Towards sustainable urban water management: A critical reassessment

Within the literature, concerns have been raised that centralised urban water systems are maladapted to challenges associated with climate change, population growth and other socio-economic and environmental strains. This paper provides a critical assessment of the discourse that surrounds emerging approaches to urban water management and infrastructure provision. As such, ‘sustainable urban water management’ (SUWM) concepts are scrutinized to highlight the limitations and strengths in the current lines of argument and point towards unaddressed complexities in the transformational agendas advocated by SUWM proponents. Taking an explicit infrastructure view, it is shown that the specific context of the urban water sector means that changes to infrastructure systems occur as an incremental hybridisation process. This process is driven by a range of factors including lock-in effects of legacy solutions, normative values and vested interests of agents, cost and performance certainty and perceptions of risk. Different views of these factors help explain why transformational agendas have not achieved the change SUWM proponents call for and point to the need for a critical reassessment of the system effects and economics of alternative service provision models.     

Context driven policy design in urban water management. A case study of Windhoek,Namibia

Urban water management in the southern cities of Namibia is composed through both a formal and an informal system. In the formal system, controlling demand is the key issue, and in the informal system, an improved accessibility to water is fundamental. The main issue raised in this paper is how authorities can support an ever-increasing poor population with water and at the same time keep demand among households with private water connections at a reasonable level. To decrease the demand for water in Windhoek, a thorough water demand management strategy (WDM) was launched in 1994. Water managers showed a high level of adaptability to the alarming water situation. One of the lessons learned from the implementation in Windhoek is that dedicated people with active involvement and vision are important for successful WDM. The budget must be allocated on a continuous basis for the implementation of certain WDM measures and a degree of flexibility among water users is important for the strategy to be successful. The dual situation experienced in cities in the South where both a need to expand services, and at the same time control demand, calls for a new approach in urban water management. Strategies need to be socially specific and flexible to changing pre-conditions. Therefore, a context driven policy design is advocated.     

Demand management aspects of urban water policy in the industrial sector: the case of the city of Thessaloniki,Greece

The present paper presents the main results of a research project. It deals with consumers' perception of water issues in the industrial sector, and examines and analyses water use patterns, water conservation methods and water pricing issues. Issues presented are the contribution of water to production processes, water consumption levels, water conservation options, the possibility of construction of a dual water supply system, the evaluation of different pricing policies, the willingness to pay (WTP) and the potential impact of a price increase. The study has shown that there is limited use of recycling methods, few pollution control practices and small effect of industrial water price on water consumption levels. As far as industrial consumers are concerned, they present inaccurate perception of water consumption levels and low willingness to pay for the improvement of water services.     

Sustainable water use and the nexus of behavioural intentions: the case of four South African communities

South Africa continues to ramp up public campaigns to rein in escalating water demand against the backdrop of dwindling and erratic supply. While the water conservation campaign appears to resonate with commercial and urban water users, it does not seem to have gained traction with rural and periurban residents. Using the sequential mixed methods, this paper explores the water conservation attitudes, behaviour and intentions of rural and periurban respondents in four South African communities. Results reveal respondents consider water conservation important and are favourably disposed to conserving water. Attitude, subjective norm and behavioural control emerged as significant factors influencing respondents’ water conservation intentions. The study concludes that rural and periurban residents are yet to develop a social ethic of water conservation essential in creating sustainability of resource use.     

Water resources management in the Jordan River Basin

The Jordan River Basin is under great hydric stress. Increases in population and agricultural demand are contributing to the closure of the basin. This paper analyses the results of integrated water resources planning model (WEAP) by studying the vulnerability of water resources in the lower Jordan River under a changing climate pattern and growing water demands. Water balance models show that all aquifers supplying the city of Amman will be depleted within the next few decades. Mitigation measures should include the introduction of additional water into the basin through the Red Sea–Dead Sea canal, in addition to demand management measures such as water conservation and increase in irrigation efficiency. The findings of this study would provide a useful guide to the co‐riparians for policy formulation, decision making and dispute resolution. Cooperation among the five riparian countries may be improved by building a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that provides access to accurate data for hydrological analysis.     

北方缺水地区水资源可持续利用管理途径研究

对北方地区的水资源现状与配置状况进行了分析,指出了目前北方地区水资源利用存在的问题,提出水资源的合理开发利用需要一套行之有效的管理途径,并从政府政策管理方面研究了该管理途径,以合理有效地利用水资源。     

Desert reclamation,a management system for sustainable urban expansion

Urbanisation is occurring at an unprecedented scale worldwide, with developing countries claiming the biggest share. Developing countries are increasingly facing enormous pressures to manage their urban and rural areas challenged by limited resources, exploding numbers of population and rising expectations for a higher quality of life. Sustainability is central to the management of existing and newly developed areas. It can offer a comprehensive discourse for understanding the functioning of cities and their hinterlands, with an aim to achieve a balance between environmental, economic and social issues for current and future generations. Managing the urbanization of newly developed areas requires innovative thinking and an ability to predict and evaluate the impacts of possible futures. As the new map of Egypt is redrawn and much hope lies on the development of its deserts constituting 95% of the total land area, an efficient process of directing and facilitating urban development is urgently required. This paper presents an Urban Sustainable Management System (USMS) using the process of Integrated Assessment to assess three possible development scenarios based on different economic bases for new developments on desert reclaimed land. Indicators of a quantitative and qualitative nature are used to describe environmental, social and economic capitals of three scenarios as well as setting targets towards the aim of sustainability. Pressure points hindering the sustainable development of reclaimed land are drawn under the three different scenarios. The USMS provides an urban management system that overcomes difficulties of data availability, combines interdisciplinary knowledge and deals with uncertainties of future developments; struggles decisionmakers confront across the divide but more so in developing countries.     

浅析房地产开发中给排水工程前期管理的问题和措施

分析了房地产开发中给排水工程施工前期阶段,质量控制管理的方法、重点和难点,以透彻领悟如何搞好房地产开发中给排水工程的前期管理,促进房地产项目顺利开展,保证房企在经济危机“寒流”中生存下来并获得稳步发展。     

Water issues in Kuwait: a future sustainable vision

Kuwait, an arid country, has an acute lack of natural groundwater resources, an increasing demand for water supply, but no clear plan for water management. On this basis, a future water crisis will be inevitable. This paper offers proposals that could lead to the sustainable management of water resources in Kuwait. The objective should be less the increase of supply than the improvement of its reliability and quality. The establishment of a unified water authority is desirable.     

Urban water demand management: prospects and challenges for the developing countries

As the traditional supply-driven urban water management is not sustainable, water utilities should embrace water demand management (WDM) measures to meet increasing water demand. Developed countries are using different technological and management measures to reduce urban water demand as a part of their integrated urban water management strategy. However, all these measures might not be directly applicable for the developing countries. Furthermore, the developing countries might not have access to the technologies and skilled manpower as well as institutional set-up to apply these measures properly. In this context, this paper reviews the different tools, techniques and measures of urban water demand management (UWDM) applied in the developed countries and critically analyses the prerequisites, prospects and constraints likely to be faced in developing countries in adopting these techniques and measures. Furthermore, it outlines a set of activities that will best help the developing countries in attaining the full benefit of UWDM.     

Evaluating demand management aspects of urban water policy—A field survey in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece

The objective of the paper is to investigate the attitudes and preferences of the residential water users of the city of Thessaloniki, in order to evaluate the demand management aspects of the urban water policy. A field survey has been conducted in the city of Thessaloniki and investigated among others the reliability of the utility’s services and infrastructure, the acceptability of various water demand options, the willingness to pay of the consumers and the level of public awareness. Straightforward comparisons with the results of a similar survey five years ago help extract useful remarks and conclusions concerning the shift of the urban water policy towards integrated and therefore more sustainable directions.     

Challenges and alternatives for unmanned underwater vehicular research in the Amazon basin: Towards a more sustainable management of water resources and the environment

The Amazon basin is one of the largest hydrographic systems in the world, possessing a great diversity of natural resources in need of more sustainable water and environmental management. However, as much of what lies beneath the surface of Amazonian waters is still unexplored, underwater exploration technologies are seen as a means of research and monitoring. The present work therefore aims to answer two research questions: What are the current technologies that could be implemented for unmanned underwater research in the Amazon waters? What are the main limitations and existing alternatives for using unmanned underwater vehicles in the rivers of this region to provide more sustainable water and environment management? Our results demonstrate that remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are possible options in the short and long terms, respectively. The main challenges in implementing these technologies are related to the variations in hydraulic geometry, current velocities and turbidity of the rivers, as well as the preservation of the region's biodiversity. This research can be taken as a starting point for planners and decision makers seeking more sustainable underwater and environmental exploration of the Amazon river system.     

A next step for sustainable urban design in the Netherlands

The Dutch Working Group on Sustainable Urban Development has recently delivered its publication Sustainable Urban Design, The Next Step (Meijer & Dubbeling, 2010). The book (to be referred to here as The Next Step) includes six examples of sustainable urban design and three major essays. The Working Group is a broad group of experts from the Dutch professional societies for urban designers and planners (BNSP) and landscape architects (NVTL). (The working group consists of urban designers, urban planers and landscape architects from the Netherlands.) It seeks to take the thinking and practice of sustainable urban design a step further: from sustainable urban design to sustainable spatial development. This paper explains this next stage which has been developed through a review of the literature, the inputs of the Working Group and the lessons learned from the case studies described in the book. Although the case study projects are sometimes more than 12 years old and are rooted in a specific Dutch societal and spatial context, they provide interesting, even up to date, insights for the planning of sustainable and durable cities. They are also compared to some projects in other European countries.This paper looks at why a renewed approach to sustainable urban design is both necessary and rewarding. It then turns to the renewed approach and putting it into practice. Based upon the case studies, new possibilities for the design of sustainable and durable cities are highlighted.     

实现水资源可持续利用应重视的几个问题

分析了我国水资源特点,研究了水资源开发利用中存在的问题,以工程水利向资源水利、可持续发展水利的转变为指导,提出了实现水资源可持续利用应重视的几个问题.     

A review of residential water conservation tool performance and influences on implementation effectiveness

Water scarcity and household water consumption has received increasing attention on national public agendas in recent years. At the same time a number of important demand-side management (DSM) studies have been reported on by non-academic institutions, and there is a need for a comprehensive, up to date review of the impacts of DSM tools and the factors which influence their effectiveness. This paper aims to address an apparent lack of coverage in the academic literature by presenting a review of residential DSM tools using reports of recent DSM campaigns in the western (developed) world. The central objectives are to understand the potential for residential DSM tools to save water in different types of household under varying conditions and to identify influences on implementation effectiveness. In the discussion, we explore causes of uncertainty in DSM planning including the non-transferability of trends and existing methods of evaluation, and describe some of the resulting problems. The conclusions offer recommendations as to areas that require, and offer the greatest scope, for future research. This review article will be of interest to, among others, water company professionals, policy makers, regulators, researchers, and environmental agencies.     

Risk‐based water resources planning in practice: a blueprint for the water industry in England

Resilient water supplies in England need to be secured in the face of challenges of population growth, climate change and environmental sustainability. We propose a blueprint for water resources planning that uses system simulation modelling to estimate the frequency, duration and severity of water shortages at present and in the context of future plans and scenarios. We use multiobjective optimisation tools to explore trade‐offs between these risk metrics and cost of alternative plans, and we use sensitivity analysis to identify plans that robustly achieve targets for tolerable risk, alongside other performance objectives. The results of a case study in the Thames basin demonstrate that the proposed methodology is feasible given commonly available data sets and models. The proposed method provides evidence with which to develop water resource management plans that demonstrably balance the risks of water shortages, costs to water users and environmental constraints in an uncertain future.     

Measurement indicators and an evaluation approach for assessing urban sustainable development: A case study for China's Jining City

Cities are complex ecosystems affected by social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors. The problem of attaining urban sustainable development is thus an important challenge. The development of evaluation indicators and a method for assessing the status of urban sustainable development will be required to support urban ecological planning, construction, and management. By using Jining City in China's Shandong Province as a case study, the authors developed a system of 52 indicators of urban sustainable development that address economic growth and efficiency, ecological and infrastructural construction, environmental protection, social and welfare progress. The authors developed a Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator method to evaluate the capacity for urban sustainable development at different times during the next two decades. The results of our research indicate that the value of a synthetic indicator for sustainable development of Jining City was 0.24 in 2004, which indicates a low level of sustainable development. According to the ecological planning of Jining City (2004–2020), the indicator will improve to 0.45 in 2007 and 0.62 in 2010, indicating significant improvements in sustainable development, and will reach 0.90 in 2020, indicating excellent potential for sustainable development. The Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator method provides a comprehensive, intuitive approach that reflects the system integration principle that the whole can be more than the sum of its parts. The approach thus provides a promising basis for decision-making to support urban sustainable development and monitoring of the effectiveness of these decisions.     

Evaluation of water quality in an agricultural watershed as affected by almond pest management practices

In the last decade, the detection of organophosphate (OP) pesticides in the San Joaquin River watershed has raised concerns about water quality. This study examined the influences of almond pest management practices (PMPs) on water quality. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was employed to simulate pesticide concentration in water as affected by different PMPs. California Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) data were used to investigate PMP use trends. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to test the correlation between specific PMP use and pesticide concentrations in surface water and sediment. Our results showed an increasing use of reduced risk pesticides and pyrethroids on almonds. SWAT simulation over the period of 1992-2005 showed decreases in OP concentrations in surface water. High OP and pyrethroid use in dormant sprays was associated with high pesticide concentrations in water and sediment. Almond pesticide use was proved to have significant impacts on the pesticide load in the San Joaquin River watershed. The PMP which combines the use of reduced risk pesticides with no dormant spray was recommended for almond orchard use. This paper presented a novel method of studying the environmental impacts of different agricultural PMPs. By combining pesticide use surveys with watershed modeling, we provided a quantitative foundation for the selection of PMPs to reduce pesticide pollution in surface water.     

Environmental,social and economic information management for the evaluation of sustainability in urban areas: A system of indicators for Thessaloniki,Greece

The use of indicators constitutes internationally an important tool for assessing the progress achieved towards sustainable development. Measuring the sustainability in urban areas – which are crucial engines of local socio-economic development, but at the same time present concentration points of environmental decay – is a major challenge for environmental managers and decision-makers. This paper aims at the development and utilisation of a system of indicators as a dynamic tool for the management of environmental, social and economic information in order to evaluate sustainability in urban areas. In this context, guidelines for the system’s development and use are proposed, together with a suggestion for its communication among local stakeholders. An application of this system is demonstrated through a case study using the Greater Thessaloniki Area, Greece, a domain with considerable socio-economic development, which is also encountering significant environmental pressures.