Urban Drought (eBook)

Dr. Bhaswati Ray is a faculty member at Sivanath Sastri College (affiliated with the University of Calcutta), Kolkata, India. She is also a guest faculty member in the Post-Graduate Department of Geography, Vivekananda College for Women, Kolkata. An ardent researcher with immense field experience, her research area encompasses environmental issues and resource management, risk and vulnerability assessment, hazard perception, disaster preparedness, and resilience building. Her papers at national and international conferences have been on diverse topics including environmental hazard perception and risk management, resource management, and sustainable practices for enhanced resilience. She is the sole author of a reference book, with more than 10 publications including academic papers and book chapters to her credit. The hazards of water contamination and water scarcity implications, policy adaptations, governance issues, and sustainable adaptations for water management in both rural and urban areas have been her major contributions.

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This book presents water insecurity issues in urban areas while developing a water security index and explores the innovative approaches to water development and management with examples from Asian cities. The urban water crisis is a global phenomenon, but it is more obvious in the megacities of the developing world. Urban drought, although not a familiar term, will pose a significant threat to humankind in the near future, especially in the context of increasing population in cities. Many cities are already unable to provide safe, clean water for their citizens. Some of the world's largest cities depend heavily on groundwater for their water supply. It is unlikely that dependence on aquifers, which take many years to recharge, will be sustainable. As urban populations grow, water use will need to shift from agriculture to municipal and industrial uses, making decisions about allocating between different sectors difficult.Inefficient water-use practices by households and industries, fragmented management of water between sectors and institutions, climate-induced water shortages, environmental degradation of water sources, and inadequate use of alternate sources are also issues of major concern. Despite recent advances in the literature, there exists a considerable gap in attempting an integrated water-resource management approach.Covering all aspects of urban drought and water insecurity, this book is a valuable resource for students, researchers, academics, policy makers, and development practitioners.