Urban Water Management

1
Module 3 Exploring the options

SWITCH Training Kit Module 3A Sustainable
options for water supply An overview
2
The issues facing urban water supply
Increasing demand for water
Deteriorating infrastructure
Changing weather patterns due to climate change
Energy costs
3
Links between urban water supply and other areas
of the water sector
Water treatment
Stormwater management
Wastewater management
Water quality
4
Links between water supply and other sectors of
urban management
Energy
Housing
Waste management
Parks, gardens and recreation
Local economic development
Health
5
The conventional approach

• Increased abstractions from rivers and aquifers
• The construction of storage reservoirs
• The transfer of water from areas with a surplus
• The use of energy and chemicals for water
  treatment

6
Drawbacks of the conventional approach to urban
water supply

• Unsustainable use of local resources
• Cost
• Carbon emissions
• Wasteful use of resources
• Non-flexible

7
A more sustainable approach

• Using natural systems for pre-treatment of raw
  water
• Reducing urban water demand
• Using alternative, non-conventional sources of
  supply

8
A more sustainable approach
Options include

• Riverbank filtration
• Reduction in system losses
• Metering and tariffs
• Domestic water efficiency measures
• Rainwater harvesting
• Greywater reuse
• Public education

9
Benefits of water demand management solutions

• Reduced treatment and pumping costs
• Reduced abstractions from the environment
• Reduced infrastructure investment costs
• Reduced water shortages
• Reduced carbon emissions
• Reduced runoff
• Reduced interruptions to water supply
• Reduced volumes of wastewater

10
Why a non-conventional approach is more
sustainable
Improved water supply reliability Reduced water
bills
Reduced abstraction, treatment and pumping
costs Reduced infrastructure costs
Less water abstracted Reduced carbon emissions
11
More sustainable solutions
12
Acknowledgements
This presentation has been produced as part of
the SWITCH Training Kit by
Ralph Philip and Barbara Anton ICLEI Local
Governments for Sustainability based on the
joint efforts of the following SWITCH
partners C. Muñoz-Trochez (WEDC Loughborough
University), S. Kayaga (WEDC Loughborough
University), S.K. Sharma (UNESCO-IHE), I. Smout
(WEDC Loughborough University), A. Turner
(University of Technology Sydney), S. White
(University of Technology Sydney), S.K. Maeng
(UNESCO-IHE), M.O. Rivett (University of
Birmingham), D. Rousseau (UNESCO-IHE), S.K.
Sharma (UNESCO-IHE) The UNESCO-IHE led SWITCH
project runs from Feb. 2006 to Jan. 2011 and is
part-financed by Directorate General Research of
the European Commission under the Sixth Framework
Programme. For more information see
www.switchurbanwater.eu