infrastructure projects. Additionally, there is a need for a more enabling environment, good practices in utilizing international aid, policy reforms, financing schemes, cost recovery, capacity building, and maintaining operations.

How has the Gaubadian wastewater treatment plant in China contributed to the advancement of city-wide sanitation?

The Gaubadian wastewater treatment plant, one of the largest in China, has increased the wastewater treatment rate to over 95% and has provided important lessons that can help accelerate city-wide inclusive sanitation in Asia.

What role do long-term foreign loans play in supporting city-wide inclusive sanitation projects?

Long-term foreign loans provide financial support for projects, enable institutional reforms in corporate governance structures, and fund the acquisition of advanced equipment and technologies, along with training of technical experts.

Why is capacity building crucial for the success of city-wide inclusive sanitation projects?

Capacity building is crucial as it involves the transfer of knowledge, improvement of skills, and project management, which are essential for the successful implementation and sustainability of sanitation projects.

How does setting appropriate tariff rates contribute to the sustainability of sanitation services?

Appropriate tariff rates, based on the principles of cost recovery and reasonable profits, ensure the sustainability of sanitation services. Gradual increases in rates, as seen in the Gaubadian case, contribute to the recovery of operation and maintenance costs and investment in the sanitation sector.

What is the significance of the central government's role in the success of long-term urban sanitation projects?

The central government plays a key role by providing foresight, vision, and political will to embody national policies that support local governments in implementing and achieving long-term sanitation goals.

How does the unique approach of implementing drainage pipes before the treatment plant construction impact the effectiveness of city-wide sanitation?

Implementing drainage pipes before the treatment plant construction, as seen in the Gaubadian case, facilitates door-to-door sewage connections and contributes to the quick and efficient operation of the sanitation system.

Outlines

00:00

🚰 Global Water and Sanitation Challenges

The script addresses the global community's struggle to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030, focusing on clean water, safe sanitation, and hygiene in developing nations. Despite progress, over 1.5 billion people in developing Asian countries still lack modern sanitation, and untreated wastewater poses a significant threat to human life and the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the need for investments in water and sanitation infrastructure. The World Bank estimates that $130 billion in capital investment is necessary to achieve these goals. The script calls for a transformation in the delivery of water and sanitation services, highlighting the importance of a comprehensive approach that considers cultural, social, and political differences, and the full sanitation service chain.

05:01

🌐 Gaubanjian Water Treatment Plant Success Story

The script details the success of the Gaubanjian wastewater treatment plant in China, which has significantly increased its treatment capacity to over 95 percent, processing over 200 million cubic meters per day. The plant's experience offers valuable lessons for accelerating city-wide inclusive sanitation (C-WISE) in Asia. It underscores the importance of long-term foreign loans in providing financial support, facilitating institutional reforms, and enabling the acquisition of advanced equipment and technology. The script also emphasizes the role of well-designed training programs in developing competent leaders and experts, which is crucial for the success of C-WISE projects. The Global Sanitation Graduate School's multidisciplinary curriculum on certified inclusive sanitation aims to share knowledge and skills, fostering a movement for inclusive and sustainable water, sanitation, and sewage systems.

10:03

🏛️ Implementing City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation

The script discusses the importance of central and local government's foresight, vision, and political will in implementing long-term urban sanitation projects. It highlights the need for institutional reforms to ensure that central government policies are effectively executed at the local level. The script also points out the significance of setting appropriate tariff rates for sanitation services to ensure their sustainability. It mentions the gradual increase in wastewater treatment tariffs in China as an example of cost recovery and investment in the sanitation sector. The script concludes by emphasizing the step-by-step process of building a solid foundation for C-WISE, which involves cultivating good practices, ensuring equitable service distribution, and considering the unique conditions of each urban community.

Keywords

💡Sustainable Development Goal 6

Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) refers to the United Nations' global goal to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. The video discusses how progress towards this goal is off track, particularly in developing Asian countries where over 1.5 billion people lack modern sanitation and a significant amount of wastewater is discharged untreated. This highlights the urgency of improving water and sanitation services to meet SDG 6.

💡Sanitation

Sanitation in the context of the video pertains to the systems and infrastructure that ensure human waste is safely managed and treated. It is a critical component of public health and environmental protection. The video emphasizes the lack of modern sanitation in developing countries and the need for investments to improve these systems, which is directly linked to the global pandemic's impact on the importance of clean water and hygiene.

💡Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater treatment is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater, primarily from household sewage and industrial waste, to produce an effluent that can be safely returned to the environment. The video mentions that in developing Asian countries, around 80 percent of wastewater is discharged untreated, which poses a significant threat to human life and the environment. Effective wastewater treatment is essential for achieving sustainable sanitation.

💡Seawise City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation

Seawise City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation is a new paradigm introduced in the video that offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to urban water and sanitation. It aims to provide the full sanitation service chain from containment to disposal, considering cultural, social, and political differences. The video suggests that this approach is necessary for achieving sustainable water, sanitation, and sewage systems for all, and it is presented as a solution to the challenges faced in developing countries.

💡Climate Change

Climate change is mentioned as a factor that threatens the progress made towards sustainable water and sanitation. The video implies that climate change impacts, such as extreme weather events and rising sea levels, can exacerbate water pollution and sanitation issues, making it even more critical to invest in resilient infrastructure and sustainable practices.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization refers to the increasing population and expansion of cities. The video highlights rapid urbanization as a confluence of events that has made it imperative for global institutions to prioritize efforts to provide adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all. The growing urban population puts pressure on existing sanitation infrastructure, necessitating innovative and scalable solutions.

💡International Aid

International aid is discussed in the context of financing water and sanitation projects in developing countries. The video mentions that generating investments for city-wide inclusive sanitation (C-WISE) requires a more enabling environment, which includes establishing good practices in utilizing international aid. This aid can help fill financial gaps and support institutional reforms and capacity building.

💡Capacity Building

Capacity building in the video refers to the development of skills, knowledge, and systems to improve the ability of individuals, organizations, and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set priorities effectively. It is crucial for the success of C-WISE projects, as it involves training technical experts, sharing experiences, and transferring knowledge to unlock the potential of inclusive sanitation approaches.

💡Tariff Rates

Tariff rates are the fees charged for the use of water and sanitation services. The video discusses the difficulty in setting these rates to ensure the sustainability of sanitation services. It mentions the importance of basing prices on the principles of cost recovery and reasonable profits, and how gradually increasing tariff rates can contribute to the recovery of operational costs and investment in the sanitation sector.

💡Institutional Reforms

Institutional reforms are changes made to the policies, governance structures, and management practices of organizations or governments to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. The video suggests that these reforms are key to ensuring that policies from central governments are effectively implemented at the local level, which is essential for the success of long-term urban sanitation projects.

💡Equitable Service Distribution

Equitable service distribution means ensuring that water and sanitation services are provided fairly and without discrimination to all members of a community. The video emphasizes the importance of this principle in the implementation of C-WISE programs, highlighting the need for a framework that ensures services are accessible to all, regardless of their ability to pay.

Highlights

Global progress in clean water, sanitation, and hygiene is insufficient to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030.

In developing Asian countries, over 1.5 billion people lack modern sanitation and 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the urgency of investing in water and sanitation infrastructure.

Climate change and rising poverty levels threaten the progress made in water sanitation and hygiene services.

The World Bank estimates $130 billion in capital investment is needed to achieve water and sanitation targets.

The convergence of global pandemic, climate change, urbanization, and technological advances necessitates a new approach to sanitation.

Seawise city-wide inclusive sanitation is introduced as a comprehensive approach to urban water and sanitation.

City-wide sanitation is often on the agenda but not fully implemented due to various challenges.

Investments in CWISE require an enabling environment, good practices, and financing schemes.

Gaubadian wastewater treatment plant in China is a case study for effective sanitation infrastructure.

Foreign loans and international aid can be instrumental in funding and reforming sanitation projects.

Long-term foreign loans facilitate institutional reforms and the acquisition of advanced technologies.

Capacity building is crucial for the success of city-wide inclusive sanitation projects.

The Global Sanitation Graduate School aims to develop professionals with expertise in inclusive sanitation.

Setting tariff rates that ensure the sustainability of sanitation services is a challenge.

Integrating tariffs for water, sanitation, and sewage services can contribute to cost recovery and sustainability.

The foresight and vision of central and local governments are key to the success of long-term urban sanitation projects.

Institutional reforms are necessary to ensure central government policies are implemented at the local level.

The Gaubadian experience shows the importance of considering unique urban conditions when implementing sanitation programs.

Building a solid foundation for city-wide inclusive sanitation is a step-by-step process based on good practices.

Transcripts

[Music]

despite the progress that the global

community has made in bringing clean

water safe sanitation and basic hygiene

to developing nations we're still off

track in meeting sustainable development

goal 6 by 2030

in developing asian countries more than

1.5 billion people lack access to modern

sanitation and around 80 percent of

wastewater is discharged untreated

posing a threat to both human life and

the environment's well-being

and in the face of the current global

pandemic

the need for investments in water and

sanitation has become even more urgent

the pandemic has made it clear that

investments in the provision of basic

water sanitation and hygiene services

must be a key priority in the coming

years especially since the progress that

has been made so far is further

threatened by climate change and rising

poverty levels the world bank estimates

that 130 billion us dollars in capital

investment will be needed to achieve

these targets

the confluence of events the global

pandemic climate change rapid

urbanization enhanced by unrelenting

advances in technology has made it

imperative for global institutions to

prioritize efforts to provide access to

adequate and equitable sanitation and

hygiene for all

people are becoming more conscious about

and more willing to pay for

good environment and inclusive society

as well as governance

conventionally most international

investments are made in pipe sewer

networks connected to centralized water

treatment facilities

these are costly provide minimal

coverage and are vulnerable to political

priorities

meanwhile the operation of on-site

sanitation inceptage facilities are

oftentimes inadequate

the difficulties begin obviously with

the technical problems of building urban

infrastructure and finding the financial

resources to proceed however all

infrastructure projects have a political

and social side as well

because of the heightened urgency to

meet global development targets there's

a call for a transformation in the way

water and sanitation is delivered to the

developing world

this is where seawise city-wide

inclusive sanitation enters the picture

a new paradigm seawise is a more

comprehensive and holistic approach to

urban water and sanitation

one that encompasses both basic human

needs and the protection of the

environment

that takes into account differences in

culture and social political conditions

and that provides the full sanitation

service chain from containment to

disposal the goal sustainable water

sanitation and sewage systems for all

sewage and inclusive sanitation is

really a process

that thinks about how the people live

and also how the society functions

city-wide sanitation is always on the

privacy list but

it is not

really really implemented fully because

of the surrounding difficulties

generating investments for c-wise

requires a more enabling environment

establishing good practices in utilizing

international aid

reforming policies

implementing financing schemes

recovering costs

building capacity and maintaining

operations are key to bringing

sustainable water and sanitation

services to those who need them most

[Music]

gaubadian a county level city south of

beijing in the people's republic of

china is the site of the gaubadian

wastewater treatment plant one of the

country's largest sewage treatment

plants

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

there are very few wastewater treatment

plants in china

so even early 1990s the wastewater

treatment rate

was

about 15 very low and while the

pollution water pollution problems have

become more and more serious

[Music]

in 2019 the wastewater treatment rate

have increased to be

over 95 percent

the kelsey now has

the world largest waste water treatment

capacity

with 200 over 200 million cubic meters

per day

the gaubadian wastewater treatment plant

experience presents important lessons

that can help accelerate sea wise in

asia

[Music]

the page many therapy lacks sufficient

to budget and external financing and do

foreign currency so the foreign loan

really helped be filling the gap

aside from providing the financial legs

for c-wise projects to stand on

long-term foreign loans make way for

institutional reforms in corporate

governance structures

moreover they fund the acquisition of

advanced equipment and technologies

along with the training of technical

experts

so in the case of cop apn so through the

international competitive building

the equipment procured from seven

countries including japan

and

equipment to improve the stable and

efficient operation of the treatment

plant

[Music]

the gaubadian experience demonstrated

how project implementation and

well-designed training programs could

give rise to competent leaders and

experts

many capable engineers were trained the

participants with the training session

were in fact the core members that the

project had cultivated and many of them

led the construction of wastewater

treatment plant in patient and also they

played leading roles in the plc's

wastewater sector as experts

in the nascent field of city-wide

inclusive sanitation capacity building

is crucial to the success of such

projects

the sharing of experiences

cross-fertilization of ideas and

education will unlock the potential of

this new approach to urban water and

sanitation development

the global sanitation graduate school

hopes to do just that

in collaboration with the more than 150

sanitation experts

we developed a new multidisciplinary

curriculum on certified inclusive

sanitation we have developed a huge

portfolio of knowledge

which we are really

ready to share with everybody who is

interested in capacity development

transfer of knowledge improvement of

skills

also transferable skills project

management capacity building on gender

the behavioral change and so many other

aspects which are essential for

investments every new professional

developed with the interest and

expertise in c-wise becomes part of a

stronger movement to bring inclusive

universal and sustainable water

sanitation and sewage systems to

underserved communities

[Music]

although it has been widely established

that increasing investments in urban

sanitation makes economic sense uptake

has been slow in many countries

one of the reasons is the difficulty in

setting tariff rates that ensure the

sustainability of sanitation services

the price should be based on the

principles of post recovery and

reasonable profits

so in the case of paycheck our painting

to introduce

the wastewater types

in 1996

and

at the 1997 the price is only 0.1 uh

chinese um per cubic meters so starting

from very low level and gradually

increased uh to the point of 1.36

chinese um per cubic meter in 2014

to the introduction waste to the tariff

and also increasing the type contribute

to recovery

or m cost

and also the increasing investment in

westwood sector success has also been

observed in integrating tariffs for

water with sanitation and sewage

services through a variety of financial

schemes such as socialized and

subsidized rates

included the cost of sanitation into the

tariff rates already or the water bill

if uh the poor will be requesting to

have their septic tanks dislodged they

do not have to pay extra it's already

included and this is heavily subsidized

by the

the other users the more you consume

it's more going to be more expensive the

less you consume you will be heavily

subsidized

[Music]

a key player in the success of any

long-term urban sanitation project is

the foresight and vision of the central

government along with the political will

of local governments to embody national

policies grounded on that vision

so the patient you know

relations with the central government

is very strong and the central central

government also uh put the very high

priority

on patients economic and social

development and dealing with

environmental issues what we can learn

is

the the how the local government

could follow the central government

policies and instructions

and to

try to

persuade the central government

to get more resources

and for the sake of

development of

sanitation

to achieve success in such long-term

goals

institutional reforms are key in

ensuring that policies from the central

government are embodied at the local

level

how we really work together how we can

really implement the project need to be

understood from the beginning there are

also some good cases like the where the

mayor and the local elected leaders are

very very much active they are

successfully generating multiple

revenues from the from the locally that

is i can see that in bangladesh in india

[Music]

in the case of the gaubadian wastewater

treatment plant drainage pipes were put

in place even before the treatment plant

was constructed

this made a big difference in achieving

door-to-door sewage connections with

ease

even before the completion of the phase

one

the range pipes extended

to the certain extent

and it

contributes to the quick

door to door connections and this video

shows annual treated uh waste water at

the kobe 10 and as you can see starting

from 1995

the

this plant has reached almost the full

capacity in operation reached over 90

percent of operation rate

because not all neighborhoods could be

connected however the experience shed

light on the importance of considering

the unique conditions of each urban

community when implementing cy's

programs

[Music]

building a solid foundation for c-wise

is a step-by-step process fortified by

good practices cultivated through every

project's experience

we need to have a right initial

framework and right mechanical

accounting mechanism and resource

planning

as well as we need to ensure that the

service will be equitable uh service

will be distributed so whether four will

get

frustrated bad services here's what we

talked about about stuart's framework

which device principles approaches

ultimately delivering much needed water

and sanitation services and seeing

progress flow from there on will take

more than the nuts and bolts of

infrastructure

it will take a comprehensive approach

while remaining attuned to the unique

environments of the cities we work with

this is how city-wide inclusive

sanitation will really take root and

flourish

[Music]

you