Building a Resilient Water Sector
Actions carried out now will build a water sector that is resilient to climate change. Speaking at the EurEau conference, the Director of the European Environment Agency Hans Bruyninckx stressed the importance of ensuring the water supply.
The conference on ‘Resilience in the water sector’ was held under the auspices of COP22 and is part of EurEau’s annual congress. This conference is a forum for Europe’s water sector to discuss how they are preparing for the future and climate change.
Dr Bruyninckx insisted on the importance of water for future generations: “Water-related risks posed by climate change have a wide effect on our environment, on our food and energy systems and on where we live. So preparing well in adapting to the new challenges we face, such as ensuring the most efficient use of water and climate proof infrastructure, will be key to reduce or eliminating the negative effects.”
Bruno Tisserand, EurEau President said “Water operators need to ensure that we can continue to supply our customers with clean drinking water, safely treat waste water and return it to the environment. Managing supply, particularly with unpredictable weather patterns of drought and flooding, means that we have to take advantage of technology and invest in innovation to do this.”
COP 22, which will take place in Marrakech in November 2016 will define a strategy to achieve the Paris commitments on climate change, and water will be centre stage. An increase in global temperatures will affect the water sector in terms of availability and quality. Consequently, water suppliers will have to become more resilient and find means to face water scarcity.
Source: EurEau
