The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) constitutes a complex regulation that calls for numerous decisions under uncertainty on the part of the implementing agencies in the member states. This contribution first discusses two different types of uncertainty that may arise in the implementation of the WFD and identifies ways to manage them. Results of a text analysis show that uncertainties are not systematically addressed either in the directive itself or in CIS guidance documents. This paper shows that an important instrument to both manage and, where possible, reduce uncertainty is the participation of interested parties and the broader public. The focus lies on the perspective of the competent authority that has the responsibility to develop and implement the management plan. The paper concludes with recommendations of how to profit from public participation in managing uncertainty but also of where to look out for possible stumbling blocks.
Limited water availability, population growth, and climate change have resulted in freshwater crises in many countries. Jordan’s situation is emblematic, compounded by conflict-induced population shocks. Integrating knowledge across hydrology, climatology, agriculture, political science, geography, and economics, we present the Jordan Water Model, a nationwide coupled human–natural-engineered systems model that is used to evaluate Jordan’s freshwater security under climate and socioeconomic changes. The complex systems model simulates the trajectory of Jordan’s water system, representing dynamic interactions between a hierarchy of actors and the natural and engineered water environment. A multiagent modeling approach enables the quantification of impacts at the level of thousands of representative agents across sectors, allowing for the evaluation of both systemwide and distributional outcomes translated into a suite of water-security metrics (vulnerability, equity, shortage duration, and economic well-being). Model results indicate severe, potentially destabilizing, declines in freshwater security. Per capita water availability decreases by approximately 50% by the end of the century. Without intervening measures, >90% of the low-income household population experiences critical insecurity by the end of the century, receiving <40 L per capita per day. Widening disparity in freshwater use, lengthening shortage durations, and declining economic welfare are prevalent across narratives. To gain a foothold on its freshwater future, Jordan must enact a sweeping portfolio of ambitious interventions that include large-scale desalinization and comprehensive water sector reform, with model results revealing exponential improvements in water security through the coordination of supply- and demand-side measures.
Affordability of water services is a pressing water policy issue for both the developed and, in particular, for the developing world. Despite its well-known theoretical shortcomings, affordability analysis of water supply has, up to now, been widely based on the ratio of a household's water expenditure to its income, the Conventional Affordability Ratio (CAR). However, in the housing sector, alternative concepts for measuring affordability have been developed, among them being the ‘Potential Affordability Approach’ (PAA) and the ‘Residual Income Approach’ (RIA). Against this background, this paper compares these three prominent affordability measures (CAR, PAA, RIA) on the basis of an empirical case study of a peri-urban, low-income area in the second largest Mongolian city of Darkhan, using household data from a survey conducted in 2009. Thus we gain insight into both the water-related affordability situation of people in Mongolia, checking the World Bank's finding of an absence of water affordability problems in peri-urban areas in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, as well as into the comparative functionality of different affordability measures. It is shown that affordability problems do occur but have to be distinguished depending on the economic causation. We argue that none of the regarded measures give a satisfyingly contoured notion of affordability properly distinguished from the adjacent problems of poverty and access.
The lack of adequate water supply and sanitation services is a major issue related to sustainable development in many parts of the developing world. New strategic planning approaches which directly address users' needs and demand-often referred to as demand-responsive, community-based or household-centred approaches-are regarded as a crucial step towards improving the situation. This paper investigates household needs and demand for improved water supply and sanitation services in peri-urban, lowincome settlements, known as ''ger areas'', in the city of Darkhan, Mongolia. The paper is based largely on a household survey conducted in a selected ger area subdistrict in Darkhan. The results reveal a complex picture. Even if the existing situation can be regarded as largely ''improved'' in terms of the definitions stipulated by the Joint Monitoring Programme for water supply and sanitation, it is shown that there is a need for action nonetheless. The paper also argues that the household survey is a useful method for assessing users' needs and demand and for meeting the requirements of demand-responsive sanitation planning approaches.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.