Features

The Other Crisis in Darfur
Sustainability Management is Key to Saving Environment


Click here for a complete Darfur photo gallery. Photo by Jane Strachan, USAID. 

In a land of political chaos and an ongoing humanitarian crisis, little is known about the environmental disaster burgeoning in Darfur. Understandably, when President George W. Bush called the current situation in the Darfur region of Sudan a “genocide,” there wasn’t much thought given to problems such as groundwater levels. Reports from relief agencies on high human death tolls and alarming numbers of rape were, justifiably, in the spotlight.

But if peace comes back to this troubled region, the Darfurians who have fled their homes seeking refuge in displaced-persons camps or the nearby country of Chad will need to come back to a land of water, trees, and fertile land — a land that can support them as before. Currently, the environment of Darfur is under destruction through acts of violence and through mismanaged use.

Groundwater Woes
At a January meeting with relief agency representatives in Washington, D.C., Bromwich explained that the goal of the Tearfund study was to look at what effects the conflict and the displacement of millions of people have on the environment. The report, he said, was written to inform relief agencies that a “fresh look” at the environment is essential to Darfur’s current welfare and future.

“The ethnicity and political issues are the most dire issues to be resolved,” he said. “The environment is a component of conflict.”

Darfur is not an area rich in water resources. Bromwich said that the region is considered geologically poor for maintaining adequate groundwater. Located along the edge of a desert, Darfur has a very low rainfall, around 300 mm/yr, and the geology makes groundwater reservation difficult. With millions of people displaced from their homes concentrating in small areas, groundwater reserves are being exhausted. For example, five hand pumps installed at the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in North Darfur have run dry, with six more hand pumps showing low yields, according to the report.

As part of the assault on the people of Darfur, the Janjaweed has been destroying relief technology such as water pumps. Attacks on the lands itself — such as burning land to make it unusable — are also ongoing. 

“Environmental resources are being fought over and are being destroyed as a feature of the violence,” reads the report. “Actions include the destruction of crops and water points, the restriction of cattle migration causing local overgrazing, and the destruction of trees and rangeland.”

By destroying the environment, the militiamen are destroying the very sources of life and livelihood on which the people of Darfur depend. For example, brick-making is a common source of income for Darfurians. Without appropriate access to water — needed to make bricks — the livelihoods of many suffer. As a consequence, chlorinated water from drinking water pumps in the IDP camps is being used for brick-making — possibly short-changing people on clean drinking water.

Situations like that, according to Tearfund, create the need to assess daily water requirements in the IDP camps. How much drinking water does each person need? How much of the water available is used for drinking and where is the rest going? Bromwich said that Sphere Standards — standards set for the relief community that dictate the minimum human response levels — call for a minimum of 15 L/d of water per person for drinking, washing, and other activities requiring water. Yet, he said, there’s been acknowledgement that people actually need less than 15 L/d, and that if people are using treated water to maintain their livelihoods, this is a problem. Any extra water should not be extracted from groundwater reserves.

“If the groundwater is becoming depleted, and we’re providing water over and above what is needed from a humanitarian demand, well, let’s acknowledge that and let’s do a survey and see how much people are actually using for their non-humanitarian demand. How much does their livelihood demand?” Bromwich questioned.

That’s not to say a person’s livelihood is not part of the humanitarian response, he said, but there must be accountability as to the amount of water provided to each person and why. Severe groundwater depletion means the pumps will run dry, and this poses the risk of secondary displacement.

Sustainable Resource Management
The report calls for a sustainable resource management (SRM) approach to Darfur’s worsening environmental situation. While the report acknowledges this is an “emergency crisis,” a long-term approach is necessary, not just short-term relief.

Sustainable resource management is a way to ensure that environmental resources are used responsibly in the present so as not to endanger their availability in the future. Assessing and monitoring demand for resources is imperative to this model. The report includes suggestions for managing demand such as assessing the actual use of a resource — is it a humanitarian, livelihood, or animal use? Another suggestion to reduce the use of water is to support alternative occupations instead of those that demand the use of water, such as brick-making.

Groundwater monitoring is also a part of SRM. “There isn’t a systematic approach to monitoring groundwater depletion and there should be,” Bromwich said. In the 1970s, remote sensing was used to assess conditions in Darfur, but it did not provide enough information. While it was helpful in understanding the geology of the land, remote sensing — which uses satellite imagery — did not reveal the quantity of groundwater.

The data from remote sensing must be matched with conventional hydrogeology, Bromwich said, to decipher how much groundwater is abstracted, and how much the water level is going down. “There need to be more hydrogeologists working in the field in Darfur,” Bromwich said.

The report explores methods of alternative building technologies and energy sources, such as biogas and solar energies, and promotes more efficient energy use.

Report Recommendations
The Tearfund report includes a series of recommendations for agencies of the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations.

For the water scarcity issues, the report recommends that the water sector adopt SRM as the “framework” to ensure water security is not affected by “inappropriate abstraction.” Additionally, groundwater levels must be monitored by the organizations that manage groundwater abstraction, and assessments of water resources should be done with urgency, particularly at high-demand areas such as the camps surrounding North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher.

A key component in this SRM framework would be to engage the universities and organizations local to Darfur to participate in its environmental management. There is a natural resources department at the University of El Fasher, a forestry department at the University of Zalengei, and the Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society — all of which could provide expertise with the added benefit of having a stake in Darfur’s future, the report notes.

Download the report to read it in its entirety, or see the Tearfund Web site at www.tearfund.org.

— Meghan H. Oliver,
WEF Highlights

Climate Change, Sustainability Focus of Policy Forum

Water and wastewater issues and solutions often struggle to gain a foothold in the minds of those on Capitol Hill. Often, other issues dominate lawmakers’ time. However, the 2007 Clean Water Policy Forum provided an opportunity for water quality professionals to learn about the problems facing the water industry and highlight these problems to policymakers.

The Water Policy Forum was held May 6–9 in Washington, D.C., and was hosted by the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA; Washington, D.C.). It featured a variety of speakers focusing on the myriad issues currently engaging the water industry, including climate change, sustainable infrastructure, and water quality-based legislation.

WEF Executive Director Bill Bertera speaks with Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D–Ore.) at the Clean Water Policy Forum in D.C. last month. Click photo for larger image. Photo by Ron Thomas.

Effectively Managed Utilities
The Water Policy Forum introduced the “Ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Water Sector Utilities,” which were the work of the Effective Utility Management Steering Committee. committee was established by WEF, NACWA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (Washington, D.C.), the American Public Works Association (Kansas City, Mo.), the American Water Works Association (Denver), and the National Association of Water Companies (Washington, D.C.), who entered into a Statement of Intent to formalize a collaborative effort that would promote effective utility management.

According to the Steering Committee, the attributes are intended for use as a basis to promote improved management within the sector. The attributes are

• product quality,
• customer satisfaction,
• employee and leadership development,
• operational optimization,
• financial viability,
• operational resiliency,
• community sustainability,
• infrastructure stability,
• stakeholder understanding and support, and
• water resource adequacy.

Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, said these attributes will serve as a basis for future utility executives and that they “chart a course locally and globally for world-class sustainable utilities.”

WEF Executive Director Bill Bertera classified the document as a new commitment to service to the public and stressed the importance of the six national organizations, which represent members and the public, working toward water sector collaboration.

Sustainable Infrastructure
The Water Policy Forum highlighted the significance of sustainable infrastructure. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson stressed the importance of working toward more sustainable infrastructure, indicating that providing sustainable, secure, and clean water is one of his top priorities as EPA administrator.

“We must continue to create sustainable infrastructure systems,” Johnson said.

To achieve his goals, Johnson emphasized the importance of utility executives using innovative approaches to finance building sustainable infrastructure. He also called on executives to remove barriers that stall sustainable infrastructure construction, create incentives to spur growth, and better use private activity bonds, which can help accelerate investment in water infrastructure, according to Johnson.

Grumbles further expanded on EPA’s growing emphasis on sustainable infrastructure. To achieve this goal, he called for infrastructure that relied on infiltration, rain gardens, green roofs, and vegetation, rather than concrete.

Likewise, WEF Past President J. Michael Read recommended that utilities use sustainable infrastructure in future construction.

Legislation
Grumbles discussed water efficiency legislation — a regulatory priority for EPA, he said — such as Executive Order 13423, which calls on all federal agencies to become more water efficient. He also discussed EPA’s plans to work with the U.S. Treasury Department, as well as the public and private sectors, to push innovative funding strategies and initiatives, such as a water trust fund aimed at funding sustainable infrastructure,and focusing on full-cost pricing for water “to recover the true value of the services being rendered.”

The Water Policy Forum also highlighted legislation being considered by for the 110th Congress. Much of the legislation focuses on climate change, including six bills and one draft proposal calling for varying strategies to address climate change.

“The 110th Congress has been the most active Congress, in terms of climate change, of the last three Congresses,” said Greg Adams.
 
In particular, the climate-related legislation focuses on six gases and their role in global warming. The bills call on a variety of measures to be taken to help curb climate change, including

• capping emissions by 2012,
• following provisions set forth by the Clean Air Act,
• bringing emissions back to a 1990 baseline level, and
• relying on strict California standards for transportation restriction.

WEF itself has already begun working toward solutions in the fight against climate change. The federation’s climate change resolution, which was approved on Oct. 20 by the WEF Board of Trustees, calls on WEF to serve as a leader in combating the effects of climate change on the global water environment.
  
The Value of Water
“Water has always defined our history,” said Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D–Ore.). “Today, we are seeing water stress everywhere.”

Blumenauer, a member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Climate Change, cited the numerous problems facing utilities, such as aging infrastructure and the overstressed Colorado River. He laid the onus of the country’s water problems on the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Corps of Engineers, discussing projects proposed by both entities that he classified as suspect projects that do not consider side effects, such as the New Orleans Industrial Canal project.

He also believes that more important projects have been neglected by political leaders, saying that only $70 million was spent in fiscal year 2005 on non-emergency water supply needs.

“Too much water resource money is diverted to other priorities in the United States,” Blumenauer said.

District of Columbia Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), who sits on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, agreed with Blumenauer, saying that the “accumulation of clean water needs in our country” is more than $13 billion. She cites the continuing problems of pollution within the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the Anacostia River, as symbols of mismanagement.

To overcome these problems, Blumenauer suggests a multitude of solutions, including spending the few monetary resources wisely. “It’s how we spend, where we spend it,” he said, referring to funds.

Other suggestions from Blumenauer include working with the private sector; no longer allowing other industries to use water sources, such as oceans, lakes, and rivers, like a machine; public education; water forums in local communities to shed light on water problems and discuss ways to manage these problems; and the establishment of a water trust fund similar to the current highway trust funds that partially finance road construction in the United States.

He believes both local and federal government leaders must work together for change. Blumenauer said that local leaders must educate consumers, while the federal government should provide a framework to follow, as well as convince all government departments and agencies to work together to solve these problems.

Norton and Johnson concurred, with Norton calling on water professionals to bring attention to how serious the problem truly is and arguing that the nation’s priorities must shift to ensure clean water in the 21st century. Likewise, Johnson appealed for collaboration across all levels of government, arguing that local governments cannot rely just on federal financing. In addition, he said that citizens undervalue the importance of water and stressed the importance of utility executives conveying the true value of water to customers.   

“The value of water and water infrastructure has diminished,” Johnson said. “We need to notify the public about the value of water.”

—Michael Bonsiewich
WEF Highlights

From the President:
WEF Delegates Travel to France for Water Tour

I was part of an 11-member U.S. delegation of public officials and water industry leaders invited by the French government to attend a comprehensive water tour in Paris and Lyon, France, last December. The tour included meetings with key national, regional, and local government officials in France and provided a forum to discuss timely policy and technical issues related to water, wastewater, and other environmental challenges confronting the United States, France, and other countries.

In Paris, our delegation met with Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Nelli Olin, who is responsible for developing and implementing major environmental policies and initiatives for France. Among other issues, Olin discussed a major water bill that had just been introduced in the French Parliament that addressed global warming, air pollution measures, protection of water resources, water rights, and governance as it relates to providing water and wastewater services.

Several members of the French Parliament and staff members responsible for creating water-related policy also spoke with the delegates on numerous public policy issues and legislative initiatives involving wastewater and other environmental topics.

The delegation also met with Michael Camdessus, former chairman of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, to discuss international water and wastewater needs in developing countries, and the effectiveness of financing programs in addressing evolving environmental needs.

French Minister of Foreign Trade Christine Lagarde and staff met with the delegation to discuss the interaction between France, the United States, and other countries in addressing global environmental issues. The agency’s interface with the World Bank and the Bank’s international initiatives also were discussed.

The delegation also met with the chief executive officers and key executives of two of the largest water service contractors in the world: Veolia Water (Paris) and Suez (Paris). Generating more than $100 billion in revenues per year combined, the companies serve thousands of municipalities in more than 100 countries worldwide. They employ in excess of 400,000 people in the water and wastewater industry. The water tour included visits to Suez’s wastewater treatment plant in Valenton, and Veolia’s water treatment plant in Mery-Oise. Both plants demonstrated innovative technical design in water and wastewater treatment.

Gerard Collomb, mayor of Lyon, met with the group to discuss water and wastewater issues confronting local governments. Included was the role of the private sector in France in providing water and wastewater services through public-private partnerships; the importance of consolidated efforts by numerous agencies and businesses currently involved in addressing environmental issues; and the responsibility of local government officials to be involved in environmental planning, regulatory, and implementation initiatives.

The group later met with Michel Mercier, president of the Rhone Council, to discuss the consolidated planning of water resources and other environmental disciplines in Rhone region of France.

Finally, the delegation attended Pollutec 2006 in Lyon, one of the largest environmental trade shows in the world. The show attracts thousands of vendors from water, wastewater, and other waste management industries, and accommodates more than 35,000 participants annually. The exhibit showcased the latest in environmental equipment, systems, and services provided around the world.

The water tour was beneficial to the delegation, as well as to the French public officials and water agencies involved. Significant policy, financial, pricing, operational, and management data were shared among representatives of the two countries.

Members of the U.S. delegation included:

• Ronald Oden, mayor of Palm Springs, Calif.;
• James Kennedy, mayor of Rahway, N.J.;
• Martin Chavez, mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., and co-chair of the Conference of Mayors Water Utility Council;
• Daniel Coody, mayor of Fayetteville, Ark., and co-chair of the Conference of Mayors Water Utility Council;
• Dena Mossar, city council member of Palo Alto, Calif., and chair of the Energy, Environmental, and Natural Resources Committee of the National League of Cities (Washington, D.C.);
• Enrique Medina, city manager of Arvin, Calif.;
• Nicholas Dungan, president of the French-American Foundation (New York);
• Peter Cook, executive director of the National Association of Water Companies (Washington, D.C.);
• William Verkest; president of the American Public Works Association (Kansas City, Mo.); and
• George Raftelis, president of Raftelis Financial Consultants (Charlotte, N.C.), and former chair of the Management Division of the American Water Works Association (Denver, Colo.).

French Embassy participants in the delegation included:

• Olivier Piton, the public affairs attaché of the French Embassy’s Economic Department in Washington, D.C., and organizer of the Water Tour;
• Jérôme Fabre, the economic and industrial counselor deputy head within the Economic Department of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.;
• Christian N’Domba, Environment Attaché with the Economic Department of the French Embassy Consulate Office in Houston; and
• Gael Gregoire, water specialist at the World Bank office in Washington, D.C.

— Mohamed F. Dahab
2006-07 WEF President

Students and Young Professionals Committee Holds Summit

Following positive feedback from last year’s Young Professionals (YP) Summit at the South Carolina WEFMAX meeting, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Students and Young Professionals Committee held its third annual Young YP Summit, April 19 at the WEFMAX meeting in Chicago, to bring together young, enthusiastic leaders from across the country.

At the summit, attendees had access to WEF’s leaders and the chance to focus on the summit’s theme of communication. The goal of the summit was to promote the sharing of ideas among different member associations and sections, promote leadership and empowerment, and raise awareness of the work of the Students and Young Professionals committees.

WEF, American Water Works Association (AWWA; Denver, Colo.), Illinois Water Environment Association (WEA), Indiana WEA, Central States WEA, Missouri WEA, and North Dakota WEA sponsored this year’s event.

Sixty-nine young professionals from 27 different member associations or sections attended the event. The summit provided a forum for young professionals to learn from leaders in the industry and to develop and promote a better understanding of the needs of young professionals in our field.

The YP Summit began with an introduction and welcome from Brian Murphy, first deputy chief of staff for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s office, and immediate past water commissioner of Chicago. Murphy welcomed everyone to the city, thanking them for taking an active role in the betterment of our environment.

The speakers at the event focused on improving communication. Bruce Fisher, adjunct professor and director of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Center of Research and Science (Chicago), gave the attendees a Myers Briggs (MBTI) personality test and spoke on “What Your Personality Type Says About You.” Fisher explained the importance of understanding your personality type and how it relates to your communication approaches with others, whether among friends, family, or at work. He illustrated various personality types by identifying the personalities of several past and present leaders from across the world. He also provided examples of common characteristics and development areas for each personality type.

Bob Wimmer, head of the water and wastewater department at the engineering firm Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (Silver Spring, Md.), presented the potential pitfalls of e-mail communication. Wimmer demonstrated several cases in which e-mail communication spiraled into miscommunication and turmoil among a team trying to coordinate solely by e-mail. He left the audience with simple advice: If you have to rewrite an e-mail message, you should consider a telephone call instead.

Afternoon speakers Vincent Nazareth, principal engineer of R.V. Anderson Associates Limited (Toronto), along with YP Vanessa Chau, discussed the declining number of students entering the workforce in this industry and the retirement of much of the wastewater workforce. Nazareth encouraged YPs to become active and to remember that they have a key role in sustaining the workforce and WEF.

In addition, WEF Vice President Rebecca West and AWWA Vice President Craig Woolard provided inspirational messages. Both speakers addressed the challenges facing the industry and the need for additional young professionals to join the workforce. At the conclusion of their presentations West and Woolard answered audience questions about student and YP involvement and opportunities for leadership roles in their repsective associations.

The last portion of the afternoon included an open forum discussion for member association or section representatives to speak on their activities, successes, and challenges.

The summit ended with a social and networking reception for YPs and the YP alumni, fondly dubbed SPs, or seasoned professionals.

Peter Takaoka, WEA of Ontario president, said, “This is probably the best single-day training that I have ever attended."

“As the summit concluded, I felt that the energy and ambition in the room made for an atmosphere that was intoxicating,” said Alan Will, past president of the Chesapeake WEA.

The success of this  year’s event could not have been possible without the dedication of people such as volunteers Dianne Crilley, Paul Olson, Leslie Samel, Charles Corley, Bob Wimmer, Eric Dodds, Mark Zachar, Rachel Lee, Heather Cheslek, and Brian Jordan.

Based on the success of the past summits, another YP Summit is planned for 2008. If you are interested in helping to plan or host the event, please contact either Dianne Crilley at dcrilley@wef.org or Leslie Samel at samells@cdm.com.

— Leslie Samel
Project manager in Charlotte, N.C. office of CDM (Cambridge, Mass.), WEF Delegate-at-Large, and chair of the WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee