On November 9 at 3:00 PM, the traditional expert session for members of the Mayors’ Club took place on the topic: “Water Supply in Communities – From a Cost Center to a Resource with Added Value”

Kamila Khrulova — co-founder of Arrow Lake and a water purification specialist at Agrifood — spoke about modern approaches to water treatment and how communities can take action to transform water supply into an asset.

Kamila also highlighted the topic of water-smart circular economy.

Over the past decade, the concept of the circular economy (CE) has attracted significant attention worldwide among private and public sector actors, policymakers, citizens, and the media. However, the importance of water and related ecosystems for virtually all types of human activity has largely been overlooked in CE concepts and scientific definitions. This session introduced the concept of a water-smart CE, which includes water and water-related ecosystems. The benefits of a water-smart CE include reducing water, energy, and material losses; increasing water use efficiency and productivity; reusing treated wastewater; and reducing pressure on water-related ecosystems (surface and groundwater). Policy instruments and already implemented examples (water-smart clusters) can be used to promote the transition to a water-smart CE in Ukraine.

Kamila also discussed case studies on water treatment, future trends, and challenges. She reviewed two examples of modern drinking water treatment plants and wastewater treatment facilities, demonstrated the economics behind them and the benefits gained after project implementation, and shared examples based on experiences from Spain, Panama, and Denmark.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Water Association — Artem Shyra and Dmytro Teslia — briefly introduced the association and covered the following topics:

1. UWA case studies.
2. Water supply and water treatment in communities, current challenges.
3. A new perspective on solving water-related issues starting today.

Please note that participation in the event and full access to expert session materials and video recordings are available exclusively to members of the Mayors’ Club — city and community leaders, as well as their teams.

If you are a city or community leader but not yet a member of the Mayors’ Club, please follow the link to register.