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>View discussions about this entry Country: Slovakia
Organization: People and Water
Field of Work - Water
Year the initative began (yyyy) - 1994
Project URL: http://www.waterparadigm.org
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? - Keep rainwater on land! More rainwater on land means more evaporation, clouds and rain, moderates regional warming and provides water for everybody.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? - The central theme of the new water paradigm (NWP) is recovery of the water balance at all levels on the territory. The distortion of water cycle by human draining of the land can be fixed by returning water back by comprehensive program of rainwater harvesting (RWH). RWH was practiced always to acquire more water. However, if provided on massive scale along with infiltration and evaporation, it helps also to renew a small water cycle (short-distance circulation of water with dominant vertical dimension), cools the country, moderates draughts, floods and fires and increases biodiversity. Evaporation isn’t lost of water, it keeps small water cycle running (like in rainforest). If evaporation is diminished, immense flows of solar energy are changed into sensible heat instead of latent heat of phase change. The climatic umbrella above “hot plates” pushes clouds away to colder areas. In order to prevent decline of rainfall (and rise of weather extremes), it is crucial - against all instincts - to secure evaporation also.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? - Our NGO „People and Water“ initiated several projects during its existence. The „Water Forest” project in 2005-2007 applied measures on vast area ravaged by natural disaster. Nowadays we cooperate with a city Presov (100.000 inhabitants) on a NWP project with 3 levels: 1/ „Cool City“ – improvement of city climate using water; 2/ „Blue Schools“ – combination of RWH, sanitation, water cleaning and recycling at city schools; 3/ “Water University” – educational program promoting the NWP in cooperation with local University.
How do you plan to expand your innovation? - Implementation of the project shall create basis for expansion worldwide. We try to drag attention of researchers to record changes in water sources and ecosystems. We cultivate our relation with several important organizations on national level, like Association of Towns and Municipalities in Slovakia, government ministries, business companies and banks. We did first steps together with these players to start a Competence Centre focused on implementation of NWP. We plan to expand education about “new culture of water” to young people in “universities of water” mentioned above and gradually to spread it to schools on all levels. We plan to publish leaflets, manuals, reading books, etc. We cultivate our relations on international level also – with the like minded groups and professionals dealing especially with holistic landscape management and integrated water resources management, as well as on political level in European Parliament and Commission. We plan to translate our “manifesto” to other languages (besides English and Slovak).
Do you have any existing partnerships, and if so, how do you create them? - What type of partnerships to do need? Our NGO has an informal but good partnership with the Association of Towns and Municipalities in Slovakia (member organization for 96% of municipalities in Slovakia), which adopted our principles to its water-related program documents, co-operated with us on creation and promotion of the NWP publication. We have formal and informal partnerships with some concrete cities and villages. Partnership with the city Presov includes our co-operation on “water pillar” of the city’s ambitious project to compete for the title “European Capital of Culture” and organizing annual international conferences on NWP with us. Partnerships are usually created on basis of mutual consensus build up in public participation processes with like-minded experts and with people in senior positions.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. - We would like to change urban, agricultural and forestry paradigm of land management so, that water balance shall be preserved.
How many people have you served or plan to serve? - The UN’s predictions for the climate in the 21st century are very worrying: "…warming will produce vast changes in evaporation and precipitation, allied to a more unpredictable hydrological cycle... accompanied by new rainfall patterns and more extreme weather events, including floods and droughts" /Human Development Report 2006/. In the unpredictable world, one thing predictable is a growth in the number of countries with water shortages and water-related disasters. We plan to serve to those countries.
Please list any other measures of the impact of your innovation? - Mr. Michal Kravcik was awarded by the Economic Club – Informal Economic Forum (in Slovakia) with the “Golden Biatec” Prize in February 2008 for the publication “Water for the Recovery of Climate – A New Water Paradigm”. Economic Club released a declaration supporting ideas of NWP at that occasion. Last but not least, Mr. Kravcik became Ashoka Fellow and was awarded with prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 1999 for the “Blue Alternative” closely related to the ideas of NWP.
Exactly who are the beneficiaries of your innovation? - Beneficiaries are those who experience negative consequences of climate and water balance changes caused by distortion of water cycle due to human draining of land. Poor people of the third world would benefit more than others, because their economy is predominantly based on farming, which is very vulnerable to water scarcity and climate extremes. Example: See a project (in an advanced stage of planning) designed for African countries by British scientist A.R.Taylor (he gives credit for the idea to us - www.theglobalcoolingproject.com).
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? - In most cases we finance our projects from funds we compete for with other subjects in Slovakia or Europe. In 2005-2006 we have received 10 million Sk (about 500.000 USD) from SLSP (the bank in Slovakia) for realization of Water Forest project, in 2007 3 million Sk (about 150.000 USD) from Environmental Fund for renewal of water source in High Tatras National Park, as well as 2,9 million Sk (about 145.000 USD) from European Social Fund for project „People‘s University of Water”.
Provide information on your finances and organization: - Current Annual budget (2007 fiscal year)?
Annual budget for the past 1-2 years (2006 and 2005)? Annual revenue generated? What are your current sources and/or streams of revenue? Do you currently have sources of earned income (examples?); If not, why? Our revenues were 9.48 million Sk (474 000 USD) in 2007, 12.2 million Sk and 0.83 million Sk in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Major part was always formed by contribution from other organizations – see previous paragraph. We earned 2 million Sk (100 000 USD) mainly from municipalities for services we provided, especially for counseling and assistance. In 2005 and 2006 it was 0.53 million Sk and 0.35 million Sk respectively. We earn minor sums from membership fees, tax donations and sponsors. Our costs were 9.17 million Sk (458 000 USD) in 2007, 2.43 million Sk and 1.65 million Sk in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Most costs were spent on payments to other organizations we rented to do particular works on our projects – 5.3 million Sk last year, 1.8 million Sk and 1.1 million Sk in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Purchase of material was another important cost last year (2.7 million Sk, which approx. responds to 135 000 USD), then wages (825 000 Sk), repair/maintenance (100 000 Sk), energy (68 000 Sk), travel costs (44 000 Sk) and some other minor costs. Our priority in 2008 is realization of “People’s University of Water” project, finances for which were already assigned to us from European Social Fund. We (together with some municipalities) applied to Environmental Fund and to Norwegian Financial Mechanism for financing some other projects of integrated management of water sources (total approx. 250 million Sk, i.e. approx. 12.5 million USD) in 2008-2011, though results of selection are not known yet. Besides above mentioned activities we intend to continue in earning income (about 1-2 million Sk, i.e. 50-100 thousand USD), especially for studies of integrated management of water sources and anti-flood counseling. We are negotiating with several potential partners. Most of them, however, need to acquire money through funds via projects. Number of staff: What is the potential demand for your innovation? - How do you estimate this demand?
Number of staff (full-time, part-time, volunteers): Hardly anybody claims to have a good solution to water crisis. However, NWP represents such a solution in terms of time, money and effectiveness. Usually, massive investments are not required. Local materials and labor force are utilized. We estimate costs of NWP implementation on national scale worth roughly 0.1% of a country’s annual GDP multiplied by the number of years (approx. 10-15 years for Slovakia) needed for implementation. That is why we expect great interest and demand worldwide. What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? - The NWP idea is sustainable as examples show. The barrier to application on municipal and national level is that it was published in more compact form only recently. It is not broadly known. On the other hand, it is resisted by established practice and various prejudices. Initial investments are needed for pilot projects. That is why the more massive application, which should show even more effects, didn’t take place yet (but it is gradually coming).
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. - In 1992 the government of Slovakia revived an old communist plan to build a large dam at Tichy Potok on Torysa River to supply drinking water for East Slovakia's cities. The dam would have destroyed environment and four villages. Dissident hydrologist Michal Kravcik established a local grassroots NGO People and Water in response. He showed that much water was being wasted. He proposed the "Blue Alternative" plan enabling to get the same amount of water for approx. 20% of the cost of the dam, while protecting environment and villages. After unethical attacks started, People and Water organized camps. A number of catch basins were constructed and media were invited to view results. Bitter government cancelled plans for the dam. Kravcik and NGO developed program involving 24 villages. He worked on principles of sustainable water management for the country published as „Water for the Third Millennium“ (2000). Publication was not accepted by technocrats because trends it was dealing with were not visible yet. However, growth of climate extremes in following years made people more receptive and publication received broader recognition. Along practical work in terrain, Kravcik, Ashoka Fellow himself, inspired other two Ashoka Fellows and wrote a pioneering „Water for the Recovery of the Climate – A New Water Paradigm“ released in September 2007. Publication articulates essence of experience collected during 13 years and is upgraded with crucial contribution of Czech scholar friend Jan Pokorny, expert on relation between water and energy flows. Its Odyssey just begins.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material - Michal Kravcik, (1956) completed his studies in Water Management at the Slovak Technical University and worked for the Institute of Hydrology and Hydraulics and the Institute of Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He is a holder of the Goldman Environmental Prize and other national and international awards, as well as an Ashoka fellow. He is the founder and the most prominent representative of the People and Water NGO, which has been awarded the EU-USA Prize for Democracy and Civil Society Development.
Contact Information:
Michal Kravcik
Director of NGO People and Water (NGO) Discussions about this entry |
A Growing Pie of Water - The New Water Paradigm
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The continue II. for Dana
Water University – a program of education in the spirit of New Water Paradigm and integrated management of water sources (with the stress on urban environment) will be started in partnership with University of City Presov. The target group shall consist of managers, developers, architects, decision makers, local leaders and all kinds of stakeholders in water management. The goal is to provide them education in sustainable water management, renewal of water balance on their land, minimizing risks of water related natural disasters and not least about climate aspects of water management.
We provided projects in Slovakia only, so far. But we spread the idea also abroad, where it “caught fire” in some cases.
We claim, that every roof and every yard is a micro watershed. Costs for a small house depend on what we want to achieve. Anyway, costs to harvest rainwater and infiltrate (and evaporate) water can be close to zero in the case of availability of proper depressions and infiltration conditions in vicinity of the building. If not available, simple earthworks to stop runoff and create waterholdings are not expensive and they don’t require much manpower either. Gravel fillings, which are not necessary, but can upgrade infiltration and storing capacity, are manageable also. Simple computation can show that the investment would return relatively quickly.
As far as we know, the Law on Protection of Water Cycle has been neither discussed in any legislative body yet, nor implemented. We try to seed the idea, as we lately did in European Parliament and European Commission. There is still a very long way to go.
Hope these answers were at least a bit useful.
Best regards,
Michal Kravcik
Projects - Cool City, Blue Schools and Water University are starting in the city Presov (about 100.000 inhabitants), Eastern Slovakia. Project Cool City is the key demonstration of a new water culture in urban environment. It aims to build a complex integrated system for keeping rainwater in the urban environment, and to use such water for improving the urban environment’s microclimate. Rainwater in the city shall not be drained from roofed or paved areas to sewage. Instead, an integrated network of waterholdings will be created. It will collect rainwater from objects, roads and parking lots. Rainwater shall be infiltrated into soil and subsoil, accumulated under and on the ground, in vegetation, tanks, ponds, etc. Its evaporation, which will cool the city, will be encouraged from trees and other vegetation of parks and plots, from open water surface of ponds and from fountains. Green walls and roofs of buildings will fulfill air-conditioning role too. By keeping rainwater in the city environment, we can as well save citizens´ money paid for drainage of rainwater and make more water available for them.
Blue Schools – this is a project of a model water management within a system consisting of school building and school plot. Rainwater harvesting, water cleaning and recycling shall be applied. The project shall mean significant decrease of costs for external supply of water. It shall be as well significant for pupils, teachers and parents as educational tool towards new water culture.
Michal
Dear Dana,
Thank you for your questions. I’ll do my best to respond them.
“New Water Paradigm” (NWP) was released in September 2007. There was not much time to take concrete tangible actions or improvements based on it. Nevertheless, Association of Towns and Municipalities in Slovakia (member organization for 96% of municipalities in Slovakia) adopted our basic principles (like comprehensive program of rainwater conservation on the land) in its strategic document Strategy on Prevention Against Floods. Nowadays, the Association is discussing a document about integrated water management based on NWP. There were tangible actions in the spirit of NWP before it was fully articulated and released. Within "Blue Alternative" plan in mid 90-ies at Tichy Potok, East Slovakia, we constructed a number of catch basins to show there are alternative ways to acquire water. Within our project „Water Forest“ in 2005-2007 in High Tatras, Slovakia, about 7.000 waterholdings with potential volume 12.000 m3 on approx. 80 hectares were built. Researchers record that fauna and flora are much better off there than on comparable plots, where measures were not applied.
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Michal
Hello Michal,
It's great to have your entry in the competition. What concrete tangible actions have taken place or improvements in water usage based on your NWP? Could you please give some more examples on your projects - Cool City, Blue Schools and Water University? These sound interesting and I would love to know more about what they are all about. Can you give more of a description of the individuals you have served? What countries, number of people, demographics of the people, etc? You mention that each roof could have a microwatershed. How much would this system cost for a small home?
Lastly, you mention the Law on Protection of Water Cycle. Has this law been implemented anywhere else? What work are you doing to see this law put into place?
Thank you for all your responses!
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
Thank you very much for your kind words.
We see three key areas to get additional support for our paradigm: 1/ Theoretical - to build up solid scientific theory behind it; 2/ Practical - to show on real-life applications that it is functional; 3/ Popular - to spread the message to broad population. Last but not least, we prepare presentation of the paradigm on Expo in Zaragoza (via conference + publications). We seek allies for all three areas.
Everybody is welcome to join the effort, including you :-). We have a vision of expansion too, but we definitely don´t want to have monopoly on innovation - vice versa, we want it to be applied by everybody and everywhere.
Best,
Michal
Hi Michal,
Congratulations on submitting one of the few proposals that seeks to address some of the root causes of the water crisis rather than just the symptoms. Please provide some additional information on how you hope to gain additional support for your innovation and how you hope to expand.
It is far more important to keep water safe, available, and affordable for all than to try to keep the price "Cheap" for all.
Regards,
David