Water stewardship is about using water in ways that are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial. This methodology is endorsed by various organizations, including the UN CEO Water Mandate, as a practical path for businesses to consider their impact and responsibility to the finite water resources on which all life depends. In this article, we’ll explore how water stewardship has the potential to transform our relationship with one of the earth’s most vital resources.
The Face of Water Scarcity
Water scarcity is a grappling reality affecting millions of individuals worldwide. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)[^1^], more than a third of people around the globe are enduring some degree of water scarcity. As per UN-Water[^2^], around 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water and 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year.
The Question of Water Equity
While numbers present a grim reality, they fall short in revealing the depth of the problem. Water scarcity and inaccessibility adversely affect vulnerable communities’ most disproportionately. The scarce and inequitably distributed freshwater supplies have significant health, social, and economic implications for these communities, also posing notable challenges to achieving global development goals.
Water Stewardship: A Necessary Response
Against this backdrop, there is a pressing need to reinvent our association with water resources. Water stewardship comes in as a comprehensive framework that encourages responsible managing and sharing of water in a way that is sustainable, equitable, and indispensable for long-term prosperity. Water stewardship is not simply about reducing water use. It requires understanding the unique local water challenges and taking appropriate action to minimize negative impacts, manage risk, and contribute positively to more resilient water systems.
Components of Water Stewardship
Internal Water Management
Water stewardship begins at home – in this context, within the boundaries of a business, farm, or city. This involves improving efficiency, minimizing waste, preventing pollution, reporting water use and discharge honestly, and engaging staff and contractors in these efforts. Advanced technology such as smart meters and leak detection can aid in efficient internal water management.
Collective Action
While internal action is essential, water is not an issue that respects man-made boundaries. Watersheds are the natural scale of water’s cycle, and neighbors within these basins must work together to ensure enough water of good quality is available for all. Collective action includes efforts like water fund or river basin management initiatives.
Influence Governance
Strong water governance supports the rules, roles, and relationships around water decision-making. Businesses play a significant role in advocating for and achieving this, from internal company policies and public reporting requirements to supporting the creation of watershed-scale water governance mechanisms
Policy Advocacy
Part of water stewardship is advocating for policies on a regional, national, or global scale that promote sustainable and equitable use of water. Such policy advocacy can have a domino effect and create systemic change in how water is used and managed universally.
Water Stewardship and Climate Adaptation
As climate change continues to alter weather patterns and disrupt water systems, it’s become evident that our plans for adaptation must account for water resources. Water stewardship can play a crucial role in climate adaptation by promoting practices that build resilience and reduce our vulnerability to water stresses. Examples of these practices include drip irrigation, landscaping using native plants, graywater reuse, and rainwater harvesting.
Successful water stewardship means uniting these different elements in an integrated water resource management (IWRM) approach. This is the principle advocated by the Global Water Partnership (GWP)[^3^], which describes IWRM as a process promoting the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources.
Conclusion
Water stewardship presents an opportunity to change the trajectory of water scarcity and inequity, moving towards a more sustainable future where water resources are managed responsibly, equitably, and sustainably. It encourages active and informed participation from all stakeholders, fostering shared responsibility, reliability, translucency, and accountability for both the quality and availability of water resources.
By embracing water stewardship, we can ensure that this vital resource – the lifeblood of our planet – is preserved and protected for generations to come.
[^1^]: WWF: Water Scarcity
[^2^]: United Nations: Water Scarcity
[^3^]: Global Water Partnership: Integrated Water Resources Management
