Mainstreaming Water-Energy Nexus in wake of Climate Change

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Reference Document

Date: November 26-29, 2019
Venue: Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute, Nimli, Rajasthan (301405) 

Background

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is organizing a four day training programme on “Mainstreaming Water-Energy Nexus in wake of Climate Change” in collaboration with The International Water Association (IWA).

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a New Delhi based recognised global think tank, policy, advocacy, research and capacity building institution set up in 1980s. The centre is a recognised training entity and Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Water Management area assisting the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.

The International Water Association (IWA) is an open, yet ordered platform in which both innovators and adopters of new technologies and approaches can generate creative friction. It is a place for diffusion, benchmarking and evidence. The programmes develop research and projects focused on solutions for water and wastewater management; organise world-class events that bring the latest science, technology and best practice to the water sector at large; work to place water on the global political agenda and to influence best practice in regulation and policy making; and do this via the IWA’s global membership.

The water and energy sectors are intrinsically interconnected, majorly due to the characteristics and properties of water that make it so useful for producing energy; and the energy requirements to transport and treat water and wastewater. The high energy footprint of conventional municipal water management practices and contemporary disharmony between the water and energy sectors has resulted in missed joint opportunities for resource conservation.

It has also constrained both sectors from fully reaping financial, environmental and societal benefits. We are at a juncture wherein recognizing the importance of the Water-Energy nexus will help us to face the challenges ahead. In this regard, the Centre has published a Policy Paper on Mainstreaming Energy Efficiency in Urban Water and Wastewater Management in the Wake of Climate Change.

Recognising the importance of the nexus, SW&W, CSE in collaboration with IWA is organizing a four day training programme on “Mainstreaming Water-Energy Nexus in wake of Climate Change”.

The world’s urban population is projected to grow by 1.5 billion from 2010 to 2030. About 94 per cent of this growth will occur in developing countries. Extrapolating this urban growth, there would be a 40 per cent rise in the demand for municipal water and wastewater services by 2030. Several current trends including the uncertainty of water availability are further increasing the urgency to address the water-energy nexus through an integrated and proactive manner. To further exacerbate the issue, climate change may act as a significant “threat multiplier” which in some cases can burden or overwhelm coping capacities of various countries. The links between water, energy and climate change are now becoming part of international discussions, where there is a global effort to devise adaptation and mitigation strategies. It is now important for decision makers to view energy efficiency as a tool for carbon mitigation in the field of urban water management as this has been largely overlooked.

India is home to one of the world’s biggest municipal systems, between 40 to 60% of India’s energy costs arise only from supplying water, and an estimated 48 crore units in electricity is wasted every year due to inefficient water pumps. To unlock India’s immense potential savings in energy, cost and water as part of India’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Ministry of Power is working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs by creating a Dashboard under the Municipal Energy Efficient Programme (MEEP).

The objective of MEEP is to provide an overarching framework in order to facilitate engagement between Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and State Governments/ UTs with Energy Efficiency Service Limited (EESL) in the area of Energy Efficiency Programme in Public Water Works & Sewerage Systems in 500 nos. of Indian cities. It is also desired that using the mandate and core competency of EESL, the preparation and implementation of projects in Municipal Energy Efficiency are fast-tracked.

About the Training The training will focus on the importance of water-energy nexus in municipal sector aiming for a water prudent and carbon neutral cities. This will be coupled with the use of the computer based Energy and Carbon Performance Assessment (ECAM) tool and implementing the WaCCliM Roadmap and approach to support water/wastewater utilities. The ECAM tool enables utilities to quantify their Greenhouse Gas Emissions and contributions to Nationally Determined Contributions and offers solutions for reducing emissions from energy use and wastewater management. ECAM helps link monitoring, reporting and verification of mitigation actions in the water sector to the national level.

Aim The aim of the training is to build the capacity of practitioners in their transition to carbon neutrality through measures that are economically viable.

Learning Objectives

• Highlight the interconnection between water and energy in urban water and wastewater management.
• Showcase common barriers to energy and water efficiency.
• Provide innovative solutions to develop a cost-effective and carbon neutral water-energy nexus including sharing of best management practices at municipal level.
• Understand overall global climate change context and GHG emissions sources within the urban water cycle.
• Apply web-based ECAM tool to assess and monitor baseline GHG emissions and identify opportunities for reduction.
• Understand and be able to explain to others the WaCCliM approach and use of the ECAM tool.
  
  

Course Coordinator:

Dr. Mahreen Matto
Programme Manager - Water Programme
+91-11-40616000 (Ext: 257), mobile: +91 9868018045
Email: mahreen@cseindia.org

Training Director:

Dr. Suresh Kumar Rohilla
Senior Director, CSE
Academic Director, School of Water & Waste, AAETI
Email: srohilla@cseindia.org