Climate change is widely predicted to intensify risks to water security and place urban utilities under increasing pressure to meet demand. Improved management of water storage will be critical for water supply security, yet few cities have implemented conjunctive and adaptive groundwater management at the practical operational level. As demonstrated in recent urban water supply crises in Cape Town and Chennai, traditional urban water supply systems are not resilient to drought while groundwater abstraction from a growing number of unregulated private wells further compromises urban water supply security. If groundwater systems are to perform their potentially critical role in climate change adaptation, urban water utilities must participate proactively in the protection and sustainable management of groundwater resources.

This webinar will demonstrate how sustainable groundwater use can be an effective climate change adaptation strategy for urban water utilities, using case study examples of urban water supply from various country contexts (United Kingdom, Germany, Kenya and Brazil). Participants will learn about best practices for groundwater resource management in the context of climate change, alongside effective public policy guidance for safeguarding against over-abstraction and water quality management. The webinar discussion will encourage sharing of experiences by utility practitioners and lessons learned in sustainably using groundwater for water supply which builds climate resilience.