On January 17, 2023, with support from the Japan – World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in Developing Countries, an event on resilient water supply and sanitation (WSS) services was organized for Peruvian government representatives and utilities to:
i) share Japanese expertise and knowledge in building the resilience of its water supply and sanitation services through an adaptive management approach based on lessons learned from past natural hazards and a changing climate; and
ii) disseminate the results of two technical assistance grants the World Bank provided to Lima´s Water Utility (Sedapal) under the framework of the Japan Program with the purpose of enhancing resilience to natural hazards in Peru´s water supply and sanitation services by scaling up and integrating Nature-based Solutions (Nbs) into Sedapal´s project cycle and integrating Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) into long-term Investment planning for water and sanitation projects.
During the event, Keiko Saito, Senior DRM Specialist from the Tokyo DRM Hub, presented an overview of Japanese WSS resilience environment and introduced a knowledge product on Resilient Water Supply and Sanitation Services: The Case of Japan created by the Tokyo DRM Hub.
Additionally, case studies from Fukuoka city and Sendai city were shared to highlight Japanese practices in resilient water supply and sanitation services. Fukuoka city’s case highlighted high quality pipes which reduced water leakage and promoted reuse of sewage water for resilience and a reduction in costs across the life cycle of this infrastructure asset.
For the Sendai city’s case, Shoichi Tawaki, Senior Director of the Disaster Prevention and Disaster Risk Reduction Department for Sendai City, presented preparation, damage and recovery of lifelines from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami for enhancing the resilience of WSS. In Q&A session, there was an active discussion around the Japanese experience.
Japan´s expertise and lessons learned are very valuable for Peru as the country builds its own path towards water security and increased resilience to natural hazards and a changing climate. Participants of the event expressed interest in continuing to collaborate with Japan as Peru deepens its approach to resilience.