Challenges and Risks in Resilience Management of Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

Abstract

The frequency and severity of natural disasters have increased significantly over the last two decades, and the length of time that the recovery requires is strongly dependent on the resiliency of critical infrastructure, particularly the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The goal of this research is to evaluate, analyze, and explore approaches to increase the resilience of water infrastructure. For this purpose, this study identified and investigated the challenges and risks imposed on the drinking and wastewater infrastructure by disasters, then proposed eight practical strategies for improving their resiliency. Eighty-seven articles from the existing literature were reviewed in detail, and 26 challenges and risks were identified and classified into four social, economic, environmental, and organizational categories. The results revealed that the speed and scale of the response needed in the affected communities are the two main organizational challenges, and salinity and vulnerability to flooding and heavy rains are the environmental challenges. Perception of communities and population growth are the social challenges, and low income and insufficient funding are the economic challenges. The results of this study revealed a need for policies that provide sufficient funding for the affected communities. The outcomes of this study will significantly help decision-makers to timely identify the challenges and adopt effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters on the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.