Sustainable Development and Water Security - (Sustainability Matters) by Melvyn Kay & Olcay Unver

About the Book

This book uses Sustainable Development Goal 6 to consider the concept of sustainable water resources management and how to improve global water security. It provides a critical synthesis of water resources planning and management issues across all water-using sectors.

Book Synopsis

Water is an integral part of our daily lives, yet most of us have little idea about how much water we use to maintain our lifestyles and the extent to which our lifestyles pollute and degrade water resources. The increasing occurrence of floods, droughts and water pollution incidents are reminders of our vulnerability in relation to water. Estimates suggest that global water demand could outstrip supply by the middle of the century if we continue with the current "business as usual" approach to water management.

Melvyn Kay and Olcay Ünver use Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as a framework to explore the concept of sustainable water resources management and how to improve water security. They provide a synthesis of water resources planning and management issues across all water-using sectors to dispel misunderstandings and myths and enable informed approaches to decision-making. In so doing, they offer an in-depth critical review of SDG6, including what it does and does not do. Case studies from around the world are used throughout the book to illustrate the key issues of water (in)security.

Review Quotes

A compelling study on a pressing contemporary issue that affects us all. I encourage not only my fellow professionals in this field, but everyone involved with water to read this work, which offers fresh insights on one of the biggest threats to global security - burgeoning water insecurity.--Professor Patricia Wouters, Director, International Water Law Academy, Wuhan University

Two of the most salient objectives animating our world today are sustainable development and water security. Whether you are seasoned water expert, stakeholder, academic, policymaker or interested citizen this book offers an accessible path to move beyond often simplistic generalities into the substantive heart of these critical objectives. The authors bring a wealth of worldwide water resources experiences and share them in useful and understandable ways. Most importantly, the book shows how various sectors in society relate to SDGs and security especially through governance within vastly different social systems.--Jerome Delli Priscoli, Editor-in-Chief, Water Policy

Understanding the basics of water and how it connects with our lives is a necessity given the global challenges around this vital resource. This book is the perfect entry point for readers new to the subject and from backgrounds outside the water sector. The authors offer a clear and comprehensive overview of this important topic through the lens of water security, which will inform and enlighten.--Zaki Shubber, International water lawyer and researcher, Queen Mary University of London

Society faces a plethora of wicked water challenges. This timely contribution unravels the complexities of water, the need to understand different perspectives and how we must reconcile competing interests to achieve SDG6. But there is no 'blueprint' solution - the authors highlight the need for stronger governance and innovation in technology and management if we are to achieve sustainable development and water security. An invaluable text.--Jerry W. Knox, Professor of Agricultural Water Management, Cranfield University

About the Author

Melvyn Kay has over 40 years' international experience in water resources, particularly agricultural water management and irrigation. His early career with consulting engineers in the Middle East and Africa was followed by 25 years with Cranfield University (Silsoe College). He edited UN-Water's Sustainable Development Goal 6: Synthesis Report 2018 on Water and Sanitation and was chief editor of UN FAO's flagship report The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2021. He also authored Practical Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering (3rd edition).

Olcay Ünver is Professor of Practice on the Environmental and Resource Management Program at Arizona State University and a member of Water Policy Group and Industry Fellow at Australian Rivers Institute. In his public service career spanning three decades, he led FAO's water programs and activities, UN-Water's World Water Assessment Programme, and UNESCO's Program Office on Global Water Assessment and served as Vice-Chair of UN-Water.