History provides us with many examples of cities and countries facing challenges to securing stable and reliable fresh water supplies.
Recent crises in Cape Town, South Africa and Rome, Italy provided a backdrop and served as a reminder of the urgency with which water resilience is needed.
A new World Bank report illuminates such valuable experiences to fill this important knowledge gap about the failures, successes, and innovative solutions of water scarce cities across the world.
The report provides a cross-case analysis that dives into knowledge from over 20 case studies (to be published soon), to compare and contrast water resource challenges, technical solutions, and institutional mechanisms.
In so doing, the report creates new knowledge and identifies the key drivers of positive change — including how governance, capacity, or technological changes were addressed.
Through a review of some of the cities and states already beating water scarcity odds, the report encourages water scarce cities to adopt urban water scarcity management approaches that include: Demand management and infrastructure efficiency Innovative surface and groundwater management Non-conventional water resources Cooperation with other users Adaptive water system designs and operations Water scarce cities solutions do not have to be high-tech, expensive, or complex.
However, solutions must work – and even better if solutions work together.
This report turns traditional urban water security approaches on their head, and shows that there is not a one-size-fits-all pathway to urban water security.
Innovation across water scarce cities is required to beat bleak water futures.
Through an analysis of urban water security in scarcity contexts, the report shines a light on existing solutions and interprets information in new and powerful ways.