Safe & SuRe: Towards a New Paradigm for Urban Water Management

从许多方面来看，英国的水务部门都非常成功。在英格兰和威尔士，饮用水标准保持在99.9%以上，水管泄漏减少了三分之一，下水道洪水在过去10年里减少了四分之三以上，洗澡水标准达到了创纪录的高水平。这一成功是通过19世纪的设计方法实现的，该设计方法基于丰富的资源、无限制的需求和稳定的气候。然而，气候变化、人口增长、城市化、人口结构变化和更严格的监管正在酝酿一场完美风暴！这些挑战中的每一个都是对水部门的威胁，孤立地看，现有的办法也许能够应付。综合考虑，再加上变化的速度、规模和不确定性，除非采取一些根本性的措施，否则整个体系正走向失败。目前的工作方式看起来越来越过时，与一些主要国家新兴的思维和最佳实践脱节。该奖学金旨在通过开发英国城市水管理的新方法来应对这些新出现的挑战和全球不确定性。起点是一个新的愿景，即：安全可靠。从某种意义上说，我们现有的供水系统都是为了实现安全目标：公共健康、洪水管理和环境保护。这些都很重要，仍然需要得到尊重，但它们不足以应对即将到来的挑战。在快速和不确定变化的新世界中，城市水系统也必须具有可持续性和抗灾能力。只有一个“安全可靠”的系统才能被塑造、调整和改变，以面对新出现的威胁和由此产生的影响。在这团契中。我的愿景将在5年的时间里得到发展、检验和实践。它将与该领域内外的领先学者进行多学科合作。将制定一个全面的定量评估框架，以详细测试哪些选择或战略可以有助于实现安全可靠的用水未来，重点关注水资源短缺、城市洪水和河流污染的挑战。将与主要利益攸关方共同制定建议和最佳做法指南。

The water sector in the UK has, by many measures, been very successful. In England and Wales, drinking water standards stands at over 99.9%, water pipe leakage is down by a third, sewer flooding reduced by more three quarters in the last 10 years and bathing water standards are at record high levels. This success has been achieved using a 19th century design approach based on the idea of plentiful resources, unrestrained demand and a stable climate. However, a perfect storm of climate change, increasing population, urbanisation, demographic shifts and tighter regulation is brewing! Each one of these challenges is a threat to the water sector and, taken in isolation, existing approaches may be able to cope. Taken together and compounded by the speed, size and uncertainty of change, the system is heading for failure unless something radical is done. The current way of working looks increasingly out of date and out of step with emerging thinking and best practice in some leading nations. This fellowship aims to meet these emerging challenges and global uncertainties head on by developing a new approach to water management in UK cities. The starting point is a new vision that is: Safe & SuRe. In a sense, our existing water systems are all about safety goals: public health, flood management and environmental protection. These are important and still need to be respected, but they are NOT sufficient to rise to the coming challenges. In the new world of rapid and uncertain change, water systems in cities must also be Sustainable and Resilient. Only a 'Safe & SuRe' system can be moulded, adapted and changed to face the emerging threats and resulting impacts.In this fellowship. my vision will be developed, tested and championed into practice over a period of 5 years. It will draw from multi-disciplinary collaboration with leading academics inside and outside the field. A comprehensive, quantitative evaluation framework will be developed to test in detail what options or strategies can contribute towards a Safe & SuRe water future, focussing on the challenges of water scarcity, urban flooding and river pollution. Recommendations and best practice guidance will be developed in conjunction with key stakeholders.