Breaking down city silos through data-rich water planning

To build resilient cities, water planning must be holistic, inclusive, and underpinned by robust data. This is the perspective shared by Professor Kirsty Carden, Director for the Future Water Research Institute at the University of Cape Town, during an ESI Africa interview.

One of the most pressing challenges in urban water management is the fragmented nature of governance structures. “Often municipalities, local governments, and water service authorities operate in silos, which, of course, is one of the barriers,” explains Carden.

“How can you manage a water system that is integrated—an urban water cycle—while you are trying to do that in different departments that don’t necessarily talk to one another?”

responsibility of transport departments, which aim to remove water from roads as quickly as possible. Yet, when considered solely as a hazard, opportunities to repurpose stormwater into urban greening or water supply through nature-based solutions are lost.

“If we want to integrate that into a supply system, then you can’t manage it in a separate department,” she stresses.

The way forward, Carden argues, is to develop an integrated urban planning framework and create incentives for developers, residents, and industry to adopt sustainable practices.

“How do we bring in alternative financing mechanisms to ensure that lower-income residents can get supported through stewardship actions, but also that municipalities can consider doing things differently?” she asks.

The answer lies in public-private partnerships, which can provide both funding and co-governance, enabling shared responsibility for maintaining and enhancing water systems.

Data as the backbone of urban water resilience

Robust data is vital for adaptive management. Carden indicates two distinct categories of monitoring: climate resilience and water conservation. For climate resilience, long-term climate datasets are key.

“If you want to track climate resilience, you’ve got to look at climate data itself—tracking trends in things like rainfall, in temperature change, trying to understand the historical trends.”

The integrated planning framework must also measure infrastructure preparedness and community vulnerability to hazards such as floods or droughts.

On water conservation, data should focus on consumption and efficiency. “This is about water access, the amount of water that people use, understanding different contexts, and why we use different volumes of water, and how much is lost to leaks,” Carden explains.

Leaks, a primary source of water loss, make monitoring non-revenue water essential. Tracking wastewater reuse and green space in cities also helps guide strategies to reduce demand and improve efficiency.