Rehabilitation of aging urban water systems: Strategic thinking required

Abstract

This paper highlights the fundamental and invaluable role of water services in human settlements and community development. The paper aims at revealing the reasons behind aging infrastructure, the major challenge of the sector worldwide, and finding alternative strategies and means for resolving them. The authors argue that the problems of water services are largely related to management, institutions, organizations, and policies. In many ways, the requirement to see water services in a wider institutional framework is analogical to the proposed framework of Integrated Urban Water Management. The paper first explores the exceptionally long timeframe of water services management, followed by frameworks on core and non-core operations of water utilities in relation to the roles of major parties in municipal decision-making. For solving the major problems of water services both political and professional will is needed, educational programs are to be revised, and better rules of the game (institutions) are needed together with additional inputs on Research and Development activities.