How a question
became an initiative.

The Scaling Reuse Initiative actually began with the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He wasn't president then. He was Senior Minister and one of the Co-Chairs of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. We were on a call with a number of other commissioners and experts when he asked me:

What might be a target for water like Net Zero is for energy?— Tharman Shanmugaratnam

I gave a long explanation why the idea wouldn't work. Water is in everything. It is 60% of our bodies. There are so many crucial issues surrounding it: access to safe drinking water; improved sanitation; rising water scarcity; increased flood risks; the economic value at risk from changes in the water cycle; protection of biodiversity in the water environment. The list goes on, I explained.

But why don't we just have a target for water reuse?— Tharman Shanmugaratnam

… soon to be President Tharman replied.

I sat and thought for a moment. He was absolutely right. There will never be a single number that captures every aspect of what we care about in water, but a target for water reuse can do a whole lot of good.

It might not increase the number of people who don't have access to piped potable water to the home, or do much about flooding, but it will improve sanitation, reduce the impact of water scarcity, reduce the economic value at risk from water insecurity, and protect biodiversity.

The suggestion ended up being part of the Commission's Mission Three: "Establish a circular water economy, including changes in industrial processes, so that every drop of used water generates a new drop through reuse." The specific wording of the related target proposed by the Commission was:

Soon after, we began working with Mike Webster, who led the World Bank's Water Resources Group, on the Scaling Water Reuse Initiative. That led to the publication of the Bank's seminal report on the subject — Scaling Water Reuse: A Tipping Point for Municipal and Industrial Use. It provides much of the economic and financial justification for the project.

After its publication, we began to build out the coalition of the willing to support the Initiative — specifically bringing together the working groups to inform the policy document that we will be presenting at the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. These are organised by my colleague Marta Ceadal.

As the Initiative enters a new phase, we are bringing the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA) on board as a new partner.

We would love you to join us in delivering this mission.