This year, the World Water Week, organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, from 27 August to 1 September. It has been the annual focus for the global water community since 1991.

As the SIWI says, “We believe water is key to our future prosperity, and that, together, we can achieve a water wise world.” This year, World Water Week will address the theme ”Water and waste: reduce and reuse” in connection with the theme set by UN Water for World Water Day 2017.

More than 200 sessions of different formats will take place, covering a range of subjects such as the implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sanitation and health linked to wastewater; financing; integrated urban water management; food, water and nutrition; water in relation to conflict and fragile states; and much more.

                      Credit: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

In the second year of implementation of the SDGs 2030 Agenda, the World Water Week 2017 focuses on a key challenge for which two SDGs have set ambitious targets: SDG 6, target 3:  By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally; and SDG 12, target 5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

In its Framework for Action 2016-2030, MedWet encourages countries to include wetland ecosystems in their national water management strategies since they are the providers of the resource. If wetlands are conserved, restored and managed appropriately, they provide nature-based solutions to the water scarcity.

Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment

The use of natural and constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment has widely increased in recent decades due to their special characteristics that make them suitable for wastewater effluent purification and due to good treatment performances and low construction and operating costs (Kadlec et al. 2000). This seems to represent an effective, technologically simple and economically affordable solution to the increasing pressure on surface waters.

                 The Rochefort lagooning station, France. Photo: © LPO

Constructed wetlands are simple wastewater treatment systems. They consist of shallow tanks filled with a gravel layer and planted with emergent rooted wetland plants such as the common reed. These plants are well-adapted to live in the flooded conditions found in wetlands. As the wastewater flows through the gravel and the roots of the reeds, pollutants are progressively removed (watch the video of the scientific research at the Technical University of Catalonia).
Read more about wetlands services here.

Read more in our article on Integrated management of three Constructed Wetlands in the Albufera National Park.

More information

Official website for World Water Week 2017

http://www.worldwaterweek.org/

Check the online program

https://programme.worldwaterweek.org/

Upload your event on the occasion of World Water Week on the link below:

http://www.worldwaterweek.org/practical-information/#registration

Watch the MedWet Cartoon: Wetlands Provide Priceless Services.

Read the MedWet Framework for Action 2016-2030