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Interview with Joan Rose, the Stockholm Water Prize Winner
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Published time: 2017-01-10
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I have always been motivated by the principles of public health, how to prevent disease.
A key barrier, our water infrastructure, is crumbling or non-existing in many parts of the world.
The global population unserved by sewage treatment is counted in the billions.
——Professor Joan Rose
A key barrier, our water infrastructure, is crumbling or non-existing in many parts of the world.
The global population unserved by sewage treatment is counted in the billions.
——Professor Joan Rose
WBPM: Thank you, Dr. Joan, for being with us for this interview. And congratulations on winning the 2016 Stockholm Water Prize! The theme of this year’s “World Water Day” is "Water and Jobs", focusing on how water can change workers' lives and livelihoods and even transform societies and economies. How do you interpret its theme? In what way do you think water can solve the problem of employment?
Joan Rose: To achieve safe water will require 100s if not 1000s of individuals trained in engineering, science, technology, management, policy and finance. In particular, the training and education of scientists and technicians in the art of measuring and achieving a desirable water quality requires attention to the technology to be applied and technical skills required. We need water programs that add economic and resource management aspects. The “Blue Economy” will contribute to millions of dollars of revenue from shipping, water treatment, industry, agriculture, and tourism. But we much invest in education associated with the various professional developments– either in the country of origin or in regional centres of excellence.
WBPM: Public health is closely connected with water quality. According to WHO’s report, 2 million people die of unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene every year. In your opinion, how does water quality impact on public health and safety? What difficulties and challenges are we facing in this particular regard?
Joan Rose: Sewage and animal wastes still contribute the largest numbers of pathogens to waterways. As populations grow，so does the excreta problem. Our challenge will always be the emerging pathogens coming from these wastes with a continuous degradation of our water quality. We have just recently found that the Cyclovirus which has caused neurological disease in children is in our sewage coming originally from pigs and new waterborne pathogens are discovered every year. We need improved water quality diagnostics to assess the pollution at the large watershed scale. Microbial Source Tracking markers need to be used so that the most significant sources of pollution can be identified. While what we do on land is the source of the contaminants, climate is the driver. The increase in rain fall intensity and storms and flooding will continue to stress the infrastructure and will put the public health at risk. Thus with new diagnostic tools we can tackle the challenge of spatial and temporal pollution problems and prioritize the spending of our precious dollars. We have all the new tools we need a network to implement information gathering.
WBPM: You and your team are at the forefront of clean water resource research. Could you please share some successful paradigms and specific examples in water quality and public health-related area?
Joan Rose: Quantitative microbial risk assessment frameworks bring the problem, science and management/policy together. This framework should be used to address the ONE WATER concept. Wastewater, storm water, ambient waters and drinking waters, which are all interconnected and within this framework the linking of hydrology, geomorphology, land use, climate to water quality allows for one to address the problems that can economize the solutions and provide an improvement in water quality for the biohealth of the system. But this can’t be accomplished without a major global effort in obtaining water quality data which can be used in modeling efforts. Water Quality is so complex, we can no longer rely on the indicator system to provide information for the best decision making. Fragmentation of the waters of the world into compartments has created the inability of institutions to address the problem. Thus networks with the ability to develop and implement compacts are needed.
WBPM: After decades of extensive development, the state of water pollution in China is alarming. In April last year, The China’s State Council released a nationwide “Ten-Measure Action Plan” to treat water pollution. What is your take on the water pollution in China? What is the core in solving this problem?
Joan Rose: So from what I know the water pollution is one of the most serious issues facing the country. Pathogens and nutrients are very difficult to control without major interventions. These are coming from medium sized cities, peri-urban areas and non-point sources in many cases. In the past reliance on drinking only “boiled” water provided a false sense of security regarding the quality of the water. How to implement best management practices on the ground at the local level will require a pathway that integrates education with technology and policy. Public health water-related programs need to be strengthened.
WBPM: Nowadays, rather than drinking tap water, many people prefer to buy purified water, mineral water and mountain spring water. Do you think the bottle water from supermarket is healthier than tap water? In terms of public engagement and social supervision, what measures can we take within our capacity to protect water resource?
Joan Rose: I am not against bottled water, but all industries that use water should be specifically at the table creating academic-government (particularly pubic health)-industry partnerships to protect the water quality of the world’s water. Providing the finances, the diagnostics and technology, and the education needed.
I am recommending that we
• Establish regional Centres of Excellence
• Create networks between cooperative organizations, to get stable cooperation between public health institutions in these areas, universities and also water companies.
• Use the risk analysis framework to integrate science and policy and promote the translation of science into action around sewage sources.
• Use advanced technology for water diagnostics to improve resolution of the evidence for decision making, including MST tools for the identification of the source of contamination.
• Assess global water quality and health using QMRA framework for wastewater treatment. Develop QMRA frameworks for high rain/flood events, addressing high flow events.
• Develop the 21st century water curriculum for future water scientists, technicians and engineers.
• Improve wastewater management and the recycle/reuse to address future drought and safe water availability.
• Develop a global goal for wastewater treatment such as obtaining a 2 to 3 log removal of viruses.
Joan Rose: To achieve safe water will require 100s if not 1000s of individuals trained in engineering, science, technology, management, policy and finance. In particular, the training and education of scientists and technicians in the art of measuring and achieving a desirable water quality requires attention to the technology to be applied and technical skills required. We need water programs that add economic and resource management aspects. The “Blue Economy” will contribute to millions of dollars of revenue from shipping, water treatment, industry, agriculture, and tourism. But we much invest in education associated with the various professional developments– either in the country of origin or in regional centres of excellence.
WBPM: Public health is closely connected with water quality. According to WHO’s report, 2 million people die of unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene every year. In your opinion, how does water quality impact on public health and safety? What difficulties and challenges are we facing in this particular regard?
Joan Rose: Sewage and animal wastes still contribute the largest numbers of pathogens to waterways. As populations grow，so does the excreta problem. Our challenge will always be the emerging pathogens coming from these wastes with a continuous degradation of our water quality. We have just recently found that the Cyclovirus which has caused neurological disease in children is in our sewage coming originally from pigs and new waterborne pathogens are discovered every year. We need improved water quality diagnostics to assess the pollution at the large watershed scale. Microbial Source Tracking markers need to be used so that the most significant sources of pollution can be identified. While what we do on land is the source of the contaminants, climate is the driver. The increase in rain fall intensity and storms and flooding will continue to stress the infrastructure and will put the public health at risk. Thus with new diagnostic tools we can tackle the challenge of spatial and temporal pollution problems and prioritize the spending of our precious dollars. We have all the new tools we need a network to implement information gathering.
WBPM: You and your team are at the forefront of clean water resource research. Could you please share some successful paradigms and specific examples in water quality and public health-related area?
Joan Rose: Quantitative microbial risk assessment frameworks bring the problem, science and management/policy together. This framework should be used to address the ONE WATER concept. Wastewater, storm water, ambient waters and drinking waters, which are all interconnected and within this framework the linking of hydrology, geomorphology, land use, climate to water quality allows for one to address the problems that can economize the solutions and provide an improvement in water quality for the biohealth of the system. But this can’t be accomplished without a major global effort in obtaining water quality data which can be used in modeling efforts. Water Quality is so complex, we can no longer rely on the indicator system to provide information for the best decision making. Fragmentation of the waters of the world into compartments has created the inability of institutions to address the problem. Thus networks with the ability to develop and implement compacts are needed.
WBPM: After decades of extensive development, the state of water pollution in China is alarming. In April last year, The China’s State Council released a nationwide “Ten-Measure Action Plan” to treat water pollution. What is your take on the water pollution in China? What is the core in solving this problem?
Joan Rose: So from what I know the water pollution is one of the most serious issues facing the country. Pathogens and nutrients are very difficult to control without major interventions. These are coming from medium sized cities, peri-urban areas and non-point sources in many cases. In the past reliance on drinking only “boiled” water provided a false sense of security regarding the quality of the water. How to implement best management practices on the ground at the local level will require a pathway that integrates education with technology and policy. Public health water-related programs need to be strengthened.
WBPM: Nowadays, rather than drinking tap water, many people prefer to buy purified water, mineral water and mountain spring water. Do you think the bottle water from supermarket is healthier than tap water? In terms of public engagement and social supervision, what measures can we take within our capacity to protect water resource?
Joan Rose: I am not against bottled water, but all industries that use water should be specifically at the table creating academic-government (particularly pubic health)-industry partnerships to protect the water quality of the world’s water. Providing the finances, the diagnostics and technology, and the education needed.
I am recommending that we
• Establish regional Centres of Excellence
• Create networks between cooperative organizations, to get stable cooperation between public health institutions in these areas, universities and also water companies.
• Use the risk analysis framework to integrate science and policy and promote the translation of science into action around sewage sources.
• Use advanced technology for water diagnostics to improve resolution of the evidence for decision making, including MST tools for the identification of the source of contamination.
• Assess global water quality and health using QMRA framework for wastewater treatment. Develop QMRA frameworks for high rain/flood events, addressing high flow events.
• Develop the 21st century water curriculum for future water scientists, technicians and engineers.
• Improve wastewater management and the recycle/reuse to address future drought and safe water availability.
• Develop a global goal for wastewater treatment such as obtaining a 2 to 3 log removal of viruses.
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