Resources / Urban Water and Sanitation Services; an IWRM Approach

Summary

The rapid pace and scale of urbanization represents a considerable challenge for water resources management, the delivery of essential water and sanitation services and environmental protection. There is a need to adopt an IWRM approach which explicitly recognizes the complex sets of interdependency relationships which exist within and between human and environmental systems. When applied to an urban context, an IWRM approach must recognize intersectoral competition for resources, the role of the urban sector in meeting national developmental priorities, and negative impacts of urban provision practices in other parts of the economy.