Download - Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness to Urban Water Scarcity A Case from Cochabamba, Bolivia
Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness to Urban Water Scarcity
A Case from Cochabamba, Bolivia
Amber WutichPostdoctoral Research AssociateGlobal Institute of Sustainability
Arizona State University
Presentation Format
Part 1:
Framework, Theory, and Hypotheses
Part 2:
Urban Water Scarcity in Ethnographic Context
Part 3:
Testing Relationships
What is “social vulnerability”?
And how does it relate to resilience?
Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness
Robustness the state (or capacity) of a system to absorb a stressor without adapting
Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness
Resilience
Robustness
the state (or capacity) of a system that is able to adapt to a stressor
the state (or capacity) of a system to absorb a stressor without adapting
Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness
Vulnerability
Resilience
Robustness
the state (or capacity) of a system that is unable to adapt to a stressor
the state (or capacity) of a system that is able to adapt to a stressor
the state (or capacity) of a system thatcan absorb a stressor without adapting
Advantages of the Framework
(1) Integrated social & ecological approach
(2) Nested scales
(3) Surprise & transformation
(4) Complex outcomes
What is urban water scarcity?
What theories inform our understanding of it?
Livelihoods Theory
Assets
Economic assets
Social assets
Access
Right to water
Ability to obtain water
Case Study: Cochabamba, Bolivia
Relief Map of Bolivia
South America
Hydrology of the Cochabamba Valley
From Stimson et al. 2001Map depicting ground and surface water in the Cochabamba Valley.
The City of Cochabamba
North side of Cochabamba South side of Cochabamba
Urban Water Scarcity in Villa Israel
Households buy most of their water from delivery trucks at retail prices.
Water Vendor Routes
RIVERBED
TAXI STOP
CHURCH
MARKET SCHOOL
MAININTERSECTION
MAINSOCCERFIELD
COMMUNITYENTRANCE
X
Community Tap Stand System
Ten tap stands distribute water from two small community wells.
Informal Water Exchange Networks
Neighbors, friends, and family give each other water in a pinch.
VulnerabilityElimination of water tasks
ResilienceWater conservation
RobustnessAdequate water (pppd)
Household
ASSETS
Tap stand system
Operationalization of Hypotheses
Water exchangesystem
EconomicWell-being
ACCESS
Water deliverytrucks
Field Methods
• 18 months of fieldwork (June 2003 to July 2005)
• Bolivian-American collaboration
• 4 months of participant-observation
• 2 months of protocol development and testing
• 5 two-month cycles of semi-structured interviews-- with 65 randomly-selected households in Villa Israel
• 12 measures of water scarcity -- including instrumental participatory collection
of quantitative data
Instrumental Participatory Collection of Quantitative Water Data
VulnerabilityElimination of water tasks
ResilienceWater conservation
RobustnessAdequate water (pppd)
Household
ASSETS
Tap stand system
Results
Water exchangesystem
EconomicWell-being
ACCESS
Water deliverytrucks
r2=.18p=.02
r2=.11p=.12
r2=.09p=.23
VulnerabilityElimination of water tasks
Household
ASSETS
Tap stand system
Results
Water exchangesystem
EconomicWell-being
ACCESS
Water deliverytrucks
r2 = .18p-value = .02
B=.11p=.79
B=-.39 p=.08
B=2.80p=.06
B=-.43p=.05
From Knowledge to Action in Villa Israel
• Tap stand system
• Economic well-being
• Access to water delivery trucks
• Participation in water exchanges
**Local Collaborations, Scholars, & Values