Urban water – social and infrastructure challenges

Up to 90 percent of natural disasters are water-related – there is too little or too much water. The situation is particularly tense in the metropolises of poor countries, where infrastructure is unable to cope with the consequences of climate change. However, water problems in European cities are also becoming more acute.

Water and climate – WaterAid’s latest report

WaterAid, an international non-governmental organization working on water access, sanitation and hygiene, in cooperation with researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Cardiff, published a report on water risks to urban populations in March. It includes an analysis of climate trends and vulnerabilities in the world’s 100 largest metropolises and 12 cities where WaterAid works. Looking at floods and droughts over the past 42 years, the researchers tried to identify the impact of climate change on society and infrastructure in terms of access to safe water in cities.

Given that half of the global population already lives in cities, a figure that will rise to about 75 percent by 2050, according to the report’s authors, policymakers should understand the scale of the risks associated with weather extremes. Developing resilient water and sanitation systems could save billions of people from humanitarian disaster.

How are water levels in cities shaping up?

The global hydrological cycle is becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme, threatening urban development and social stability. Up to 15 percent of the cities described in the report, from North America to Asia, are experiencing so-called climate whiplash, an increasing intensification of alternating episodes of drought and flooding.

South and Southeast Asia are seeing an increase in the frequency and scale of floods, while Europe, the Middle East and North Africa are suffering from increasingly prolonged droughts. Additionally, in approx. 20 percent. of the cities surveyed have seen a reversal of past climate trends, putting a particular strain on their unadapted infrastructure.

The socio-infrastructural risk ranking identified Khartoum (Sudan’s capital), Amman (Jordan’s capital), San Domingo (Dominican Republic’s capital) and Baghdad (Iraq’s capital) as the cities most at risk from water shortages. Danger from excess water, on the other hand, is highest in the Pakistani cities of Faisalabad and Lahaur and India’s Surat. These are metropolises where water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services are unable to cope with weather extremes.

Water injustice in the world

Universal access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services is the 6th Sustainable Development Goal. Its implementation is the basis for the development of a healthy society that will be able to confront climate change. Unfortunately, at present, floods and droughts are hitting the poorest people, especially girls and women, but also the elderly and disabled. Disruption of water and sewage systems increases the risk of spreading disease, and lack of access to toilets violates basic human dignity.

The WaterAid report highlights the cumulative impact of low GDP and political and socio-historical factors on the development of overcrowded cities with underdeveloped infrastructure. It is there that extreme weather conditions lead to the most severe consequences. The Human Development Index (HDI), which includes three key aspects of human well-being – health, education and standard of living – is found to be strongly correlated with the level of resilience to natural disasters, including droughts and floods.

In terms of infrastructure, problems include insufficient development of storm sewers, lack of flood protection, and a water storage system that is insufficient in quantity and quality. In some cities, the sewerage system stops working during the dry season, while during floods it overflows, and dangerous compounds begin to seep into the environment. Poorly developed infrastructure also makes it difficult to rebuild a city after a natural disaster and leaves the local community even more vulnerable to weather extremes.

Regional examples of cities’ vulnerability to climate change

In East Africa, alternating droughts that reduce the supply of food, drinking water and electricity, and heavy rains that cause damage to roads and the spread of infectious diseases, and require the evacuation of populations, are a growing problem. This climatic whiplash is particularly experienced in Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Kampala. Local water sources there are either dried up or contaminated due to flooding.

Europe, despite being a region with a high level of economic and social development, is also beginning to experience the negative effects of climate change. According to the report’s authors, the reason for the increased vulnerability to droughts and floods is the historical urban heritage – city centers that are hundreds of years old still benefit from outdated water and sewage infrastructure.

In South and Southeast Asia, the biggest risk is the intensification of monsoons and the resulting floods, which regularly destroy sewage systems. This creates a huge health risk – water in cities becomes severely contaminated, resulting in the local spread of cholera and dysentery germs. Reconstruction of the infrastructure is too slow, so deprived of choice, people have to use contaminated water and take care of their needs in the open, which only intensifies the health risks.

WaterAid recommendations

The consequences of climate change can no longer be stopped, even with an optimistic forecast of reduced emission levels. Each new year brings new natural disasters, from which no continent is free anymore. Water in cities is growing to become the most valuable resource, but also a curse. The biggest challenge now is to strengthen existing infrastructure to make it more resistant to droughts and floods and allow it to recover faster from disasters.

WaterAid representatives are calling on global leaders, multilateral development banks and the private sector to increase investment in urban water management, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In their view, access to safe water is one of the most important factors for political stability and security.

Government authorities should begin prioritizing the development of WASH services, including them in national and municipal adaptation plans. Special emphasis should be placed on the needs of girls, women and marginalized groups who pay the highest price for lack of access to clean water and toilets. The climate change adaptation strategy must include the construction or expansion of water supply and sanitation networks that can cope with the challenges of long droughts and flash floods.

To raise the profile of WASH services in National Adaptation Plans, WaterAid suggests expanding the scope of consultations and taking into account the needs of disadvantaged populations, as well as integration with other sectors, such as food production and public health. The key phrase, however, is to clearly define the structure and sources of funding for planned projects, as well as to identify the necessary partners. Urban water is no longer a given, so it deserves a long-term and comprehensive conservation strategy.