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Water
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Urban Water Management and Governance
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Urban Water Management and Governance

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 9810

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rui Cunha Marques

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Guest Editor
Departament of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georesources, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: regulation; benchmarking; public policies; PPPs; privatizations; local public services; infrastructure; water; solid waste; transport; health sector
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francisco Silva Pinto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Engineering and Management, Faculty of Engineering, Lusófona University and EIGeS, Campo Grande, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: operations management; utilities governance; tariff structures; climate and social changes; decision analysis and optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. José Luis Zafra-Gómez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
Interests: efficiency; local government; outsourcing; contracting out
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Worldwide, society is facing growing challenges linked to climate change, an increasing population, and economic and urban development, which stress resource availability and social inequalities. The case of water-related services is often a dreadful one, being a priority at local, national, and international levels. Key countermeasures to promote sustainable and inclusive water-related services are urban water management and governance initiatives, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, in facing the current water crisis, decision making is constrained by environmental, socioeconomic and technical issues, requiring a collective action from all actors, namely governments, utilities, customers, regulators, and academics, to answer the following questions:

  • What are the main opportunities and constraints for service- and resource-based strategies?
  • How can we improve interactions between natural and human systems?
  • How can we align policies, institutions, and regulation?
  • How can we prioritize investment in infrastructure, and how can it be financed (the role of tariffs, taxes, transfers, and other sources)?
  • When and how can we promote effective public participation?
  • What are the main factors, triggers, and constraints for transformation towards more sustainable modes?
  • When adapting successful policies developed elsewhere, how can we target context dependencies and avoid misapplication?
  • How should we consider the water, energy, food nexus to design future utilities?

Prof. Dr. Rui Cunha Marques
Dr. Francisco Silva Pinto
Prof. Dr. José Luis Zafra-Gómez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban water governance
  • water supply and demand
  • water cycle systems and services
  • service- and resource-based strategies
  • aligning policies-institutions-regulation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

0 pages, 1570 KiB  
Article
Transparency and Digitalization in Water Services: Reality or Still a Dream?
by Elisabeth Zafra-Gómez, Marta Garrido-Montañés, Germán López-Pérez and María-Angustias Navarro-Ruiz
Water 2024, 16(3), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030367 - 23 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1105
Abstract
The provision of public services, mostly by local governments, has been widely analyzed in the scientific literature. The relevance of these services has generated an incipient demand for information on the part of citizens, which makes it necessary for the bodies responsible for [...] Read more.
The provision of public services, mostly by local governments, has been widely analyzed in the scientific literature. The relevance of these services has generated an incipient demand for information on the part of citizens, which makes it necessary for the bodies responsible for their provision to present adequate levels of transparency. In this context, digitalization is a crucial tool for providing information to citizens and, therefore, contributing to improving the levels of transparency of those organizations that provide public services. Among these, the drinking water supply service stands out, which is crucial for well-being and sustainable progress, and whose analysis is of vital importance, especially in countries such as Spain affected by factors such as climate change and urbanization. In this way, the aim of this paper is to analyze the degree of transparency of the companies providing water supply services in Spain, as well as their degree of digitalization. To this end, a relationship will be established between the Transparency Index of Public Enterprises (INDEP) and the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE), which measure the degree of transparency and digitalization, respectively. This relationship will be established for a sample of 59 companies responsible for water supply. The main results derived from this study show a wide margin for improvement on the part of the companies analyzed, both in terms of transparency and digitalization, as the vast majority of these companies show a medium–low degree of compliance in both aspects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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14 pages, 1392 KiB  
Article
A Safe Frost Growth Screening Method to Accurately Predict Ice Plug Formation Completion during Waterpipe Freezing Repairs
by Fei-Lung Liu, Shu-Kai S. Fan and Ebede Ndi
Water 2024, 16(2), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020202 - 05 Jan 2024
Viewed by 900
Abstract
Fixing waterpipes using cryogenic technology is a complicated activity because it is difficult to see the transformation of water into ice inside a pipe. To solve this problem, a series of experiments and testing was carried out on three types of waterpipes—75, 100, [...] Read more.
Fixing waterpipes using cryogenic technology is a complicated activity because it is difficult to see the transformation of water into ice inside a pipe. To solve this problem, a series of experiments and testing was carried out on three types of waterpipes—75, 100, and 150 mm cast-iron pipes (CIP), respectively—to monitor the external characteristics and the frost growth to accurately predict the completion of ice plug formation inside the pipe before applying the freeze-fixing method. A CCD camera was set up to capture four frosting images per minute and to send one image every 15 s to the computer for processing and for identifying the interface between frost and no frost. The results showed that when the brightness distribution along the pipe axis goes down from the 100% brightest and coldest region near the freezing jacket to 90% and hits the 1/10th mark away from the brightest area, which is the interface, the freezing process is finished, and the ice plug has completely formed and can effectively block water flow to allow safe repairs. In other words, the findings determined that the frost length was more or less equal to the ice plug length. Additional testing was done to increase water pressure up to 35 kg/cm2 for about 10 min on one end of the freezing jacket, which is higher than the regular pressure testing of 10 kg/cm2. When 0 kg/cm2 was recorded on the other end of the freezing jacket, it was concluded that the ice plug was strong enough to resist high pressure. The success of these experiments and testing confirmed that this innovative freezing method was safe, cost-effective, and suitable to be used efficiently in semiconductor factories and modern buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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17 pages, 1679 KiB  
Article
Research on the Water Environment Governance of Hangzhou Bay Based on the DEA–Tobit Model
by Daizhong Tang, Tong Deng and Shanyu Lin
Water 2023, 15(22), 4021; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15224021 - 20 Nov 2023
Viewed by 971
Abstract
With rapid urbanization and industrialization, Hangzhou Bay faces significant pressure in water environment governance. This study, based on panel data from 2011 to 2021 in Zhejiang’s Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, and Ningbo, employs the Super-Efficiency DEA model to assess water environment governance performance. The [...] Read more.
With rapid urbanization and industrialization, Hangzhou Bay faces significant pressure in water environment governance. This study, based on panel data from 2011 to 2021 in Zhejiang’s Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, and Ningbo, employs the Super-Efficiency DEA model to assess water environment governance performance. The Tobit model analyzes external environmental factors. Findings reveal fluctuating water governance efficiency during the study period, with inefficiencies from 2012 to 2019, followed by significant improvement from 2019 to 2021. Key factors impacting governance include urban water environment performance in Hangzhou, urban residents’ disposable income, population density, and secondary industry GDP development. A higher urban income enhances environmental awareness and governance performance, while population density and industrial GDP intensify resource use, energy consumption, and wastewater discharge, worsening governance pressures and performance. This research offers insights for enhancing water environment governance in Hangzhou Bay, aiding in the formulation of protection plans and management policies. Additionally, it provides valuable experiences for watershed governance globally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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13 pages, 1028 KiB  
Article
City Water Resource Allocation Considering Energy Consumption in Jinan, China
by Zhaohui Yang, G. Mathias Kondolf, Jie Du and Luyao Cai
Water 2023, 15(16), 3016; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15163016 - 21 Aug 2023
Viewed by 870
Abstract
The conflict between urban energy supply and demand is becoming increasingly evident. One aspect that consumes a great deal of this energy is the allocation of urban water resources. This study proposes a new scheme for rationally allocating urban water resources considering the [...] Read more.
The conflict between urban energy supply and demand is becoming increasingly evident. One aspect that consumes a great deal of this energy is the allocation of urban water resources. This study proposes a new scheme for rationally allocating urban water resources considering the high levels of energy currently consumed in Jinan city of Shandong, China. The focus is on simultaneously minimizing energy consumption and water shortage rates and granting priority to public water supplies in line with the predicted water supply levels for all available sources. Based on this assessment, further adjustments were made in terms of system configuration and the analysis of energy consumption. The results of the general water resource allocation model not only show that Jinan’s total water supply in 2030 will increase by 33.7% from 2019 but that energy consumption will also increase by 58.5%. If energy consumption is constrained and water supplies are restricted for high-energy-consumption activities, the results of the water resource allocation model considering energy consumption show that energy consumption will increase only by 44.2%. And the results also show that local groundwater is less energy intensive than imported surface water, which suggests that groundwater should be preferred (at least for energy reasons). Through modeling to reduce the total energy consumption in water resource allocation, this paper can provide a reference for energy saving for urban water supply systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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16 pages, 2541 KiB  
Article
Reaching Universal Coverage of Water and Sanitation Services: Is Regionalization a Sustainable Path for Developing Countries?
by Willian Narzetti, Francisco Silva Pinto, Daniel Narzetti and Tiago Cetrulo
Water 2023, 15(15), 2756; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152756 - 30 Jul 2023
Viewed by 893
Abstract
Achieving universal access to water and sanitation services in developing countries requires a coherent legal, political, and institutional environment, along with a clear financial strategy. Regionalizing utilities may be crucial for addressing disparities, economic inequalities, and governance challenges. Regionalization offers economies of scale, [...] Read more.
Achieving universal access to water and sanitation services in developing countries requires a coherent legal, political, and institutional environment, along with a clear financial strategy. Regionalizing utilities may be crucial for addressing disparities, economic inequalities, and governance challenges. Regionalization offers economies of scale, resource efficiency, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. The cornerstone will be ensuring the financial-economic viability of regional utilities, considering their social impacts in terms of affordability. A case study of the state of Santa Catarina (Brazil) is assessed. In the case of Santa Catarina, only four regional utilities currently generate sufficient revenue, without factoring in necessary investments, indicating the need to review design parameters to improve operational efficiency and increase revenues. Additional financial support may be required to ensure universal access. Tariff adjustments must strike a balance between cost effectiveness and affordability for families. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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24 pages, 3205 KiB  
Article
Project Risks Influence on Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Financing Opportunities
by Inês Freire Machete and Rui Cunha Marques
Water 2023, 15(12), 2295; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15122295 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1939
Abstract
Private financing mobilized in the water supply and sanitation sector has not been sufficient to cover the sector’s needs. Several barriers hinder private financing leveraging, including the risk perception of water supply and sanitation projects. This study analyzed 185 water supply and sanitation [...] Read more.
Private financing mobilized in the water supply and sanitation sector has not been sufficient to cover the sector’s needs. Several barriers hinder private financing leveraging, including the risk perception of water supply and sanitation projects. This study analyzed 185 water supply and sanitation projects financed by the World Bank between 2015 and 2021 to understand how perceived project risks can influence the financing of these sectors. This study demonstrates the parallels between different types of project risks, their ratings, and the different lending instruments and amounts committed by the bank. The most prevalent risks in the analyzed WSS projects were identified, namely, fiduciary, institutional capacity for implementation and sustainability, environmental and social, and political and governance. The World Bank appears to have different levels of tolerance for the different types of risks, and this tolerance seems to vary between regions and with time. Risks seem to have different weights when financiers decide which WSS projects to finance. Global and regional risk profiles of the 185 WSS projects financed by the World Bank were developed, which can help borrowers identify risks that they can mitigate to potentially improve their ability to attract private finance for WSS projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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35 pages, 9285 KiB  
Article
Integrated Water Management in Mountain Communities: The Case of Feutap in the Municipality of Bangangté, Cameroon
by Esther Laurentine Nya, Tulinave Burton Mwamila, Lydie Komguem-Poneabo, Emma Laureane Njomou-Ngounou, Junior Fangang-Fanseu, Raoul Rodrigue Tchoumbe, Raoul Tepong-Tsindé, Willis Gwenzi and Chicgoua Noubactep
Water 2023, 15(8), 1467; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081467 - 09 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2411
Abstract
The whole population of Feutap still collects drinking water from two protected springs, some 1 km away from this small rural agglomeration. For many generations, the only improvement has been the protection of the springs during the 1980s. The resulting high incidence of [...] Read more.
The whole population of Feutap still collects drinking water from two protected springs, some 1 km away from this small rural agglomeration. For many generations, the only improvement has been the protection of the springs during the 1980s. The resulting high incidence of gastrointestinal infections continues to hinder the socioeconomic development of this mountain community. This dynamic wherein “poverty begets disease, and disease begets poverty” seems endless given the number of water improvement programs and other health-focused campaigns in rural areas of Cameroon since the 1960s. Fortunately, the hydrographic regime of Feutap and its geographical situation enable the implementation of the Kilimanjaro Concept (KC), wherein rainwater is quantitatively harvested, partly infiltrated, and largely stored to (i) meet the whole-year water needs of the population, (ii) create new ecosystems, and (iii) enable irrigated agriculture. This communication prepares the implementation of the KC in Feutap, including the creation of irrigation ponds for agriculture and small farm animals (e.g., goats and sheep). The view is promoted that Feutap is a potential viable space in which life and work are possible, using the existing rainfall and the few natural springs in a sustainable manner. The presented concept can be extended to other hilly small communities with similar hydraulic regimes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Water Management and Governance)
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