International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

Scaling-Up Pollution Control and Wastewater Management From Source to Sea

30 Aug 2017, Stockholm
The session will examine how to create the enabling policy and institutional frameworks, partnerships and unique financing schemes to support sectoral transformation and the scale-up of good-practices to manage point/non-point pollution. Examples showcasing source-to-sea management will include projects from the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea-Danube region and Southeast Asia.

Globally, more than 80% of collected and discharged wastewater is untreated. Loading from wastewater as well as agricultural nutrient releases has resulted in nearly 500 ocean hypoxic zones. Managing point/non-point pollution calls for a variety of inter-linked solutions based on partnerships which link traditional water management approaches such as IWRM, ICM and the LME approach to regional policy making and enabling frameworks for investment. Partnership investments in transboundary ecosystems can support development of regional policy, legal and institutional frameworks, as well as unique financing schemes to catalyze change. Such investments, together with policy actions can and have resulted in significant reductions in nutrient pollution along with the consequent recovery of freshwater and coastal ecosystems along the source-to-sea continuum.

This session will focus on unique combinations of water and coastal management tools, which create the enabling environments to realize change and help countries achieve associated SDGs, especially: 

6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally ;

6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate ;

and 14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution 

It will consider which measures can be deployed to enhance wastewater management and treatment, restore nutrient sinks, improve catchment management and reduce runoff. It will highlight how we can realize sectoral transformation and scale-up of successful demonstrations of various approaches to wastewater management.