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The Water-Economy Nexus: a Composite Index Approach to Evaluate Urban Water Vulnerability

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  • L. Haak

    (University of Nevada)

  • K. Pagilla

    (University of Nevada)

Abstract

Resource scarcity is a driving force behind water conservation and reuse as urban areas seek strategies to adapt to population growth and environmental challenges. Although there are numerous indicators that examine urban water resource and demand characteristics, these approaches do not tie together how aspects like economic health, environmental conditions, and population growth correlate with local water conservation to demonstrate a city’s ability to cope with water resource vulnerability. This research develops a conceptual framework for the Water-Economy Index (WEI) which characterizes social, economic, and environmental dynamics of water reuse and conservation. The application specifically utilizes a principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate how hydro-economic indicators (including water demand intensity, demand for recycled water, economic productivity of water, unemployment, and allocations of water resources) are correlated and can impact sustainability goals. The PCA method aggregates indicators into three groups: socio-economic, water allocation, and socio-environmental indicators. The most influential indicators within each group are economic productivity of water, wastewater reuse, and consumptive water demand, respectively. The WEI ranks of 49 cities are compared to identify shared traits across individual indicators and to demonstrate the application of the WEI for benchmarking. The results provide insight into the complex relationship between the characteristics of an urban area’s water demand and socio-economic performance.

Suggested Citation

  • L. Haak & K. Pagilla, 2020. "The Water-Economy Nexus: a Composite Index Approach to Evaluate Urban Water Vulnerability," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 34(1), pages 409-423, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:waterr:v:34:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11269-019-02464-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11269-019-02464-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Elham Ebrahimi Sarindizaj & Mohammad Karamouz, 2022. "Dynamic Water Balance Accounting-Based Vulnerability Evaluation Considering Social Aspects," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(2), pages 659-681, January.
    3. Zafar Hussain & Zongmin Wang & Jiaxue Wang & Haibo Yang & Muhammad Arfan & Daniyal Hassan & Wusen Wang & Muhammad Imran Azam & Muhammad Faisal, 2022. "A comparative Appraisal of Classical and Holistic Water Scarcity Indicators," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(3), pages 931-950, February.
    4. E. S. Meulen & N. B. Sutton & F. H. M. Ven & P. R. Oel & H. H. M. Rijnaarts, 2020. "Trends in Demand of Urban Surface Water Extractions and in Situ Use Functions," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 34(15), pages 4943-4958, December.
    5. Wuliyasu Bai & Liang Yan & Jingbo Liang & Long Zhang, 2022. "Mapping Knowledge Domain on Economic Growth and Water Sustainability: A Scientometric Analysis," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(11), pages 4137-4159, September.
    6. Suranjan Majumder & Subham Roy & Arghadeep Bose & Indrajit Roy Chowdhury, 2023. "Understanding regional disparities in healthcare quality and accessibility in West Bengal, India: A multivariate analysis," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 1086-1113, June.

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