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

This collection of essays is a new and systematic effort to survey the controversial aspects of the management and, in many cases, mismanagement of freshwater resources in an urban setting. It addresses and characterises 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. A comparative and historical approach to water service provision is important to stress the changing nature of conflicts over the decades, in line with a changing technological, economic, political and social context.
This publication is composed of in-depth case studies on cities, countries or continents as a whole, treating : urban water conflicts in recent European history; the French PPP model for water services management; water management in the cities of Brazil; urban water conflicts in Buenos Aires, Argentina; urban conflicts over water in Mexico; urban water conflicts in Indian cities; conflicts over water supply in Jakarta, Indonesia; urban water conflicts in Italy; infrastructural commercialisation and uneven development in Germany.
Causes of urban water conflict involve : 1) quality/extension of drinking water services and their continuity; 2) quality/extension of waste-water collection and treatment; 3) urban hydrology problems (storm water control); 4) impact of large cities upon their environment, in particular water resources use and misuse; 5) financing of investments issue; 6) tariff setting and cost recovery; 7) degrees of freedom left to urban dwellers vis-à-vis the services provided.