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Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A Provision to Tackle Urban Drought

Unprecedented urban growth adds pressure on the finite water resources to meet the growing demands. Urban does not only account large direct consumption of water, but also account large water footprint because of consumption of water-intensive food and high-energy consumption. Consequently, urban areas have experienced competition among various water users, particularly in the dry season. Failure of conventional approach to manage drought risk has translated realization urgency of integrated approach. Water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) approach emerges as an integrated tool to manage increasing water crisis in the context of rapid urban growth through facilitating multi-sectoral cooperation at both in-boundary and trans-boundary scales. Taking selected good practices of nexus around the world, this chapter argued that through realizing synergies across the urban water-energy-food system, cities could deliver inclusive growth, even with increasing drought risk. Scale-up of WEFN approach needs to be supported by enabling conditions. Mainstreaming of synergistic interactions across the WEFN is determined by inter-sectoral coordination, common vision, harmonizing policies, and the alignment of strategies and regulations, and economic incentives.

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