Today is World Water Day, an annual UN event to focus attention on the importance of water as a natural resource. This year's theme 'groundwater' aims to raise awareness of its vital role in drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, farming, industry, climate mitigation and ecosystems.
Leading water management across the oil, gas and alternative energy industry
Water is used throughout oil, gas and alternative energy project life cycles. Through a combination of good practice, practical tools and a forum for sharing industry knowledge, Ipieca enables the industry to proactively identify potential water risks and to manage this essential resource.
In 2021, Ipieca released the Water management framework which facilitates an integrated approach to water resource management and aids the industry to respond to broader global concerns about water availability and quality. Ipieca's guide on Identifying and assessing water sources presents a systematic process to enable the effective identification and selection of potential water sources to meet the needs of onshore oil or gas operations within the broader context of local or regional water management.
Water risk assessment in the oil and gas sector supports companies to assess and respond to water risks at portfolio and site levels. Reuse of produced water from the onshore oil and gas industry identifies the opportunities, challenges and benefits of reusing and managing produced water, presenting several cases of successful reuse applications by the industry.
The Ipieca-API-IOGP Sustainability reporting guidance Environment module provides advice on how to report on fresh water use, management and risks and opportunities associated with water.
Fifty-three of the SDG's 169 targets have a link to groundwater. SDG6 on clean water and sanitation is identified as a priority SDG for the industry in the Ipieca-WBCSD SDG Roadmap, which includes an impact pathway for biodiversity, land and water stewardship with actions for industry and Ipieca.
The protection and sustainable use of groundwater is central to adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population. We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.
