Issues, Dimensions and Approaches of Assessing Urban Water Security in Developing and Emerging Countries: An Inclusive Perspective

Abstract

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

“…Previous studies in different disciplines have highlighted that vulnerabilities and experiences of UWS vary according to a range of bio-physical and socio-economic factors (Mukherjee et al, 2021). UWS in relation to population size and growth has been the focus of many studies from the 1990s (Vörösmarty et al, 2000;Cook and Bakker, 2012).…”

“…It is proven that UWS is driven by a complex set of biophysical and social factors-which needs to be dealt with together, rather than independently. However, there is still no agreed-upon understanding of how to hypothesize and quantify an assessment framework to measure the current state and the complex dynamics of UWS particularly at the urban level (Mukherjee et al, 2021). This research tries to fill this gap.…”

“…The existing measurement frameworks of UWS have been conceptualized in various ways; some focus on risks, while others have adopted broader aspects with a focus on the management of water as a resource for fulfilling human needs only (Clement, 2013;Garrick and Hall, 2014;Giordano, 2017). Several studies have stressed the lack of quantitative and comprehensive assessments of UWS and applications that can be used at the micro level (Grey and Sadoff, 2007;Cook and Bakker, 2012;Srinivasan et al, 2017;Mukherjee et al, 2021). Moreover, some studies show that given the difficulties and shortcomings, such as lack of updated legal tenures, socio-cultural exclusion, and inadequate survey reports, associated with accurately measuring the proportion of the population without access to clean and safe water, it is probable that the proportion thought to have access is grossly overestimated (Nganyanyuka et al, 2014;Satterthwaite, 2016;Adams, 2017).…”

“…To achieve "sustainability and security" within water security, each of these three dimensions should be addressed. While water scarcity has historically been more severe in rural areas, emerging research has shown a worsening availability and quality of water in urban areas and thus, urban areas are the focus of this study (Maiti and Agrawal, 2005;Mohan et al, 2011;Cook and Bakker, 2012;Mukherjee et al, 2020Mukherjee et al, , 2021. From the rapidly changing urban perspective, the dimension of water security includes a focus ons the need for organizational and institutional flexibility and capabilities to address increasing uncertainty and change, a need for social capital and adaptive governance, and the need for engagement with stakeholders in knowledge exchange (Wheater, 2015).…”

“…Among the megacities in India, we chose Kolkata (under jurisdiction of Kolkata Municipal Corporation or KMC) as our study area. Kolkata is a growing megacity that faces rising pressures on waterenvironmental provision due to the rapid population growth coupled with sporadic urbanization and resultant governance and infrastructural issues despite of having enough water resources (Mukherjee et al, 2018(Mukherjee et al, , 2020(Mukherjee et al, , 2021.…”