Principles for sustainable water management in urban areas

Many Chinese cities suffer flooding and water shortages at the same time, although techniques are available for reducing freshwater consumption, stormwater runoff and wastewater production. In urban areas decentralised solutions relieve the pressure on central water supply, wastewater collection and treatment systems and are more economic than central solutions. Sustainability in water management does not mean to eliminate existing systems but to find a socio-economic compromise between technical and non-technical as well as central and decentral solutions.