Transformation of knowledge to enhance local capacity for sustainable water development

Convener: Prosun Bhattacharya, KTH Water Center, Department of Sustainable Development, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Contact: prosun@kth.se

Background
Since the Millennium Development Goals were set, significant amounts of research has been generated on e.g. water quality and health outcomes, technical solutions for purifying water and access to safe water from underground sources, novel technologies to treat sanitary wastes and research into water management. However, there appears to be a severe gap between the knowledge generated and the level of capacity of local stakeholders. Moreover, the ability to apply specific research to diverse local contexts is a major challenge. Of particular importance is how marginalized and vulnerable groups are included into achieving the new Sustainability Development Goals – both as end-users of research, but also as informants of research.

Aims and objectives of the panel
The overall aim of this panel is to discuss how bridge the gap between knowledge generated through research and local end-users, and how local capacity can be strengthened in the knowledge-exchange process.

The panel will draw on examples from research projects carried out in e.g. Bangladesh, Tanzania and Bolivia, where for instance local borehole drillers became key players to ensure access to safe (arsenic free) drinking water. Through short and provocative examples with highly interactive moderation we open up a forward-looking discussion on the knowledge produced in higher educational institutions, can be harnessed to explore pathways of communication between the researchers, policy makers and end users to address the global water challenges for sustainable outcomes benefitting the poorer section of the society.

Specific agenda for panel
The panel would discuss specific experiences from the key development projects and other case studies from e.g. Bangladesh, Bolivia and Tanzania, which include the following specific questions:

  • How do we transform scientific knowledge generated by the scientific and professional communities to local capacity development?
  • How does the knowledge exchange process function between scientists, practitioners and users?
  • What are the concrete experiences, practices and lessons that can promote a successful two/three-way collaboration between these groups in the knowledge triangle of sustainable water management?
  • How can we give encourage local innovation activity that boosts and revitalise knowledge among the local actors with concrete examples of result based outcomes e.g. from the Sida-SASMIT project on Sustainable Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh?
  • How can all the local knowledge generated all over the globe be harnessed in higher education and research?

24 Aug., 09:00–10:30, Seminar Room U29

  • Are Bangladeshi urban slum landlords ready to pay for safe water? - Willingness-to-pay for an automated chlorination device at shared water points in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sonia Sultana, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Yoshika Crider, Stanford University; Amy Pickering, Stanford University; Nazrin Akter, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Md. Rofi Uddin, Syed Anjerul Islam, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Frederick Goddard, Stanford University; Atonu Rabbani, Dhaka University; Leanne Unicomb, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Stephen P. Luby, Stanford University and Jenna Davis, Stanford University.
  • Drinking water manganese and fetal and child health and development. Syed Moshfiqur Rahman, Uppsala University / International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Maria Kippler, Karolinska Institutet; Fahmida Tofail, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Jena Derakhshani Hamadani, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Shams El Arifeen, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Lars-Åke Persson, Uppsala University; Eva-Charlotte Ekström, Uppsala University and Marie Vahter, Karolinska Institutet.
  • Environmental regulations and compliance in the textile processing sector in Pakistan: empirical evidence. Waseem Gulzar, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) / Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).
  • Understanding the extent of geogenic fluoride and arsenic in groundwaters of Tanzania-meeting the challenges for drinking water. Felix Mtalo, University of Dar es Salaam; Fanuel Ligate, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Fina Lesafi, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Regina Filemon, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Julian Ijumulana, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Prosun Bhattacharya, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
  • Groundwater contamination by arsenic and heavy metals in the Bolivian Altiplano - Outcomes of development research for enhancing local capacity for sustainable water development. Mauricio Ormachea Muñoz, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Oswaldo Ramos Ramos, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; Israel Quino Lima, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Jorge Quintanilla, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and Prosun Bhattacharya, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
  • Groundwater as resource for sustainable development- Understanding context for global development agenda and knowledge. Prosun Bhattacharya and Jochen Bundschuh, KTH Royal Institute of Technology / University of Southern Queensland.

Abstracts

Are Bangladeshi urban slum landlords ready to pay for safe water? - Willingness-to-pay for an automated chlorination device at shared water points in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sonia Sultana, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Yoshika Crider, Stanford University; Amy Pickering, Stanford University; Nazrin Akter, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Md. Rofi Uddin, Syed Anjerul Islam, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Frederick Goddard, Stanford University; Atonu Rabbani, Dhaka University; Leanne Unicomb, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Stephen P. Luby, Stanford University and Jenna Davis, Stanford University.

Accessing safe water is a challenge for people living in developing cities like Dhaka, Bangladesh. This study estimates demand among Bangladeshi urban slum landlords for a novel water treatment device that is attached to shared water points drawing water from the public water network. Field staff approached eligible compounds with rental housing units in purposively selected neighborhoods of  Dhaka. They conducted a baseline survey, a one-on-one marketing session and then, a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) auction with the interested landlords. If a landlord’s bid exceeded a randomly assigned service price, s/he won the auction and the chlorine device was installed in his/her compound. We provided 12 months of service to compounds who made timely monthly payments. During Feb-May 2015, we enrolled 98 landlords and their compounds in the study. 74(76%) landlords participated in the marketing session. Of these, 67(91%) participated in the auction and 40 (60%) landlords who placed bids and won the auction had the chlorine device installed in their compounds. Assuming that willingness-to-pay for the device is zero among landlords who refused to participate in marketing or the auction, mean monthly willingness-to-pay for the in-line chlorination technology was 259 BDT (approximately US$3).  21% (8) of the landlords paid for the full 12 months of service. The other landlords discontinued due to reasons like aversion to chlorine taste, water scarcity events and lack of fund. The findings from this study suggest that in Dhaka, urban slum landlords might be interested and able to invest in a point-of-collection water disinfection service.

Drinking water manganese and fetal and child health and development. Syed Moshfiqur Rahman, Uppsala University / International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Maria Kippler, Karolinska Institutet; Fahmida Tofail, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Jena Derakhshani Hamadani, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Shams El Arifeen, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research; Lars-Åke Persson, Uppsala University; Eva-Charlotte Ekström, Uppsala University and Marie Vahter, Karolinska Institutet.

The key themes in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are poverty alleviation, reduction in exposures to toxic chemicals, and ensuring healthy lives for all. Goal 6 includes targets to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water and food for all by 2030.  Arsenic, a potent toxicant and carcinogen, is often highly elevated in ground water in many countries, including Bangladesh. Currently, the most efficient arsenic mitigation method seems to be installation of deep wells. However, over 40% of the wells (mainly >50 m) contained high manganese (>400 µg/L) in Matlab, a rural part of Bangladesh. We have conducted prospective cohort studies in Matlab for evaluation of adverse health effects of elevated manganese exposure via drinking water, including pregnant women and their children with generally low socioeconomic conditions and high prevalence of malnutrition. Elevated concentrations of manganese via drinking water during early pregnancy appeared to be protective against fetal loss, probably related to its importance (essential element) for normal growth and development. However, it slightly decreased fetal growth, especially in anemic women, and it adversely affected children’s behavior and marginally affected cognitive function in a gender-specific manner. High manganese concentration in drinking water should therefore be avoided. However, in arsenic contaminated areas, the benefit of deep wells with less arsenic is most likely higher than the modest adverse effects of manganese. As manganese absorption tends to be higher in anemic women, existing routine programs, including assessment of anemia during pregnancy and supplementation with iron and folic acid, should be strengthened.

Environmental regulations and compliance in the textile processing sector in Pakistan: empirical evidence. Waseem Gulzar, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) / Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).

The textile industry is the largest manufacturing industry and the second largest employment generating sector in Pakistan. In this paper, we seek to understand why firms in the garment and textile sector choose to comply with or ignore Pakistan’s environmental regulations and effluent standards. Based on survey of 60 firms, we find that there are nine different environmental management practices adopted in the textile sector. While only 12% of our sample adopted all nine practices, 50% embraced more than five practices and some 87% of firms adopted at least two environmental management practices. The most common environmental practice adopted is evaluation of any chemical hazards. We find that institutional deficiencies in implementation such as inadequate monitoring and fines hinder enforcement and compliance. However, non-regulatory pressures from international customers and competitors act as a major un-official source of influence. Local factors such as community and local media stressors seem to have limited impacts. As expected, larger firms are more likely to adopt environmental management practices relative to medium sized firms. We propose three strategies to improve environmental compliance – installation of effluent treatment technology matched with improved monitoring, creating a rating system to trigger competition among firms and offering firms training and information services at the district-level.

Understanding the extent of geogenic fluoride and arsenic in groundwaters of Tanzania-meeting the challenges for drinking water. Felix Mtalo, University of Dar es Salaam; Fanuel Ligate, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Fina Lesafi, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Regina Filemon, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Julian Ijumulana, University of Dar es Salaam / KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Prosun Bhattacharya, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Access to safe and adequate drinking water is an important aspect to human health worldwide. Understanding this importance, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzanian has initiated a number of programs to ensure access to high quality water by the citizens. However, elevated concentration of geochemical pollutants in many drinking water sources is a major challenge to water suppliers and users in the country. Fluoride is a widespread drinking water contaminant of geogenic origin occuring in both surface- and groundwater around volcanic mountains and many parts within the Rift Valley settings in eastern Africa through the in regions including Arusha (10 mg/L), Shinyanga (2.9 mg/L) and Singida (1.8 mg/L). It has been estimated that 90% of the population living along the Rift Valley region are affected by dental or skeletal fluorosis and bone crippling because of long term exposure to very high levels of fluoride in drinking water sources. In the mining areas within Lake Victoria basin, groundwater wit elevated concentrations of arsenic has been discovered over an extended area. Most of these geochemical and naturally occurring drinking water pollutants are patchy with uncertainities in their spatial and temporal distribution patterns. The adverse health effects of skin disorder and cancer due to an elevated As concentration are reported from the North Mara gold and Geita mining areas in the Lake Victoria basin. About 30% of the water sources used for drinking in Tanzania exceed the WHO guideline values of fluoride (1.5 mg/L) and arsenic (10 µg/L). Baseline water quality data on geogenic contaminants in the groundwater and surface water used for potable sources is crucial in exploring sources of safe drinking water aquifers, associated human health risks and treatment for drinking water supplies. Laboratory based studies during the past two decades have shown promising results on the removal of fluoride and arsenic using locally available adsorbent materials such as pumice, bauxite, ferralsols and bone char. Developing innovative technologies, pilot-scale implementation and scaling-up water purification based on the locally available adsorbents is thus necessary to safeguard the public health for communities exposed to high levels of fluoride and arsenic in drinking water.

Groundwater contamination by arsenic and heavy metals in the Bolivian Altiplano - Outcomes of development research for enhancing local capacity for sustainable water development. Mauricio Ormachea Muñoz, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Oswaldo Ramos Ramos, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; Israel Quino Lima, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés / KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Jorge Quintanilla, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and Prosun Bhattacharya, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

The Bolivian Highlands (Altiplano) is a high plateau flanked by the Eastern and Western Cordillera located in the western part of the country at an altitude of 3,600 to 3,900 meters above mean sea level. The Altiplano is characterized by a large endorheic hydrologic system comprising the Titicaca Lake in the north the Desaguadero River, lakes Uru-Uru and Poopó in the central part; and the Lacajahuira River and Coipasa and Uyuni salt pans in the south which is known as the TDPS system. Several mineralized areas, especially in the Eastern Cordillera, have been intensively exploited for centuries for the extraction of silver, gold, and tin from polymetallic sulfide ore deposits that has led to the release of heavy metals and arsenic (As) due to acid mine drainage. The presence of As in the altiplano was known to be related to mining, but subsequent research revealed that elevated concentration of geogenic As occurs in surface and groundwater in the Poopó Lake basin characterized by a semiarid climate. Geologic formations predominantly are of volcanic origin and groundwater flow is sluggish in nature. These environmental settings have generated substantially elevated concentrations of geogenic As and other trace elements in surface and groundwater. Both surface and groundwater used for drinking water have high As concentrations that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline. The overall objective of the development research cooperation has been focused on the determining the nature and extent of the occurrences of As, their potential sources, and principal mechanisms for mobilization of geogenic As into surface and groundwater of the Poopó Lake basin. More specifically, the research outcomes have delineated the spatial distribution and the extent of As contamination in surface and groundwater; chemical composition of surface and groundwater, rock and sediment; major geochemical mechanisms for As mobilization from solid phase to aqueous phases. The overall outcome of the research enabled us to make an assessment of drinking water quality in rural areas within the Poopó Lake basin.

Groundwater as resource for sustainable development- Understanding context for global development agenda and knowledge. Prosun Bhattacharya and Jochen Bundschuh, KTH Royal Institute of Technology / University of Southern Queensland.

The global challenges deriving from the “Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)” defining 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), officially known as “Transforming our World” (covering and with nexus to 15 of the 17 topical areas), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development formulated by the United Nations by the end of 2015. These goals and the respective targets are – in the one or other form and linked with water, i.e. groundwater which at present is by far the largest share of global freshwater provision. Global freshwater water demand covers to a large extent drinking water needs and global food production that is estimated to increase by 70% to feed the forecasted 9.3 billion people living on earth by the year 2050. This freshwater demand is mostly covered by groundwater – which will continue to cater the main share for global freshwater supply during the next decades – despite the growing advocacy and practice of (waste)water reuse and desalination.

Thus, provision of freshwater to the growing global population is one of the most important challenges of the global development agenda. It must be understood that groundwater is an important resource that by far exceeds the surface water and has the benefit compared to the latter as it provides a stable supply through the year for freshwater supplies. However, the availability of groundwater in sufficient quantity and good quality is severely impacted by the increased water demand for agricultural irrigation, public water supply, industrial production, and other uses. The permanently increasing stress on groundwater resources, which can be observed in many world regions, has negative implications for many commodities related to sustainable development, in particular for the security of food, water and energy supplies, the importance of which will further increase in the next decades., including its treatment where needed and groundwater pumping through innovative energy-efficient, low energy and renewable energy powered demanding technologies (e.g. solar pumping) – highlighting the importance of the nexus between the two basic commodities, water and energy - considering in addition the nexuses of groundwater and energy to environment, food, climate and public health are essential. The SDGs – which, have been formulated as sectoral targets rather than considering nexuses were introduced in late 2015 to the world as a 17-point plan to end poverty (goal 1). Access to safe water and sanitation (goal 6) and affordable energy (goal 7) are important factors to eradicate or reduce poverty (goal 1) and hunger by ascertaining food security (goal 2) and contribute to good health by providing safe water (goal 3), gender equality eradicating that women (including school girls) are disproportionately disadvantaged by water and sanitation limitations and often spending several hours a day fetching water (goal 5) and peace and justice by eliminating armed conflicts for water (16). A substantial knowledge base has been generated during the course of development research that hold significant promise for enhancing the local capacities both in the developing and developed country paradigms to understand the various risks and their mitigation through innovations and practical demonstrations to augment and safeguard groundwater resources. The capacity of the local stakeholders is critical to meet the challenges to provide security of water, energy, and food and to protect ecosystems and climate for economic, social and environmental sustainable development.