Rethinking Water Management

If water resources are to be distributed efficiently, equitably and cost-effectively in this rapidly changing world, then it is clear that current water management practices are no longer feasible. Innovative approaches are required to meet the increasing water demands of a growing world population and economy and the needs of the ecosystems supporting them. New approaches have to be employed at global, national and local levels. In Rethinking Water Management, a new generation of water experts from around the world examine the critical challenges confronting the water profession, including rainwater and groundwater management, recycling and reuse, water rights, transboundary access to water and financing of water. They offer important new perspectives on the use, management and conservation of fresh water, in terms of both quantity and quality, for the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors, and show how a new set of paradigms can be applied to successfully manage water for the future. Caroline Figueres is Head of the Urban Infrastructure Department at UNESCO-IHE Water Education Institute in The Netherlands.Cecilia Tortajada is Vice President of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico and Vice President-elect of the International Water Resources Association. Johan Rockstr'm is Water Resources Expert at UNESCO-IHE.

If water resources are to be distributed efficiently, equitably and cost-effectively in this rapidly changing world, then it is clear that current water management practices are no longer feasible. Innovative approaches are required to meet the increasing water demands of a growing world population and economy and the needs of the ecosystems supporting them. New approaches have to be employed at global, national and local levels. In Rethinking Water Management, a new generation of water experts from around the world examine the critical challenges confronting the water profession, including ra.

If water resources are to be distributed efficiently, equitably and cost-effectively in this rapidly changing world, then it is clear that current water management practices are no longer feasible. Innovative approaches are required to meet the increasing water demands of a growing world population and economy and the needs of the ecosystems supporting them. New approaches have to be employed at global, national and local levels. In Rethinking Water Management, a new generation of water experts from around the world examine the critical challenges confronting the water profession, including rainwater and groundwater management, recycling and reuse, water rights, transboundary access to water and financing of water. They offer important new perspectives on the use, management and conservation of fresh water, in terms of both quantity and quality, for the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors, and show how a new set of paradigms can be applied to successfully manage water for the future. Caroline Figueres is Head of the Urban Infrastructure Department at UNESCO-IHE Water Education Institute in The Netherlands. Cecilia Tortajada is Vice President of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico and Vice President-elect of the International Water Resources Association. Johan Rockström is Water Resources Expert at UNESCO-IHE.

As we approach a historic tipping point in the global trend toward urbanisation – within two decades urban dwellers will increase from 49% to 60% of the planet’s population – this book identifies and addresses a critical problem: water. The editors show how cities can shift from being water consumers to resource managers, applying urban water management principles to ensure access to water and sanitation infrastructure and services; manage rainwater, wastewater, storm water drainage, and runoff pollution; control waterborne diseases and epidemics; and reduce the risk of such water-related hazards as floods, droughts and landslides. The book explores the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) paradigm, offering a section on the MUS approach and a means of calculating the value of MUS systems, as well as tools and resources to support decision-making. Case studies illustrate MUS in selected urban and rural contexts. Each case study breaks out the challenges, policy framework, benefits, benchmarks, lessons learned (success and failures) and potential next steps. The contributors consider the main options for applying the Multiple-Use Water Services (MUS) paradigm, breaking down its components and offering cost-benefit analyses along with challenges and considerations for both the short and long term. Also discussed are methods by which mutual interactions of water infrastructure and vegetated areas are taken into account in the synergy of spatial planning and optimised modelling of ecosystems’ performance indicators. This method of planning should make future developments cheaper to build; their users will pay lower utility bills for water, energy and heating. These developments will be more pleasant to live in and property value would likely be higher. The brief includes a section on the MUS approach and a means to calculate the value of MUS systems, as well as provides tools and resources to support decision-making. Case studies are included to illustrate MUS in selected urban and rural contexts. Each case study breaks out the challenges, policy framework, benefits, benchmarks, lessons learned (success and failures) and potential next steps.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book aims to inspire decision makers and practitioners to change their approach to climate planning in the tropics through the application of modern technologies for characterizing local climate and tracking vulnerability and risk, and using decision-making tools. Drawing on 16 case studies conducted mainly in the Caribbean, Central America, Western and Eastern Africa, and South East Asia it is shown how successful integration of traditional and modern knowledge can enhance disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change in the tropics. The case studies encompass both rural and urban settings and cover different scales: rural communities, cities, and regions. In addition, the book looks to the future of planning by addressing topics of major importance, including residual risk integration in local development plans, damage insurance and the potential role of climate vulnerability reduction credits. In many regions of the tropics, climate planning is growing but has still very low quality. This book identifies the weaknesses and proposes effective solutions.

This document, which examines various topics and issues related to the management of freshwater supplies, is organized into 6 main sections. These sections include: (1) the water cycle and renewable supplies, providing data on distribution of such supplies by continent and average annual per capita runoff produced in selected countries with projections for the year 2000; (2) competing uses for water, providing data on world water use (total and per capita) for 1940-80, growth in irrigated areas (by continent) for 1950-82, and estimated water use in selected countries (total, per capita, and sector) for 1980; (3) the environmental and economic consequences of mismanaging water supplies, indicating the status of excessive water withdrawals in selected regions; (4) the augmenting of dependable supplies, providing data on reservoir capacity in selected countries for 1970 with projections to 1990 and listing selected major river diversion projects; (5) water conservation in the United States and foreign countries; and (6) priorities for a new water economy. One suggestion offered is that planners and educators dispel the myth that water conservation is exclusively a short-term strategy to alleviate droughts and other immediate crises. (JN)

Integrated water resources management advocates a coordinated approach for managing water resources in a way that balances social and economic needs with concern for the environment. While potentially useful, integrated water management is also controversial. Supporters believe that the multi-dimensional nature of water can only be understood and m