ADB's 2nd e-Marketplace will gather stakeholders from ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs) to discuss the latest digitalization solutions and best practices to deliver smart, resilient, safe, and inclusive water management and services.

Access to clean water is vital for everyone, but some groups need special consideration. One such group is women and girls, who are often responsible for duties such as collecting, storing, and managing household water supplies. We often hear about the importance of gender mainstreaming, but do we really understand how to do it?

This webinar covered the following topics:

Chlorination has been used as a method of disinfecting drinking water for over 100 years and remains one of the most widely used technologies throughout the world. There are a wide range of considerations for water system operators to ensure that chlorination is both safe and effective.

The ‘Closer Look at Chlorination’ workshop covered topics such as: 

The team from Wedgewood White, Paul Webber, and Paul White shared their experiences about the financial impacts of COVID-19 and some of the strategies that have been put into place by utilities to ensure their ongoing financial sustainability during the pandemic.

Alexandra Conroy from ADB’s Pacific Department moderated the session.

The workshop provided information on the range of designs that have been implemented around the world to support improved handwashing. While this has not historically been a role for utilities, there is strong demand in many countries for utilities to support handwashing as a COVID-19 response measure.

The Pacific WASH Webinar Series is a collaboration between the ADB and the Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) with its member utilities supported through WASH Regional TA-6551 Strengthening WASH Practices and Hygiene Behavioral Change in the Pacific.

Background

As the 21st-century transitions into a new decade, 453 million people across Asia and the Pacific still defecate in the open. About 1.2 billion people have no access to basic sanitation services. Of these numbers, 72% live in rural areas.

Dr. Roshan Shrestha of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) discussed their work towards addressing the global sanitation crisis, particularly SDG 6.2 on achieving adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene and ending open defecation. BMGF is recognized for challenging the status quo on sanitation, pushing the limits of what can be done and innovating age-old systems and practices to possibly provide sanitation for all.