scholarly journals Water Governance in Cities: Current Trends and Future Challenges

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriana Romano ◽  
Aziza Akhmouch
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
Policy Solutions

Adapting water governance to changing needs, while coping with the uncertainties caused by climate change and the consequences of urbanisation and demographic growth, is key for inclusive, safe and resilient cities. The urgency of the challenges calls for innovative practices to enhance water security and provide better services to citizens, as foreseen by the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. The key question is: how to accomplish these objectives? While there is no doubt that technical solutions are available and play a fundamental role, they represent only part of the solution. Cities must ensure that the institutional frameworks in place are “fit to fix the pipes”, from accessible information to adequate capacity, from sufficient funding to transparency and integrity, and from meaningful stakeholder engagement to coherence across sectoral policies. Building mainly on recent studies on water governance carried out by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and specifically on urban water governance, this paper will discuss current trends and provide a set of tools for policy solutions based on OECD’s 3Ps framework: people, policies and places. It will conclude by highlighting the importance of improving monitoring and evaluation for better design and implementation of urban water governance.

scholarly journals Public Participation of the River Chief System in China: Current Trends, Problems, and Perspectives

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3496
Author(s):  
Chenhui Wu ◽  
Maosen Ju ◽  
Longfei Wang ◽  
Xiangyi Gu ◽  
Cuiling Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Water Problems

The River Chief System (RCS) is an effective measure for China to solve complex water problems and maintain the health of rivers and lakes. It is an institutional innovation to improve the water governance system and ensure national water security. Guiding and encouraging the public to participate in the construction of the RCS can promote the improvement of the level of social governance. The RCS is an effective supplement and supervision to the performance of the river chief and related departments, which can effectively promote the transformation of the RCS from nominal to practical and efficient. This study summarizes the innovative models and practical effects of, and public participation in, the RCS, analyzes the prominent problems, and proposes some measures to maximize the influence of public participation. The study provides insights on how to ensure the long-term operation of the RCS, a reference for countries around the world as a suitable solution for the sustainable management of water environments.

scholarly journals Experts' Perceptions of Water Security in Central Asia: results from a Delphi study

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-69
Author(s):  
Aliya Assubayeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Delphi Approach ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
International Experts

Water security in Central Asia has been discussed by researchers and international organizations using hydrological, engineering, and modeling approaches. Various frameworks conceptualize water security through technical, socio-economic, and environmental aspects. This study attempts to identify the current trends of perceptions of experts about water security in Central Asian countries and Afghanistan as assessed through different regional and international experts with relevant knowledge and experience. The experts originate from diverse professional backgrounds like ministries, NGOs, international organizations, research, and academic institutes. The analysis was conducted through the Delphi approach, which has been widely used to identify experts' views by reaching a consensus on various subjects. The Delphi method assisted in the elicitation of experts' opinions about different water security dimensions in the overall region and each Central Asia country that have been suggested from the relevant literature. The two-round questionnaire was developed to infer the experts' views (round 1) on water security in Central Asia and then identify the agreement's rate with the initial findings (round 2). The results have shown that, while the relevant scientific literature gives priority to environmental factors, the experts emphasize water security's economic aspects. Experts suggested including transboundary challenges, legislative and institutional weaknesses in assessing water security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Respondents highlighted the low effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the current institutions and mechanisms that dealt with water security-related issues in Central Asia and suggested strengthening water governance in the region.

scholarly journals Integrated Urban Water Management and Water Security: A Comparison of Singapore and Hong Kong

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Jensen ◽  
Sreeja Nair
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Integrated Urban Water Management ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) has emerged in the past two decades as a promising approach to the application of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles at the city-level. IUWM is expected to contribute to the achievement of multiple policy objectives, often including increased water security. This paper uses a case-based approach to study the impact of IUWM on water security, focusing on the influence of the level of institutionalization of IUWM within water governance at the city-level. Process tracing is applied to the cases of Singapore and Hong Kong, in which IUWM has been adopted but implementation and outcomes have diverged. We find that the depth of institutionalization, a difference between the two cases identified at the outset, has contributed to the achievement of better water security outcomes in Singapore as it has facilitated the development and implementation of a more far-reaching strategy. A supportive governance framework appears to amplify the impact of IUWM on progress towards water security and other policy targets.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Urban Water Security in a Severe Water Stress Area–Application to Palestinian Cities

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2060
Author(s):  
Samah Jabari ◽  
Isam Shahrour ◽  
Jamal El Khattabi
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Water Losses ◽  
Severe Water Stress

This paper presents an assessment of the urban water security in a severe water stress area using a semi-quantitative risk-based approach. Water security indicators are selected according to the recommendations of international institutions, the literature review and the opinion of a panel of water experts. Selected indicators cover three fields: water resources, water services and water governance. The field of water resources is described by indicators related to the water resources availability, annual precipitation and the ratio of treated water, while the water services field is described by indicators related to the water service coverage, water losses and the continuity of water supply. Water governance includes three indicators: role and responsibility, access to water information and stakeholder engagement. Water security assessment is conducted in three stages: (i) data collection for five Palestinian cities in the West Bank of Jordan, (ii) determination of the risk score for each indicator using collected data and an expert’s opinion, (iii) determination of the global water security score and water security index using the matrix risk assessment and the wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) methods. Results show that water risk is ranked as extreme for all cities. Risk related to water resources is a major contributor to global risk, followed by water governance.

scholarly journals Where Do We Stand Now? A Bibliometric Analysis of Water Research in Support of the Sustainable Development Goal 6

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 3591
Author(s):  
Mrittika Basu ◽  
Rajarshi Dasgupta
Keyword(s):  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Transboundary Cooperation ◽  
Water Research ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
Open Access Journals

The connections between the scientific findings and SDG 6 are often not clear, which results in increasing the gap between technical developments and academic discourse, and the policy practitioners and/or implementers. The present paper explores the existing scientific research on water that directly connects to SDG 6 using a bibliometric analysis. The 637 scientific articles published between 2015–2021 (till 13 May 2021) were investigated for temporal development, scientific collaboration, existing research focus and the gaps. Interdisciplinary journals such as Science of the Total Environment and Journal of Environmental Management are found to be dominant sources along with water specific journals such as Water Research and Water (Switzerland). Open access journals make a dominant footprint and majority of author collaborations are found among authors from countries such as USA and UK while the research connections among authors from Global South are observed to be weak. Targets 6.1 (safe and affordable water), 6.3 (treatment and reuse of wastewater) and 6.5 (IWRM including through transboundary cooperation) are identified to be the highest referred to targets in scientific research in support of SDG 6. Though a significant evolution of scientific research is observed in connection to SDG 6 with increasing studies on groundwater, water governance, wastewater treatment, etc., in recent years, scientific studies connecting emerging concepts such as water security, water-energy-food nexus and ecosystem based approaches are still in an infant stage which calls for more research connecting these concepts and approaches to SDG 6 targets to attain a sustainable water environment by 2030 and beyond. This paper significantly contributes to tracking the progress in scientific research in connection to SDG 6 as well as highlights the hotspots where more collaboration between scientific communities and policy makers are required.

Comparing digitalization of urban water processes and services in Singapore and Bengaluru

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandan Banerjee ◽  
Chitresh Saraswat ◽  
Anik Bhaduri
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Electronic Monitoring ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Urban Water

<p>Digitalization is claimed to revolutionize water utilities in many urban areas across the world, contributing to urban water security.  It involves the use of Information Technology, Data Analysis and Electronic Monitoring in urban water governance with significant improvements in quality water services and customer satisfaction. However, a holistic success story where digitalization of each and every urban water process and service, is found only in a handful of cities. The challenge in most cases is not the availability of an appropriate digital technology but the implementation of the technology. In our study, we try to find the constraints faced in the implementation processes by assessing the required enabling conditions of digitalization as well as the outcomes. Two cities, Singapore and Bengaluru as case studies were selected to compare the implementation process of Smart Water Meters, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Flood Early Warning. Singapore is a developed city in terms of water with an excellent water management system that provides remarkable water-related services. On the other hand, Bengaluru, a rapidly growing city in India and known for its information technology and digital industry, has embarked on the path towards digitalization in water. The comparison of the implementation of these three technologies provides interesting insights that we have extended to generalized inferences about the implementation of digitalization in urban water. We have found that the enabling conditions such as the existence of enabling technologies, management capacity and conducive policy framework are crucial for implementation. Interestingly, outlining the target problems that digitalization is expected to address is equally important for achieving favourable outcomes. The inferences developed in this study will help the adoption of digital technology by urban water utilities, especially in the developing world and in turn strengthen water security.</p>

scholarly journals Water Governance for Urban Resilience Analysis of Key Factors and the Role of Stakeholders in Metropolitan Area

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wahyu Mulyana ◽  
Emirhadi Suganda
Keyword(s):  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Governance System

Water governance is critical for water security and as enabling condition to achieve urban resilience. Water governance involves multi-actor, multi-sector and multi-level. Water governance system is the foundation for all stakeholders involved in water management in urban areas. Clarity of roles and responsibilities of each actor and coordination at all levels can help to meet the goals of urban water security to be more efficient, effective and inclusive. This article highlights the current water governance in a metropolitan area with level analysis on policy, organizational and operational. This is a multidisciplinary perspective of environmental science and public policy. Bandung Metropolitan Area (BMA) is chosen as a case study. Data and information gathered from secondary sources. The output is an initial baseline of water governance in BMA including key factors shaping water governance and role of stakeholder. This result will be used for the further research on dynamic and adaptive governance on the urban water sector.

Water Governance and Management in Indus Basin - Challenges & Threats

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
The State ◽  
Indus Basin

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document