{"id":60436,"date":"2023-12-11T17:40:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T17:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/climate-change-takes-centre-stage-at-water-congress-in-kigali"},"modified":"2023-12-11T18:28:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T18:28:35","slug":"climate-change-takes-centre-stage-at-water-congress-in-kigali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/climate-change-takes-centre-stage-at-water-congress-in-kigali","title":{"rendered":"Climate change takes centre stage at water congress in Kigali"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>As the 2023 Water and Development Congress began in Kigali on Sunday, December 10, officials said climate change was \u201cthe biggest\u201d hindrance to universal access to water and sanitation in both developed and developing countries.<\/p>\n

The congress organised by the International Water Association (IWA), the Rwandan government and the Water and Sanitation Corporation Group (WASAC) has attracted up to 1,000 delegates, including policymakers, water utilities corporations, academics and technologists and private sector and civil society players.<\/p>\n

It takes place as 26 per cent of the world\u2019s population (two billion people) do not have access to safe drinking water, and 46 per cent (3.6 billion people) lack access to safely managed sanitation, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis edition of the congress comes at the right time, when both developed and developing economies are facing the issues of inadequate water supply, inadequate sanitation services, issues of climate change, lack of proper governance among water bodies, and insufficient investment resources towards accelerating water and sanitation infrastructure,\u201d said Minister of Infrastructure Jimmy Gasore, as he opened the five-day conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking at the current climate change situation, we are called to work together and define the solutions to protecting this noble resource that drives development at different scales.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Minister of @RwandaInfra @Dr_JimmyGasore opens the 7th #WaterDevelopmentCongress & Exhibition highlighting water’s role in urban development, climate resilience, and the cities-basins link. pic.twitter.com\/04aT2QaNaz<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ministry of Infrastructure | Rwanda (@RwandaInfra) December 10, 2023<\/p>\n

Gasore said water is \u201chumanity’s most precious global common good\u201d that is needed in energy generation, agriculture, health and other key sectors and it should be at the centre of the global political agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation are human rights, just like the right to food and to a clean and healthy environment. It is our joint obligation to enforce these rights for everyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

IWA President Tom Mollenkopf said climate change is the leading issue facing water supply and sanitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big issues in water unfortunately have not changed in the last few years,\u201d Mollenkopf said, \u201cAt the very top \u2013 and people are starting to get tired of hearing about it because it’s a truly existential issue \u2013 that is the impacts of climate change. It\u2019s one of the biggest challenges that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Water and Development Congress in Kigali attracted up to 1,000 delegates, including policymakers, researchers, technologists, private sector players and civil society actors.<\/p>\n

The second one he said is slow progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which target universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are nowhere near achieving these goals by 2030,\u201d Mollenkopf said.<\/p>\n

Another big issue facing water and sanitation is the implications of population growth, that is growth in cities and urbanisation and densification and the increasing water demand coupled with issues in sewage systems.<\/p>\n

Mollenkopf called for better planning and flexible approaches to building more resilient systems.<\/p>\n

A 70 per cent increase in demand for water in cities is projected in the next three decades, said UN Habitat\u2019s Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif.<\/p>\n

Estimates show that by 2050, 1.9 billion urban dwellers will live with seasonal water shortages, Sharif said.<\/p>\n

\u201cClimate change is making the water challenges even worse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is that 75 percent of the cities and infrastructure expected to be in use by 2050 is yet to be built,\u201d Sharif noted, adding that that provides an opportunity to act now in providing new solutions that can be adopted soon enough to drive transformative change.<\/p>\n

Taking place besides the Water and Development Congress is an exhibition which is expected to attract more than 100 participants, showcasing their products and solutions to water and sanitation issues. PHOTO BY MOISE M. BAHATI<\/p>\n

She urged the participants of the congress to place water access and management at the heart of the urban and territorial planning process.<\/p>\n

The IWA Water and Development Congress is the second to be hosted in Africa after Kenya in 2013.<\/p>\n

As 82 per cent of Rwandan households had access to clean drinking water in 2022, with the government targeting 100 per cent by 2024, the IWA says there are practices other countries can learn from Rwanda.<\/p>\n

At the congress, which closes on December 14, up to 100 exhibitors are expected to showcase products and solutions to water and sanitation issues.<\/p>\n\r\n