UN team based in Hamilton receives $10 million from government to tackle global water shortage

The global water shortage is a ticking environmental time bomb.

More than 60 per cent of humanity will experience water scarcity by 2030, experts project, and conventional water resources - rain, river runoffs - aren't expected to cope with burgeoning demands.

What's more: four million people already die every year from water-borne diseases.

It is not a sexy problem, nor one that draws potent public interest like health crises would, says Vladimir Smakhtin, director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health based in Hamilton. But it is certainly a problem.

The good news is there are mitigation strategies: desalination (converting saltwater into freshwater), atmospheric water harvesting (sucking water from humid ambient air) and wastewater treatment (extracting contaminations from sewage), among others.

And that's where Smakhtin's institute comes into play.

The institute, hosted by McMaster University and founded in 1996, is a think tank that works to bridge the gap between leading water research and the practical needs of policy-makers, particularly those of low- and middle-income countries. It is the only academic arm of 35 United Nations Universities to exclusively focus on water issues.

On Friday - also coincidentally World Water Week - the federal government announced a $10-million grant to fund the institute through 2025 as it embarks on a new, four-year strategic plan to address pressing global water challenges.

The plan places primary focus on four interconnected areas: supporting underdeveloped countries in sustainable, water-related goals; revolutionizing water security through unconventional resources and technology; advancing gender equity across the water sector; and managing aquatic- and climate-related risks for water preservation.

We think it's important for us to not spread ourselves out too thinly," says Smakhtin, and instead find a few major directions and try to help resolve these issues."

As it pertains to data and evidence - key drivers of planning water goals and measuring progress - many countries find themselves in limbo. Some countries may have the resources, but don't know where to start," says Smakhtin.

The institute is currently helping 30 countries to use existing and emerging data to build reliable baselines of evidence that will guide policy-makers towards effective water management habits.

In turn, this lends governments the foundation from which to welcome unconventional resources that fortify water security in otherwise scarce areas.

Take wastewater, for instance, water which is discarded from homes, businesses or industrial facilities. The institute found in a recent study that the volume of wastewater worldwide will increase by 24 per cent come 2030.

It is a vast resource that, if treated properly, Smakhtin says could be enough to fill Lake Ontario with drinkable water every four years. It would also contain enough energy to provide electricity to almost 160 million homes.

While plans and goals to advance water security are all well and good, what often gets lost in the shuffle is the dearth of women representation in the water sector.

The gender component has been lost," Smakhtin says. Sanitation management in water scarce environments is more effective if women are involved, but finding ways to include women in (water-related) policies remains a challenge."

A recent institute analysis suggests that up to one-billion people will be forced to migrate due to water- and climate-related reasons, and much of that burden falls on women and girls.

Part of the solution is gathering data on gendered dimensions of water research and education, as well as the role of women in water industries. The institute says this will help foreign governments establish a gender-balanced baseline from which to improve.

Assessing different aspects of how many women are employed in the water sector and in which positions is critical for greater inclusion, representation and training at global and country levels," Smakhtin says.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com