What are the challenges for the future?
At a time when most of the world’s population is living in urban areas or is likely to do so in the future, the relationship between water and cities has become increasingly stressed. Water is both an opportunity for cities to discharge economic and social functions, and a threat when natural disasters affect the local economy, well-being of the people, and ecosystems.
Population growth, urbanisation and climate change will inevitably affect water supplies and demand in the near future, painting a dire picture for what lies ahead. By 2050, water demand is projected to increase by 55%. 4 billion people will be living in water-stressed areas and about 240 million people will lack access to a quality water source, most living in rural areas. To make matters worse, nearly 1.4 billion people are projected to lack access to basic sanitation as the at-risk population from floods rises from 1.2 billion today to 1.6 billion in 2050.
Global agreements and frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework, and more recently the New Urban Agenda, each call upon cities to better prepare themselves for water-related disasters and to be more resilient and inclusive in their providing of water services. Business as usual is no longer an option. The urgency of these challenges call for for the development of innovative practices, and to shift from linear to circular economies for a long-term vision that optimizes the use (and re-use) of available resources.
The key question now is: How to make this happen? While there is no doubt that technological solutions play a fundamental role in this process, they represent only part of the solution. Achieving greater resilience in water management means cities need to adapt in a sustainable, integrated and inclusive way, taking time and cost into account.
Beyond what do we do? it is crucial to define who does what, at which level, and how? This calls into question the governance frameworks that can help cities to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining their central role in local, national and global contexts. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has argued that current levels of service delivery and water security should not be taken for granted in cities from OECD countries and emerging economies. Who/what is the OECD, and where are they from? Cities must ensure that institutional frameworks in place to fit and fix the pipes, and that information on the systems is readily accessible. Transparency and integrity are key for ensuring meaningful stakeholder engagement and coherence across sectorial policies.
What are the challenges?
The challenges surrounding water management differ from city to city, although a common problem for several cities is ageing water infrastructure. This puts the ability to maintain levels of universal access into jeopardy and the prospect of dealing with risky situations much more concerning. Ageing water infrastructure increases the risk of social and commercial disruption, as well as broader environmental impacts.
Cities have increasingly had to deal with the risk of “too much”, “too little” or “too polluted” water.
The OECD estimates that by 2050, $6.7 trillion will be required to renew and upgrade infrastructure for water supply and sanitation to keep up with current growth. This amount could triple if a wider range of water-related infrastructure is considered. In a context of economic recovery and fiscal consolidation, cities need to look for alternative sources of finance since public spending and transfers from central governments is no longer sustainable. Efforts are needed to foster efficiency and value for money to minimize investment needs considering low cost options and green infrastructure.
Cities must find ways to adapt long-term investments, planning, and commitments with evolving needs and circumstances due to unforeseeable water-related events and institutional changes. Cities have increasingly had to deal with the risk of “too much”, “too little” or “too polluted” water.
Some cities face all these risks at the same time. For example in Brazil, a country which controls 12% of the world’s freshwater resources, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo were hit by the worst drought in 84 years while other areas in the country were dealing with floods. Moreover, these extreme events are incredibly costly, such as the 2011 flooding in Copenhagen that caused about EUR 700 million of damages, or the $19 billion of economic losses that were attributed to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Overall, the assets at risk of flood is projected to grow over 340% from 2010, reaching a combined value of over $45 trillion.
Are cities equipped to handle these challenges?
From an institutional point of view, roles and responsibilities in urban water management are highly fragmented between central governments that concentrate policy making prerogatives, and local governments that play more of an operative role. In this setting, coordination is crucial to minimize overlaps, duplications and to identify grey areas. Cities cannot deal with the complexity of water issues on their own, but instead need to work with other levels of governments.
Opportunities can arise from territorial reforms such as municipal mergers and inter-municipal cooperation, which can result in the reorganization of water services delivery, a reallocation of roles and responsibilities, and the creation of new platforms to share information and engage stakeholders.
What are the solutions?
Solutions can be found in three dimensions: policy, people, and places.
Cities should consider policies by thinking outside the ‘water box’. Water managers often have little to no say in final policy decisions, frequently leading to unintended negative outcomes. Therefore, cities need to make a more strategic decisions regarding water in their broader economic, social and environmental portfolios. It is important to foster synergistic relationships with the energy, agriculture, waste and spatial planning departments of government in order to efficiently allocate resources and build capacities.
One example of this synergy is Dutch municipalities, who carry out water assessments to factor in potential conflicts and costs in spatial planning decisions. In Cologne, the government coordinates water and spatial planning for new building areas to prevent flood damages from heavy rainfalls. Paris offers economic incentives as well for farmers to reduce their use of pesticides as a safeguard for water and natural resources.
Many actors are involved in the water sector of major cities such as urban planners, water service providers, regulators, advisors, and civil society. They all contribute to the dynamic and integrated approach to water management. These are the people which must be engaged in urban water governance, not only to raise awareness about current and future water issues, but also for building social and political cohesion for water projects and reform.
Stakeholder engagement can help build trust and ownership, which secure payment for water services and ensure the accountability of city managers and service providers to end-users and citizens. Preventing and managing conflicts on water allocation, as well as addressing convergent objectives across policy areas are key to the functioning of these systems. Cities engage with stakeholders to improve water services (Nantes), discuss tariffs (Grenoble), and prepare for the risks of drought (Bologna).
Finally, cities must take places into account for urban water governance. Water cuts across boundaries. Whether it concerns floods, drought protection, water supply, sanitation, or drainage, synergies between urban areas (where most people live) and their surrounding environments (rural and watersheds) must be strengthened. Different governance tools can be used to achieve this.
For instance, rural-urban partnerships are win-win solutions that benefit cities, as well as upstream and downstream communities and ecosystems. Other good practices include multi-stakeholder committees such as the ones that helped to improve the quality of discharged water in catchment areas around Montreal.