High Level Conference Water, Climate and Health Arezzo, Italy, Nov 23 rd 2012

1. Water & Climate Strategy in UNECE Region: the case of water supply and sanitation under adverse weather events L.SINISI, ISPRA, Italy High Level ConferenceWater, Climate and HealthArezzo, Italy, Nov 23rd 2012 Luciana Sinisi, ISPRA, Italy ChairTask Force Extreme Weather Events WHO/UNECE Protocol Water and Health to UNECE Water Convention Jos Timmerman, MoE, NL Chair Task Force Water and Climate UNECE Water Convention

2. UNECE STRATEGY ON WATER & CLIMATE • ADDED VALUE • Transboundary focus • Environment & health issues • water supply and sanitation in extremes with link to utilities management ADOPTED MOP 2010 ADOPTED MOP 2010 ADOPTED COP 2009 http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=11658 http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=29338

3. Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change Task Force Water and Climate UNECE Water Convention Leadership and support : NL, Germany, Italy • Climate change impacts on water resources are visible – first adaptation efforts are starting • Few countries have developed adaptation strategies, none at the transboundary level • The UNECE Water Convention represents a strategic framework for cooperation on adaptation

4. Developing water & adaptation strategy Need for flexible agreements, possibly for revision of existing agreements and procedures LINK TO EU GUIDANCE River basin management Water Framework Directive Floods Directive Strategy on Water Scarcity and Droughts. Sharing of data, joint monitoring of climate change impacts Elaboration of common scenarios Basin-wide joint vulnerability assessment Agreement on adaptation strategy and measures likely to have transboundary impacts Sharing benefits and risks

5. Prevent Improve resilience Prepare Extreme event Respond Recover Develop measures: safety chain and extremes

9. Water supply and sanitation in extremes:old problems and new risks • Under critical meteoclimatic water supply and sanitation services aren’t anymore a healthy delivery services, but a significant source of contamination, sometimes irreversible and that goes beyond local and national border. • Health risk are not only related to direct damages, supply disruption but also to contamination of water and biota • Nevertheless there was a lack of “institutional” attention to E&H risks under recurrent extremes

10. Prevent Improve resilience Prepare Extreme event Respond Recover Develop measures: safety chainthe case of water supply and sanitation under adverse weather events Guidance on Water Supply and Sanitation in Extreme Weather Events Task Force Extreme Weather events Protocol On Water And Health To The UNECE Water Convention LEADERSHIP : Italy Ministry of Environment Joint Secretariat: WHO & UNECE

11. Increased of direct impacts on people’s health & well being infrastructures & assets, safety of natural resource Increase in demand of safe water in emergencies Increase in water/soil contamination from waste water services Higher demand of risk reduction strategies and recovery cost Resilience WSS Utilities RISK MANAGEMENT IN EXTREMES

12. WSS utilities performance and E&H risks in extremes Contaminated discharge in environment and water bodies Lack of available safe water Higher pollutants concentrations and/ or overload Impairment of waste water treatment performance Unsafe use of new water sources • ►Chemical and biological • safety of • Drinking water • Bathing waters • Irrigated crops • Food and sea food • ► Risk increase of vectors and rodents borne diseases • ►(Costly) impairment of • effectiveness of • environmental protection • of healthy water resources High vulnerability of WSS infrastructures in the Region

13. GUIDANCE WSS as a starting tool for adaptation • Risk management • E&H risks connected to performance in extremes • Different settings (e.g. costal areas) • Adaptation measures for health , environment and utilities sectors • WSS «System» vulnerablities • Utilities standards , small suppliers • Preparedness to cope with risks • Communication,staff training, information RESILIENCE: improve what you’re doing STRUCTURAL INTERV: protect what you have NO- STRUCTURAL INTERV: manage what you don’t have

14. sea level rise Courtesy by Jim Foster, UK Courtesy by DW supply: adaptation PROTECT WHAT YOU HAVE Courtesy by UNDP, B.Beli Improve what you’re doing

15. WWTP & sewerage:higher vulnerabilities Courtesy by C.Lasagna, IRIDE aquagas, Italy Effectiveness of urban wastewater treatment policies in selected countries: an EEA pilot study “, EEA, 2005 Courtesy by D. Nedvedova, MoE Czech Rep

16. WSS in extremes ( barriers to) risk mananagement GOVERNANCE AWARENESS • water supply and sanitation (WSS) “just” as a costly service not health determinant. • involvement of utility managers in adaptation and risk reduction strategies RISK CHARACTERIZATION/EXPOSURE/ IMPACTS KNOWLEDGE • Resilience of surveillance& environmental monitoring • lack of knowledge on exposure to chemical TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER & CAPACITY BUILDING • Disaster preparedness and early warning • Rapid assessment techniques (water, soil and food) LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL , APPROPRIATE MULTIDISCIPLINARY EXPERT TEAM SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT AND MEASURES IMPLEMENTATION

17. UNECE STRATEGY ON WATER & CLIMATE Getting together is a beginning, Staying together is a progress, but working together is a success ( H. Ford) ADOPTED MOP 2010 ADOPTED MOP 2010 ADOPTED COP 2009 http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=11658 http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=29338

18. Thank you Luciana.sinisi@isprambiente.it