Thushara Gunda, whom I met at a recent AWRA conference, sent me this paper she authored along with David Hess, George M. Hornberger, and Scott Worland: Water Security in Practice: the Quantity-Quality-Society Nexus, Water Security 6 (March 2019) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2018.100022 (click on the doi link to access the paper online)
Her email message to me:
I wanted to share a paper that we recently published in Water Security about the complexity of managing freshwater resources – noting how quantity, quality, and societal aspects of water management practices are greatly intertwined.
Here it is!
Download Gunda et al 2019 water security in practice quant qual soc nexus
Highlights
1) Quantity, quality, and associated societal interactions influence water security in practice.
2) Complex nexus interactions are highlighted in six common water management practices.
3) Better integration of these dynamics is required in future water security research.
Abstract
The study of water resources has evolved from a focus on physical availability to also include social factors such as governance. Increased understanding of diverse physical and social influences has led to a more comprehensive notion of water security, which is defined as an adequate supply of clean freshwater to support humans and ecosystems at all times. Despite the clear recognition that water security encompasses quantity, quality, and societal considerations, discussions often focus on only one or two of these aspects. This practice masks critical ways in which water quality issues intersect with water quantity issues as well as social factors for many water security decisions. This review paper highlights the growing call to consider water security in a more integrated manner by underscoring the complex interactions among water quantity, water quality, and society (i.e., the quantity-quality-society nexus) for six common water management practices. These descriptions highlight the need to understand the tradeoffs between water quantity and water quality associated with water management decisions, especially as freshwater scarcity increases. We conclude with a discussion of emerging opportunities in sociohydrological research and data analysis that have the potential to improve current understanding and management of the quantity-quality-society nexus of water security.
Cutting to the chase:
Conclusion
As precipitation patterns shift and as water is ever more intensively exploited, managing water resources in an integrated manner will be increasingly imperative to ensure water security in the future. As highlighted by the descriptions of the water management practices, successful management of water resources needs to account for water quantity and water quality aspects of the physical resource as well as associated societal dimensions of both. Being mindful of this quantity-quality-society nexus can help ensure current and emerging opportunities (e.g., in sociohydrology and data science) capture critical interactions in water management decisions, account for cross-sectoral and cross-scalar dynamics using interdisciplinary methods, and provide guidance on successful implementation of water management practices in a changing world.
Good stuff!
Enjoy!
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin
Good paper.
The discussion of ways to better manage existing sources and bring on new ones is well taken. I'm particularly glad to see that point of use water quality was noted in this paper, as this is a huge issue in the developing world.
The challenges, as I see it, are to better manage water (and shift usage) across sectors and to think about water security at multiple scales of water management.
There has to be more movement on water trading and other means of sectoral use shifts. Growing cities in developing countries need to secure bulk water resources into the future..and as far as I can tell, drinking water is a much, much higher value use of water at a per unit basis...
Also, IWRM-level discussions of water security and scarcity fall far short when they use effectively back-of-the-envelope per capita figures. At the household level, these global, regional, and national level analyses mean nothing when households are not able to consistently access utility water or safe groundwater sources.
I've always argued that, at least in the developing world, household economic wherewithal and how responsive governments are have a lot more to do with access to water at the household level than most discussions of water security or scarcity. http://thecityfix.com/blog/urban-water-governance-in-the-developing-world-accountability-and-affordability-are-keys-to-access-water-ed-bourque/
On top of this, water security for those who are dependent on small town and rural water systems will be unstable until financial/cost recovery and other management issues are improved. Rural water projects have abysmal records of sustainability (being functional 5-10 years after donor/NGO funding runs out). Add to this the dysfunctional public and private enabling environments in some countries, and you have a recipe for persistent failure.
Ed
http://www.edbourqueconsulting.com/blog/
Posted by: Ed Bourque | Sunday, 30 December 2018 at 01:34 PM