Delta Life 7

8 DELTARES, MARCH 2017 this is being done with Dutch knowledge and in close cooperation with Dutch institutions.' What is your biggest challenge? 'The World Bank can only work with countries who want to work with us. It is nonsense to think that we can dictate things fromWashington. However logical it may seem to say that water is important, it is a subject that is unfortunately still a low priority in many countries. The thinking is that water is just there and it doesn't belong to anybody. But these countries, which often have ineffective governments, are shooting themselves in the foot. The challenge we face is to show them how valuable water is. Literally.' What should be at the top of thewater agenda? 'I would like to break down the taboo on talking about pricing. Some NGOs find it difficult, from the point of view of human rights, to talk about privatised water companies that send their customers bills. But there is no such thing as free water. It has to be extracted, treated and transported. So the question is not whether you pay, but how. From general funds? In other words, through taxes? Or by setting a price per unit? The World Bank has data from 150 countries and 5000 utility companies and so it can use benchmarks to identify the companies that operate efficiently. And you have to make sure that water does not become prohibitively expensive for the poorest people. In addition, some of the revenue has to be reinvested in extending and improving the mains network. It is only then that water can drive development. So what we're really talking about is good governance. And that includes good water management.' Isn't telling other countries what to do something of a minefield? 'We base our knowledge on data and existing projects. We let countries exchange experiences. We prefer to provide objective figures and good examples rather than telling people what to do. And, of course, the World Bank also works with business. Take our project with a beer brewer in Rwanda, for example. Brewing beer in Africa creates local employment but you also need a lot of water, of course. The World Bank works in Rwanda with the largest local Brewer, Bralirwa (Heineken is the majority shareholder), on improvements in society and sustainability.' Even with those wonderful examples, we're not there yet by a long way. There are worrying figures on your website about the future. What makes you hope that we will get there in time? 'The World Economic Forum is warning that there will be famine and even wars if we fail to tackle the world's water problems: water is one of the major risks of our time. I don't like doom-mongering but I'm not optimistic either. The stakes really are enormous. It helps that we can see the challenges coming, that we are already talking about them, that we are trying to learn more and to share the knowledge we have with one another. We can manage the challenges together if we have the will.' The Netherlands knows a lot about water, but what can the Netherlands learn from the rest of the world? 'That we can't just copy our expertise. We have been working with water for 700 years now in the Netherlands. A country like Bangladesh is just getting started. The Dutch long-term solutions and our integrated approach result in the most robust policy but this is certainly not the fastest or cheapest approach in the short term. There are more ways than one to address problems. A country like Israel, for example, is better at recycling water. Working at the World Bank is enormously enriching in that respect. All the different solutions and cultures come together here.'