Knowra Water security Water security Water security is reliable access to sufficient, safe, and affordable water for people and ecosystems, with protection from water-related hazards and degradation.
Integrated water resources management : A coordinated approach to managing water, land, and related resources across sectors and administrative boundaries. It links allocation, ecosystems, and competing uses within shared water systems.
Water footprint : The freshwater consumed or polluted to produce goods and services, including supply-chain use. It reveals demand embedded in consumption beyond direct household use.
Desalination : The removal of dissolved salts from seawater or brackish water to produce usable freshwater. It adds supply in coastal regions where conventional sources are limited.
Waterborne disease : Illness caused by pathogens transmitted through contaminated water. Unsafe supplies make preventable disease a direct consequence of insecurity.
Transboundary water management : Coordination of shared water resources across political or administrative borders. Shared rivers and aquifers require cooperation when upstream decisions affect downstream security.
Water governance : The institutions, laws, policies, and practices that shape decisions about water. Rules and accountability determine who receives water and who bears shortages.
Water stress : Pressure on water resources measured against available supply and competing human and environmental demands. It helps describe pressures that can undermine secure access.
Water reuse : The treatment and use of wastewater or other used water for a beneficial purpose. Reuse can reduce pressure on freshwater sources and improve supply reliability.
Water conflict : Disputes or violence involving the control, use, or allocation of water resources. Competition over insecure supplies can intensify political and social tensions.
Water justice : The fair distribution of water benefits and burdens, including meaningful participation in decisions. Security measures can improve averages while leaving marginalized groups underserved.
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