WATER QUALITY AND HEALTH

    Covi 19 and resilience

    Building on previous work carried out on Covid-19 and Resilience, the Task Force on Water Quality and Health is committed to universal access to safe water and effective sanitation systems through a comprehensive One Health Approach. Its overarching objective is to bring global communities the benefits of improved water quality assessment and treatment.
     

    As an advocate of the One Health initiative, the Task Force adopts an integrative approach that recognizes the interrelated nature of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. From this perspective, the aim is to integrate wastewater monitoring into broader public health monitoring frameworks.

    The Task Force leads an inclusive and technical dialogue that includes contributions from public and private partners and is enriched by active citizen participation. It aims to create a platform that serves as a nexus for scientists, water associations, global water players and key stakeholders to engage in capacity building, collaboration and knowledge sharing, particularly for low- and middle-income countries.

    Through this collaboration, this Task Force seeks to raise awareness, mobilize political commitment and catalyze effective action on key water issues. In particular, it is committed to attracting the interest of funding agencies and encouraging them to invest in capacity-building activities.

     

    Strategic Actions

    • Introduction of comprehensive monitoring of pollution and the chemical and ecological status of water.
    • Implementation of source reduction strategies and governance mechanisms that emphasize regulatory measures, addressing pollution prevention while respecting socio-economic contexts.
    • Advocacy and deployment of cutting-edge treatment technologies to safeguard surface, groundwater, and marine ecosystems from a spectrum of pollutants.
    • Crafting a dynamic roadmap for water quality assessment and improvement, adaptable to diverse geographies and climate change scenarios and aligned with the One-Health approach.
    • Utilizing the principles of reduce, recycle, and reuse to minimize pollution, process recoverable materials, and supply treated water as an alternative resource.
    • Leveraging Wastewater Epidemiology to establish a robust early warning system.