Urban Water Conflicts: An analysis of the origins and nature of water-related unrest and conflicts in the urban context

UNESCO Working Series SC-2006/WS/19

It is a product of the urban water management projects being implemented under the Sixth Phase of IHP (2002-2007), and it represents a joint effort with the IHP project, From Potential Conflict to Co-operation Potential (PC-CP), which addresses water conflict prevention and resolution.

This collection of essays is a new and systematic effort to survey the controversial aspect of the management and, in many cases, mismanagement of freshwater resources in an urban setting. It addresses and characterizes the conflicts that arise within large human settlements, due to the economic and social implications of access to and the use of basic water services. It also presents in-depth case studies from cities of various continents.
One prominent aspect of urban water issues is that, in contrast to agricultural, industrial, hydropower, ecosystem maintenance and recreational freshwater uses, water stress in the urban environment manifests itself directly at the household level, where the consumption of domestic potable water takes place, and where the consumer is normally subject to charges for it.

These essays are particularly relevant in a time when the world is becoming increasingly urbanized. Current projections predict that by 2007 half of humanity will live in cities, meaning the planet will have an urban majority for the first time in history. There are other political, social and economic processes at work, not the least of which has been the trend towards privatizing water services, which is of particular relevance to the analysis of urban water conflicts.

This publication is the collective effort of numerous individuals. In particular, we would like to acknowledge Mr. Bernard Barraqué, Chairman of the French IHP National Committee, senior researcher at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris and chief coordinator of IHP’s Urban water conflicts Project, as well as Prof. Evan Vlachos, Colorado State University, who initiated and followed up the project.

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Esta recopilación de ensayos es un esfuerzo reciente y sistemático que pretende analizar los aspectos polémicos de la gestión y, en muchos casos, de la mala gestión de los recursos hídricos en el entorno urbano. La publicación aborda y caracteriza los conflictos que surgen en los grandes asentamientos humanos, debido a las implicaciones económicas y sociales derivadas del acceso y el uso de los servicios básicos de agua. Esta publicación también presenta estudios de caso exhaustivos de ciudades de diversos continentes.

Estos ensayos resultan especialmente relevantes en una época en la que el mundo cada vez está más urbanizado. Las predicciones actuales indican que, para 2007, la mitad de la humanidad residirá en ciudades, lo que significa que por primera vez en la historia la mayoría de la población del planeta será urbana. Al mismo tiempo intervienen otros procesos políticos, sociales y económicos. Uno de los más importantes es la tendencia hacia la privatización de los servicios relacionados con el agua, que reviste especial relevancia para el análisis de conflictos relativos a las aguas urbanas.

Esta publicación resultará de gran utilidad para responsables políticos, de la toma de decisiones, planificadores y gestores de aguas urbanas alrededor del mundo.

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