Developing Water Security Index for Urban Areas

Abstract Urban areas in low- and middle-income countries are under chronic water stress, and multiple water source use (MWSU) is common. A detailed study on MWSU is necessary for strengthening water security and enhancing household water resilience to natural disasters which is defined as the ability of a household water system that is exposed to a disaster to resist, accommodate, and recover efficiently in a short time. Surveys were conducted in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, before and after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. A classification of resilient and non-resilient households was based on respondents' perception scores of their water systems before the earthquake and one month after. Around 80% of households used two to three water sources, and 70% of households were classified as water resilient. Three characteristics of a water resilient household were: (i) use of greater number of water sources, (ii) use of multiple reliable water sources such as piped water, groundwater, and (iii) use of effective adaptive strategies such as water storage in a bigger container. Since the study showed the practice of MWSU enhanced the resilience, protection and management of local water sources (well, spring, stone spouts) by initiatives of local government or communities or both is recommended.

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A Review of Roof and Pond Rainwater Harvesting Systems for Water Security: The Design, Performance and Way Forward

Water ◽

10.3390/w12113163 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 3163

Author(s):

Husnna Aishah Zabidi ◽

Hui Weng Goh ◽

Chun Kiat Chang ◽

Ngai Weng Chan ◽

Nor Azazi Zakaria

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Rainwater Harvesting ◽

Water Security ◽

Small Scale ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Harvesting Systems ◽

Alternative Water ◽

The Many ◽

Equatorial Climate

Rapid urbanization, population explosion and climate change have threatened water security globally, regionally and locally. While there are many ways of addressing these problems, one of the innovative techniques is the recent employment of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) which include rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS). Therefore, this paper reviews the design and component of two types of RWHS, the namely roof harvesting system (RHS) and the pond harvesting system (PHS). The performance in terms of quantity and quality of collected rainwater and energy consumption for RWHS with different capacities were evaluated, as well as the benefits and challenges particularly in environmental, economic and social aspects. Presently, the RHS is more commonly applied but its effectiveness is limited by its small scale. The PHS is of larger scale and has greater potentials and effectiveness as an alternative water supply system. Results also indicate the many advantages of the PHS especially in terms of economics, environmental aspects and volume of water harvested. While the RHS may be suited to individual or existing buildings, the PHS has greater potentials and should be applied in newly developed urban areas with wet equatorial climate.

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Groundwater Extraction: Implications on Local Water Security of Peri-urban Area of Kathmandu Valley

Nepal Journal of Science and Technology ◽

10.3126/njst.v14i1.8932 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 121-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rajesh Sada ◽

Anushiya Shrestha ◽

Kanchan Karki ◽

Ashutosh Shukla

Keyword(s):

Urban Form ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Local Community ◽

Water Security ◽

Groundwater Table ◽

Local People ◽

Kathmandu Valley ◽

Groundwater Extraction ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Rural Landscapes

The rapid and haphazard urbanization in Kathmandu valley and expansion of built-up area to the peripheral rural landscapes has resulted to formation of peri- urban areas which are now transforming into urban form. This paper examines how the increasing urban water demand has put unprecedented pressure on groundwater sources in the peri-urban areas of Kathmandu valley. Based on the semi-structured interviews with local people, focus group discussions and key informants interviews, the study found that water security at Jhaukhel is closely associated with groundwater and the dependency of local people on it has increased over the years. The implications of the groundwater extraction coupled with sand mining in the area have been manifested in the form of declining groundwater table and drying of traditional water sources. Despite the growing awareness among the local people on the consequences of depleting groundwater table, in absence of strict regulatory mechanism, the exploitation of groundwater has been adding threat to the local eco-hydrology of the area and subjecting the local community to water insecurity. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 14, No. 1 (2013) 121-128 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v14i1.8932

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

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2020.333 ◽

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.

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