Implementation impediments to institutionalising the practice of sustainable urban water management

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 415-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.R. Brown ◽  
L. Sharp ◽  
R.M. Ashley
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Technical Solution ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Narrow Scope ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Management Issues

It is now well accepted that there are significant challenges to realising the widespread and self-sustaining implementation of sustainable urban water management. It is argued that these challenges are entrenched within the broader socio-political framework, yet often unsuccessfully addressed within the more narrow scope of improving technical knowledge and design capacity. This hypothesis is investigated through a comparative analysis of three independent research projects investigating different dimensions of the water cycle, including stormwater management in Australia and sanitary waste management and implementation of innovative technologies in the UK. The analysis reveals significant and common socio-political impediments to improved practice. It was evident that the administrative regime, including implementing professionals and institutions, appears to be largely driven by an implicit expectation that there is a technical solution to solve water management issues. This is in contrast to addressing the issues through broader strategies such as political leadership, institutional reform and social change. It is recognised that this technocratic culture is inadvertently underpinned by the need to demonstrate implementation success within short-term political cycles that conflict with both urban renewal and ecological cycles. Addressing this dilemma demands dedicated socio-technical research programs to enable the much needed shift towards a more sustainable regime.

A cost-sustainability analysis of urban water management

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Icke ◽  
R. M. van den Boomen ◽  
R. H. Aalderink
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Urban Water Cycle

A simple model for the urban water cycle is presented, based on mass balances for water and phosphorus. This model is used for the evaluation of the sustainability rate of the urban water cycle. This type of model is to be used in an early stage of town planning, to compare several possible measures. In general, contributing to achieving a more sustainable urban water management. A sensitivity analysis was performed to rank the management options and additional measures to their contribution to the sustainability rate of the urban water cycle. A module for the calculation of cost was linked to the model, revealing the relation between cost and the sustainability rate for a wide range of scenarios. The results show that an improved separated sewer system and the use of a local ground water source have the biggest impact on the sustainability rate. A slightly positive correlation between investment cost and the sustainability rate was found as well.

Urban water management strategies based on a total urban water cycle model and energy aspects – Case study for Tel Aviv

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Thi Hoang Duong ◽  
Avner Adin ◽  
David Jackman ◽  
Peter van der Steen ◽  
Kala Vairavamoorthy
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Cycle Model ◽  
Tel Aviv ◽  
Energy Aspects ◽  
Urban Water Cycle

Working towards sustainable urban water management: the vulnerability blind spot

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 2362-2369 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Werbeloff ◽  
R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Blind Spot ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Diversity Strategy

The unprecedented water scarcity in Australia coincides with the adoption of a new urban water rhetoric. The ‘Security through Diversity’ strategy has been adopted in a number of Australian cities as a new and innovative approach to urban water management. Although this strategy offers a more holistic approach to urban water management, in practice, the Security through Diversity strategy is largely being interpreted and implemented in a way that maintains the historical dependence on large scale, centralised water infrastructure and therefore perpetuates existing urban water vulnerabilities. This research explores the implementation of Security through Diversity as the new water scarcity response strategy in the cities of Perth and Melbourne. Through a qualitative study with over sixty-five urban water practitioners, the results reveal that the practitioners have absorbed the new Security through Diversity language whilst maintaining the existing problem and solution framework for urban water management. This can be explained in terms of an entrenched technological path dependency and cognitive lock-in that is preventing practitioners from more comprehensively engaging with the complexities of the Security through Diversity strategy, which is ultimately perpetuating the existing vulnerability of our cities. This paper suggests that greater engagement with the underlying purpose of the security though diversity strategy is a necessary first step to overcome the constraints of the traditional technological paradigm and more effectively reduce the continued vulnerability of Australian cities.

Realising sustainable urban water management: Can social theory help?

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Bos ◽  
R. R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
System Change ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management ◽  
Social Theories ◽  
Technical Systems

It has been acknowledged, in Australia and beyond, that existing urban water systems and management lead to unsustainable outcomes. Therefore, our current socio-technical systems, consisting of institutions, structures and rules, which guide traditional urban water practices, need to change. If a change towards sustainable urban water management (SUWM) practices is to occur, a transformation of our established social-technical configuration that shapes the behaviour and decision making of actors is needed. While some constructive innovations that support this transformation have occurred, most innovations remain of a technical nature. These innovative projects do not manage to achieve the widespread social and institutional change needed for further diffusion and uptake of SUWM practices. Social theory, and its research, is increasingly being recognised as important in responding to the challenges associated with evolving to a more sustainable form of urban water management. This paper integrates three areas of social theories around change in order to provide a conceptual framework that can assist with socio-technical system change. This framework can be utilised by urban water practitioners in the design of interventions to stimulate transitions towards SUWM.

The role of membrane technology in sustainable decentralized wastewater systems

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (10) ◽  
pp. 317-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Fane ◽  
S.A. Fane
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Membrane Technology ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sustainable Urban Water Management

Decentralized wastewater treatment has the potential to provide sanitation that meets criteria for sustainable urban water management in a manner that is less resource intensive and more cost effective than centralized approaches. It can facilitate water reuse and nutrient recovery and can potentially reduce the ecological risks of wastewater system failure and the community health risk in a wastewater reuse scheme. This paper examines the potential role of membrane technology in sustainable decentralized sanitation. It is argued that the combination of membrane technology within decentralized systems can satisfy many of the criteria for sustainable urban water management. In particular, the role of membranes as a dependable barrier in the wastewater treatment process can increase system reliability as well as lowering the latent risks due to wastewater reuse. The modular nature of membranes will allow plant size to range from single dwellings, through clusters to suburb size. It is concluded that realization of the potential for membrane-based technologies in decentralized wastewater treatment will require some progress both technically and institutionally. The areas where advances are necessary are outlined.

scholarly journals Integrated urban water resources management strategy for a smart city in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chandran ◽  
S. R. Thiruchelve ◽  
M. Dhanasekarapandian
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Peninsular India ◽  
Integrated Urban Water Management ◽  
Water Management Strategy

Abstract Economic growth of any nation like India depends on growth of cities. In India 31% of total population exists in urban extent. Smart City mission of India was established with the objective to deliver the basic requirements of the citizens in a sustainable manner. Madurai city located at Peninsular India with 1.4 Million population was taken for this study. The objective is to develop an Integrated Urban Water Management Strategy after analysing all the components of Urban Water Cycle such as rainfall, runoff, groundwater and wastewater. The population forecast for 2021 was done for the Local Planning Area (LPA) of 726.34 km2 and the water demand was calculated as 109 Mm3/year. To meet the demand, runoff from the average rainfall was estimated as 393 Mm3/yr using SCS-CN method. The storage capacity in the water bodies to store the Surface water was estimated as 156 Mm3/yr and groundwater recharge potential was estimated as 22 Mm3/yr. The Integrated Urban Water Management strategy developed, shows that there is a huge potential for rainwater storage at the surface level and subsequent recharge through artificial recharge techniques.

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