Civil Engineering April 2021 | Vol 29 No 3

58 April 2021 Civil Engineering What water stewardship can do for corporates With the 2030 timeframe for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) looming, South Africa needs a new urgency on its water stewardship responsibilities. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) has forecast that global fresh water demand will be 6 900 km 3 per year by 2030 – some 40% over the global sustainable fresh water supply – if current water practices continue. “We are far from meeting the SDG water goals, which target the avail- ability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Many companies highlight water issues in their policies, but do not seem to have taken the vital steps toward implementation of more sustainable practices,” says Fiona Sutton, principal consultant at SRK Consulting. She highlighted the importance of raising awareness about what water stewardship really involves: using water in a way that is socially and culturally eq- uitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial. This can best be achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process that includes both site-based and catchment-based actions. To make practical progress on their water stewardship journey, Sutton urges the use of global best practice tools like the International Water Stewardship Standard from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS). “The AWS Standard offers a credible and globally-applicable framework for major water users to understand their own water use and impacts with practical guidance on how to effectively manage these impacts. Part of the solution is for companies to work collaboratively and transparently with others, most importantly the local communities, for sustainable water management within the context of their wider water catchment,” explains Sutton. Practical steps and guidance in the AWS Standard help water users to im- prove their water practices for better on- site water performance, while also con- tributing to wider sustainability goals. Sutton emphasised that the advantages of good water stewardship were substan- tial and include gaining efficiencies that allowed corporate initiatives to pay for themselves over time. As a trained AWS water steward, she is equipped to help clients achieve AWS certification and to improve corporate systems. By incorpo- rating local stakeholders in these initia- tives, the knock on effects of good water stewardship will benefit society as a whole and can contribute to corporate’s ratings on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria. “The journey starts with an understanding of the business’ water dependencies and impacts, and develops to allow the mitigation of operational and supply chain water risks. Taking effective steps in this direction give businesses a competitive advantage and boosts their brand value – while assuring investors that the enterprise is viable for the long term,” says Sutton. By building relationships with local water-related stakeholders, companies can enhance the positive impact of their initiatives and help address challenges shared by others in the catchment.  2020/21 Africa Property & Construction Cost Guide launched AECOM recently launched the 2020/21 edition of its Africa Property & Construction Cost Guide . This is the 31 st edition of the guide, published in con- junction with the Bureau of Economic Research at Stellenbosch University. The guide shares invaluable knowledge of Africa’s economy that can be leveraged to unlock investment opportunities across the continent in terms of construction and infrastructure development. Water stress by country Ratio of withdrawels to supply Low (<10%) Low to medium (10–20%) Medium to high (20–40%) High (40–80%) Extremely high (80%) Note: Projections are based on a business as usual scenario using SSP2 and RCP8.5. The 2020/21 Africa Property & Construction Cost Guide I n Br i ef