Acque Sotterranee (Sep 2024)

Review: Urban Water Security and Safety

  • Philippe Quevauviller,
  • Klaus Hinsby,
  • Ida Karlsson Seidenfaden,
  • David Pulido Velázquez,
  • Manuel Sapiano,
  • Rosario Coelho,
  • Peter Gattinesi,
  • Philipp Hohenblum,
  • Vaclav Jirovsky,
  • Fatima Marinheiro,
  • Luis Simas,
  • Rui Teixeira,
  • Rita Ugarelli,
  • Monica Cardarilli,
  • Sotirios Paraskevopoulos,
  • Stelios Vrachimis,
  • Gertjan Medema,
  • Demetrios Eliades,
  • Francesco La Vigna

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7343/as-2024-775
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 3

Abstract

Read online

“Water security” and “water safety” is defined differently. As the terms are related they may lead to confusion and misinterpretations, depending on the context. Water security generally refers to a lack of resources of an acceptable quality, i.e. water scarcity that may be related either to an excess of water demand or drought impacts (with links to climate change and e.g. salt water intrusion into coastal aquifers). Further, water security is closely related to food security, energy security, health security and ecological security. From a (human) security viewpoint, however, water security may also be understood in the light of possible intentional degradation of the resources, e.g. criminal or terrorist act leading to a deliberate (chemical or biological) contamination of water supply systems. Water safety on the other hand refers to the quality or chemical status of the water resources that has to comply with the defined quality standards for drinking water specifically to protect human health, both from elevated concentrations of contaminants and natural geogenic elements. This review gives a snapshot of various (ground)water safety and security issues written by authors from different sectors and disciplines. Illustrating and clarifying the many societal challenges related to water security and safety in cities.

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