Author(s): Camila Andrea Garcia; P. Amparo Lopez-Jimenez; Modesto Perez-Sanchez

Linked Author(s): Modesto Pérez Sánchez

Keywords: Sustainable development goals; Sustainable indicators; Water nexus sustainability

Abstract: Given the conditions of the current society, it is a challenge to manage water resources sustainably, that can achieve all the goals set by the SGDs. Water systems are under great pressure due to social and technological development. It puts the quantity and quality of the resource at risk for future generations. However, through sustainable management of water resources, it will be possible to satisfy the present needs without compromising its long-term capacity. The sustainability of hydraulic systems must be considered globally to integrate all the aspects that affect the whole concept, such as the economic, social, technical and environmental fields. To do this, the characterization and proposal of key performance indicators (KPIs), which allow water managers to audit and assess their hydraulic systems over time is crucial. These indicators will be able to evaluate the different processes of hydraulics systems as the infrastructure, operation, maintenance and administrative part. Furthermore, these KPIs will be able to measure the degree of achievement of the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in which water engineering participates. A correlation between quantifiable variables in hydraulic systems (e.g., distribution networks, treatment plants, collection and purification, among others) and these KPIs can be expected, being able to classify the system within a particular range of sustainability achievements. This contribution presents and analyzes in-depth the scientific-technical interest of knowledge of the proposed sustainability indicators, which allow quantitatively evaluating those SDGs in which water engineering intervenes. For the implementation of the KPIs, first a characterization must be carried out of the hydraulic system and the water bodies involved, in order to have a memory of the evolution of the complete system. When these indicators are proposed and their implementation is carried out together with the analysis of the database, the possibility of establishing a benchmarking on the sustainable aspects of the water distribution system would represent a design, diagnosis and management tool, which will improve sustainability in hydraulic systems. Improving the performance of the systems, not only the targets of goal 6 are achieve but also helps to achieve other associated goals which highlights the relevance of the sustainability in hydraulics systems.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC252171192022975

Year: 2022