Water demand management - shifting urban water management towards sustainability

Whereas the world population is increasing at a high rate, especially in urban areas,, the water resources have not only remained constant, but they are being polluted at a high rate, which inevitably results in water scarcity. There is a need therefore for water sector policy makers and professionals to have a shift in the way they manage water resources in urban areas. Instead of focusing on supply-side options, we need to apply water demand management (WDM) tools both on the utility and end-user sides. This paper spells out the limitations of the conventional urban water management, provides the basic concepts of WDM and briefly introduces the five-year EU-funded SWITCH Project whose overall goal is to trigger a shift in current urban water management practices by developing, applying and demonstrating a range of tested scientific, technological and socio-economic solutions and approaches that contribute to the achievement of sustainable and effective urban water management schemes in the ‘city of tomorrow’.