Every last drop: the role of spatial planning in enhancing integrated urban water management in the City of Cape Town

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.

Download Full-text

Utilising integrated urban water management to assess the viability of decentralised water solutions

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2012.071 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 113-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Stewart Burn ◽

Shiroma Maheepala ◽

Ashok Sharma

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Energy Use ◽

Water System ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Management ◽

City Development ◽

Management Options ◽

Integrated Urban Water Management ◽

Decentralised Systems

Cities worldwide are challenged by a number of urban water issues associated with climate change, population growth and the associated water scarcity, wastewater flows and stormwater run-off. To address these problems decentralised solutions are increasingly being considered by water authorities, and integrated urban water management (IUWM) has emerged as a potential solution to most of these urban water challenges, and as the key to providing solutions incorporating decentralised concepts at a city wide scale. To incorporate decentralised options, there is a need to understand their performance and their impact on a city's total water cycle under alternative water and land management options. This includes changes to flow, nutrient and sediment regimes, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and the impacts on rivers, aquifers and estuaries. Application of the IUWM approach to large cities demands revisiting the fundamental role of water system design in sustainable city development. This paper uses the extended urban metabolism model (EUMM) to expand a logical definition for the aims of IUWM, and discusses the role of decentralised systems in IUWM and how IUWM principles can be incorporated into urban water planning.

Download Full-text

Sustainable Urban Water Management under a Changing Climate: The Role of Spatial Planning

Water ◽

10.3390/w10050546 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 546 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Anna Hurlimann ◽

Elizabeth Wilson

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Management ◽

Changing Climate ◽

Sustainable Urban Water Management

Download Full-text

Mapping Institutional Landscape for Integrated Urban Water Management in Haldwani City, Uttarakhand

New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy ◽

10.53037/na.v6i1.57 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 52-65

Author(s):

Anvita Pandey ◽

Manya Singh ◽

Riyan Habeeb ◽

Vishal Singh

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Rain Water ◽

Water Harvesting ◽

Urban Water ◽

Urban Water Management ◽

Rain Water Harvesting ◽

Integrated Urban Water Management ◽

The City

According to the latest government reports, India is facing evident shortfall of water in various parts of the country, and Himalayan states are likely to suffer the impacts of climate change related to water more than non-Himalayan states. Water resources are expected to affect Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, and future projections are far more upsetting. In this light, sustainable and adaptive strategies such as integrated water resources management, nature-based solutions have been promoted globally for sustainable and integrated urban water management. The paper inquires into functions of respective institutions and their possibilities to adopt possible nature-based solutions such as rain water harvesting in response to water insecurity and adaptation in times of climate change. Taking case of Haldwani city, the paper assesses water demand and supply gaps, the existing water institutions, their scope of work and water management mechanism. Further, the scope of adoption of possible nature-based solution is explored by the purview of their work in water management. This was derived through an in-depth literature review, stakeholder consultations as key informant interviews, and participatory mapping. Haldwani has experienced severe water scarcity due to depletion of groundwater, decline in the discharge rate of river Gaula, and drying of springs in and around the city. Various agencies manage the existing water resources in isolation and mismanagement of water is one of the prominent problems in the city. The paper delves into the nuances of various strategic interventions, and the respective institutional capability to undertake the same. While most of the strategies prevalent at international level are yet to be adopted in context of Himalayan cities, a key finding is that rain water harvesting system can be easily taken up as a nature based solution by each of the institutions since it also falls in their scope of work as well as to meet the city’s present and future water challenges.

Download Full-text