Sick water?

Policies and instruments – mixing policy cocktails To succeed in the face of some of the largest threats to environ- mental degradation, human health, and productivity, it is not sufficient to address only urban contamination or wastewater, we also need to consider water supply. Governance frameworks should clarify and link the roles of central and local authori- ties and communities, including rural areas and industry; pro- mote public responsibility; and where appropriate, facilitate private investment and involvement in wastewater processes, particularly with regard to operational quality, maintenance and upgrading. The use of environmentally sound technolo- gies including green technologies and ecosystem management should be used more actively and encouraged, particularly in

rural areas, both with regard to water supply and wastewater production and management.

Wastewater management must address not only urban but also rural water management throughout the watershed and into the coastal zone. It must also look to the future and be able to meet the needs of a growing population under changing cli- matic conditions. Meeting these challenges requires long term, coordinated and integrated national plans and organization as this cannot be dealt with alone by municipalities, individual sectors and rarely individual nations. It will require a much stronger role for good governance and an active public sector working across sectors and perhaps international boundaries to solve these challenges drawing on a range, or cocktail of pos- sible strategies, policies and instruments.

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