The limits to large-scale supply augmentation: exploring the crossroads of conflicting urban water system development pathways

[摘要] Managers of urban water systems constantly make decisions toguarantee water services by overcoming problems related to supply–demandimbalances. A preferred strategy has been supply augmentation throughhydraulic infrastructure development. However, despite considerableinvestments, many systems seem to be trapped in lacklustre developmentpathways making some problems seem like an enduring, almost stubborn,characteristic of the systems: overexploitation and pollution of watersources, distribution networks overwhelmed by leakages and non-revenuewater, and unequal water insecurity. Because of these strategies andpersistent problems, water conflicts have emerged, whereby social actorsoppose these strategies and propose alternative technologies and strategies.This can create development pathway crossroads of the urban water system,defined as a critical point whereby actors in conflict will either reinforcethe current business-as-usual pathway based on large supply augmentation orimplement alternative solutions for the urban water system. To study thisdevelopment pathway crossroads, we selected the Zapotillo conflict in Mexicowhere a large supply augmentation project for two cities experiencing watershortages is at stake. The paper concludes that urban water systems that areengaged in a trajectory characterized by supply-side strategies mayexperience a temporal relief but neglect equally pressing issues that stymiethe human right to water in the medium and long run. However, there is not astraightforward, self-evident development pathway to choose from, only arange of multiple alternatives with multiple trade-offs that need to bethoroughly discussed and negotiated between the stakeholders. We argue thatthis development pathway crossroads can cross-fertilize contrastingdisciplines such as socio-hydrology and critical studies on water because both can complement technical and socio-political analyses to make their knowledge actionableand relevant.

[学科分类] 妇产科学