scholarly journals A Comprehensive Index for Measuring Water Security in an Urbanizing World: The Case of Pakistan’s Capital

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Khan ◽  
Yiqing Guan ◽  
Farhan Khan ◽  
Zeeshan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Urban Migration ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Current State ◽  
Health Dimension ◽  
The City

Growing population, increasing urbanization, and rural to urban migration, coupled with the ongoing climate change, threaten the sustainability of cities, particularly in developing countries. Previous studies indicate numerous deficiencies in the water supply and sewage systems of Islamabad; however, a comprehensive insight into the water security assessment has not been carried out. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing the urban water security of Islamabad by taking both human and environmental aspects into consideration. In principle, we achieve this objective by implementing the Water Security Assessment Framework, using five distinct parameters to calculate an urban water security index. The water supply dimension incorporates availability, accessibility, affordability, and the quality of drinking water in the city, whereas, sanitation and health dimension measures access to improved drainage systems as well as the state of overall hygiene of the city inhabitants. Furthermore, the water economy dimension includes water productivity and investment aspects in the study area, while the environment and ecosystem dimension looks into the current state of natural water bodies. Similarly, overall management and public support for freshwater resources are measured in the society and governance dimension. In general, we attempt to better comprehend water-security nexus in the federal capital considering it as a prerequisite to ensure a sustainable future for the city dwellers.

scholarly journals Urban Water Security Assessment Using an Integrated Metabolism Approach—Case Study of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India

Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchira Ghosh ◽  
Arun Kansal ◽  
G Venkatesh
Keyword(s):  
Water System ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
City Region ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Urban Water System ◽  
The City

Water is a non substitutable resource and a social good, which governments must perforce provide to its citizens in the right quantity and quality. An integrated urban metabolism model is useful in understanding the status quo of an urban water and sanitation system. By defining and measuring the values of relevant hydrological performance indicators—deliverables of the model referred to—a thorough knowledge of the present performance and the gaps, which need to be plugged en route to a sustainable urban water infrastructure, can be obtained, as demonstrated in this paper. This then forms the bedrock for decision-making and policy formulation for change to be introduced top-down as well as advice, which would enable the much needed bottom-up support to policies. The authors have chosen Delhi as the case study city, but would like to point out that this application can be reproduced for any other town/city/region of the world. The water balance within the chosen system boundaries shows that the annual unutilized flows, amounting to 1443 million cubic meters, dominate the metabolic flows of water in Delhi, and the annual groundwater withdrawal, which exceeds 420 million cubic meters, is much greater than the recharge rate, resulting in a rapid depletion of the groundwater level. There is an urgent need thereby to improve the rate of infiltration of stormwater and reduce the rate of runoff by focusing on increasing the share of permeable surfaces in the city, as well as to consider the wastewater streams as potential sources of water, while not forgetting demand side of management measures, as the pressure on the urban water system in the city is likely to intensify with a combination of population growth, economic development, and climate change in the near future. The recommendations provided by the authors towards the end of the article, can, if suitable measures are undertaken and robust policies are implemented, result in Delhi’s enjoying a water surplus in the short term, and progressively attain complete sustainability with regard to the utilization of its water resources.

scholarly journals Development of a Generic Domestic Water Security Index, and Its Application in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonas Assefa ◽  
Mukand Babel ◽  
Janez Sušnik ◽  
Victor Shinde
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
The City

Water security is a global concern because of the growing impact of human activities and climate change on water resources. Studies had been performed at global, country, and city level to assess the water security issues. However, assessment of water security at a domestic scale is lacking. This paper develops a new domestic water security assessment framework accounting for water supply, sanitation, and hygiene through twelve indicators. Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene are central to key water-related sustainable development goals. The framework is subsequently applied to the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From the domestic water security assessment of Addis Ababa, the water supply dimension was found to be of good level, whereas the sanitation and hygiene dimensions were of poor and fair level, respectively, indicating both a challenge and an opportunity for development. Because the analysis is spatially explicit at the city-branch level (in Addis), variation in domestic water security performance across Addis Ababa can be assessed, allowing efficient targeting of scant resources (financial, technical, personnel). Analysis further shows that a lack of institutional capacity within the utility, existing infrastructure leading to ‘lock-in’ and hindering maintenance and upgrade initiatives, and an unreliable power supply are the main issues leading to poor domestic water security in the study city. These areas should be tackled to improve the current situation and mitigate future problems. The developed framework is generic enough to be applied to other urban and peri-urban areas, yet provides planners and policy makers with specific information on domestic water security considering water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and accounting for within-city variability. This work could therefore have practical applicability for water service providers.

scholarly journals Analysis of water yield service of Lianshui River Basin in China based on ecosystem services flow model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zou ◽  
DeHua Mao
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Service Flow

Abstract Water security assessment is very important to social development. However, most studies only focus on the status quo of water security in a static state and ignore the flow characteristics of water resources into the water security assessment. This paper integrates multi-source data to construct a water supply and service supply-demand balance and spatial flow model in the Lianshui River Basin, simulates the spatial pattern of the service flow of the aquatic water ecosystem in the Lianshui River Basin from 1990 to 2018, and quantifies the service flow. Results show that (1) From 1990 to 2018, the water supply in the Lianshui River Basin first decreased, then increased, and finally decreased. Water yield was the highest in 2010 and lowest in 2000. (2) Water demand increased year by year, and the amount of area with a poor water resource security index increased, indicating that water security was deteriorating. (3) The four main beneficiary areas in the basin are the urban area of Lianyuan City, the county seat of Shuangfeng County, the Louxing District of Loudi City, and the urban area of Xiangxiang City and nearby towns. The service flow showed the same changing trend as the water yield. In 2018, the water resource gap in the beneficiary area was as high as 4.49 billion m3. Local governments should actively build a water-saving society, improve the efficiency of industrial and agricultural water-saving and residents' awareness of water-saving, and improve the water resources in the river basin. The research can provide a scientific basis for realizing the sustainable development of water resources in the Lianshui River Basin and improving the ecological compensation mechanism, and can also provide references for water resources management in other river basins.

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.

Linking Forest to Faucets in a Distant Municipal Area: Public Support for Forest Restoration and Water Security in Albuquerque, New Mexico

2017 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
pp. 1650019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dadhi Adhikari ◽  
Jennifer A. Thacher ◽  
Janie M. Chermak ◽  
Robert P. Berrens
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Wildfire Risk ◽  
Preference Uncertainty ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Respondent Uncertainty

Reducing wildfire risk through forest restoration is vital for the sustainability of watersheds and the human systems that depend upon them. However, identifying public support and securing necessary funding to cover restoration costs is an important implementation challenge. Payment for ecosystem services models may help meet restoration objectives. While examples exist that show how funds can be generated from the public living near forestlands, an unresolved issue is whether households in a relatively distant municipal area would significantly support wildfire risk reduction efforts. This is an important issue as distant households often receive benefits from wildfire risk reductions, such as water source protection for municipal drinking water supply. The objective of this paper is to analyze survey-based contingent valuation data to investigate public support among urban Albuquerque, New Mexico (NM) households for restoration of a watershed that impacts the urban water supply security, but is spatially removed from the urban area. Econometric results show evidence of both significant public support for forest restoration-linking forests to faucets- and the importance of accounting for respondent uncertainty. The latter involves both: (i) uncertainty in the preferences for water security as an important collectively provided good (“preference uncertainty”); and (ii) uncertainty in the possibility that restoration activities across a forested landscape or watershed might actually deliver improved water security (“delivery uncertainty”). Econometric estimation results from a Double Hurdle model indicate a mean annual household willingness to pay (WTP) of US$[Formula: see text]64.44 (with a 95% of confidence interval of US$[Formula: see text]61.57–US$[Formula: see text]67.31), and corresponding median WTP of US$[Formula: see text]37.76 (US$[Formula: see text]36.16–US$[Formula: see text]39.37), for forest restoration that reduces wildfire risk and provides water source protection.

scholarly journals Controlling water infrastructure and codifying water knowledge: institutional responses to severe drought in Barcelona (1620–1650)

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 913-927
Author(s):  
Santiago Gorostiza ◽  
Maria Antònia Martí Escayol ◽  
Mariano Barriendos
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
City Government ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Significant Information ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Institutional Responses ◽  
The City

Abstract. Combining historical climatology and environmental history, this article examines the diverse range of strategies deployed by the city government of Barcelona (Catalonia, NE Spain) to confront the recurrent drought episodes experienced between 1626 and 1650. Our reconstruction of drought in Barcelona for the period 1525–1821, based on pro pluvia rogations as documentary proxy data, identifies the years 1626–1635 and the 1640s as the most significant drought events of the series (highest drought frequency weighted index and drought duration index). We then focus on the period 1601–1650, providing a timeline that visualises rain rogation levels in Barcelona at a monthly resolution. Against this backdrop, we examine institutional responses to drought and discuss how water scarcity was perceived and confronted by Barcelona city authorities. Among the several measures implemented, we present the ambitious water supply projects launched by the city government, together with the construction of windmills as an alternative to watermills, as a diversification strategy aimed at coping better with diminishing water flows. We pay special attention to the institutional efforts to codify the knowledge about Barcelona's water supply, which in 1650 resulted in the Book of Fountains of the City of Barcelona (Llibre de les Fonts de la Ciutat de Barcelona). This manual of urban water supply, written by the city water officer after 3 decades of experience in his post, constitutes a rare and valuable source to study water management history but also includes significant information to interpret historical climate. We analyse the production of this manual in the context of 3 decades marked by recurrent episodes of severe drought. We interpret the city government aspiration to codify knowledge about urban water supply as an attempt to systematise and store historical information on infrastructure to improve institutional capacities to cope with future water scarcities.

scholarly journals An Overview of the Impacts of Land Use Land Cover Changes (1980–2014) on Urban Water Security of Kolkata

Land ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subham Mukherjee ◽  
Wiebke Bebermeier ◽  
Brigitta Schütt
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
The City ◽  
Water Issues ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Urban Water Security is essential in urban planning to manage cities’ water infrastructures and strengthen their water stress resilience and adaptive capacities. Decision making, governance and socio-economic factors play important roles in achieving Urban Water Security. Kolkata is a growing megacity in a developing country, which is facing rising pressures on water-environmental provisions due to the rapid population growth and urbanization and resultant governance and infrastructural issues. This review focusses on Kolkata, which is facing critical water issues, as a case study. The study presents an overview of the urban water (in)security and its dimensions in Kolkata city, such as water consumption and distribution in the city along with the changing land use-land cover of the city area, based on the results obtained from the satellite data-based land use-land cover classification, available literature, and documents from public institutions.

Robust technology and policy pathways to urban water security

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Zaniolo ◽  
Sarah Fletcher ◽  
Meagan Mauter
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
City Planning ◽  
Pareto Frontier ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Support Tool

<p>Increasingly frequent and severe droughts are jeopardizing urban water security in water stressed regions, but cities also struggle to justify the costs and energy consumption of some drought-resilient technologies. Previous literature in urban water modeling developed strategies to expand and diversify urban water supply portfolios to enhance water resilience cost effectively.  This literature has also demonstrated that high-resolution, household-level modeling is necessary to represent the real energy footprint of different water technologies and the integration of centralized and decentralized water solutions. This urban-focused modeling scale, however, does not support the characterization of water availability at extra-urban sources resulting from watershed-wide hydrological processes. Conversely, watershed-scale water resources planning characterizes water variability and stress, supports climate change analysis, but overlooks key distributional and technological aspects. </p><p>This project develops a watershed-to-end-user decision support tool for cost-effective, adaptive water augmentation pathways to ensure robustness in many climate futures. The novelty of our work lies in a true multiscale modeling framework that captures the complex system dynamics that link climate impacts to household water security. A robust, multi-objective, evolutionary-based optimization framework (i.e., EMODPS) is used to derive the technology portfolio, deployment location, and construction timing that defines a city’s Pareto frontier of water resilience and cost. This work informs urban water resource planners, as well as guides technology innovation by explicitly valuing technology attributes that enable resilience to droughts of varying duration, severity, and intensity. We apply this model to the City of Santa Barbara, California, given the time relevance to city planning efforts, the diversified water supply mix, and the relative isolation of the community, enclosed between the ocean and a mountain range.</p>

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