Leapfrogging or treading water? Utilities picking up the pace at the water-energy-food nexus

This session will look at examples of the ‘circular economy’ paradigm being adopted by water and sanitation operators in different contexts. Worldwide water operators have been implementing wastewater reclamation. A host of technological options from “high” to “low” tech and centralized to decentralized technologies exists, but most are yet to be tested. Still, a host of technical, socio-cultural, economic, governance, financial instruments etc. need to be understood. As such, water reclamation with integrated resource recovery can be a key element in enhancing water, energy and food security. Further, visualizing revenue streams emerging from this process can form the basis for an innovative governance model geared towards more effective resource management and supporting resilience and transition to a circular economy. It will discuss how the imperative to reduce and reuse water and related energy and material resources is changing water and sanitation utilities’ modus operandi - their economic models, structure, governance and collaborations. The session will explore the challenges and opportunities for leaping forward.

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The original announcement is available here.