Urban Water Security in Asia-Pacific: Promoting Demand Management Strategies

Abstract

In Asia-Pacific, urban centres will face water insecurity as a result of climate change and the impacts of urbanisation. To achieve urban water security in the Asia-Pacific region, water managers can use a variety of demand management tools to alter the attitudes and behaviours of individuals and society towards water resources. In Europe, urban water security is affected by droughts and scarcity. The European Commission has stated that demand management should come first and that alternative supply options are only considered once the potential for water efficiency has been exhausted. In order to achieve urban water security in the Asia- Pacific region, existing institutional frameworks between Europe and Asia-Pacific can be used to exchange best practices and lessons learnt from European urban centres implementing demand management strategies.