…
Earth & Environment
Safe and Sustainable Water in Cities
Over the next four decades, virtually all global population growth will occur in cities. Urbanization results from natural population increases among city dwellers, rural-to-urban migration, and administrative reclassification through expanding urban boundaries. Each form of city growth has effects on the quality and availability of fresh water in the urban watershed, rates of groundwater recharge, infiltration, runoff, and discharge of pollutants, including microbial pollutants and emergent contaminants.
This collection features articles from researchers and practitioners that contribute new insights to the theme of fresh water in cities.
Image Credit: Pixabay
PLOS Water
-
Image creditA person holding their hands under a stream of water by Nathan Dumlao, CC BY
-
PLOS Water Spatial heterogeneity of neighborhood-level water and sanitation access in informal urban settlements: A cross-sectional case study in Beira, Mozambique
Rapid urbanization, resulting in population growth within informal settlements, has worsened exclusion and inequality in access to water…
-
PLOS Water Understanding household self-supply use and management using a mixed-methods approach in urban Indonesia
In urban Indonesia, 40 million people rely on groundwater self-supply, however the role of self-supply in securing household water…
-
PLOS Water Differentiating between urban flood risk as a unitary problem and as a strand in a braided problem set: Implications for administrative coordination
Flood protection is a leading priority for urban water sustainability. Making cities more resilient to flooding has become urgent as the…
-
PLOS Water Long-term effects of land-use change on water resources in urbanizing watersheds
The changes in energy balance resulting from land-use change may significantly affect the amount and timing of water loss to the…
-
Image creditCrater lake, Uganda by Jon Evans, CC BY 2.0PLOS Water Community perceptions and practices on quality and safety of drinking water in Mbarara city, south western Uganda
Availability of clean drinking water is a universal human right. The quality of water differs across communities. When the quality is…
-
PLOS Water Securing urban water supply through reservoir reoperation–An analysis of power resources and equity in cases from India, Spain and the USA
This paper examines intersectoral water allocation, in particular how cities secure water vis-à-vis rural users, and assesses the equity…
-
PLOS Water Making scarcity “enough”: The hidden household costs of adapting to water scarcity in Mexico City
In the face of water scarcity due to climate change and population growth, cities around the world, especially in the Global South,…
-
PLOS Water Multi-pathway assessment of fecal contamination in urban areas of Abidjan: The case of Abobo municipality
The presence of septic tank effluents in open spaces and roads due to poor fecal sludge management (FSM) in low-income cities represents a…
-
PLOS Water The enabling environment for citywide water service provision: Insights from six successful cities
Equitable access to safe drinking water remains a key challenge in many urban areas of low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed…
-
PLOS Water Risk assessment of drinking water intake contamination from agricultural activities using a Bayesian network
Agricultural activities can result in the contamination of surface runoff with pathogens, pesticides, and nutrients. These pollutants can…
-
PLOS Water Contamination of groundwater with sulfamethoxazole and antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli in informal settlements in Kisumu, Kenya
High frequency of antibiotic detection in groundwater in informal settlements is attributed to increased usage and improper disposal, thus…
-
PLOS Water Cholera risk in Lusaka: A geospatial analysis to inform improved water and sanitation provision
Urbanization combined with climate change are exacerbating water scarcity for an increasing number of the world’s emerging cities. Water…
-
PLOS Water Disparities in disruptions to public drinking water services in Texas communities during Winter Storm Uri 2021
Winter Storm Uri of February 2021 left millions of United States residents without access to reliable, clean domestic water during the…