Working towards sustainable urban water management: the vulnerability blind spot

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 2362-2369 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Werbeloff ◽  
R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Diversity Strategy

The unprecedented water scarcity in Australia coincides with the adoption of a new urban water rhetoric. The ‘Security through Diversity’ strategy has been adopted in a number of Australian cities as a new and innovative approach to urban water management. Although this strategy offers a more holistic approach to urban water management, in practice, the Security through Diversity strategy is largely being interpreted and implemented in a way that maintains the historical dependence on large scale, centralised water infrastructure and therefore perpetuates existing urban water vulnerabilities. This research explores the implementation of Security through Diversity as the new water scarcity response strategy in the cities of Perth and Melbourne. Through a qualitative study with over sixty-five urban water practitioners, the results reveal that the practitioners have absorbed the new Security through Diversity language whilst maintaining the existing problem and solution framework for urban water management. This can be explained in terms of an entrenched technological path dependency and cognitive lock-in that is preventing practitioners from more comprehensively engaging with the complexities of the Security through Diversity strategy, which is ultimately perpetuating the existing vulnerability of our cities. This paper suggests that greater engagement with the underlying purpose of the security though diversity strategy is a necessary first step to overcome the constraints of the traditional technological paradigm and more effectively reduce the continued vulnerability of Australian cities.

Extreme events: being prepared for the pitfalls with progressing sustainable urban water management

2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 1271-1280 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Keath ◽  
R. R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Historical Transition ◽  
Opening Up

It is widely accepted that new, more sustainable approaches to urban water management are required if cities and ecosystems are to become resilient to the effects of growing urban populations and global warming. Climate change predictions show that it is likely that cities around the world will be subject to an increasing number of extreme and less predictable events including flooding and drought. Historical transition studies have shown that major events such as extremes can expedite the adoption of new practices by destabilising existing management regimes and opening up new windows of opportunity for change. Yet, they can also act to reinforce and further entrench old practices. This case study of two Australian cities responding to extreme water scarcity reveals that being unprepared for extremes can undermine progress towards sustainable outcomes. The results showed that despite evidence of significant progress towards sustainable urban water management in Brisbane and Melbourne, the extreme water scarcity acted to reinforce traditional practices at the expense of emerging sustainability niches. Drawing upon empirical research and transitions literature, recommendations are provided for developing institutional mechanisms that are able to respond proactively to extreme events and be a catalyst for SUWM when such opportunities for change arise.

Urban-Water Harmony model to evaluate the urban water management

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1774-1781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Ding ◽  
Deshan Tang ◽  
Yuhang Wei ◽  
Sun Yin
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management

Water resources in many urban areas are under enormous stress due to large-scale urban expansion and population explosion. The decision-makers are often faced with the dilemma of either maintaining high economic growth or protecting water resources and the environment. Simple criteria of water supply and drainage do not reflect the requirement of integrated urban water management. The Urban-Water Harmony (UWH) model is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more integrated approach to urban water management. This model calculates four dimensions, namely urban development, urban water services, water–society coordination, and water environment coordination. And the Analytic Hierarchy Process has been used to determine the indices weights. We applied the UWH model to Beijing, China for an 11-year assessment. Our findings show that, despite the severe stress inherent in rapid development and water shortage, the urban water relationship of Beijing is generally evolving in a positive way. The social–economic factors such as the water recycling technologies contribute a lot to this change. The UWH evaluation can provide a reasonable analysis approach to combine various urban and water indices to produce an integrated and comparable evaluation index. This, in turn, enables more effective water management in decision-making processes.

Realising sustainable urban water management: Can social theory help?

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Bos ◽  
R. R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
System Change ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Social Theories ◽  
Technical Systems

It has been acknowledged, in Australia and beyond, that existing urban water systems and management lead to unsustainable outcomes. Therefore, our current socio-technical systems, consisting of institutions, structures and rules, which guide traditional urban water practices, need to change. If a change towards sustainable urban water management (SUWM) practices is to occur, a transformation of our established social-technical configuration that shapes the behaviour and decision making of actors is needed. While some constructive innovations that support this transformation have occurred, most innovations remain of a technical nature. These innovative projects do not manage to achieve the widespread social and institutional change needed for further diffusion and uptake of SUWM practices. Social theory, and its research, is increasingly being recognised as important in responding to the challenges associated with evolving to a more sustainable form of urban water management. This paper integrates three areas of social theories around change in order to provide a conceptual framework that can assist with socio-technical system change. This framework can be utilised by urban water practitioners in the design of interventions to stimulate transitions towards SUWM.

The role of membrane technology in sustainable decentralized wastewater systems

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (10) ◽  
pp. 317-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Fane ◽  
S.A. Fane
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Membrane Technology ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

Decentralized wastewater treatment has the potential to provide sanitation that meets criteria for sustainable urban water management in a manner that is less resource intensive and more cost effective than centralized approaches. It can facilitate water reuse and nutrient recovery and can potentially reduce the ecological risks of wastewater system failure and the community health risk in a wastewater reuse scheme. This paper examines the potential role of membrane technology in sustainable decentralized sanitation. It is argued that the combination of membrane technology within decentralized systems can satisfy many of the criteria for sustainable urban water management. In particular, the role of membranes as a dependable barrier in the wastewater treatment process can increase system reliability as well as lowering the latent risks due to wastewater reuse. The modular nature of membranes will allow plant size to range from single dwellings, through clusters to suburb size. It is concluded that realization of the potential for membrane-based technologies in decentralized wastewater treatment will require some progress both technically and institutionally. The areas where advances are necessary are outlined.

Implementation impediments to institutionalising the practice of sustainable urban water management

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 415-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.R. Brown ◽  
L. Sharp ◽  
R.M. Ashley
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Technical Solution ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Management Issues

It is now well accepted that there are significant challenges to realising the widespread and self-sustaining implementation of sustainable urban water management. It is argued that these challenges are entrenched within the broader socio-political framework, yet often unsuccessfully addressed within the more narrow scope of improving technical knowledge and design capacity. This hypothesis is investigated through a comparative analysis of three independent research projects investigating different dimensions of the water cycle, including stormwater management in Australia and sanitary waste management and implementation of innovative technologies in the UK. The analysis reveals significant and common socio-political impediments to improved practice. It was evident that the administrative regime, including implementing professionals and institutions, appears to be largely driven by an implicit expectation that there is a technical solution to solve water management issues. This is in contrast to addressing the issues through broader strategies such as political leadership, institutional reform and social change. It is recognised that this technocratic culture is inadvertently underpinned by the need to demonstrate implementation success within short-term political cycles that conflict with both urban renewal and ecological cycles. Addressing this dilemma demands dedicated socio-technical research programs to enable the much needed shift towards a more sustainable regime.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Current Issues in Water Supply Systems and Implications for Sustainable Urban Water Management in Limbe, South West Region of Cameroon

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-74
Author(s):  
Baba Adamu ◽  
Ndi Humphrey N. ◽  
Balgah Sounders N.
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Supply Systems

Water supply system has played a significant role in the growth, development and wellbeing of cities. Until now, meeting the need of city residents in terms of availability, reliability, and access to a good quality water supply is a major challenge facing many denizens of the 21st Century due to unprecedented urban growth and urbanization rates. This study is out to examine the current issues and challenges to water supply systems in Limbe. The study adopted the mix method approach which involves triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Primary data were obtained from field observations, interviews and the administration of 383 questionnaires to households and stakeholders. Secondary data were obtained from relevant official documents, published and unpublished sources relevant to water supply systems. Satellite imageries and ArcGIS were used to describe the pattern of growth in built-up areas between 1986 and 2019. Data from the questionnaire were entered using Epi Data Version 3.1, analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science Standard version 21.0 and Microsoft Excel and presented in the form of tables, figures, plates and maps. Findings revealed that, although the water supply accessibility by utilities has improved significantly, the reliability, distribution, flow frequency, supply, price and quality are still low. The inaccessibility and unreliability in the water supply have turned most households to alternative sources with poor quality. Unsustain urbanization and urban growth are occurring through infills in city remaining open spaces and ‘out spill’ and expansion at the outskirt without a concurrent increase, upgrading or extension of water supply infrastructural systems resulting to congestion, conflict over allocation, long-distance trekking to source water, deterioration of basic social services, pollution, inaccessibility amongst to ensure efficient water supply systems and sustainable urban water management. The paper, therefore, calls for the rehabilitation and renovation of dilapidated water supply structures, extension and upgrading basic services, limit urbanization and urban growth, encourage the construction and use of alternative water sources, community participation amongst others for sustainable urban water supply management.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document