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.

Water Governance and Management in Indus Basin - Challenges & Threats

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
The State ◽  
Indus Basin

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.

The myth of abundance: water resources in humid regions

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1065-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Praskievicz
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Riparian System ◽  
Anglophone World ◽  
Effective Water

Abstract Water resources in humid regions are perceived as abundant, and water-governance systems are based on the expectation of consistent availability of water to meet all needs. In arid regions, in contrast, the operating assumption is that water is a scarce resource that must be allocated systematically to avoid conflict. The ‘myth of abundance’ common in humid regions is counterproductive to effective water governance. This paper provides an overview of the concepts of water scarcity and water security and explains how water governance in humid regions fits into these frameworks. It then addresses the riparian system for allocating water rights and how this system promotes the myth of abundance. Three case studies are presented from humid regions of the Anglophone world, highlighting the shortcomings of abundance-based water-governance systems in these regions. Finally, the water-security framework is advocated as an alternative that addresses fundamental flaws of the abundance-based approach, namely issues related to ecosystems, water quality, disasters, and conflict. Using a goal of water security, rather than a perception of abundance, as the basis for water governance will lead to improved outcomes, especially given future climate change and population growth.

scholarly journals Use of Risk Analysis for Water Security Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
pp. 02008
Author(s):  
Samah Jabari ◽  
Isam Shahrour ◽  
Jamal khatabi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Security Level ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Security Issue ◽  
Palestinian Territory

This paper presents analysis of water security using risk analysis. It contributes to an enhanced understanding of the water security issue through creating indicators and their use in the determination of the water security level. The paper presents first the methodology followed in this research, which includes three steps: identification of water risk drivers, the determination of their severity and likelihood and finally the calculation of the water security score. The paper presents the first step of the application of this methodology to Palestinian territory through the identification of the drivers of the water risk and the levels of both the severity and likelihood to be used in future water security assessment.

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 Unravelling intractable water conflicts: the entanglement of science and politics in decision-making on a large hydraulic infrastructure project

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonatan Godinez-Madrigal ◽  
Nora Van Cauwenbergh ◽  
Pieter van der Zaag
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Science Policy ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Epistemic Uncertainty ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Conflicts ◽  
Use Of Models

Abstract. Global trends suggest that cities around the world are increasingly depleting available water resources. A common strategy is to opt for supply augmentation infrastructure. However, this response can be a financial and social burden for many cities, because they entail developing expensive infrastructure and can trigger social conflicts. Science is often expected to play a key role in informing policymakers and social actors to clarify controversies surrounding policy responses to water scarcity. However, managing conflicts is a socio-political process, and the use of models may have the effect of de-politicizing such processes; conveying the idea that optimal solutions can be objectively identified despite the many perspectives and interests at play. This raises the question whether science can depoliticize water conflicts, or whether instead conflicts politicize science-policy processes? We use the Zapotillo dam and water transfer project in Mexico to analyze the roles of science-policy processes in water conflicts. The Zapotillo project aims at augmenting urban water supply to Guadalajara and León, two large cities in Western Mexico, but a social and legal conflict has stalled the project until today. To analyze the conflict and how stakeholders make sense of it, we interviewed the most relevant actors and studied negotiations between different interest groups through participant observation. To examine the role of science-policy processes in the conflict, we mobilized concepts of epistemic uncertainty and ambiguity and analyzed the design and use of water resources models produced by key actors aiming to resolve the conflict. While the use of models is a proven method to construct future scenarios and test different strategies, the parameterization of scenarios and their results depend on the knowledge and/or interests of actors who own the model. We found that in the Zapotillo case, scenarios reflected the interests and strategies of actors on one side of the conflict, resulting in increased distrust by the opposing actors. We conclude that the dilemma of achieving urban water security through investing in either large infrastructure (supply augmentation) or alternative strategies (demand-side management), cannot be resolved if some key interested parties have not been involved in the scientific processes framing the problem and solution space.

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.

RAHU Project: Assessing water security and climate change adaptation strategies in the glaciated Vilcanota-Urubamba river basin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Rau ◽  
Wouter Buytaert ◽  
Fabian Drenkhan ◽  
Waldo Lavado ◽  
Juan Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Vulnerability Assessment ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

<p>The Peruvian Andes are a hotspot of vulnerabilities to impacts in water resources due to the propensity for water stress, the highly unpredictable weather, the sensitivity of glaciers, and the socio-economic vulnerability of its population. In this context, we selected the Vilcanota-Urubamba catchment in Southern Peru for addressing these challenges aiming at our objectives within a particular hydrological high-mountain context in the tropical Andes: a) Develop a fully-distributed, physically-based glacier surface energy balance model that allows for a realistic representation of glacier dynamics in glacier melt projections; b) Design and implement a glacio-hydrological monitoring and data collection approach to quantify non-glacial contributions to water resources and the impact of catchments interventions; c) Mapping of human water use at high spatiotemporal resolution and determining current and future levels of water (in)security; and d) Integrate last objectives in a glacier - water security assessment model and evaluate the tool's capacity to support locally embedded climate change adaptation strategies. </p><p>The RAHU project intends to transform the scientific understanding of the impact of glacier shrinkage on water security and, at the same time, to connect to and inform policy practices in Peru. It follows a "source to tap" paradigm, in which is planned to deliver a comprehensive and fully integrated water resources vulnerability assessment framework for glacier-fed basins, comprising state-of-the-art glaciology, hydrology, water demand characterisation, and water security assessment. It includes glacio-hydrological and water resources monitoring campaigns, to complement existing monitoring efforts of our project partners and collaborators, and new remotely sensed data sets. Those campaigns will be implemented using the principles and tools of participatory monitoring and knowledge co-creation that our team has pioneered in the tropical Andes. The datasets produced by this approach, combined with existing monitoring implemented by our team and collaborators, will allow us to build an integrated water supply-demand-vulnerability assessment model for glacierized basins, and to use this to evaluate adaptation strategies at the local scale. </p><p>This research is part of the multidisciplinary collaboration between British and Peruvian scientists (Newton Fund, Newton-Paulet).</p>

Taking a livelihood perspective to building urban water resilience: Potential and challenges in Addis Ababa

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liku Workalemahu Habtemariam ◽  
KetemaAbebe Tufa ◽  
Lise Byskov Herslund ◽  
Patience Mguni
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Urban Agriculture ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Policy Frameworks

This article explores how livelihoods in two typical communities, condominium housing and urban agriculture cooperatives, in Addis Ababa manage water resources and green spaces in order to identify key challenges and potentials for building water-resilient livelihoods. Results show that livelihoods in the two communities are heavily affected by water stress. Being dependent on natural assets makes the farming community vulnerable, but also more flexible than people in condominiums who are locked into a malfunctioning water infrastructure. However, there is potential for building water-resilient livelihoods, if broader policy frameworks are bottom-linked with locally specific situations using landscape-based stormwater management.

Urban Domestic Water Governance in the Philippines: Paradigms and Capacities

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 69-99
Author(s):  
Dennis V. Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Good Governance ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Policy Capacity ◽  
Legal Foundations ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Legal Frameworks

Abstract The paper analyzes urban water governance paradigms in the Philippines using available literature and describes the various water policies with specific emphasis on the underlying main legal frameworks which relate to urban domestic water governance. It also focuses on various urban domestic water governance actors, institutions and stakeholders involved and engaged in water governance as an added dimension. Employing a synthesis integrative review and policy-capacity analysis, the paper proposes some key policy-capacity solutions in which urban domestic water governance actors and stakeholders can adopt and replicate, such as capacity-building, epistemic governance, and hydrosolidarity, as possible recommendations or ways forward in urban domestic water good governance studies. Finally, the paper recommends the need for potential review and reform of the main legal foundations, functions, and responsibilities of water institutions through the assignment and determination of jurisdictional capacities exclusively to specialized agencies within the urban domestic water governance framework.

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