How can we ensure that we build water and climate resilient cities?
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The World Bank at World Water Week 2015As population and economic growth bump up against finite—and increasingly degraded—water resources, competition between agricultural, industrial, and municipal water uses increases, putting stress on existing water sources. This stress is felt most acutely in urban areas, particularly among the urban poor.
Moreover, urban water management systems are inefficient, leading to an uneven quantity and availability of water and related services. In addition, urban water management must consider the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and climate variability, on water resource availability.
The Water Global Practice of the World Bank is contributing to the effort to build resilient cities through the following approaches:
- Promoting the integration of a wider resource perspective.
In Bogota, Colombia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Vítoria, Brazil, the Bank is supporting government efforts toward comprehensive upstream watershed management coupled with urban water management and flood control.
- Promoting the principles of integrated urban water management (IUWM).
In Teresina, Brazil, the World Bank is providing financing to integrate drainage infrastructure with water supply and sanitation, create green areas to mitigate the effects of urban flooding, and regenerate urban areas to promote economic development and leisure opportunities. In Uruguay, the Bank is supporting development of a roadmap for an IUWM national strategy for sustainable urban development and for the strengthening of local capacity.
- Promoting mainstream water in broader city resilience exercises.
- Promoting decentralized cities
Building resilient cities requires various sectors to work together to ensure integrated city-wide planning, including effective water resources management. It also requires a careful understanding of the governance system of cities and their place in the intergovernmental system. The World Bank will continue to work across sectors and with diverse institutions and stakeholders to help cities become resilient for the challenges ahead while ensuring decreased vulnerability of the poor and strengthened urban governance and accountability.
To learn more, read “Water for Development: Responding to the Challenges.”
If you are interested in learning more about climate resilient cities, the following sessions at World Water Week might interest you:
Livable Cities for All: Integrated Sanitation and Water Services
Tuesday, August 25, 09:00-10:30 (FH Congress Hall A)
#SIWISofa: Raising the Profile of Water Towards COP21
Wednesday, August 26, 11:00 -11:30 (Exhibition Hall A)
High Level Panel: Raising the Profile of Water Towards COP21
August 26, 14:00-15:30 (NL Auditorium / Aulan)
Livestream available
Follow us online: www.worldbank.org/worldwaterweek
On twitter @worldbankwater and hashtag #wwweek
Perhaps expand on the principle of integrated urban water management with the wider principles of integrated catchment (or watershed) management. Upstream of urban areas is often dominated by agriculture, forestry and habitat. Consideration of these factors could benefit our cities. For example, controlling agricultural diffuse pollution and reducing soil erosion at source could reduce water treatment costs. Controlling runoff from extreme rainfall through better land management could reduce peak flow in rivers and relieve pressure from our utility services in our cities during flood events. This could also increase drought resilience by encouraging infiltration and ground water recharge. Greater consideration of our native species could help control the spread of invasive ones, and improve the landscape for generations to come. These factors, applied in combination with harder engineered solutions, could increase resilience of our urban areas in the face of climate change, rise of extreme events and population growth.