To reach the targeted aim of water secure and water sensitive urban areas there is the need for the city administrations, the private sector as well as for the civil society to create an environment which allows among others to efficiently use the diverse water resources available, to protect and restore waterways and wetlands, to mitigate and manage flood risk and damage, to create public and private places that harvest and recycle water, to reduce, treat and recycle waste water and to make use of cross sector benefits like utilizing nutrients and energy sources from waste water. Additional to these often contradicting targets urban areas are challenged by climate change impacts, demographic changes, urban growth or shrinkage as well as changes in consumption patterns. In this session the audience will get and inside into the water sector related climate change adaption strategies of Dhaka city. It will be shown how an independent hydrology audit can help to address sustainable urban drainage in urban areas of Scotland. A model will be introduced that quantifies and evaluates the impact of waste management options with the aim to help operators of municipal solid waste management facilities to improve and optimize their technology regarding its impacts on water. Finally for the city of Passo Fundo-RS, Brazil it will be proposed how alternative storage and distribution of treated water could reduce drinking water treatment costs and the use of electric energy.
Keywords: Sustainable urban water management, climate change adaptation, cross-sector effects
