Water Intelligence Online © IWA Publishing 2003

Challenges the water industry faces with sustainability

Francis Pamminger

Strategic Water Services Planner, Yarra Valley Water, PO Private Bag No 1, Mitcham, Victoria, Australia

This paper has been written with the objective of highlighting ways to improve the success of sustainable options in the water sector. It does this by developing conceptual constructs focusing on the interdependent decision-making processes employed by the main stakeholders.
Interaction is required between three major stakeholders. These include the customer, the water-company, and the policy maker/regulator. This paper postulates that each considers quantifiable data, governance issues before making a value judgement. Each stakeholder however focuses on different aspects.
Sustainable options would have a better chance of succeeding if there were greater alignment between customers, water companies and policy makers/regulators. One potential way to achieve this is to adopt common international standards and simplifying the policy / regulation process. Finding ways for organisational structures to adopt holistic integrated structures could also simplify the existing processes that presently rely on linear reductionist systems.

Full article (PDF Format)

UNIQUE ID: 200303011