Urban water security priorities – An Australian industry perspective

Abstract

Urban water security is a critical element of sustainable development, and sustainable water management requires a participatory and collaborative approach across all stakeholders. However, the literature suggests that there can be diverse and potentially conflicting views within community and expert groups. This research aimed to understand the extent of views within a group of industry professionals on objectives, themes and definitions of urban water security. Using 22 semi-structured interviews with participants from Queensland, Australia, we found that, for the group, the priorities for urban water security are water quality and human health, quantity of supply to meet efficient demand, and reliability and resilience of supply systems. We also found diverse views on the importance of sustainability, water-related hazards, environment and ecosystem health, affordability and risk to water security in the urban context. We conclude that there is agreement within the water service provider group on priority needs, and suggest there is potential for community and service providers to agree on urban water security needs. The research findings support operationalisation of security concepts, highlight potential barriers to achieving urban water security, and provide insights for further engagement with urban water stakeholders.