International Expo "Water and Sustainable Development"
Water tribune
Water management in cities must have a global and long-term vision
The world’s urban population is growing so even in places where water management is high and works efficiently the authorities need to adapt to the growth in demand and be forward-planning. The governance of water requires a global focus, a vision which has had its place at the round table on the integrated management of water resources organised by the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation in the Assembly Hall in the University of Zaragoza. It brought together representatives from local governments and from businesses that manage water in many cities around the world.
Are there good examples of integrated water management? Undoubtedly, the answer is an affirmative and proof of it lies in the case of Quito, capital of Ecuador, a city of two million inhabitants, where the authorities have, over the course of eight years, managed to extend drinking water through socially and environmentally-sound measures. This work has been centred mainly in the suburbs and the poorer areas of the city. Juan Neira, manager of the Metropolitan Company of Drains and Drinking Water in the city, explained that in these years water leakage has dropped from 48% to 30% and the monthly connection consumption has also fallen – from 42 cubic metres to 31. In addition, 97% of the population has access to drinking water and just 9% of the city lacks drains. These achievements have only been possible through a global vision. On the one hand, the local government is working on a 20 year land ordering plan, which is in collaboration with the sectors involved in each area. On the other hand, the people who lived in the gullies have been moved; these areas are now expected to receive torrents of water and land-slips courtesy of the water regulation work that has been undertaken. River courses have been decontaminated and interceptors have been constructed to catch the sewage. The tariff policy being applied to water management provides universal access to the services as it offers subsidies on demand.
In Milan, one of the largest cities in Italy, they were faced with high pollution figures and, although the coverage of drinking water and drainage is almost total, the availability of water is unsatisfactory in times of high demand – such as in the summer. This is the priority for the government of Milan.
Bertrand Fautrier, vice-president of the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation, believes that the experiences of these cities can be transposed – or, at least, serve as examples one to another – for the achievement of integrated water management, drinking water provision and minimising the impact of the activities implemented around the cities on the available resources.
