USAID Global Waters

What does a water-secure world look like to you? Submit your photos to the USAID 2024 Water-Secure World Photo Contest now through Friday, August 9th. 📸 Contest entrants may submit up to five high-quality photos that illustrate the value of water resources management and water and sanitation services and hygiene practices as categorized in the U.S. Global Water Strategy: Category 1: Strengthen Water and Sanitation Sector Governance, Financing, Institutions, and Markets Category 2: Increase Equitable Access to Safe, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Drinking Water and Sanitation Services and the Adoption of Hygiene Practices Category 3: Improve Climate-Resilient Conservation and Management of Freshwater Resources and Associated Ecosystems Category 4: Anticipate and Reduce Conflict and Fragility Related to Water Eligibility, rules and submission guidelines available at https://lnkd.in/eGHCfj92 If you have any questions or comments, let us know below! #WaterSecureWorld #WASH #WRM

Pit collapse poses not only a safety concern for users, but also results in a sunk cost to consumers. USAID conducted a two-phase study to examine existing options and potential innovations for pit lining, as well as propose an approach to sourcing, developing, testing, and examining select marketable innovations to improve pit lining options. 🔗https://lnkd.in/en9UrtBW

Insights from the recent "Digitalization & Data Management in the Water Sector" report, stemming from the 37th AGUASAN workshop, present actionable strategies to align with the 2022–2027 U.S. Global Water Strategy. A huge thank you to the AGUASAN Community of Practice and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for their leadership of this high-impact event. Here's how to operationalize these insights across the Strategy's Strategic Objectives (SOs): SO 1: Strengthen Water and Sanitation Sector Governance, Financing, Institutions, and Markets - Promote Digital Governance: Advocate for the integration of digital tools in water governance frameworks to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accountability. This could involve supporting partner governments in developing digital platforms for water usage monitoring, tariff collection, and financial management. - Facilitate Digital Finance Solutions: Explore and encourage the adoption of innovative digital financial solutions to mobilize resources for water and sanitation projects, such as mobile payment systems for water services. SO 2: Increase Equitable Access to Safe, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Drinking Water and Sanitation Services and Adoption of Key Hygiene Behaviors - Deploy Digital Mapping Tools: Use digital mapping and data analysis tools to identify underserved communities lacking access to water and sanitation services. - Support Digital Behavior Change Campaigns: Leverage social media and mobile applications to disseminate key hygiene and water conservation messages, encouraging the adoption of safe hygiene practices and sustainable water use behaviors. SO 3: Improve Climate-Resilient Conservation and Management of Freshwater Resources and Associated Ecosystems - Implement Water Resource Management Technologies: Encourage the use of advanced technologies such as remote sensing and GIS for the management of water resources. - Promote Data Sharing for Watershed Management: Facilitate the establishment of digital platforms for data sharing and collaboration among stakeholders involved in watershed management to enhance decision-making and cooperative management efforts. SO 4: Anticipate and Reduce Conflict and Fragility Related to Water - Utilize Conflict Sensitivity Tools: Integrate digital tools that monitor and analyze data on water scarcity and potential conflict zones. These tools can help anticipate conflicts over water resources and inform interventions to mitigate these risks. - Strengthen Water Diplomacy Capacities: Support capacity-building initiatives for water diplomacy, utilizing digital simulations and training modules to enhance negotiation skills and cooperation among countries sharing water resources. These actions leverage the transformative potential of digitalization to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the water sector. #WASHdata #WaterManagement #DigitalInnovation #DataDriven #Sustainability #AGUASAN #USGlobalWaterStrategy

Insights from the recent "Digitalization & Data Management in the Water Sector" report, stemming from the 37th #AGUASAN Workshop, present actionable strategies to align with the 2022-2027 US Global Water Strategy. A huge thank you to the AGUASAN Community of Practice and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for their leadership of this high-impact event. Here's how to operationalize these insights across the Strategy's Strategic Objectives (SOs): SO 1: Strengthen Water and Sanitation Sector Governance, Financing, Institutions, and Market - Promote Digital Governance: Advocate for the integration of digital tools in water governance frameworks to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accountability. This could involve supporting partner governments in developing digital platforms for water usage monitoring, tariff collection, and financial management. - Facilitate Digital Finance Solutions: Explore and encourage the adoption of innovative digital financial solutions to mobilize resources for water and sanitation projects, such as mobile payment systems for water services. SO 2: Increase Equitable Access to Safe, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Drinking Water and Sanitation Services and Adoption of Key Hygiene Behaviors - Deploy Digital Mapping Tools: Use digital mapping and data analysis tools to identify underserved communities lacking access to water and sanitation services.  - Support Digital Behavior Change Campaigns: Leverage social media and mobile applications to disseminate key hygiene and water conservation messages, encouraging the adoption of safe hygiene practices and sustainable water use behaviors. SO 3: Improve Climate-Resilient Conservation and Management of Freshwater Resources and Associated Ecosystems - Implement Water Resource Management Technologies: Encourage the use of advanced technologies such as remote sensing and GIS for the management of water resources. - Promote Data Sharing for Watershed Management: Facilitate the establishment of digital platforms for data sharing and collaboration among stakeholders involved in watershed management to enhance decision-making and cooperative management efforts. SO 4: Anticipate and Reduce Conflict and Fragility Related to Water - Utilize Conflict Sensitivity Tools: Integrate digital tools that monitor and analyze data on water scarcity and potential conflict zones. These tools can help anticipate conflicts over water resources and inform interventions to mitigate these risks. - Strengthen Water Diplomacy Capacities: Support capacity-building initiatives for water diplomacy, utilizing digital simulations and training modules to enhance negotiation skills and cooperation among countries sharing water resources. These actions leverage the transformative potential of digitalization to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the water sector. #WASHdata #WaterManagement #DigitalInnovation #DataDriven #Sustainability #AGUASAN #USGlobalWaterStrategy

In Central Asia, Green Patrols, sponsored by the USAID Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity, are working to solve water scarcity issues. These youth groups research low-cost technologies to improve water-use efficiencies and pilot technologies through a learn-by-doing approach involving teachers, families, local authorities, and community members. https://lnkd.in/eZYTAvt6 Tetra Tech

With an anticipated closeout in 2024, we are reflecting on the achievements of USAID/West Africa’s Strengthening Municipal Water and Sanitation Service Delivery activity, which works in Benin and Cote d’Ivoire to support city governments, national directorates and agencies, utilities, and service providers to sustain and expand city-wide water and sanitation services. In this blog, learn how local entrepreneurs, like Toussaint, a sanitation micro-entrepreneur in the Avrankou municipality, are paving the way for sanitation improvements in Benin: “Before MuniWASH, I was already a blockmaker. When the program started, I received training on how to build and sell toilets. This has increased my overall revenue and profits and has given me opportunities to increase my client base,” said Toussaint. https://lnkd.in/e3uqgQjY

There are 17 days left for you to submit your photos to the USAID 2024 Water-Secure World Photo Contest! Showcase your creative photos that demonstrate USAID’s progress towards improving health, prosperity, stability, and resilience through sustainable and equitable water resources management and access to safe drinking water and sanitation and hygiene practices. 🗓️ Submission deadline: August 9, 2024 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eGHCfj92 #WRM #WaterSecureWorld

As water stresses continue to rise, coordinated efforts in rural water development are more critical than ever. #India’s Jal Jeevan Mission–a government effort to bring functional tap connections to every rural household by 2024–calls for Annual Action Planning methods for local, state, and federal agencies to extend piped water to India’s estimated 194 million households. USAID assessed these methods at the national level and in four states: Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Sikkim. Despite promising initiatives in each state, such as groundwater mapping and monitoring and water resources management and conservation programs, the assessment finds that states lack mechanisms to monitor and improve the functionality of rural water systems. To ensure the legacy of Jal Jeevan Mission investments, planning efforts should address expanding agricultural, industrial, and environmental water demands and rapidly changing socioeconomic and climatic conditions. Explore these lessons learned for creating sustainable and resilient water systems in India in this new Global Water Strategy Action Research Initiative Policy Brief from Aquaya. 🔗https://lnkd.in/ddBy-ep8

WASH Data Tool Spotlight 💡 In celebration of last week's #WorldPopulationDay, let's highlight some key applications of population data that USAID has supported to enhance efficiency and equity in  water and sanitation service delivery and water resources management: - SanPlan overlays data from multiple sources so that you can visualize geographic patterns and local contexts, including the population practicing open defecation. - The Subwatershed Population Tool integrates population data with watershed information, essential for water resource management and environmental planning. - The Water Point Data Exchange utilizes population data to help identify priority locations for investment, repairs and preventative maintenance based on the number of people currently without service. By utilizing these and other datasets and tools, we can better understand population trends, plan for sustainable growth, and ensure resources are allocated where they are needed most. #WSSHdna #WASHdata #WASH #WaterResourcesManagement

As the USAID Transform WASH Activity closes out in 2024, we are reflecting on 8 successful years of impact: - 226,000+ number of toilets sold - 1,000,000+ number of people reached - 528 sanitation businesses supported (more than 10% being women-owned) - 10 regions with active participation - 30+ different WASH products and services provided Transform WASH champions, from entrepreneurs to masons to business partners, are equipped with the skills and tools to drive sustained sanitation and hygiene solutions in #Ethiopia. #WASH #WRM #WaterResourcesManagement https://lnkd.in/eqVMGUM5