At the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) Conference in Nairobi, Kenya — organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) — APSCC brought a clear message to the global stage: safeguarding water quality begins with empowered local communities.
Dr. Nandhivarman Muthu, Secretary General of APSCC, joined the conference as an invited speaker, connecting grassroots water action to global policy. The WWQA is a UNEP-convened platform that unites governments, scientists, civil society and communities to improve freshwater quality worldwide and turn water data into decisions that protect people and ecosystems.
From data to action
The conference set out an ambitious agenda: to empower local communities, transform water data into action, build capacity, foster collaboration across sectors, and engage youth as leaders in water stewardship. These goals reflect a growing recognition that global water quality targets can only be met when the people closest to the water are equipped to monitor and protect it.
APSCC’s contribution
Dr. Muthu’s intervention focused on three interlocking themes drawn from APSCC’s field experience:
He highlighted how citizen science, local water forums and youth-led initiatives can close the gap between global ambition and on-the-ground reality — giving communities both the tools and the voice to shape water policy.
Linked to the UN Water Conference 2023
APSCC’s contribution was framed within the momentum of the UN Water Conference 2023, whose outcomes called for accelerated, inclusive action on water and sanitation. The WWQA discussions carried that momentum forward, translating high-level commitments into practical pathways for capacity-building, data use and community engagement.
A call to action
APSCC’s message closed with a threefold call: strengthen local capacity, leverage water data for better decisions, and engage youth as long-term custodians of freshwater resources. It is a vision of water quality secured not from the top down, but from the community up.
Aligned with the SDGs
APSCC’s participation in the WWQA Conference advances the following Sustainable Development Goals — reinforcing clean water, sustainable communities, climate action and global partnerships:
Water quality is not secured in conference halls alone — it is protected by empowered communities, informed by data, and carried forward by youth.
Event: World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) Conference, organised by UNEP · Nairobi, Kenya, 2023.