Application of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus Approach to the Climate-Resilient Water Safety Plan of Leh Town, India

Abstract

Climate-resilient water safety plans (CR-WSPs) have been developed as a risk-based approach to ensure a safe drinking-water supply while addressing the increasing stress on water resources resulting from climate change. Current examples of the application of CR-WSPs show a strong sectoral approach that fails to explore the potential synergies between other climate-sensitive sectors related to water, such as food and energy. This can increase the vulnerability or decrease the overall resilience of urban systems when planning climate change adaptation measures. In this work, the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus approach was applied in the formulation of a CR-WSP in Leh Town, India, a city with rapid development and population growth located in the Himalayas—one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change. The WEF Nexus approach was applied in the system description using a critical infrastructure approach and in the formulation of scenarios for risk management which exploited intersectoral synergies through water reclamation with resource recovery using constructed wetlands. The improvements in WEF security and risk reduction were demonstrated through indicators and risk mapping with geographical information systems (GISs). The methods for integrating the WEF Nexus approach in CR-WSPs provided through this work can serve as a base for a trans-sectoral, resilient approach within risk-based approaches for water security.

An assessment of priorities in handling climate change impacts on infrastructures

“…Within this sphere, challenges for water provision are the main relevant issue, either at the city level in normal circumstances 24 , in rural areas 52 , or at specific locations inside cities where different events led to high concentrations of people in specific points on time 53 . These studies suggest that interactions, risks, and potential synergies between different water-intense sectors are crucial to fully understanding and improving water management 54 . Different structural and nonstructural 55 approaches to improving water use could be implemented to address these problems.…”

Exploring the Global Research Trends of Cities and Climate Change Based on a Bibliometric Analysis

“…Nair et al [84] integrated the dynamics of multiple water-energy-GHG linkages in urban water systems to propose appropriate urban water strategies. Paez-Curtidor et al [85] analyzed the application of the water-energy-food nexus approach to the climate-resilient water safety plan of Leh Town. (3) The third major issue is climate-resilient water sustainability and watersensitive cities.…”

Critical Infrastructures: Reliability, Resilience and Wastage

“…A further example is discussed by Mlambo [11], who documented a crisis looming over South Africa for future water distribution networks, where the water deficiencies are multifaceted, with climate change, water theft and a lack of infrastructure investment (for example, new dams, old pipe networks) to match the urbanisation growth as two core contributors [12,13]. The climate change issue of course adds further complications to the strain caused by urbanisation and extends beyond South Africa, as Páez-Curtidor et al [14] discuss in their work on climate-resilient water safety plans for India.…”