Water Policy, Public Policy, Regulation and Governance, Urban Water Policy

Public Provision For Urban Water: The Case of the Phnom Penh Water Authority

by Eduardo Araral

Water Regulation through Two Transitions: The Case of Hungary

by Chad Briggs

Tool 2.5.1: General information on water supply and demand approaches

by Nigel Taptiklis

Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), Local Government is required to have particular regard to the effects of... more Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), Local Government is required to have particular regard to the effects of climate change. This tool acknowledges the complexity and interconnectedness of human and natural resource systems. It uses systems-thinking tools to explore the complex dynamics of urban water supply and demand approaches, including relevant social factors, with particular regard to communities adapting to the effects of climate change.
This tool is based on findings of the Wellington case study on urban water supply management, which is part of a FRST funded collaborative research project on community vulnerability, resilience and adaptation to climate change led by the New Zealand Climate Change research Institute (CCRI). This case study used scenarios to explore the impacts of key factors such as population growth, water intensity and climate change on water supply and demand in Wellington, and systems-thinking tools to explore the implications of response options. A key finding of the Wellington case study is the importance of demand management, along with community engagement, participation and collaboration for adapting to an increased risk of water shortages.

Tool 2.5.3: SYM Approach to Present-day and Future Potable Water Supply and Demand

by Nigel Taptiklis

A case study was undertaken into water supply management for the four cities of Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and... more A case study was undertaken into water supply management for the four cities of Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt, serviced by the one reticulated network. The aim of this research was to gain a detailed understanding of the factors and determinants influencing water use and management in Wellington, and how specific response options could affect future community and institutional adaptive capacity, and increase or decrease resilience to water shortages.
One of the objectives of this case study looked at interactions between water supply and demand factors, and climate change trends. This objective was addressed through the use of scenarios and projections based on water use in Wellington, using Greater Wellington Regional Council’s hydrological computer model, the Sustainable Yield Model (SYM). The SYM was an essential tool for this objective, and this tool presents the methodology used.

Climate resilient water management in Wellington, New Zealand

by Nigel Taptiklis

This report sets out the findings of the Wellington case study on urban water supply management, which is one of three... more This report sets out the findings of the Wellington case study on urban water supply management, which is one of three case studies that form Objective 2 of the collaborative, interdisciplinary research project on Community Vulnerability, Resilience and Adaptation to the impacts of climate change. The project is led by Victoria University and funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST)1.
This case study focuses on water supply management for the four cities of Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt, which are serviced by the one reticulated network. The aim of this research is to gain a detailed understanding of the factors influencing water use and management in Wellington, and how specific response options could affect future community and institutional adaptive capacity, and increase or decrease resilience to water shortages.
This case study into climate change adaptation and urban water management used systems-thinking, resilience, and complex systems science approaches. Such an approach is indicated when water management is seen as a complex, multi-dimensional system challenge. For example, water management requires decisions on long-term infrastructure projects that are highly dependent on human behaviour and actions (past and future), environmental parameters, and on long-term climate change. These interacting human, physical, and biological factors can be seen as components of a coupled socio-ecological system2. Decision makers involved in such issues can expect to encounter a plurality of objectives, politics, and legacies where ‘the facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent’ (Funtowicz and Ravetz 1991).

What Role for Water Law In the Emerging'Good Governance'Debate?

by Patricia Wouters

CHAPTER: “Chapter One: Gains, Gaps and Institutional Change"

by Sarah (S.E.) Wolfe

Brooks, David and Sarah Wolfe (2011) In: Hammou Laamrani, Joshua Paglia and Lamia El-Fattal (Eds.). “Water Demand Management in the Middle East and North Africa: Policy, Practice and Power.” International Development Research Centre. Cairo, Egypt and Ottawa, Canada.  Forthcoming: September 2011 

Book Abstract (written by editors):
Technical solutions will not be sufficient to reverse the growing depletion... more Book Abstract (written by editors):
Technical solutions will not be sufficient to reverse the growing depletion and declining quality of water resources in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. Governing the demand for good quality water through policies that encourage or enforce efficient and equitable water use ― either by changing the way water is used or by changing the task to use less water ― can bring bundles of benefits to all stakeholders. Over the past several years, interest in water demand management (WDM) has grow steadily, but insufficiently, in the region. As understanding and integration of demand management approaches mature, it is crucial that the research community critically assess the complexities it poses. In some cases, desirable outcomes for multiple stakeholders are possible that improve livelihoods and the environment. In other cases, implicit trade-offs must be assessed and articulated for policy-makers to craft effective interventions. This book presents new and critical thinking that can help improve the formation and execution of WDM measures in the MENA region. It highlights the progress made, limitations faced and important issues, such as gender, poverty, equity, and power relations, that have received relatively little attention in the literature on the subject to date. Based on this analysis, it concludes with insights into how to overcome the key identified barriers that slow the implementation and enforcement of WDM in the region.