09/01/2024
The World Water Cities Forum (WWCF) was first held as part of the 7th World Water Forum in 2015 and has continued annually in conjunction with the Korea International Water Week (KIWW) since 2016. The WWCF 2023 takes place from December 7th to 8th, 2023 in Daegu, Korea, with the participation of 11 cities around the world including: Catalonia (Spain); Mikkei (Finland); Daegu (Republic of Korea); Batam (Indonesia); Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam); Vientiane (Lao PDR); Bandung (Indonesia); Lahore (Pakistan); Almaty (Kazakhstan); Manila (Philippines); Taipei (Taiwan).
Cooperation and Innovation between Water Cities Participants Government Officials, Water Specialists and Academics The Forum has been recognized as the prime venue for sharing urban water solutions among cities with key objectives: To help developing cities and countries who are suffering from water challenges by providing real solutions; Provide policy and technical suggestions for tackling a wide range of urban water challenges, including water supply, wastewater treatment, rainwater management, and water reuse and recycling, in response to climate change; Explore a variety of policy and technical options reflecting the nexus between water, food, energy, health, and education; Enhance awareness and share up-to-date information on the three cross-cutting issues of urban water management - Innovation, Finance, and Governance; Consider practical solutions for urban areas in developing countries which are under heavy pressure of the complexity of water challenges.
Building on the success of the WWCF 2022, delegates from different countries discussed water-related issues and solutions for each city, with some main themes, included “Water in Cities: Safeguarding Clean Water and Adequate Sanitation Services for Cities with Good Governance”, “Digital Water Management: Unlocking Innovative and Advanced Solutions to Urban Water Management Systems through the Interface between Science and Technology”, and “Securing Water Resources: Enhancing Urban Water and Ecosystems in the Era of Climate Change”, the WWCF 2023 serves as the place for leading global urban water discourses based on professional insights and experiences of different strategic city partners and urban water experts. To address different emerging challenges related to urban water management in the world, the WWCF 2023 focuses on three themes as follows:
“City to City Learning: Experience and Knowledge Sharing to Improve Water Environment” facilitates the transfer of successful strategies, innovative technologies, and adaptive policies from one urban centre to another through: Creating a collaborative platform as a space for sharing best practices, success stories, and challenges, fostering a collaborative environment among cities; Developing knowledge-sharing protocols for the systematic sharing of water-related knowledge and experiences between cities; Supporting and investing in capacity-building programs that ensure the empowerment of city officials, managers in the water sector, and stakeholders of urban water management within effective water governance; Promoting inclusive decision-making governance, fostering a sense of ownership, increasing the effectiveness of policies, and promoting sustainable urban water management practices.
“Smart Water Management: Application of AI for Creating Sustainable, Resilient Water Ecosystems” supports leveraging cutting-edge technologies and data-driven approaches as transformative solutions to address the complexities of water management through: Enhancing integrated water governance framework encompassing smart technologies, data analytics, and traditional water management practices, facilitating coloration among various stakeholders that ensures a holistic and adaptive approach; Data sharing and interoperability that simplifies the exchange of information between various stakeholders and technologies across different smart water management systems; Predictive analytics for ecosystem risk assessment, assessing and mitigating risks to water ecosystems; Regulatory framework for water quality monitoring, which facilitates encompassing key parameters in standardizing processes, effective report exchanges and protocol implementation.
“Response to the Climate Crisis: Urban Water Disaster Mitigation, Risk Reduction and IWRM” fosters comprehensive solutions to the multifaceted urban water challenges presented by changing climate through: Developing climate-resilient green infrastructure that facilitates reduction of the impact of urban flooding and adaptive to drought conditions; Implementing enhanced early warning systems with investment and deployment of real-time monitoring technologies providing timely alerts to enable cities to deal with potential water-related disasters; Incorporating nature-based solutions that reduce the vulnerability of urban areas to water-related disasters and contribute to long-term resilience and sustainability with enhanced ecosystem services; Implementing principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) about optimizing the urban water allocation, use, and management of water that will give cities a sustainable approach to water management, tackling climate change impact.
At the WWCF 2023, Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Văn Phước, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Association for Clean Water and Environment presented a speech with the topic "Smart Water Management: Smart water management”, applying AI to create a sustainable water ecosystem, capable of recovery.
WWCF 2023 is one of the important main events of Korea International Water Week (KIWW). The WWCF 2023 plays a key role in expanding knowledge about the importance of water and providing new solutions to world water problems and response to climate change.
Since 2015, the WWCF has been serving as an exclusive platform for city leaders and water experts to discuss water-related issues and solutions for each city and share best practices and policies related to water management. The Forum for discussing the way to utilize water management and water technology/water industry development as a tool for creating attractive, livable, resilient, and prosperous cities. All participants have gained new insights into the successful implementation of water policies, how to engage stakeholders and how to collaborate with participating cities.
Châu Loan
(Source: The article was published on the Environment Magazine by English No. IV/2023)
