Page 38 - IBs November 2022

RESILIENCE & WATER SECURITY IN

THE BLUE PACIFIC CONTINENT

As the delegates of the 2022 Pacific Water and WasteWater
Association return to their home nations, it is time to reflect on
a way forward for water in the region.
Drinking water is on its way to being well catered for, but
now in a time of climate change, the conference gave us a
moment to reflect on liquid waste as a way to build resilience
and water security.
The following transcript was delivered at the conference by
Hydroflux’s expert in decentralised solutions, Mr Paul Cobbin.
Paul is a strong advocate for sustainable communities across
the Pacific.
Good afternoon honourable ministers, utility heads,
delegates, ladies and gentlemen.
Here we are in Fiji, one of the jewels of The Blue Pacific
Continent, a collection of 30 plus Pacific Nations consisting
of 98% water, and ironically we are here this week talking
about resilience and water security.
As a collection of Utilities, policy makers and industry
participants, there is a common problem.
Firstly on a global scale, the real concerns of the Blue
Pacific Continent are falling on deaf ears and that appears
to be a common sentiment this week at the Ministerial Forum.
If the world isn’t listening then, we as the corporate
ecosystem of the Pacific water sector, we need to do more
within our networks to find a solution. My first experience as a
young green site engineer in the Pacific was installing plant in
the highlands of Papua New Guinea in 1997, now, apart from
being in a foreign country in the middle of a military coup, I
remember being amazed at the size of the night insects on
my hut wall, the number of insects was incredible and the
moths were huge. I was back at that same mine just before
COVID offering guidance to the client and unfortunately, the
moths and the insects were gone.
The climate crisis is real, those insects in the PNG highlands Eight times use versus one time use, and we talk about
were my personal canary in the cage, and the impact on the building resilience and water security.
Pacific is going to be uncomfortable. We all need to work Currently, most of the Pacific only focus on the municipal
together to build resilience and avoid the worst impacts for water cycle, providing drinking water, and in some instances,
our communities. wastewater services to your communities.
The second cycle, the industrial managed water cycle is
A HOLISTIC APPROACH hardly being touched except for a few isolated cases.
The most important takeaway from my presentation was So if we consider the entire managed water cycle as two
what you see in the infographic. halves, a municipal half and an industrial half, you can see
A holistic approach. It’s not just about cash strapped utilities there is considerable growth and capacity building to be had
building more capacity and fighting climate change. It’s within our Pacific economies that could build resilience and
about paying attention to every touch point of the managed improve water security.
water cycle and capitalising on each element to the greatest The presentation continued to walk the audience through
extent. examples across the managed water cycle from raw water
The managed water cycle is the entire water cycle, from intakes to food and beverage treatment, general industry and
the natural processes starting with rain filling our catchments, decentralised solutions for communities and resorts.
to the treatment processes that provide our water and treat The climate crisis is real, our Pacific communities are
our waste, to the reuse stage for both liquid and solids reuse feeling the stress, and it would be impressive if we could
and finally environmental discharge. save those moths and insects I saw so much of 25 years ago
In Europe for example, the water on your table is used and by starting with trade waste as an area to increase resilience
retreated approximately eight times before it gets to your and water security. It is imperative for our future to share the
mouth. burden and responsibility of protecting our communities by
Here in Fiji today, you are the first and last person to use encouraging business and industry to become sustainably
the water in front of you on the table. focused with water consumption and treatment.
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