This webinar, Policy to Support Water Reuse Technologies, featured an introduction by the UNESCO International Centre for Water Security (i-WSSM), located in South Korea, and presentations by authors of three studies that will be documented in the second issue of the i-WSSM UNESCO Global Water Security Issues series.
Our panelists focused on the ways that organizations such as industry, cities and national governments can strengthen and support water reuse within a circular economy via activities including policies to send economic signals for water pricing, alignment of the activities of various government bodies with shared roles, and communications and engagement of the public. The panelists' presentations included: exploration of industrial water reuse in a water-scarce region and the economic factors contributing to water reuse decision-making in Australia; the potential for private water tankers to replace the use of potable water for non-potable needs, such as street cleaning, in India; and the roles of people, policy and place in creating a circular economy in cities globally. The water sector has a long history of water reuse and circular principles, for example in agriculture, but Singapore, Granada and other urban centres have successfully integrated water reuse more extensively into water servicing.
Our panel discussed issues associated with water quality assurance, public acceptance, coordination of government activities, water pricing and economic signals that can support or hinder water reuse and the creation, more broadly, of a circular economy for resources including water. Many of the most progressive activities for water reuse have been initiated as a result of a water crisis but there is the opportunity to learn from these experiences and deploy them in advance of a pressing need to do so.
With over 206 registered attendees, the Policy to Support Water Reuse Technologies webinar was a very successful event. IWRA again thanks our moderator Mary Trudeau, Project Officer, IWRA and our panel Seo Hyung Choi, Programme Specialist, UNESCO i-WSSM, South Korea; Greg Leslie, Director of the Global Water Institute, UNSW, Australia; Chaya Ravishankar, Assistant Manager, Xylem Water Solutions, India; Oriana Romano, Head of the Unit Water Governance and Circular Economy in Cities, OECD, France. This webinar was presented by Scott McKenzie, PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia.
