Defining Urban Water Insecurity: Concepts and Relevance

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhaswati Ray ◽  
Rajib Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Insecurity

Urban Water Insecurity: A Case Study of Homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine DeMyers ◽  
Chloe Warpinski ◽  
Amber Wutich
Keyword(s):  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Insecurity

scholarly journals Interventions to Strengthen Institutional Capacity for Peri-Urban Water Management in South Asia

2021 ◽  
pp. 147-169
Author(s):  
Sharlene L. Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Institutional Capacity ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Practical Applications

AbstractInstitutions, defined as social rules which guide decision-making, are an important feature of peri-urban water governance. Peri-urban institutions structure the access to and management of water resources during rural-to-urban transitions. However, peri-urban areas are dynamic in nature and heterogeneous in composition. This generates challenges for the effectiveness of institutional arrangements. Peri-urban spaces of South Asian cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Khulna demonstrate the various ways in which institutional arrangements influence issues of water insecurity, conflicts, and crises in the urbanisation process. This chapter explores this important dimension and demonstrates ways to intervene in the institutional context of water resources in such transitional settings. Two types of interventions to build institutional capacity are presented. First, the Approach for Participatory Institutional Analysis (APIA), is designed to help peri-urban actors frame problems through an institutional lens and offers skills to navigate the solution space. The second approach, Transformative Pathways, facilitates efforts to cope with the uncertain and dynamic nature of urban transitions. Based on the adaptation pathways approach, it helps peri-urban actors work from their existing situation and design pathways towards more sustainable and resilient futures. Practical applications of these approaches in South Asia offer insights on how to intervene institutionally in water problems during rural-urban transitions.

scholarly journals Socio-political processes must be emphasised alongside climate change and urbanisation as key drivers of urban water insecurity

Water Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Fallon Grasham ◽  
George Neville
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Key Drivers

Abstract Urban water security is of critical global and local importance. Across many parts of low- and middle-income countries, urban water security either remains elusive or is becoming stressed. Rapid urbanisation and climate change are two key drivers of resource insecurity and at the forefront of urban water discourse. However, there are manifold and complex socio-political processes functioning alongside these megatrends that are often underemphasised. Drawing on three urban case studies in Ethiopia, we highlight these structural issues and the need for their continued consideration to fully understand and address urban water insecurity. Household water-use surveys, semi-structured interviews and participatory exercises with community residents, stakeholders and informal water vendors were used as part of a mixed-method approach in three urban areas. We found that government-managed urban water supplies were intermittent and unsafe, resulting in economic, health and time-use burdens for households, and that the socio-political dimensions reproducing urban water insecurity have historical roots. We argue that the uncertainty of climate change and unprecedented urbanisation do not offer sufficient explanation for why urban water insecurity persists. Moreover, we call for caution in only employing these narratives, to avoid obscuring deeply rooted challenges within socio-political systems. We call for socio-political processes to continue to be a central component of future interventions that seek to improve urban water insecurity.

Overcoming Urban Water Insecurity with Infrastructure and Institutions

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (13) ◽  
pp. 4913-4926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie C. Padowski ◽  
Lorenzo Carrera ◽  
James W. Jawitz
Keyword(s):  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Insecurity

scholarly journals Advancing Urban Water Security in the Indus Basin, Pakistan—Priority Actions for Karachi and Lahore

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3399
Author(s):  
Amy Syvrud ◽  
Huw Pohlner ◽  
Jehangir F. Punthakey ◽  
Melita Grant ◽  
Trudy Green
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Indus Basin ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Australian Water ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Priority Action

Despite growing recognition of solutions to water scarcity challenges, decision-makers across the world continue to face barriers to effective implementation of water planning, governance and management. This is evident in the cases of Lahore and Karachi in the Indus Basin in Pakistan and illustrated through the experiences of the provincial government departments and utilities. Water scarcity and associated challenges are continuing to impose significant costs on these cities, which continue to grow as water availability further declines, demand increases, water quality deteriorates, and infrastructure degrades. A team of Australian water experts was commissioned by the Australian Water Partnership to diagnose urban water challenges and identify priority actions for improved water security, in collaboration with Pakistani partners. This paper presents the outcomes of that work. This includes a synthesis of the published literature and data on the geographical, climatic, and water scarcity contexts of both Karachi and Lahore. It then identifies responses to water insecurity that have been considered or implemented in the past and the barriers that have inhibited the effectiveness of these efforts. Finally, it presents actions within five priority action areas that Pakistani stakeholders have identified as being most practical and impactful for improving water security outcomes.

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