Assessment of sustainability indicators for urban water infrastructure in a developing country

Zhalmurziyeva, K, Tokbolat, S ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9606-5225, Durdyev, S, Mustafa, MY and Karaca, F, 2021. Assessment of sustainability indicators for urban water infrastructure in a developing country. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation. ISSN 2398-4708

Preview

Text 1502231_Tokbolat.pdf - Post-print Download (474kB) | Preview

Abstract

Purpose: This research aims to study a broad range of sustainability aspects and develop a set of indicators with their subjective relevance to each of the sustainability dimensions that will help to improve the sustainability level of the water system of Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan).

Design/methodology/approach: The broader list of indicators (which were identified through a thorough review of the literature) was assessed by water-related industry professionals and experts who were asked to assess the compliance of suggested indicators to five criteria of sustainability using a Likert scale.

Findings: It was found that the highest-ranked indicators across all five categories were mainly related to the chemical and physical quality of water, followed by availability of individual water meters as well as water supply tariffs' adjustment to users' income, and issues of ageing infrastructure. The lowest-ranked indicators among all categories were mainly related to investments into research and development, water management and awareness, feedback systems and flexibility. The least ranked indicators are seen to be more related to the scenarios when basic needs are covered and the stakeholders have extra time and resources for advancing the levels of water infrastructure sustainability.

Practical implications: The ranked and categorized indicators can be used as a powerful decision-making tool to improve the sustainability of the water system of Nur-Sultan or any other city in a developing country.

Originality/value: By conducting this study, it was aimed to address the aforementioned gap in the field in terms of running a wider scope assessment of indicators rather than looking at conventional environmental and socio-economic aspects. This provides novelty to the study, especially in the context of developing countries that need more guidance in terms of sustainable development of the water-related infrastructure.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation
Creators:	Zhalmurziyeva, K., Tokbolat, S., Durdyev, S., Mustafa, M.Y. and Karaca, F.
Publisher:	Emerald
Date:	19 November 2021
ISSN:	2398-4708
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1108/ijbpa-09-2021-0121 DOI 1502231 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	07 Feb 2022 11:28
Last Modified:	07 Feb 2022 11:28
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/45527

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads