management often fail because they require sophisticated multiparty contracts and a
deep knowledge of hydrology and engineering.
Local organic nutrient cycles: Most communities are struggling to handle
low-quality sludge and fragmented, contaminated streams of organic waste coming
from households and businesses. Simultaneously, agriculture experts are exploring
new sources for nutrients, since mineral fertilizer will soon be in short supply. If we
aggregate local organic waste flows, we could help communities deal with their
problem while also creating vibrant local markets for fertilizer components.
Each of these players represents a new way of looking at water and represents a
huge business opportunity. They provide the industry with a chance to reposition
itself and develop a new generation of designers, power engineers, yield managers
or ecosystem-services marketers. The shift to a circular water economy holds much
promise. It would replace scarcity with abundance and greatly reduce the resources
needed to run our global water infrastructure.
At some point, a circular water economy might even eliminate rapidly growing
cleanup costs because no harmful substances would ever be added to the water supply.
Since water is the single most important shared resource across all supply chains, and
wastewater is the largest untapped waste category—as big as all solid-waste categories taken together—it is the natural starting point for the circular revolution.
References
American Planning Association (2021) APA Policy Guide on Water. [online]. Available at: https://
www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/water/. Accessed 1 April 2021
Arfanuzzaman M, Rahman AA (2017) Sustainable water demand management in the face of rapid
urbanization and ground water depletion for social–ecological resilience building. Glob Ecol
Conserv 10:9–22
Assocham.org (2021) Assocham India: oldest, leading, largest and apex chamber of commerce and
industry of India. [online]. Available at: https://www.assocham.org/. Accessed 1 April 2021
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2015) Towards a circular economy: business rationale for an
accelerated transition. Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Indiawris.gov.in (2021) River_basins - INDIA WRIS WIKI. [online]. Available at: https://www.
indiawris.gov.in/wiki/doku.php?id=river_basins. Accessed 31 March 2021
McDonald RI et al (2014) Water on an urban planet: urbanization and the reach of urban water
infrastructure. Glob Env Change 27:96–105
NITI Aayog (2018) Composite water management index- A tool for water management
Pacificwater.org (2019) SPC water, sanitation and hygiene: what is water demand management?
[Online]. Available at: https://www.pacificwater.org/pages.cfm/water-services/water-demandmanagement/what-water-demand-management/. Accessed 29 May 2019
Saleth RM (2011) Water scarcity and climatic change in India: the need for water demand and
supply management. Hydrol Sci J 56(4):671–686
Water at the Heart of the Circular Economy (2019) [Online] VEOLIA. Available at: https://www.
veolia.com/sites/g/files/dvc2491/files/document/2014/12/economy-circular-water.pdf.
Accessed 29 May 2019
Water demand management strategy and implementation plan for Indore (2006) UN-Habitat
2021 [online]. Available at: https://www.cdn.cseindia.org/attachments/0.84020200_1505207729_
Urban-water-sustainability-report.pdf. Accessed 1 April 2021
Sustainable Urban Water Management Strategies
43
deep knowledge of hydrology and engineering.
Local organic nutrient cycles: Most communities are struggling to handle
low-quality sludge and fragmented, contaminated streams of organic waste coming
from households and businesses. Simultaneously, agriculture experts are exploring
new sources for nutrients, since mineral fertilizer will soon be in short supply. If we
aggregate local organic waste flows, we could help communities deal with their
problem while also creating vibrant local markets for fertilizer components.
Each of these players represents a new way of looking at water and represents a
huge business opportunity. They provide the industry with a chance to reposition
itself and develop a new generation of designers, power engineers, yield managers
or ecosystem-services marketers. The shift to a circular water economy holds much
promise. It would replace scarcity with abundance and greatly reduce the resources
needed to run our global water infrastructure.
At some point, a circular water economy might even eliminate rapidly growing
cleanup costs because no harmful substances would ever be added to the water supply.
Since water is the single most important shared resource across all supply chains, and
wastewater is the largest untapped waste category—as big as all solid-waste categories taken together—it is the natural starting point for the circular revolution.
References
American Planning Association (2021) APA Policy Guide on Water. [online]. Available at: https://
www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/water/. Accessed 1 April 2021
Arfanuzzaman M, Rahman AA (2017) Sustainable water demand management in the face of rapid
urbanization and ground water depletion for social–ecological resilience building. Glob Ecol
Conserv 10:9–22
Assocham.org (2021) Assocham India: oldest, leading, largest and apex chamber of commerce and
industry of India. [online]. Available at: https://www.assocham.org/. Accessed 1 April 2021
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2015) Towards a circular economy: business rationale for an
accelerated transition. Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Indiawris.gov.in (2021) River_basins - INDIA WRIS WIKI. [online]. Available at: https://www.
indiawris.gov.in/wiki/doku.php?id=river_basins. Accessed 31 March 2021
McDonald RI et al (2014) Water on an urban planet: urbanization and the reach of urban water
infrastructure. Glob Env Change 27:96–105
NITI Aayog (2018) Composite water management index- A tool for water management
Pacificwater.org (2019) SPC water, sanitation and hygiene: what is water demand management?
[Online]. Available at: https://www.pacificwater.org/pages.cfm/water-services/water-demandmanagement/what-water-demand-management/. Accessed 29 May 2019
Saleth RM (2011) Water scarcity and climatic change in India: the need for water demand and
supply management. Hydrol Sci J 56(4):671–686
Water at the Heart of the Circular Economy (2019) [Online] VEOLIA. Available at: https://www.
veolia.com/sites/g/files/dvc2491/files/document/2014/12/economy-circular-water.pdf.
Accessed 29 May 2019
Water demand management strategy and implementation plan for Indore (2006) UN-Habitat
2021 [online]. Available at: https://www.cdn.cseindia.org/attachments/0.84020200_1505207729_
Urban-water-sustainability-report.pdf. Accessed 1 April 2021
Sustainable Urban Water Management Strategies
43