Community water supply and wastewater services – water services in short – will face major global challenges in the decades to come. To feed into related discussions, this book showcases lessons from the development of Finnish water services for international readers.
Nearly a billion people around the world lack safe water, 2.5 billion people live without basic sanitation and 80 per cent of wastewater around the world remains beyond any treatment. There is thus plenty of room for continued work and expertise.
Finnish Water Services – Experiences in Global Perspective gathers information on the development of water services in Finland, along with their social significance. The book is suitable for decision-makers, professionals, students and anyone interested in the field of water services.
The book highlights some of the key strengths of Finnish water services, such as institutional diversity, and discusses the long-term strategic decisions, principles and practices of water services in Finland. Even though water services always require solutions that fit the local conditions, some of the more general practices are widely applicable.
The book points out that we must expand our horizons beyond merely developing new technologies. We must also appreciate water supply issues from the institutional, policy and governance perspectives. Some of the focus areas of the book include the Baltic Sea and marine protection as well as collaboration in developing countries. The book also contains reflections from seven international experts from various corners of the world.
As for the greatest challenge for water services in Finland and globally, the author mentions the ageing and deteriorating infrastructure. Water services constitute a basic component in community infrastructure, and its functionality must be guaranteed for everyone. This requires both political and professional will.
Book note prepared by Tapio S Katko