An Integrated Quantitative Assessment of Urban Water Security of a Megacity in the Global South

Abstract

Water security, the access to adequate amounts of water of adequate quality, is and will remain a hugely important issue over the next decades as climate change and related hazards, food insecurity, and social instability will exacerbate insecurities. Despite attempts made by researchers and water professionals to study different dimensions of water security in urban areas, there is still an absence of comprehensive water security measurement tools. This study aims to untangle the interrelationship between biophysical and socio-economic dimensions that shape water security in a megacity in the Global South—Kolkata, India. It provides an interdisciplinary understanding of urban water security by extracting and integrating relevant empirical knowledge on urban water issues in the city from physical, environmental, and social sciences approaches. To do so we use intersectional perspectives to analyze urban water security at a micro (respondent) level and associated challenges across and between areas within the city. The study concludes with the recommendation that future studies should make use of comprehensive and inclusive approaches so we can ensure that we leave no one behind.

A transdisciplinary and collaborative urban water security framework: Developed through an interdisciplinary study in Kolkata, India

“…To do so, we made use of GIS mapping, valuation of ecosystem services, quantitative surveys, and qualitative focus groups. We have discussed the sociodemographic elements of this in a previous work (Mukherjee et al, 2020(Mukherjee et al, , 2022. Our integrative, collaborative, and transdisciplinary approach was done by working with members of affected communities in workshops and focus groups, which helped us identify key factors and dimensions for our social and biophysical mapping and survey tools.…”

“…We have previously discussed the effect of this in terms of access and availability to toilets and WaSH facilities in Mukherjee et al (2020Mukherjee et al ( , 2022. These factors are important across the world, and in Kolkata, they come together and become hugely important as we see economical, demographical, social, and environmental changes increase water insecurity (Dickin et al, 2021;Mukherjee et al, 2020Mukherjee et al, , 2022Sultana, 2020). Gender matters-for example, females often stay home and face tremendous issues relating to access to WaSH, particularly in socially deprived areas (Dickin et al, 2021;Mukherjee et al, 2022;Roy et al, 1992;Schenk, 2010;Simpson, 2009;Thompson, 2016;Truelove, 2011).…”

“…These factors are important across the world, and in Kolkata, they come together and become hugely important as we see economical, demographical, social, and environmental changes increase water insecurity (Dickin et al, 2021;Mukherjee et al, 2020Mukherjee et al, , 2022Sultana, 2020). Gender matters-for example, females often stay home and face tremendous issues relating to access to WaSH, particularly in socially deprived areas (Dickin et al, 2021;Mukherjee et al, 2022;Roy et al, 1992;Schenk, 2010;Simpson, 2009;Thompson, 2016;Truelove, 2011). Our study is unique in its inclusion of gender along a continuum and through its inclusion of marginalized communities such as the hijra/trans (gender) people.…”

“…Appendix A lists a compilation of approaches, dimensions, and issues of quantifying UWS. Although these all contribute to great advances within the area of water security, most fail to consider social perspectives and their relationship with the biophysical environment (Mukherjee et al, 2022;Mukherjee, Sikdar, et al, 2021;Mukherjee, Sundberg, & Schütt, 2021). Furthermore, they fail to include the affected communities, and their unique experiential knowledge.…”

“…The concept of water security is relatively new, and so far, there is no established and widely agreed upon framework for quantification, particularly not a holistic framework (Mukherjee et al, 2022; Nath et al, 2022; Nkiaka, 2022; Octavianti & Staddon, 2021). We argue, as Mukherjee, Sundberg, and Schütt (2021), for a shift in UWS research toward a field of research that include both human‐oriented and environmental perspectives.…”