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Photo credit: Francisco ?via Hospital Clinic

 

Water, Energy and COVID-19

 

The importance of energy and water and their strong interdependence have become more evident during the COVID-19 world crisis of 2020. Without the critical services of water and energy, the full spectrum of health services could not be implemented. A catastrophic situation could occur anywhere in the world if these services were to be disrupted even for a short period of time during a pandemic. In light of the terrible consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable water and energy solutions are viewed as a necessary response during this world health crisis and beyond.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic in record time has brought immense tragedy reflected by the large number of people who have died or have become seriously ill and the devastating impacts to the world economy. The crisis has made evident to everyone the importance of high-capacity, robust and reliable health systems, programmes, medical equipment and infrastructures as well as the availability of relevant medications, materials and personal protective equipment for health professionals and for the public in general. Additionally, the negative impacts from the pandemic have brought to the top of the agenda of policymakers and decisionmakers the need for comprehensive contingency plans and preparations for the world to be able to successfully confront this type of crisis now and in the future. Behind reliable health programmes, there are a number of critical services, sometimes taken for granted, without which the full spectrum of health services could not be executed. These critical services include water and energy.

 

 
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The Importance of Water and Energy Services

 

Water is essential for washing hands, for medical procedures, for medicines and for adequate hygiene and sanitation. Additionally, water is indispensable for many energy systems such as electric generating power plants. Energy is needed for lighting, for refrigeration, for space heating and cooling, and for communication. Energy is also necessary for water supply, distribution and treatment and for disposal and recycling. Therefore, the availability and reliability of water services are closely related to the availability and reliability of energy services and vice-versa. And without energy and water services not only the health services can be compromised but also the food chain.

 

As the pandemic progresses around the world and if the crisis continues over many months or years, water and energy services could be at risk. As a matter of fact, there is little information on the impacts that an extended world health crisis could have on critical services such as water and energy. The essential workforce in water and energy utilities could be disrupted as well as a number of essential inputs needed to either generate electricity or to treat water. Recurrent catastrophic events such as droughts and hurricanes could happen concurrently with COVID-19 type of crises affecting water and energy services and making the situation even worse. Some of these events are becoming more intense and frequent in different world regions as a result of climate change. Although critical water and energy organizations plan for a variety of contingencies, including pandemics, COVID-19 is revealing the vulnerabilities of multiple contingency scenarios even in developed countries. Modifying contingency plans for severe weather responses may be necessary, given that the baseline assumptions of these plans do not reflect the human and other capacity constraints imposed by pandemic conditions.

 

Mangement of Critical Services

 

The effective management of the interdependence between water and energy is very important and critical for the world population particularly during a world health crisis. The sustainability of systems supporting world health services, the world economy and the population at large should be based on maximizing resilience and efficiency of water and energy resources.

Sustainable water and energy solutions are particularly important for those nations and communities where benefits from integrated water and energy approaches could be critical to health services and to save lives. The world needs integrated water and energy solutions with sufficient redundant capacity to withstand catastrophic events such as world health crises.

 

 

 

 
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Leave No One Behind

 

“Leaving No One Behind” is one of the major concerns reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Today, the poorest segments of the population are usually the ones who lack the three basic services of energy, water and sanitation. About two-thirds of people in rural areas who lack access to clean drinking water also lack access to electricity. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and health crisis call for effective actions and international cooperation to ensure access to these critical services. Integrated water and energy solutions represent innovative and efficient options to provide these critical services to the people who need them the most. Technologically innovative systems exist and can be developed to realize the synergies that can be derived from integrated approaches to water and energy especially designed to respond to the needs of poor communities.

 

The Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network will concentrate efforts in supporting the world community in its search for transformative pathways to achieve universal access to these critical services and to promote the development and availability of affordable and efficient integrated systems that maximize the reliability of these services. The Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Knowledge Platform will help to disseminate knowledge about the synergies that can be realized when integrated approaches are used to tackle water and energy services, particularly during world health crises. Users will also have the opportunity to learn and discuss innovative technological systems designed to promote efficient and effective use of available resources for a more resilient recovery to COVID-19.

 

Related References

 

COVID-19 in an Urban World | July 2020

 

United Nations Comprehensive Response to COVID-19

United Nations | September 2020

Over the course of 2020, the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, infected millions of people, upended the global economy and cast a dark shadow across our future. From the outset of the pandemic, the United Nations system mobilized early and comprehensively. It led on the global health response, provided life-saving humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable, established instruments for rapid responses to the socio-economic impact and laid out a broad policy agenda for action on all fronts. It also provided logistics, common services and operational support to governments and other partners around the world on the front lines of the pandemic, as they mounted national responses to this new virus and unprecedented global challenge.

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COVID-19 in an Urban World | July 2020

 

Climate Change and COVID-19: UN Urges Nations to ‘Recover Better’

COVID-19 in an Urban World | July 2020

As the world begins planning for a post-pandemic recovery, the United Nations is calling on Governments to seize the opportunity to “build back better” by creating more sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies.

“The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his International Mother Earth Day message. “We need to turn recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.”

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COVID-19 Impact on Electricity

 

COVID-19 Impact on Electricity

IEA | June 2020

In light of the extraordinary impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown measures on the energy system, the IEA is publishing the most up-to-date possible electricity data.

 

COVID-19 Intensifies the Urgency to Expand Sustainable Energy Solutions Worldwide

 

COVID-19 Intensifies the Urgency to Expand Sustainable Energy Solutions Worldwide

IRENA | May 2020

Significant progress had been made on various aspects of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 prior to the start of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes a notable reduction in the number of people worldwide lacking access to electricity, strong uptake of renewable energy for electricity generation, and improvements in energy efficiency. Despite these advances, global efforts remain insufficient to reach the key targets of SDG 7 by 2030.

 

Strengthening Sustainable Hydropower to Support the Covid-19 Recovery

 

Strengthening Sustainable Hydropower to Support the Covid-19 Recovery

International Hydropower Association | May 2020

The International Hydropower Association looks at the immediate impacts of the crisis on the hydropower sector and how developers and operators have responded. It also outlines recommendations to assist governments and international financial institutions as they develop their economic recovery plans.

 

COVID-19 in an Urban World

 

COVID-19 in an Urban World

United Nations Department of Global Communications | April 2020

Urban areas are ground zero of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 90 per cent of reported cases. Cities are bearing the brunt of the crisis – many with strained health systems, inadequate water and sanitation services, and other challenges. This is especially the case in poorer areas, where the pandemic has exposed deeply rooted inequalities. - Today, we have an opportunity to reflect and reset how we live, interact and rebuild our cities.

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