Integrated water resources management in an urban concept: results from water smart cities and water management institutions in Slovakia

Climate change, urbanisation and population growth are creating the necessity in urban systems to integrate the management of water resources which volume been significantly declined. Several cities are already feeling water stress. The solution is to conceptualise Smart Cities that are considering aspects of effective water resources management. Countries like Slovakia have not been adequately considering these issues as much as they should. Responding to the opportunity to fill a research gap, primary research has been conducted that seeks i) to update data from the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Water Index in selected cities and for Slovakia; ii) to identify the current situation in integrated water resources management both globally and in Slovakia; and iii) to propose a process for integrated management of limited water resources based on our own research findings. Research data were collected through sociological interrogation that was processed and subsequently evaluated. The findings point to the need to build resilience, efficiency and quality in water resources both in urban environments and in water management institutions. The main output from this paper is a proposed process for managing water resources within the Smart Cities concept. It can be utilised for strategic city management, water management institutions, fellow researchers and residents of any city implementing it in their own practices. Part of planned future research is to verify the process in practice.