Digitalization in Urban Water Governance: Case Study of Bengaluru and Singapore

Abstract

Urban water governance aims to ensure equitable access to adequate quality water and related services to rapidly growing urban population while protecting the environment. Rapid urbanization and changing climate are posing challenges to the formal and informal institutions responsible for governing and managing water resources. Complexities existing due to the interaction between societal and environmental subsystems of urban water cycle adds pressure on institutional capabilities to cope up with various uncertainties. Emergence of digital technologies has provided the necessary tools in urban water governance to strengthen capabilities through effective monitoring, decision making, and forecasting. The paper examines how sequencing and leveraging the synergies of different digital technologies can help mitigate various problems and challenges faced in urban water governance. The paper analyses three digital technologies, Smart Water Metering Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Flood Alert System (FAS) using the case studies of Bengaluru and Singapore to understand the transformative capabilities of digitalization in urban water governance. It is assumed that the learnings from this study can be generalized to a large extent. The paper indicates that to unlock the full potential and derive best returns of investment, digitalization needs to have broader objectives. Multi-purpose use of digital tools can contribute effectively to the implementation of Integrated Urban Water Management. The results highlighted that societal acceptability of digitalization depends majorly on the mode of implementation and not so much on the technology.