As climate change intensifies water-related challenges, the EU adopts an increasing number of climate change adaptation measures to ensure water security. Because water systems are interconnected, isolated measures are insufficient. This paper examines both vertical and horizontal coordination of adaptation measures in EU water law. It explores wastewater reuse to evaluate coordination between the relevant EU legislation and the implementing legislation of water-stressed Malta. We show that Malta has achieved coordination by prioritizing measures that expand water supply over those reducing demand, made possible by the ambiguities in the EU regulatory framework and the soft nature of the water hierarchy.
This study provides the first stand-alone systematic quantitative comparison of boil water advisories (BWAs) across First Nations and non-First Nations communities in Ontario, Canada, between 2017 and 2022. Using compiled BWA records, combined with community-level socioeconomic and geographic data, we applied statistical and regression analyses to examine patterns in BWA frequency and duration. Results show that First Nations communities experience significantly more frequent and longer BWAs, particularly in small and very small communities, while remoteness further increases BWA duration. Our findings reveal persistent structural inequities in drinking water access and underscore the need for systemic policy responses beyond current initiatives.
Trust is often cited as a key factor enabling transboundary water cooperation, yet it remains insufficiently explored empirically. This paper explores how social trust operates and why it does not always translate into effective cooperation. Focusing on data sharing, it compares the Sava and Syrdarya basins. Through interviews and participant observation, the analysis identifies seven sources of social trust. Although these facilitate interaction, trust alone is insufficient. Its impact depends on institutional arrangements that stabilize expectations and translate trust into coordinated action.
Recurrent drought in Trinidad has intensified water insecurity in rural communities beyond the national piped network, influenced by El Ni & ntilde;o-Southern Oscillation. The study evaluates rooftop rainwater harvesting as a livelihood managed adaptation in water-stressed communities using mixed methods. A household survey of water sources and practices, qualitative inquiry, and a review of national rainwater harvesting (RWH) policies were done. Our mixed methods results show that RWH is a primary supply and adoption operation and perceived reliability vary by sociodemographic conditions, revealing equity gaps. Policy implications are discussed with reference to other Small Island Developing States for rural water security.
This article analyses the current situation of groundwater on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). It evaluates a nature-based engineering solution developed to achieve sustainable groundwater exploitation: hydraulic closures in water galleries. We examine the role of this technical measure on the island's water policy, its expected benefits, and the implementation process, paying particular attention to the factors that may limit its development.
Using the case of the Qosh Tepa Canal - a major water infrastructure under construction to divert water from the Amu Darya across northern Afghanistan - we offer a synthesis framework to underpin the analysis of transboundary water politics. By illustrating how the Taliban's approach to hydropolitics is determined at the intersection of domestic state formation and interstate dynamics, we argue that the hydro-hegemony framework currently used within critical analyses captures only a partial set of processes at play. In response, we illustrate how the analysis of transboundary water conflicts can be enhanced by bringing the hydro-hegemony framework into conversation with that of hydrosocial territorialization. By introducing a synthesis framework, the paper offers two key contributions. On an analytical level, we provide an enabling framework for advancing the analysis of transboundary water conflicts that fuses international and subnational hydropolitics. On an empirical level, we connect the transboundary hydro-hegemonic struggles over the Amu Darya river basin with the contested histories of state formation and hydropolitics across northern Afghanistan. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of the Qosh Tepa canal project than currently exists in the literature.
This study used survey data collected from 5,332 households across 22 sites in 19 low- and middle-income countries to assess whether three experiential domains of water insecurity - water worry, insufficient water for personal hygiene, and interpersonal water conflict - were associated with residential mobility ideation (RMI), i.e. considering relocating the household due to water problems. In hierarchical logistic regression models, all three water insecurity domains were associated with RMI after adjusting for household characteristics related to mobility and migration. These relationships warrant further study to understand whether water interventions can mitigate displacement and other migration pressures related to global environmental change.
Climate change is increasing uncertainty in water management, challenging the effectiveness of traditional legal instruments like water licences to regulate water flow and usage. Although not the primary adaptation tool, regulating water licences is essential for adaptive and sustainable management. How can they be better designed for climate change? This contribution examines water law frameworks, aiming to improve the regulation of licences in the context of climate change. The author argues that incorporating flexibility into the drafting of water licences is crucial, as revising and revoking licences to align with technological standards and evolving environmental conditions has proven challenging.
In 2013, a Court of Arbitration issued its decision in the case between India and Pakistan concerning Kishenganga Dam in the Indus River Basin. The decision required India to release 9 cumecs downstream of the dam into the Kishenganga to maintain fisheries in Pakistan, including the Himalayan snow trout. The decision also provided that, seven years after project diversions begin, the parties could petition the Court to adjust the minimum flow in light of new information. A 2021 study on climate change impacts on Himalayan snow trout could provide an appropriate basis to increase the 9 cumecs flow standard.
Small islands are increasingly vulnerable to water insecurity due to limited freshwater resources, seasonal tourism, and climate-related risks. This paper assesses the feasibility of household rainwater harvesting (RWH) in Ameland, the Netherlands as a circular water strategy. Applying the IPCC AR6 feasibility dimensions with additional criteria of practicality, viability, and sustainability, the study finds that rooftop RWH could supply similar to 47 m(3) annually per household, covering similar to 50% of annual domestic demand and more than 100% of key non-potable uses. While economic returns remain modest, RWH offers important resilience benefits by reducing reliance on imported water and improving preparedness for supply disruptions.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face significant water insecurities due to many climate and anthropogenic stressors. Isotope hydrology is a technology that supports effective water management by using physical tracers (stable and radioactive isotopes) to better understand water sources, their movement and quality. Despite their different contexts, SIDS share a set of common barriers impeding the uptake of isotope hydrology applications including limited institutional frameworks, technical capacity, logistical challenges, funding limits, and issues around creating consistent baseline data. We propose to overcome these barriers through regional approaches, addressing data gaps and management, enhancing technical capacities and fostering collaboration and innovation.
