An examination of complicated looking documents

In one of my previous blogs I mentioned the World Banks Resilient Water Infrastructure Design Brief and the strategic framework on WASH climate resilience. Both of these documents set to inform; as climate change becomes ever more prevalent new infrastructure must be created, mitigation must take place, and old infrastructure must be adapted in order for global citizens to exist in healthy conditions. The key concepts in the title of both documents is resilience; the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. This definition is essential for the future of people as the Anthropocene continues and the impacts of climate change begin to be felt more profoundly. Water, sanitation and climate change an inextricably linked and I wish to discover more about this in my research for this post. 

Resilient Water Infrastructure Design Brief focuses in on three main hazard types; flooding, drought and high winds. Water utilities face myriad potential shocks and stresses, among them extreme weather, climate change, war or terrorism, and even pandemics such as COVID-19. Flooding is one of the most frequent natural hazards to occur at present but with climate change set to increase the frequency and intensity of these events it is key to be prepared. Since 1980, floods have killed over 250,000 people and caused over $1 trillion in damage, accounting for about 40 percent of natural catastrophe losses, so the future of water and sanitation infrastructure must involve preventative measures. For every dollar invested in water and sanitation, there is a $4.3 return, meaning huge amounts of money could be saved by investing before disasters occur. Drought is harder to predict and can last for months if not years in some regions, affecting access to safe water if the inhabitants of a region rely on surface waters. Wastewater discharges become a larger portion of surface water flow as the water flow reduces, resulting in a deterioration of surface water quality. When droughts end the drier soils have lost their ability to absorb water, leading to increased ground water, instead the risk of floods increase. Finally in this instance high winds refers to tornadoes and cyclones. High winds can destroy buildings that house critical functions in treatment plants and chemicals can become wind borne. All structures built in new projects will be designed according to industry-standard wind codes, for example ICC (2018) and existing infrastructure can often be retrofitted to meet code specifications.

 Instead of designing to meet a given standard set by policies or trends, the goal is to seek robustness across a wide range of scenarios and to adopt flexible approaches to address the uncertainty of future scenarios. This document sets up 6 separate steps for preparing for and dealing with hazards. 

Figure 1: Resilient Water Infrastructure Design Brief Steps.

The strategic framework on WASH climate resilience addresses the issue from a similar but different angle. This framework is aimed less at engineers and contractors and more towards investors or a lay person. With an overall introduction to climate change and the threat it could be to water, this document acts methodically in introducing the strategic framework, addressing problem areas and delivering solutions. Importantly it highlights the need for monitoring and sharing knowledge when things work or when they do not. 

Figure 2: Strategic Framework 

Risk in recent climate change assessments has been defined as the potential for adverse consequences for human or ecological systems, recognizing the diversity of values and objectives associated with such systems. Adaptation and mitigation are key in relation to climate change and urban planning with this constant degree of risk. Decision making is occurring under risk and uncertainty which looks to only get worse and more complex. Being aware of and planning for multiple waves of damage that can occur due to climate change helps with improvements to overall infrastructure. 

Figure 2: Complex interactions that generated risk to infrastructure during the 2018 European heatwave.

Many African cities are responding to the challenges of climate change through the formulation of adaptation plans, mitigation strategies with a strong focus on resilience and sustainable development — as outlined in the African Union's Agenda 2063. Mitigation has been key for more developed nations but for nations which are still developing adaptation is possible, especially in regions of Africa where a second wave of urbanisation is taking place. The vulnerability to climate change is unevenly distributed across social groups with informal settlements hit hard, meaning that again I must restate the importance of investment into these informal settlements and the infrastructures they rely upon.