Overcoming Yangon's Sustainability Challenge: Policy Options for Sustainable Water Governance
Keywords:
water provision, sustainability, governance, sustainable development, policy analysis, Yangon, MyanmarAbstract
Urban water provision systems in developing countries are encountering sustainability challenges, especially in the face of megatrends such as rapid urbanization, population growth, and climate change. It is essential to govern the water provision to meet the increasing needs of urban dwellers while ensuring its sustainability. This study examines the sustainability of urban water service provision in Yangon City by applying a sustainability framework. The analysis underscores the importance of incorporating sustainable dimensions into policy planning and development for the city's water supply. This necessitates multi-level governance to enhance the sustainability of water provision. The study puts forward policy options to enhance the water provision's sustainability
References
Aggarwal, R. M., & Haglund, L. (2019). Advancing water sustainability in megacities: Comparative study of São Paulo and Delhi using a social-ecological system framework. Sustainability, 11(19), 5314. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195314
American Society of Civil Engineers. (1998). Sustainability Criteria for Water Resource Systems. Reston, VA: ASCE Publications.
Another Development. (2019). Access to Clean and Safe Water in Yangon: A Case of Municipal Water Provision in Insein Township (Working Paper). Seoul, South Korea: East Asia Institute.
Arnold, M., Aung, Y. T., Kempel, S., & Saw, K. P. C. (2014). Municipal Governance in Myanmar: An Overview of Development Affairs Organizations. Yangon: MDRI-CESD and The Asia Foundation.
Asia Development Bank. (2016). Asian Water Development Outlook 2016: Strengthening Water Security in Asia and the Pacific. Manila: ADB Publications
Asian Development Bank. (2017). Asia's Booming Cities Most at Risk from Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.adb.org/news/features/asias-booming-cities-most-risk-climate-change.
Aung, Z. W. (2014). Water Supply Options for the Growing Megacity of Yangon Scenarios with the WEAP Model. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
Boulenouar, J., Schweitzer R., & Lockwood, H. (2013). Mapping Sustainability Assessment Tools to Support Sustainable Water and Sanitation Service Delivery (Working Paper No. 6). Hague, Netherlands: International Water and Sanitation Centre.
Carden, K., & Armitage, N. (2013). Assessing urban water sustainability in South Africa – not just performance measurement. Water SA, 39(3). https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v39i3.1
Chann, Y. (2019). The concreting over of Yangon. The Myanmar Times. Retrieved from https://www.mmtimes.com/news/concreting-over-yangon.html.
Chataigner, P. (2017). Analytical Framework Review Report: A Framework Analysis of Analytical Frameworks. Retrieved from https://sheltercluster.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/public/170902%20Analytical%20Framework%20Review.pdf.
Chnoor, J. L. (2010). Water Sustainability in a Changing World. Paper presented at the meeting of the 2010 Clarke Prize Lecture, Cosa Mesa, CA.
Consult Myanmar. (2018). YCDC to Reduce Groundwater Pumping. Retrieved from https://www.consult-myanmar.com/2017/05/24/ycdc-to-reduce-groundwater-pumping/.
Cosgrove, C. E., & Cosgrove, W. J. (2012). The Dynamics of Global Water Futures: Driving Forces 2011–2050. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Paris, France: UNESCO
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. (2019). New Rainfall Record. Retrieved from https://www.moezala.gov.mm/new-rainfall-record-5.
Dobermann, T. (2016). Urban Myanmar. International Growth Centre. Retrieved from htts://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/IGC-Urban-Myanmar.pdf.
Du Pisani, J. A. (2006). Sustainable development – historical roots of the concept. Environmental Sciences, 3(2), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/15693430600688831
Global Times. (2018). People Affected by Flooding in Yangon, Myanmar. Retrieved from http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1115440.shtml.
Groot, R., & Bayrak, M. M. (2019). Achieving water security in peri-urban Yangon: exploring the local governance processes. Water Policy, 21(5), 980-998. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.058
Horst, T. V. D., Rutten, M. M., Giesen, N. C. V. D., & Hanssen, R. F. (2018). Monitoring land subsidence in Yangon, Myanmar using Sentinel-1 persistent scatterer interferometry and assessment of driving mechanisms. Remote Sensing of Environment, 217, 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.08.004
Horton, R., De Mel, M., Peters, D., Lesk, C., Bartlett, R., Helsingen, H., et al. (2017). Assessing climate risk in Myanmar: Technical report. World Wild Fund for Nature. Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/assessing-climate-risk-in-myanmar-technical-report.
International Water Association. (n.d.). Sustainability in Water Supply. Retrieved from https://www.iwapublishing.com/news/sustainability-water-supply.
Japan International Cooperation Agency. (2014). Preparatory Survey Report on the Project for the Improvement of Water Supply, Sewerage, and Drainage System in Yangon City in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Vol. 3). Retrieved from https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12175618_01.pdf.
Japan International Cooperation Agency. (2018). The Updated Strategic Urban Development Plan of the Greater Yangon (Report No. 1). Retrieved from https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/1000038957_01.pdf.
Khaing, K. K. (2011). Groundwater utilization and availability in Yangon City. Universities Research Journal, 4(5).
Khaing, K. K. (2016). Groundwater environment in Yangon, Myanmar. In Shrestha, S., Pandey, V. P., Shivakoti, B. R., & Thatikonda, S. (Eds.). Groundwater Environment in Asian Cities. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Leigh, N., & Lee, H. (2019). Sustainable and resilient urban water systems: The role of decentralization and planning. Sustainability, 11(3), 918. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030918.
Loucks, D. P. (2000). Sustainable water resources management. Water International, 25(1), 3–10.
Loucks, D. P., & Gladwell, J. S. (1999). Sustainability Criteria for Water Resource Systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Marques, R. C., da Cruz, N. F., & Pires, J. (2015). Measuring the sustainability of urban water services. Environmental Science & Policy, 54, 142-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.07.003
Meene, S. V. D., Brown, R., & Farrelly, M. (2011). Towards understanding governance for sustainable urban water management. Global Environmental Change, 21(3), 1117–1127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.04.003.
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. (2019). Myanmar Tourism Statistics. Retrieved from https://tourism.gov.mm/statistics/.
Myint, T. (2019). Ground Water Myanmar [Presentation]. Retrieved from https://www.myanmarwaterportal.com/repository/1310-groundwater-myanmar-some.html.
Myanmar Times. (2019). Despite Wastage and Losses, YCDC has No Plans to Raise Water Tariffs. Retrieved from https://www.mmtimes.com/news/despite-wastage-and-losses-ycdc-has-no-plans-raise-water-tariffs.html.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2015). OECD Principles on Water Governance. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/cfe/regionaldevelopment/OECD-Principles-on-Water-Governance.pdf.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2018). OECD Water Governance Indicator Framework. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/regional/OECD-Water-Governance-Indicator-Framework.pdf.
Ostrom, E. (2009). A General framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems. Science, 325(5939), 419–422. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172133
Richter, B. D., Blount, M. E., Bottorff, C., Brooks, H. E., Demmerle, A., Gardner, B. L., et al. (2018). Assessing the sustainability of urban water supply systems. Journal - American Water Works Association, 110(2), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/awwa.1002
Sabrié, M. (2019). Yangon “emerging metropolis”: Challenges for the authorities and resilience of the Yangonites. Moussons, 33, 33–64. https://doi.org/10.4000/moussons.4892
Soe, H. K. (2018). Dala's water woes. Frontier Myanmar. Retrieved from https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/dalas-water-woes.
Su, E. T. (2020). Yangon water supply upgrade may bypass the poorest. Frontier Myanmar. Retrieved from https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/yangon-water-supply-upgrade-may-bypass-the-poorest.
United Nations. (n.d.). Goal 6: Ensure Access to Water and Sanitation for All. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/.
United Nations Development Program. (2015). State of Local Governance: Trends in Yangon. UNDP Myanmar.
Yang, R., Luo, Y., Yang, K., Hong, L., & Zhou, X. (2019). Analysis of forest deforestation and its driving factors in Myanmar from 1988 to 2017. Sustainability, 11(11), 3047. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113047.
Yangon City Development Committee. (2013). The Strategic Urban Development Plan of the Greater Yangon. Yangon Regional Government Document.
Yangon City Development Committee. (2016). Comprehensive Development Plan of Yangon: Basic Data and Recommendations. Yangon: YCDC.
Yin. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3rd ed. California: SAGE Publications.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
