BSR Insight | Water in an Urbanizing World
The World Wildlife Fund’s new report explores the implications of rapid urbanization on water supply and availability. The report analyzes issues such as water scarcity, decreasing quality and pollution, overuse, and salt-water intrusion, as well as infrastructural, institutional, and social challenges in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Nairobi, Karachi, Kolkata, and Shanghai.
The report also offers several recommendations to help cities reduce their water footprint:
- Conduct water risk assessments and examine potential climate change impacts.
- Raise awareness about water efficiency.
- Treat and reuse water from storm drainage, sewage, and other effluents to supplement local supplies.
- Provide economic incentives to help reduce demand and industrial pollution.
- Incorporate infrastructure maintenance, provision, and administrative costs into the water price to support infrastructure improvements.
- Use market-based tools to create financial incentives for managing natural resources, addressing livelihood issues of the urban poor, and providing sustainable financing for protected areas.
To learn more about how business can succeed in an era of rapid urbanization, attend the BSR Conference 2011 session “Scaling for the New Local.”
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