Finnish Water Services and Governance Summarised in a New Book

'Finnish Water Services – Experiences in Global Perspective' is a newly published book which showcases Finnish water service expertise to an international readership.

Author with the book, Image Credit: Tampere University of Technology

This 288-page, 4-color book by UNESCO Chairholder  Tapio S. Katko  was recently published in English by the Finnish Association of Water Utilities. Seven international experts from various parts of the world have provided their reflections.

For the Table of Contents and other details see the introductory pages: Finish Water Services

The book ‘Finnish Water Services – Experiences in Global Perspective’ written by Katko has just been published. It gathers extensive knowledge on the development of water services in Finland, along with their social significance. The book is well suited for decision-makers, professionals, students and anyone interested in the field of water services.

In the work, Katko 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.

The fact that water utilities and sewerage plants mainly operate within a single organisation, for example, is a Finnish practice. In many other countries, this is not the case.

“Even though water services always require solutions that fit the local conditions, some of the more general practices are widely applicable,” Katko says.

“We must expand our horizons beyond merely developing new technologies. We must also appreciate water supply issues from the institutional and governance perspectives,” he stresses.

Finland has accumulated solid expertise in neighbourhood collaboration and development co-operation in the sphere of water supply management. Some of the focuses 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.

“Finnish expertise has yielded great results in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Vietnam, for example.”

As for the greatest challenge for water services in Finland and globally, Katko mentions the aging and deteriorating infrastructure. Water services constitute a basic component in community infrastructure, and its functionality must be guaranteed for everyone.

“It is fully feasible to generate potable water, purify waste water and increase our investments in repairs and renovation worldwide. More than anything else, this requires a political and professional will. We have a lot of useful expertise and know-how here in Finland that we should more actively bring to the table on a global scale,” Katko notes.

The book argues in favor of institutional diversity: allowing different types of arrangements depending on local conditions. It also argues that countries in the north and south, east and west have many lessons to be shared and learned from.

In spite of this water services development has to take local conditions always into account. One of the major challenges worldwide is the aging water services infrastructure something that needs thorough rethinking.

If you are interested, the book can be ordered through the website here

Source: Tampere University of Technology

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Taxonomy

• Governance
• Technology
• Water Management
• Infrastructure
• Utility Management
• Academic Study
• Manager Smart Water Management
• Publishing
• Books