socioeconomic, environmental, and political areas. Moreover, international events highlighted the
importance of water security, such as the Asia-Pacific Water Forum on Water Security: Leadership and Commitment in 2007, World Economic Forum of Global Agenda in 2008 and other.
International organizations attempt to conceptualize and promote water security concepts internationally, such as the Global Water Partnership, UNESCO Institute for Water Education, ADB, etc. Scholars and development organizations have primarily started creating and elaborating on the water security concept.
security concept started in the 1980s when the Copenhagen School highlighted that issue becomes a security issue when someone identifies and labels it. Water security is frequently interpreted as the physical availability of freshwater resources from the hydrological and geophysical perspectives; hence, the primary unit of analysis of water security is water availability per capita.
However, water availability does not ensure that river basins or countries are secure regarding water access, water quality, water allocation, and water risks. Since the 2000s, the water security term has been framed using complex and holistic approaches. Some definitions highlight human- ecosystem interlinkages, while some focus on managing risks. The water security concept also varies because of the scale from global to basin scales. Different dimensions were suggested to measure water security. Definitions of water security provided in Table 2.1 address both human and environmental needs in the water.
Gerlak et al. (2018) studied how water security is conceptualized in different contexts and scales by systematically reviewing 124 water security studies from 2010 to 2015. The analysis revealed that the water security term attempts to address the issues of quantity, quality, equality, safe access, and environmental protection. Recent studies revealed broader framing of securitization beyond militarization (Briscoe, 2009; Thapliyal, 2011). Water security can also be understood in terms of freedom of fear, adaptability, predictability, control, and reliability (Zeitoun et al., 2016). Water supply security focuses on threats linked with the shortage of water resources or the surplus of water resources that require policy measures, mainly formulated in climate- proofing infrastructure (Briscoe, 2009). This reveals that fear of water shortage is a dominant threat regarding water security. However, outdated large-scale water infrastructure could serve as another water security threats. Moreover, natural disasters, climatological variability, and environmental degradation can be considered as water security threats. Overall, the common understanding is that water security goes beyond water quantity or water-related hazards.
Table 2.1 Evolution of water security definitions
Time Definition Authors
Until the 1980s
Traditional securitization theory: nations’ safety and security 1980s-
1990s
Security is associated not only with the military sector but also with economic, societal, environmental, and political sectors
The Copenhagen School (Buzan, Waever, and Wilde) 2000 ‘’Water Security, at any level from the household to the global, means that
every person has access to enough safe water at an affordable cost to lead a clean, healthy, and productive life while ensuring that the natural environment is protected and enhanced.”
World Water Forum, (GWP, 2000, p.12)
2007 Water security is one of the future potential security risks (United Nations Security Council, 2007)
2007 “Availability of adequate quantity and quality of water for livelihoods, health,
ecosystems, and production” (Grey & Sadoff,
2007) 2011 The global ‘web’ of national water security: national security, water resources
security, food security, energy security, climate security, human/community security
(Zeitoun, 2011)
2012 Operationalization of water security is context-specific (Cook & Bakker, 2012)
2013 “A capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well- being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability”
(UN Water, 2013, p.vi)
2013 “Societies can enjoy water security when they successfully manage their water resources and services to satisfy household water and sanitation needs in all communities; support productive economies in agriculture, industry, and energy; develop vibrant, livable cities and towns; restore healthy rivers and ecosystems, and build resilient communities that can adapt to change”
(AWDO, 2013, p.iv)
2013 Water security is about managing water risks, including risks of excess, pollution, and risks of undermining the resilience of freshwater systems.
(OECD, 2013) 2013 “Water security constitutes the sustainable availability of adequate quantities
and qualities of water for resilient societies and ecosystems in the face of uncertain global change.”
(Scott et al., 2013, p.
281) 2016 Water security at a global scale is conceptualized as a function of 'availability,'
'accessibility to services,' 'safety and quality, and 'management.'
(Gain et al., 2016) 2016 National water security consists of five interdependent dimensions: household
water security, urban water security, economical water security, environmental water security, and resilience to water-related hazards
(AWDO, 2016)
2018 Basin-scale water security framework consists of the following dimensions:
water productivity, water availability, watershed health, water-related disasters, and water governance.
(Babel & Shinde, 2018)
2020 National water security consists of five interdependent dimensions: rural household water security, urban water security, economical water security, environmental water security, and water-related disaster security
(AWDO, 2020)
Many studies highlight the importance of water security (AWDO, 2013, 2016, 2020; GWP, 2000; OECD, 2013). It was noticed that water security definitions and water security assessments are developed and suggested by international organizations and scholars but not by practitioners on the ground (Gerlak et al., 2018; Octavianti & Staddon, 2021). Another trend is that many studies mention water security without adequately defining it. There is no uniformly shared definition of water security that may also lead to misunderstanding the water security concept. At the same time, it is challenging to cover all context-specific water security challenges in one definition (Albrecht et al., 2018; Norman et al., 2013; Zeitoun, 2011). Water security studies have been criticized for broad and contested conceptualization (Cook & Bakker, 2012; Gerlak et al., 2018;
Zeitoun, 2011). Yet, some scholars argued for comprehensive and holistic framing of water security because of the complexity of water systems (AWDO, 2016; GWP, 2000; Tortajada &
Fernandez, 2018).
Framing water security is broad, complex, and multidimensional and requires a paradigmatic approach to analyzing water-related issues. There is still ongoing discussion whether water security and IWRM are complementary paradigms in water resources management (Cook
& Bakker, 2012). Zeitoun et al. (2016) discussed several reasons for the conceptualization challenge of the water security concept. Firstly, water security research requires considering complex water-society interlinkages using the ‘security through pluralism’ approach. Secondly, the uncertainty about water availability and demand forecasts because of climate change. Growing human water demand challenges water reallocation from human necessities to ecological needs (Mirumachi, 2013). Thirdly, the application of water security in practice leads to simplification and context specificity. Hence, water security assessment depends on the conceptualization of water security. At the same time, studies mentioned water insecurity, as more broad and undeveloped term, simply stating the absence of water security and mentioning negative consequences to socioeconomic development, environment, and national security (Gerlak et al., 2018; Octavianti, 2020).