Physically decentralised water management systems may contribute to improving the sustainability of urban water management. Any shift toward decentralised systems needs to consider not just physical system design but also social values, knowledge frames, and organisations, and their interconnections to the physical technology. Four cases of recent Australian urban water management improvement projects were researched using qualitative methods. Three cases were of decentralised water management innovation. The other was of a centralised system, although decentralised options had been considered. These cases were studied to identify institutional barriers and enablers for the uptake of decentralised systems, and to better understand how emerging environmental engineering knowledge might be applied to overcome an implementation gap for decentralised urban water technologies. Analysis of each case focused on the institutional elements of urban water management, namely: the values, knowledge frames and organisational structures. These elements were identified through in-depth interviews, document review, and an on-line survey. The alignment of these elements was identified as being a significant contributor to the stability of centralised systems, or to change toward decentralised systems. A new organisational home for innovative knowledge was found to be common to each case where decentralised innovation occurred. ??Institutional entrepreneurs??, strong stakeholder engagement, and inter-organisational networks were all found to be linked to the creation of shared meaning and legitimacy for organisational and technological change. Existing planning frameworks focus on expert justification for change rather than institutional support for change. Institutional factors include shared understandings, values and organisational frameworks, and the alignment of each factor. Principles for, and examples of, appropriate organisational design for enabling and managing decentralised technological innovation for urban water management are proposed. This research contributes to the understanding of the institutional basis and dynamics of urban water management, particularly in relation to physical centralisation and decentralisation of urban water management technologies and, to a lesser extent, in relation to user involvement in urban water management. Understanding of factors that contribute to enabling and constraining decentralised technologies is extended to include institutional and organisational factors. New and practical pathways for change for the implementation of decentralised urban water systems are provided.

L'eau est un besoin vital pour l'Homme et chaque société se doit de la gérer au mieux pour subvenir à ce besoin élémentaire aujourd'hui et dans l'avenir. Les changements climatiques en cours et en particulier le réchauffement climatique influencent fortement les hydrosystèmes et les activités économiques de montagne forçant ces territoires à s'adapter à ces nouvelles conditions. Les choix de développement socio-économiques ont également une importance prépondérante dans l'émergence ou non de pénuries d'eau.Au cours de cette thèse un modèle couplant représentations des ressources naturelles et des activités socio-économiques a été construit. Il permet d'explorer à la fois les impacts sur la disponibilité des ressources en eau, des changements climatiques et des choix socio-économiques pour un territoire de montagne à différents horizons temporels. Toutes les combinaisons de scénarios climatiques et socio-économiques peuvent être expérimentées dans le modèle.La station de ski de Megève (France) a servi de terrain d'application pour le développement du modèle hydro-anthropique. Ce modèle devant servir comme aide à la décision pour la mise en place de politiques d'adaptation, la délicate question du transfert de connaissances entre Science et Société est interrogée. Via l'insertion du modèle scientifique développé dans des Serious-Games une proposition d'interface est réalisée. A travers le projet C3-Alps qui a financé cette thèse, d'autres transferts de connaissances pour l'adaptation aux changements climatiques dans les Alpes ont également été réalisés. / Water is a vital need for Human and each society have to manage it at best to meet this basic need today and in the future.Current climatic changes and especially global warming strongly impact hydrosystems and economical activities of mountainous areas, forcing these territories to adapt to these new conditions. Socio-economic development choices have also a great importance in water shortages occurrence. In this thesis a model coupling representations of water resources and and socio-economic activities was built.It allows to explore both climate change impacts and socio-economic choices impacts on water resources availability in a mountain territories at different time scales. All combinations of climate change and socio economic choices scenarios are testable.The Megève ski resort station in France was used to develop and apply the hydro-anthropic model. The latter must contribute, as a decision support tool, to climate change adaptation policies developpement. Therefore, the tricky question of knowledge transfer between Science and Society is addressed in this thesis. The scientific model developped was introduced in Serious-Games as an interface proposal. Through the C3-Alps projet which financed this thesis, others knowledge tranfers for climate change adapation in the Alps were also addressed.

The growing pressure on the world‘s fresh water resources is enforced by population growth that leads to conflicts between demands for different purposes. A main concern on water use is the conflict between the environment and other purposes like hydropower, irrigation for agriculture and domestic and industry water supply, where total flows are diverted without releasing water for ecological conservation. As a consequence, some of the common problems related to water faced by many countries are shortage, quality deterioration and flood impacts. Hence, utilization of integrated water resources management in a single system, which is built up by river basin, is an optimum way to handle the question of water. However, in many areas, when planning for balancing water demands major gaps exist on baseline knowledge of water resources. In order to bridge these gaps, hydro-logical models are among the available tools used to acquire adequate understanding of the characteristics of the river basin. Apart from forecasting and predicting the quantity and quality of water for decision makers, some models could also help in predicting the impacts of natural and anthropogenic changes on water resources and also in quantifying the spatial and temporal availability of the resources. However, main challenges lie in choosing and utilizing these models for a specific basin and managerial plan. In this study, an analysis of the different types of models and application of a selected model to characterize the Awash River basin, located in Ethiopia, is presented. The results from the modeling procedure and the performance of the model are discussed. The different possible sources of uncertainties in the modeling process are also discussed. The results indicate dissimilar predictions in using different methods; hence proper care must be taken in selecting and employing available methods for a specific watershed prior to presenting the results to decision makers. / QC 20110516

Denna fältstudie kommer att undersöka betydelsen av regnvattenanvändning som vattenförsörjnings alternativ. Hur kan hållbara innovativa lösningar tas fram för att lösa vattenförsörjningen på Sri Lanka? Efter lidandet av mer än 30 års inbördeskrig och efter de omfattande skadorna från tsunamin 2004, står nu Sri Lanka inför många utmaningar rörande landets återuppbyggnad. Tillgången till vatten är den viktigaste grundläggande förutsättningen för ett fungerande samhälle. I landets torra zon är det långa perioder av torka då vattenkällor sinar och inget naturligt vatten finns att tillgå. Detta trots att det under monsunen kommer tillräckligt med regn för att täcka vattenbehovet om det skulle samlas på ett optimalt sätt. Avrinningskoefficienten är här mer än 60% outnyttjat regnvatten. I ett flertal lyckade projekt har man samlat regnvatten i RWH system för senare användning. Människor i dessa områden saknar kranvatten eftersom detta område ej är täckt av vattenförsörjningsnätet. Detta gör att dessa människor har en positiv inställning till att ha RWH system..I den våta zonen, och då speciellt i Colombos stadsmiljö som denna studie handlar om, är situationen annorlunda. Här har de flesta invånare kranvatten. Det kommunala kranvattnet är högt subventionerat av regeringen vilket gör att kostnaden är låg för användarna samt ökar vattenkonsumtionen. Invånarna känner inget ansvar för vattenresurserna eftersom den gemena uppfattningen är att det är en evig källa. Majoriteten av hushållen ser inget skäl till att installera RWH på grund av den låga lönsamheten. Trots att det finns ett förordnande att det ska ingå ett RWH system, så följs inte detta. Saknande av uppföljningsplikt anges som orsak av vatten styrelsen. Kostnaden för att behandla och leverera vatten till invånarna är väldigt hög och är mycket energi krävande. Det finns ett behov av enorma investeringar för att rusta upp och bygga ut både vattenverken och vattennätet för att klara av att möta det växande invånarantalet i Colombo området. Ett annat problem är att 40% av hushållen i Colombo saknar avloppsanslutning. De leder sitt avloppsvatten direkt eller efter en septi-tank ut i jorden eller havet.Om medvetenheten kring dessa frågor ökar, samt att förhållandet mellan kranvattnets kostnad och RWH justeras med ändringar i subventionerna, kunde en hållbar lösning på vattensituationen med såväl ekonomiska som miljövinster ske.Resultatet av denna studie är att RWH får ses som ett komplement när det gäller vattenförsörjningen för hushållens del. Fokus bör istället ligga på industrier, sjukhus, skolor, kommunala byggnader och andra byggnader med stora vattenbehov och med de största möjligheterna att uppnå optimalt resultat.Studien visar också på en hållbar lösning på avloppshanteringen. Den visar DWWT och dess fördelar. / The field study will investigate the importance of Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) as a water supply option. How can sustainable innovative solutions be developed to solve the water problem of Sri Lanka? Suffering from more than 30 years of civil war and damages after being struck by the tsunami 2004, Sri Lanka faces many challenges to recover and rebuilt the country. The access to water is the most important need for a civilization´s existence. In the dry zones of the island people suffer from long drought periods with dried up wells and no natural sources for water. However the rainfall during the monsoon, even in these areas, is more than enough to provide the water needs if properly collected, thus the run-off coefficient is more than 60%. Several projects with rain water harvesting in so called RWH systems have been implemented with success. Because these areas are not covered by the water supply net and therefore have no tap water, the people are very positive to having the RWH system. In the wet zones and especially in the urban environment of Colombo the situation is different. Here most of the people have treated pipe-borne tap water. The metered tap water is highly subsidized by the government which makes the cost low for the users and increases the water consumption. The citizens do not feel a responsibility to be careful with resources since the common opinion is that water is a never ending source. The majority of the households find no reasons for installing a RWH system because it´s low economic profits. Even if there is a legislation that demands all new buildings should have a RWH system not many households have installed these systems. However the cost to deliver and treat this water is very expensive for the government and demands a lot of energy. Huge investments need to be done in both the treatment plants and the pipe-line net to meet the growing population in Colombo area. Another problem is that 40% of the households today in Colombo have no sewage connection but lead their wastewater directly or after a septic tank into the ground or the sea. If the awareness regarding these concerns could be improved and the conditions between tap water costs and RWH be adjusted with changes in the subsidized system, a sustainable solution to the water situation in Colombo with both economic and environmental benefits could be found. The result from the case study is a recommendation about installing RWH as a complimentary source of water for the households. And investments in RWH systems should be focused to industries, hospitals, schools, municipal buildings and other public buildings with a high water demand and with the best possibilities for optimal results. Further the case study treats a sustainable solution to the sewage situation. It shows the Decentralized waste water treatment plant (DWWT) and its advantages.

Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right, yet many urban and peri-urban areas struggle to provide this service. While rural water access has improved, urban areas face stagnation or declining access to safe water services due to rapid urbanization, environmental changes, and social disparities. With urban populations in the global South expected to double and concerns about water quality from centralized systems in high-income countries, adaptable and resilient water service solutions are urgently needed. Decentralized systems are gaining attention for their adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and resilience, offering flexible alternatives to large treatment plants and aiming to provide safe, clean water at the household or community level. These systems improve local responsiveness, reduce inequalities, and enhance resilience by utilizing alternative water sources like rainwater harvesting. Innovative service delivery models are essential to bridge gaps, increase local responsiveness, and benefit vulnerable groups. Business model innovation is crucial for adopting and sustaining decentralized water technologies, especially in urban and developing contexts. Private companies are increasingly stepping in to provide decentralized drinking water services, often in partnership with government-led projects or community-managed initiatives, filling gaps where public institutions fall short. This thesis investigates private entities as viable alternatives for decentralized drinking water service provision, considering the complex landscape of urban water provision and the challenges centralized systems face. Using a mixed-methods approach, including a systematic literature review and interviews with eight organizations, the study explores how private companies operate and engage with communities to improve water services. Findings show that private companies use innovative business models, such as Social Enterprise and Product-Service System Models, to balance profitability with social and environmental responsibilities, though this raises concerns about the commodification of water. The thesis emphasizes the importance of subsidies, innovative financing, and government support to ensure affordable and accessible water services, especially in low-income and water-stressed regions. It stresses the need for supportive policy frameworks to promote decentralized services in different income-level countries. The adaptability of private companies to diverse customer bases and their ability to secure funding from various sources are crucial for the scalability and sustainability of their services. The thesis concludes that private companies play a vital role in bridging the service provision gap, but their success depends on innovation, stakeholder engagement, and supportive policies. It highlights the importance of balancing centralized and decentralized systems to ensure sustainable and resilient water services and uphold the human right to clean drinking water. The thesis contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban water management, underlining the potential of private companies to improve the accessibility and sustainability of drinking water services while emphasizing the need for ethical considerations in commodifying essential resources.

La question de l’accès à l’eau potable se pose avec acuité pour les pays de la régionsubsaharienne où un individu sur trois n’a pas accès à une source d’eau améliorée.L’objectif de cette thèse vise à définir les conditions d’une gestion durable de l'eau pourla ville de Djibouti. Dans ce contexte, la question de l'approvisionnement en eau estenvisagée dans une perspective patrimoniale afin de tenir compte des particularités dela ressource en zone aride et des usages spécifiques qui lui sont associés dans unenvironnement marqué par la pauvreté. Un apport majeur de la thèse réside d'une partdans l’analyse du contenu d’une politique durable de l'eau à Djibouti en présenced’inadéquation entre l’offre et la demande de l’eau et, d'autre part, des implications decette politique en termes de tarification de la ressource selon les usages mais aussi enterme de répartition plus équitable de l'eau au sein de la population. La première partiede la thèse s’intéresse à l’étude de la disponibilité de cette ressource rare à travers sonmode de gestion ainsi qu’à sa mesure à l’aide d’indicateurs. Elle propose également uncadre d’analyse de la ressource en resituant les principaux concepts utiles à ladéfinition d’une gestion durable de l’eau. La seconde partie met l’accent sur l’analysedes déterminants de la demande en eau et des choix en matière d’approvisionnementpour Djibouti-ville. Pour ce faire, elle s’appuie sur une étude économétrique réalisée àpartir d’enquêtes auprès d’un échantillon de 400 ménages. L’estimation d’un modèleprobit multivarié permet de considérer que le choix d’être raccordé à un branchement àdomicile dépend des caractéristiques socio-économiques du ménage. Cette thèseapporte des résultats originaux sur l’accès à l’eau des ménages et montre en particulierle rôle joué par des facteurs tels que le revenu, la taille de la famille ou le niveaud’éducation du chef de famille dans les choix opérés par les ménages. / The issue of access to drinking water is one which is of paramount importance for thecountries of the sub-Saharan region where one individual out of three does not haveaccess to a water source. The aim of this thesis is to determine the conditions ofsustainable water management for the city of Djibouti. In this context, the issue ofwater supply is considered from an asset perspective in order to take into considerationthe peculiarities of this resource in a dry zone and its uses in particular in anenvironment marked by poverty. The main contribution of this thesis lies not only inthe analysis of the content of a sustainable water policy in Djibouti at a time when isthere is discrepancy between supply and demand, but also with an examination of theimplications of such a policy in terms of the pricing of this resource based on both itslevel of use and on a more even distribution within the population. The first part of thisthesis deals with an analysis of the access to this scarce resource according to how it ismanaged and measured with the help of indicators. A framework is then developedwith the help of some main concepts that are useful for defining a sustainablemanagement of water. The second part emphasizes the study of the determinants ofdemands in water and the choices in terms of the supply for Djibouti-city by using aneconometric study based on investigations into a sample of 400 households. Theassessment of multivariate probit model allows taking into account the connection of ahousehold to the service depends on its socio-economic markers. This thesis generatenew findings about household access to water supply and highlights the extent towhich such factor as income, the household size or the level of education of the head ofthe family influence the choices made by the household.

Due to climate change, water resources’ scarcity and distribution variability have generated a growing interest in sustainable water management in recent years. In addition, the growing interest in implementing nature-based solutions for urban resilience leads to the development of decentralized water supply systems such as rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) as a complementary resource to conventional centralized water supply systems. The study is motivated by the climatic risks that the city of Madrid is subject to face in the upcoming years such as pronounced summer droughts and urban heat waves, leading to the reduction of water resources availability. This study aims to use Multi-criteria decision analysis and Geographic Information systems as tools for locating optimal space for the installation of pond harvesting systems (PHS) in Madrid for water recollection for non-potable purposes in the city. Attaining this aim, two objectives were set. Firstly, to evaluate and select the most relevant criteria for the installation of PHS and secondly, to generate a map of the most suitable locations for installation of PHS in the city of Madrid through a proposed GIS-MCDA methodology and a complimentary evaluation for each possible solution, to obtain a global vision of the applicability of PHS in Madrid. Through the first objective, several criteria were set for PHS installation, namely: distance to the river, rainfall, slope, soil characteristics, and land use. These criteria were applied to Madrid through a GIS-MCDA methodology, using these two tools’ synergy to obtain a suitability map for PHS installation. Two criteria weightings will be performed to evaluate the model’s robustness by modifying the criteria’ weights resulting in two different suitability scenarios. The discussion will analyze the results obtained considering the two scenarios and propose the most suitable location clusters identified. Finally, the conclusion will reflect the study’s most important findings and open the door to further research on the topic, such as the design, operation infrastructure, drainage logistics distribution, and other modifications in Madrid’s current water management system. / Som en konsekvens av den pågående klimatförändringen och dess inverkan i distributionen av vattenresurser har det skapats ett växande intresse för en hållbar vattenförvaltning de senaste åren. Detta växande intresse leder till implementationen av naturbaserade lösningar för urban resiliens och till en utveckling av decentraliserade vattenförsörjningssystem som regnvattenuppsamling (RWHS) som en komplementerande resurs till konventionella centraliserade vattenförsörjningssystem. Huvudsyftetmed denna studie är att täcka forskningsklyftan och att genom användning av verktyg som multikriterieanalys och geografiskt informationssystem (GIS) lokalisera en optimal plats för installation av dammar för regnvattenupptagning som del av stadsplanering för att skapa en hållbar vattenförvaltning i staden. För att uppnå detta, sattes två mål. Det ena var att utvärdera och välja de mest relevanta kriterierna för installation av dammuppsamlingssystem (PHS), det andra målet var att generera en karta över de lämpligaste platserna för installation av PHS i Madrid (Spanien) genom en föreslagen GIS-MCDA-metod och en kompletterande utvärdering för varje möjligt resultat i syfte att få en global vision av tillämpligheten av PHS i Madrid. De främsta kriterierna som utsågs för att göra utvärderingen av uppsamlingssystems installationen var: avstånd till f loden, nederbörd, sluttning, markegenskaper och markanvändning. Dessa kriterier tillämpades genom en GIS-MCDA-metodik, och med hjälp av dessa verktygs synergi erhölls en lämplighetskarta för PHS-installationer. Två kriterie viktningar kommer att utföras för att utvärdera modellens robusthet och vilket även kommer att resultera i två olika lämplighetsscenarier. Diskussionen kommer bestå av en analys av resultaten med hänsyn till de två scenarierna, och föreslå de två lämpligaste lokaliseringsklustren som identifierats. Slutligen kommer slutsatsen att återspegla studiens viktigaste resultat och öppna dörren för ytterligare forskning i ämnet, såsom design, driftinfrastruktur, dräneringslogistikdistribution och andra modifieringar i Madrids nuvarande vattenledningssystem.