OU WaTER Symposium planned for Fall 2021

The pandemic has changed the way many of us live and work and go to school. But one thing has not changed - people across the world still need clean water for drinking and hygiene, and proper sanitation, perhaps now more than ever. Frequent hand washings are a part of daily life in the developed world, but an estimated 790 million people - 11% of the world's population - lack access to clean water and are thus more susceptible to infectious diseases such as Covid 19. 

The mission of the OU WaTER Center also has not changed - to promote peace by advancing human development through sustainable water and sanitation for all. But we are not alone. There are many men and women across the globe who are doing amazing work in the sharing of this mission. 

Dr. Robert Nairn addresses the 2018 Symposium participants at the banquet

in which the next Prize winner is announced. 

The purpose of the OU International Water Prize is to recognize and honor an individual, acting alone or as leader of an organization, who has made significant contributions, either through research or teaching or service activities, in the field of water supply, water resources or sanitation, particularly for small and impoverished villages/communities in rural or remote regions. This next Water Prize will be awarded to someone who has made this contribution in the field of hydrology and/or water security (HWS) for the benefit of disadvantaged communities. 

Martha Gebeyehu (center), sanitation expert in Ethiopia, is the winner of our

2019 International Water Prize.

Martha receives her Prize at the formal banquet that was part of the

2019 International Water Conference in Norman, Oklahoma.

Every two years the WaTER Center assembles a panel of 4-5 jurors who are themselves leaders in the fields of water, sanitation and water security. These jurors each nominate an individual who is making a real difference in the WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and water security sector. 

We are pleased to announce that the Prize jurors for the next OU International Water Prize are:

• Ana Barros, University of Illinois 
• Upmanu Lall, Columbia University
• Aondover Tarhule, Illinois State University
• Callist Tindimugaya, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda

These jurors will complete their deliberations, select a Prize winner, and announce the Prize winner at next Fall's Symposium. At this exciting event, they will also share some of their own research and experiences in the field.

The biennial Prize consists of a $25,000 cash award and a glass trophy developed by a local artist. The winner comes to campus the following year (2022) for the International Water Conference, where she/he will give the Keynote Address and accept their Prize at the formal Banquet. This Prize is believed to be the first and largest prize dedicated to water supply, water resources, and/or sanitation in emerging regions.

Stay tuned for the announcement of date for our Fall 2021 WaTER Symposium!

SPOTLIGHT ON A PARTNER - Covid response from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Each June in normal years, the OU WaTER Center supports staff and students to spend a month in Gulu, Uganda, working on a project or two in support of Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe and her Catholic sisters. Needless to say, the year 2020 has not been a normal year! But the work of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus continues nonetheless.

Sr. Pasqua Binenanena oversees the liquid hand soap that is being made and distributed
by staff and orphans.

The orphan students are sewing face masks and making liquid hand soap to distribute to people in great need during this time of pandemic. In addition to residents of northern Uganda, there are hundreds of refugees crossing the border each day from South Sudan and the DRC. These families need food and clean drinking water, of course. But they also need proper hygiene for protection against the coronavirus pandemic. Uganda's Covid rate is 0.8 per 100,000, far less than the U.S., but the 14-day trend is upwards and the country's health care system might become easily overwhelmed if the rise continues. In addition, there is the ever-present concern about malaria which sickens people and reduces the number of constructive work days. 

Ugandan refugee families wait for need supplies during a time of crisis.

There are around 100 orphan girls who currently live at Saint Monica's Tailoring School for Girls in Gulu. (Because of Covid, the government has strict regulations on housing density.) The orphanage began as a home for girls who had been enslaved by Joseph Kony's army of rebels during the Ugandan civil war of the 1980s. Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe gave the girls a safe place to live while they also earned valuable skills such as sewing, cooking and hair styling. For her humanitarian work, Sr. Rosemary was honored as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2014. 

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are donating much-needed items to the Congolese refugees who are escaping violence and fleeing into Uganda.

Dr. Ann Huynh is a physician in Austin, Texas. Her Foundation, Universal Angels Network, has been very supportive of Sr. Rosemary and her Sisters. This Foundation paid for a water tank last year and continues to support the Sisters through paying for medical training scholarships and providing for mosquito netting and materials for face masks and hand soap. 

Young people are making hand sanitizing soap to distribute to Congolese refugees and others in need during the pandemic. 

According to Sr. Pasqua Binenanena, about 2500 refugees passed into Uganda from DRC in the three months of summer alone. Uganda is known as the friendliest country to refugees in Africa. But even as it is trying to keep its borders closed due to the pandemic, families still find ways to escape the violence in their own country to a land that welcomes them, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Sr. Pasqua says that "their problems have been compounded by the lack of basic things like food. Refugees anywhere are a very vulnerable group because they are usually very exposed in their host countries away from home and they need to be protected."

Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe is seen here at Saint Monica's Tailoring School in Gulu.

Because of the lockdown back in late spring, Sr. Rosemary herself has been "stuck" in the U.S. where she has been earning an advanced degree at the University of Oklahoma. She meets weekly with her staff back in Uganda via virtual meetings and sends her love back, along with whatever donations she can raise for them here from generous friends and benefactors. 

You can support the work of Sr. Rosemary and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by giving to the Sewing Hope Foundation.

AWIA presents deadlines for water supply plans

In a changing climate and a rapidly expanding population, water security will not happen without careful planning. And it won’t be achieved overnight. Planning for water security includes planning for unforeseen circumstances, or hazards, whether from natural disasters or malevolent acts. These hazards could include a sudden natural catastrophe, such as a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or flood. The natural event might also be of longer-term, such as drought or impacts from climate change. There is also risk from human-induced events, both unintended and intentional. These include accidental spills as well as vandalism or terrorism (malevolent acts). 

Water treatment plant in Geneva, Illinois.

The America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 was passed by Congress to ensure that community water systems had plans in place that would help them respond appropriately to such hazardous events. The law required all large and medium-sized water systems to develop risk and resilience assessments (RRA) and emergency response plans (ERP). Any system that serves more than 3,300 people must certify that these plans are in place. 

The process involves four discrete steps:

• Step One: Conduct a risk assessment (RA). The EPA has developed a tool – Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool (VSAT 2.0) – to assist utilities in conducting their own risk and resilience assessment. With this tool, the utility can identify the highest risks to mission-critical operations and find cost-effective measures to reduce these risks.  This assessment must be completed by a certain deadline (in the year 2020) and then reviewed, updated and re-certified every 5 years.

• Step Two: Identify some strategies to build resilience. The first step has helped the managers prioritize hazards based on likelihood and consequences. For example, the team may decide that flooding, wildfires and water supply management are the biggest concerns. Then, potentially vulnerable assets are chosen, including aquifers, buildings, data acquisition systems, drinking water treatment plant, and forested lands. The manager selects which of these assets are most vulnerable in his/her system. The team then presents a list of strategies based on the highest priorities of their water system.

• Step Three: Develop an emergency response plan (ERP). This plan utilizes and builds upon the risk assessment and selection of resilience strategies already completed. The ERP describes the utility’s strategies to prepare for and respond to incidents, whether natural or human induced. These may be as small as a main line break or localized flooding. Or they may be larger, such as a hurricane, power outage, or a cyber-attack. This plan is due six months after certification of the risk assessment (RA) plan.

• Step Four: Monitor the system. Monitoring activities should focus on both water quality surveillance and security monitoring. Water quality surveillance is done at the treatment plant and in distribution systems. Monitoring is done at various locations and for various parameters. ERP will highlight the key parameters. Enhanced security monitoring uses advanced security equipment and communication systems.

The development of a risk assessment plan involves both an on-site assessment
and meetings with key plant personnel. 

The OU WaTER Center, along with the Oklahoma Water Survey, has personnel that are willing to help low-resource communities develop these plans. This exercise is part of our mission to both educate students in the professional practice of water security and assist rural communities (emerging regions) in need. The deadline for small utilities (3,301-49,999 people) to complete their risk and resilience plan (Step One above) is June 30, 2021.