Sustainable Water Management Framework in Urban Areas and Smart Cities
in Context of Governance, Infrastructure, Economics and Technology S P
Jain School of Global Management
Abstract
The demand for water supply and sanitation services is growing fast
owing to the interactive effects of demographic growth, economic
development and improvements in living standards. Increasing
urbanisation has been a worldwide trend since the beginning of the
twentieth century, and its increase continues. A long-term sustainable
water management system (SWMS) is the solution to ensuring the water
rights and water security of citizens are met. The concept of an
integrated urban water management system (IUWM) guides the utilities in
planning the water system at a hydrological cycle level. The input of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet of
Things (IOT) in water management has added a smart quotient to the
entire water management scenario. Smartness in water management has
increased the overall performance of the system. The global practice of
water management in smart cities is based on IUWM combined with
smartness in the system. Financing, technology and infrastructure along
with governance-which drives the policies, laws and institutional
framework-are key drivers of SWMS and IUWM. There is no uniform
definition of governance which can guide the governance of IUWM and
SWMS.