The University of Technology Sydney - Institute for Sustainable Futures

Climate Resilience Research (WRA-CR12)

Led by the University of Technology Sydney - Institute for Sustainable Futures, the RECHARGE project aims to generate new knowledge and tools to support governments to develop and manage groundwater resources for resilient, inclusive services. The research addresses challenges at the groundwater-climate-WASH-inclusion nexus in three climate-vulnerable contexts common in the Asia-Pacific: islands, deltas, and cities.

Research theme: Groundwater and climate-resilient WASH 

Research focus: Investigation of how groundwater can be harnessed and protected to facilitate improved climate resilience of safely managed inclusive WASH services.

Location: Indonesia, Vanuatu, Vietnam

Partners: University of Technology Sydney – Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF), University of Indonesia, Can Tho University, The University of the South Pacific, The Pacific Community

Key Research Questions:

How can groundwater be harnessed and protected to facilitate improved climate resilience of safely managed inclusive WASH services?

Vanuatu and the Pacific:

  1. What is the extent of groundwater dependence in the Pacific and how is this changing over time?
  2. To what extent can groundwater development improve inclusiveness and climate resilience of water services in Vanuatu?
  3. In what contexts is groundwater development a viable pathway to climate-resilient, gender, disability and socially inclusive water services in Vanuatu?

Indonesia:

  1. How can groundwater quality risks be addressed in Indonesia’s transition to safely managed, climate-resilient services?
  2. How can risk-mapping prioritise cities for intervention based on contamination risks?
  3. How does climate impact sanitation-groundwater interactions and what are implications for climate-resilient inclusive services?
  4. How can understanding gendered risk perceptions support improved behaviour change messaging to support transitions?

Vietnam:

  1. How can insights about complex system interactions inform strengthened climate resilience of safely managed, inclusive groundwater-based water services in the Mekong Delta?
  2. How might climate change affect groundwater resources, their management and use, gendered dynamics and coping strategies of groundwater-dependent households and water service providers in the Mekong Delta coastal region?
  3. What priority indicators can support responsible institutions to strengthen planning and management of climate-resilient inclusive WASH services and associated water resources?

"Through the RECHARGE program we have the opportunity to create change, to build climate resilience through improved understanding of groundwater management and therefore better investments in safely managed groundwater-based services.”

Dr Tim Foster, Research Director, University of Technology – Institute for Sustainable Futures

 

Research Description

There are significant evidence gaps in relation to groundwater use and management in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand the potential of groundwater and how it can be sustainably managed to help combat the climate crisis.

Climate change has the potential to impact seasonal rainfall and change the frequency and intensity of rainfall events across the Asia-Pacific region. These changes will likely affect access to safely managed water in terms of availability and quality of drinking water, with subsequent health and welfare impacts falling disproportionately on disadvantaged groups.

Led by UTS-ISF, this research will strengthen evidence and understanding of groundwater and its usage, which will help guide the management and development of groundwater towards solutions that lower climate risks to water access, particularly for disadvantaged groups. The research will have relevance to a wide range of stakeholders involved in developing and managing groundwater, including governments, development partners, households, service providers and the private sector. The research takes a transdisciplinary approach to understanding how groundwater can be developed, safeguarded and managed in a way that leads to more climate-resilient and inclusive outcomes for water services, particularly for disadvantaged households.

Insights and lessons on management and governance of groundwater and associated water services will be contextualised for urban Indonesia, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and rural islands in Vanuatu. This is significant, because climate impacts and responses may vary across these three contexts, owing to differing climatic, hydrogeological and socio-demographic characteristics. An examination of these three separate contexts ensures the lessons learnt are relevant to the Asia-Pacific region more broadly.

Research on groundwater issues in the Asia-Pacific region has been largely siloed in a disciplinary sense, with a particular focus on hydrogeology. This project takes a broader perspective, bringing together academic expertise on environmental and social sciences, practical expertise on WASH implementation and governance, and local knowledge to provide actionable advice on reducing climate risks to urban and rural water services. The research in all three countries involves a mixed-methods research design consisting of household surveys, technical assessment and water quality testing, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion, case studies, secondary data analysis and workshops.

The research aims to inform, build knowledge and influence the opportunities and barriers to climate-resilient and inclusive groundwater development in Pacific Island contexts. Ultimately, this research aims to support evidence-based investments in groundwater-based services that are more likely to be safely managed. The research also seeks to innovate by pushing methodological boundaries. This includes novel methods that will:

  1. Map groundwater quality risks in urban areas
  2. Integrate environmental and social data sets
  3. Characterise relationships between climate variables and safely managed water service criteria
  4. Characterise groundwater contamination risk from onsite sanitation, and
  5. Apply behaviour change frameworks to the challenge of shifting people to piped water services.
A researcher from Can Tho University measures groundwater salinity at a site in Vinh Chau, Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam

A researcher from Can Tho University measures groundwater salinity at a site in Vinh Chau, Soc Trang Province in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam (UTS-ISF / Diana Gonzalez)

Pathways to impact

  1. Providing practical information on groundwater development for climate-resilient, inclusive water services in Vanuatu. This research is being used by the Government of Vanuatu, development partners, and the private sector to make informed decisions and investments in groundwater schemes. The research findings are also benefitting Pacific regional stakeholders by sharing knowledge on the barriers and opportunities of groundwater development.
  2. Informing national and local government planning in Indonesia, including the roadmap to climate-resilient water supply and National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025-2029 planning. This research is supporting the adoption of a risk mapping tool for investment decisions in piped water systems, providing evidence on the impact of rainfall on sanitation system contamination, and developing a behaviour change package for transitioning to more climate-resilient services. The outcomes are contributing to strengthening the evidence base, informing policy responses to climate change, and guiding infrastructure design and construction.
  3. Enhancing understanding of groundwater management and supporting water supply planning in Vietnam in the case study districts. This research is addressing climate impacts like saltwater intrusion and prioritising gender equality, disability and social inclusion considerations. The research outcomes, including the priority indicator framework, are useful for national and provincial agencies, private service providers, and community institutions involved in groundwater resource management and water service delivery.

 

“As the use of groundwater and on-site sanitation in urban Indonesia is exceptionally high, the RECHARGE program will allow us to gather robust evidence to support national and subnational risk-based policy for the transition to safely managed water services.”

Dr Cindy Priadi, Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering Study Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia

 

 

The University of Technology Sydney Institute for Sustainable Futures logo
The logo of the University of Indonesia
Can Tho University logo
The logo of the University of the South Pacific
The logo of The Pacific Community

Water for Women is proud to be partnering with the University of Technology Sydney – Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Indonesia, Can Tho University, The University of the South Pacific, and The Pacific Community for this important research work.

 

Feature photo: Water tap and storage tank in Tra Vinh province, Mekong Delta region, Vietnam (UTS-ISF / Diana Gonzalez)

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