The risk of water shortages and the growing pressure to use it rationally pose a serious challenge to both the public sector, responsible for water supplies and meeting domestic and industrial needs, and the private sector, which must ensure business continuity. This primarily applies to organisations operating in areas where water may become a scarce resource and those exposed to sudden weather events that may disrupt normal operations. Implementing water reuse practices and cooperation between sectors can facilitate adaptation to changing conditions and reduce negative environmental impacts. This is where the idea of developing practical management tools came from, which can help determine the initial situation of a given entity and plan actions to save water, including by closing cycles. Discussing how to manage water resources is not easy and associated with various challenges, such as technological limitations or social attitudes.
That is why it is so important to develop solutions that will make people managing this area in public organisations and enterprises not only see the importance of the problem, but above all receive tools that will guide them through the process of planning and implementing activities, such as saving water by closing its circuits
– notes the Head of the Smart Water Domain project at the University of Lodz, dr hab. T. Bartosz Kalinowski, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz.
The Smart Water Domain project presents the results of its work in two forms – Water Domain Decision Support Tool and a Guide to Smart Water Management for Public Administration.
The Water Domain Decision Support Tool guides through the process of implementing organisational changes to effectively acquire and use water, including closing water cycles, taking into account the current situation and stakeholder engagement. It can be used by both public and business organisations.
The Guide to Smart Water Management for Public Administration is to prepare public institutions for a more informed and organised management of water resources in the form of simple principles and instructions that can be considered at different stages of management, including solution design or project implementation.
Both proposals offer an opportunity to look at whether and how water as a resource is taken into account in decision-making processes and how ready the organisation is to manage water in the long term. The idea is for managers to understand the interrelationship between business or social objectives and dependence on water resources. The tools developed as part of the project encourage a reflective approach to environmental actions, mapping sensitive areas across value chains and collecting data to reduce the area of uncertainty regarding water
– adds Dr Agata Rudnicka, a member of the project team.
Tools and materials developed as part of the project:
- in Polish
- in English
- Link to the full collection of sources in the Repository of the University of Lodz Library
Edit: Faculty of Management, University of Lodz