Integrated Urban Water Management: Arid and Semi-Arid Regions
Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) is a new approach to managing the entire urban water cycle in an integrated way, a key to achieving the sustainability of urban water resources and services. The IUWM incorporates: the systematic consideration of the various dimensions of water, including surface and groundwater resources, quality and quantity issues; the fact that water is a system and component which interacts with other systems; and the interrelationships between water and social and economic development.

Integrated Urban Water Management: Arid and Semi-Arid Regions – the outcome of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme project on the topic – examines the integrated management of water resources in urban settings, focusing on issues specific to arid and semi-arid regions. The urban water management system is considered here as two integrated processes: water supply management and water excess management. The first six chapters provide an overview of the various aspects of IUWM in arid and semi-arid regions, with emphasis on water supply technologies, such as artificial recharge, water transfers, desalination, and rainwater harvesting. Water excess management is examined in the context of both stormwater management and floodplain management. Case studies from developed and developing countries are presented in order to emphasize the various needs and challenges of water management in urban environments in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. These case studies include: Mexico City, Mexico; Tucson, Arizona; Awash River Basin, Ethiopia; China; and Cairo, Egypt.

PALABRAS CLAVE · Abastecimiento de agua · Estudio de caso · Gestión de los recursos hídricos · Planificación integrada · Zona árida · Zona urbana