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Frontiers of Earth Science

ISSN 2095-0195

ISSN 2095-0209(Online)

CN 11-5982/P

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Front. Earth Sci.    2020, Vol. 14 Issue (2) : 256-267    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-020-0823-3
RESEARCH ARTICLE
The hydrosocial cycle in rapidly urbanizing watersheds
Melinda LAITURI()
Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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Abstract

Water is the essential resource of the 21st century where innovative water management strategies are needed to improve water security. This paper examines three case studies that exemplify the global water crisis, situated in rapidly urbanizing watersheds: Nairobi River Basin, Kenya; Citarum River Basin, Indonesia; and Addis Ababa River Basin, Ethiopia. Each of these watersheds are implementing large-scale water management strategies inclusive of local communities and regional governments to address water quality and waste management issues. The hydrosocial cycle (Linton, 2010) provides a framework to investigate the social, technical and physical aspects of water flows. Using the hydrosocial cycle as an organizing framework, these watersheds are examined to highlight how water security underpins water justice. The issues of gender and inequity are often overlooked in larger policy, development, and infrastructure discussions where technical requirements, restoration management, and engineering solutions obscure power inequities. Projects are compared to assess the implementation of the hydrosocial cycle through a discussion of social power and structure, technology and infrastructure, and the materiality of water in each location. This comparison reveals a dependence on large-scale technical projects with limited community engagement, and a need for science-based river restoration management. Recommendations are provided to improve and address holistic water management.
Keywords hydrosocial cycle      urban watersheds      water security      Citarum River Basin      Addis Ababa Basin      Nairobi River Basin     
Online First Date: 12 June 2020    Issue Date: 21 July 2020
 Cite this article:   
Melinda LAITURI. The hydrosocial cycle in rapidly urbanizing watersheds[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2020, 14(2): 256-267.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-020-0823-3
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2020/V14/I2/256
Country Population Urban population growth rate Percentage (%) urban population Population of capital city (in millions)
Ethiopia 109224559 4.79% 20.9% Addis Ababa: 4.592
Indonesia 267663435 2.47% 55.8% Jakarta: 10.639
Kenya 51393010 4.24% 27.4% Nairobi: 4.556
Tab.1  Population metrics in 2018—case studies
Indicator Ethiopia (2015)/% Indonesia (2015)/% Kenya (2015)/%
Share of population with access to improved water 93.1 87.4 63.2
Share of population with access to unimproved water 57.3 94.2 81.6
Share of urban population with access to improved water 93.1 97.2 81.6
Share of urban population with access to unimproved water 9.6 5.8 18.4
Tab.2  Access to water—case studies
Fig.1  (a) The hydrosocial cycle (Linton and Budds, 2014); (b) applied to urban waters.
Fig.2  The hydrosocial cycle of the Nairobi River Restoration Project. “Water” as a healthy river.
Fig.3  The hydrosocial cycle of the Citarum River Basin Restoration Project. “Water” as river rehabilitation.
Fig.4  The hydrosocial cycle of the Addis Ababa River Side Restoration Project. “Water” as beautifying the river.
Fig.5  Urban waterscape.
Recommendation US Water Strategy Characteristics
Assess institutional capacity Engagement through diplomacy -Communication and coordination between government sectors
-Ensure local government engagement and support
-Support local and in-country topical experts
-Bottom-up contributions based on local knowledge
Conduct research to build a sound scientific base for solutions Promote science, technology, innovation, and information -Linkages to universities
-Student internships in government offices
-Integrated research activity
-Recognize local experts
Data investment and development Promote science, technology, innovation, and information -Develop open data policy
-Open access for sharing and transparency
-Use of mobile tools, open source platforms, remotely sensed data
Establish technical partnerships Promote science, technology, innovation, and information -Develop urban water infrastructure: water supply, water quality monitoring, wastewater treatment, stormwater run-off
-Establish data tracking for all aspects of water management
Identify how the river can “do its job” to enhance city Invest in sustainable infrastructure and services -Identify ecosystems services
-Determine locations for flood management
-Reintroduce riparian zones
-Create river parks and green spaces
Facilitate community engagement and participatory activities Strengthen partnerships, intergovernmental organizations, and the international community -Identify and prioritize community issues
-Community demonstration projects
-Engage community in monitoring activities and data collection
Develop partnerships and create networks Strengthen partnerships, intergovernmental organizations, and the international community -School and university partnerships
-Industry, business and school partnerships
-Industry, university partnerships
-Government, university, industry partnerships
Tab.3  Recommendations for the US Global Water Strategy
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