Safe Water Provisioning Knowledgebase for Rural, Remote and Otherwise Marginalized Communities

Transcription

1 Safe Water Provisioning Knowledgebase for Rural, Remote and Otherwise Marginalized Communities Introduction Meeting Report: Hamilton, November 22, 2010 This document summarizes the outcomes of a partner meeting for the knowledgebase initiative (Appendix 1). The meeting was hosted by the United Nations University Institute for Water Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). The objective of the webinar was to establish the scope, platform and funding opportunities for the project. The objective of the working meeting was to build consensus and expand on project elements to inform the funding proposal that UNU-INWEH will submit to the Ontario Research Fund in December This meeting builds upon the previous planning meeting hosted by UNU-INWEH in June At that meeting the project goals and objectives were defined, partners were identified and a list of tasks and timelines were established. Since then, UNU-INWEH has undertaken a stakeholder assessment to identify the information needs of those involved in the water sector. Discussion generated at this meeting builds on previous work to further establish the scope and platform of the project as well as identify the next steps required prior to project implementation. An immediate outcome of this meeting will be the submission of a funding proposal to the Ontario Research Fund, due December 17, Project Overview The Safe Water Provisioning Knowledgebase is an interactive knowledgebase of safe water provisioning solutions for rural, remote and otherwise marginalized communities around the world that will provide simple, yet comprehensive information on solutions in addition to proven applications. The project is based on three foundational principles: 1. Everyone should have access to safe water and sanitation 2. Everyone should have access to standardized, reliable safe water provisioning information. 3. Experiences from the field provide critical knowledge to enhance decisionmaking. The project should be understood within, and is meant to address, the following contexts: The global safe water crisis Health and economic benefits Barriers to uptake

2 In June 2009 UNU-INWEH hosted a planning meeting for the knowledgebase (sponsored by the Canadian Water Network (CWN)). Meeting participants established the following overarching goal for the project: To improve human health by reducing water-related diseases in rural, remote and otherwise marginalized communities through improved decision-making for sustainable safe water that will aid in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The objectives of the project are as follows: A. To engage key stakeholders to assess the need for access to validated knowledgebase for sustainable water and sanitation solutions. 1. To develop integrated tools that aid in the exchange of knowledge for sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions. 2. To validate the content of the knowledgebase and its delivery mechanism 3. To disseminate the knowledgebase to engage a range of end-users and the organizations that support them Anticipated Outcomes: Empowered end users Enhanced communication Increased access to appropriate and affordable solutions Increased access to training Enhanced capacity to provide safe drinking water Increased provision of safe drinking water and sanitation Improved health and well-being Poverty reduction Proposed End-Users: Various groups involved with provision of safe water: o Water professionals (DW/WW operators, owners, operating authorities) o Communities and their leaders o NGOs o Funding agencies and R&D o Local governments and policy makers o Businesses and engineering consultants o Community health leaders and public health practitioners Scope Initial meeting discussion concerned project implementation and the focus of the initial content of the knowledgebase. Early on, participants established two

3 conditions necessary for the understanding/identification of the initial project scope: 1. The recognition and acceptance that the tool established will be partially wrong or incomplete, but that the open and flexible nature of the tool will facilitate regular evaluation and improvements. 2. Participants decided that the overlapping nature of water-related problems and associated technologies to be included in the knowledgebase such as those pertaining to wastewater treatment, safe water provisioning or water distribution require a holistic approach and therefore pilot projects should not target one problem over another. Consensus was established that the first phase of the knowledgebase should be limited by physical geography, rather than a category of technology (such as wastewater treatment), a type of technology (such as low versus high tech) or the capacity of clients or users (such as training or literacy). This decision is logical because geographical boundaries are clearly established. Furthermore, participants identified Southern Ontario as an ideal location for the pilot project not only because it serves the ORF grant, but also due to the participants familiarity with the location and accessibility to lab based research and local funding agencies. This geographical limitation also works in accordance with preliminary knowledgebase work conducted at UNU-INWEH with the creation of relational tables linking physical geographical features (soil types, climate, biome) that may benefit or limit technology. UNU-INWEH has also established a GIS layer that displays these features. It was decided that following the Southern Ontario pilot, the knowledgebase could be extended to other locations of Canada such as arctic regions and First Nations communities. The Lighting the bottom of the pyramid initiative established by the International Finance Cooperation in Africa was presented as a model for the knowledgebase. It engaged communities and encouraged them to participate in the maintenance of the project by providing them with financial rewards for their participation. Can be presented to the investment community as an opportunity to provide/take part in meaningful change in global water and sanitation conditions (they provide funding that will be provided for participation). Platform Webinar participants made use of conclusions drawn from the stakeholder consultation which identified the need for local information that is not constrained by language or user capacity (educational background/training/literacy) to help shape what the knowledgebase should look like. The project can also make use of the IW:SCIENCE database generated at UNU-INWEH as a model for the knowledgebase.

4 Significant discussion centered on the importance of the lessons learned and social networking aspects of the knowledgebase. Participants highlighted the benefits of the inclusion of communication between users and the knowledge that can be extracted from the ideas and information presented. It was decided that the knowledgebase would be mediated and participants would be required to self-identify to ensure responsible participation and security. Furthermore, this self-identification and creation of user profiles will facilitate connections between those experiencing similar water-related problems or utilizing the same/similar technologies. Discourse shifted to the need to foster an incentive for individuals to make use of the database and adopt the ideas and technologies it contains. The knowledgebase should empower users, encouraging them to volunteer their time to help improve the water quality of others. In this respect, the social connections established by the tool are fundamental to the establishment of this incentive. The knowledgebase fills the gap identified by stakeholders who acknowledged a need for information but did not know where to locate it. Funding UNU-INWEH is preparing a proposal for an ORF grant. This proposal must emphasize the commercial attractiveness of the knowledgebase initiative: facilitating the development of new technologies and encouraging companies to utilize their technologies in project demonstration sites. Participants agreed the emphasis of this proposal should be research rather than development and how this relates to the private sector as well as Ontario universities. Furthermore, participants outlined the importance of highlighting the logistical issues concerning end-user interaction with the tool in the proposal. For instance, the proposal must explicitly state how end users will utilize the knowledgebase and how it will serve the water community as a whole. This grant requires two-thirds co-financing. Participants agreed to request $500,000, which means securing one million dollars in co-financing (including inkind) prior to the submission of the funding proposal. November 26, 2010 was set as a date for meeting participants to indicate any support they were willing/had the capacity to contribute to the initiative (simply as a participant or with financial contributions). Webinar participants decided that project management would be facilitated by UNU-INWEH and that immediate funding is required for platform development. Participants brainstormed potential sources of financial support and additional partners, as outline below: Graduate students (from the five post-secondary institutions represented at the meeting) Jane Pagel, OCWA (has a good understanding of needs, supports First Nations communities)

5 Water initiatives such as CoWater COMAP Banks that have recently developed grants such as RBC, TD and BMO Purify initiative in Hamilton Trojan, which deals with wastewater in London, ON ORF Working Meeting As the focus of the grant is the stimulation of local innovation and economy, the commercial aspect of the knowledgebase must be highlighted in the ORF proposal. Discussion established that the utility of the knowledgebase lies in its incentive for technology development and provision of important opportunities for Ontario-based companies. The tool is novel, as its social networking aspect will inform developers about the needs of specific communities. Moreover, the online communication will help unite municipalities in Ontario. The tool can be also extended to aid First Nations communities in Ontario and across the country. Participants identified the need to develop a replication strategy (to raise awareness of the existence of the tool and help distribute the tool) as well as a governance (management) strategy. Significant discussion was generated concerning the validation aspect of the project. Validation refers to the assurance that the knowledgebase conveys quality information. The tool therefore requires a firm set of inclusion criteria that ensure consistency in quality and credibility of knowledgebase content. These inclusion criteria will provide transparency for decision-making, especially in the event that the inclusion process is challenged. Participants discussed establishing a rating system for technologies (such as a five-star system) or utilizing internationally established standards. Participants noted the importance of the vocabulary employed in the ORF proposal when referring to the inclusion / validation process. The text should not specify verification of technologies, as it will raise questions around what is being verified. Rather, the proposal should specify the utilization of inclusion criteria to provide quality assured information to knowledgebase users. What is more, it was noted that the credibility of this validation/verification process would be questioned if conflict pertaining to the quality of technologies arises in the discussion forums. This highlights the importance of conflict resolution, and identifies a key component of knowledgebase management. It was also noted that the proposal should specify that the term technology designates more than physical devices that can be implemented to improve water quality. The knowledgebase makes use of different categories of technology: high, low and no tech. No tech may be recognizes as knowledge transfer via education or training.

6 Youth Outreach As the grant requires 1% of the project budget to be directed towards youth outreach, participants brainstormed possible avenues for this outreach including: Collaborations with high school math contests or summer programs such as Shad Valley Presentations at local high schools Collaboration with local high schools presently involved in sanitation initiatives in Africa Potty parties for younger children (grade 3) Timeline The grant is provided for a 5 year period. Participants agreed on the following timeline: Next 18 months 2 years: platform development (corresponds to webinar discussion) Following years: establishment of demonstration sites to show full capacity of knowledgebase (use demonstration sites to recognize gaps while developing the tool) End Users Participants agreed that the proposal must clearly state how the knowledgebase will serve the economy and innovation in Ontario. The proposal must highlight that it is not only the users who will benefit from the knowledgebase, but all those whose work is reflected in the tool, which provides incentive for technology development and testing in Ontario. The following end users were identified: Private sector in Ontario Businesses and engineering consultants Communities to which the tool will be exporting (contributors and users) First Nations water communities (use catch-all phrase, or be more explicit and refer to First Nations operators, etc.?) Tool as an integrative vehicle: software developers, hard technology manufacturers, operators

7 Appendix 1 9:30 11:30 Webinar 9:30 9:45 Introductions 9:45 10:00 Update / status 10:00 10:45 Scope, design and phases 10:45 11:15 Funding (including ORF) 11:15 11:30 Tasks, timeline, responsibilities 11:30 3:30 Working Meeting 12:30) ORF components Knowledgebase headings Knowledgebase relational table Platform architecture Tasks, timelines, responsibilities