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Inclusive, sustainable urban water management to serve all.

Our work supports affordable and safe services in the context of integrated urban water management. We work with city authorities, utilities and communities to ensure reliable access to safe private (self-supply), piped and communal water services that meet the Sustainable Development Goal criteria for ‘safely managed’ services in terms of water quality, quantity and reliability. We also aim to conserve and re-use water resources, where possible.

ISF_Vietnam-RECHARGE

PROJECT | 2023-2024

Resilience in a Changing Climate: Advancing Research on Groundwater for Equity (RECHARGE)

The RECHARGE project explores how to achieve safely managed, climate resilient water services in urban areas of Indonesia and Vietnam, where household use of groundwater is prevalent but water quality issues are of concern.

In Indonesia this includes a focus on the relative risks in different cities, depending on groundwater depth, type of water and sanitation services, land-use and other factors. It also includes examining the extent of contamination from onsite sanitation systems and relationship to rainfall, as well as behaviour change approaches to shift from self-supplied groundwater to piped water services.

In Vietnam the project has a strong emphasis on social inclusion and climate resilience in groundwater access. It explores the role of groundwater as a primary source of drinking water in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces. The research investigates household experiences of groundwater access and use, climate change impacts, and how water service providers and governments are grappling with the complexity and uncertainty of managing groundwater-based water services that are inclusive and climate resilient. 

 

Client: Water for Women funded by the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

Partner: Universitas Indonesia, University of the South Pacific

Researcher: Juliet Willetts, Diana Gonzalez Botero, Naomi Carrard, Tim Foster, Jeremy Kohlitz

ISF-Urban-water-guide

PROJECT | 2021-2022

Urban water guide

Urban water managers globally are now rethinking how to tackle water management issues, especially in light of climate change impacts on water systems and communities. This Guide, led by the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities and the Institute for Sustainable Futures, outlines key principles and considerations for developing integrated and inclusive approaches to managing water, energy and nutrient resources for low-energy and nature-based solutions.

 

Client: Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

Researcher: Melita Grant

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

 

Urban Water Guide (2022) (Report)

Man tending to rural water installation

PROJECT | 2018-2022

Transitioning to safely managed water services: Risks and opportunities of self-supply for vulnerable populations

Evaluates risks and opportunities associated with self-supply water sources and the effects on transitioning towards safely-managed services for poor households across Asia-Pacific.

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Contact us

t: +61 2 9514 4950
e: isf@uts.edu.au

Level 10, UTS Building 10
235 Jones Street
Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
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