Water security: A geospatial approach for water management in Pune City

Rapid unregulated urbanization, outdated urban water management models, and climatic uncertainty threaten future water supplies in terms of quality and quantity. Cities are overwhelmed with water related challenges, facing a perpetual shortage of water which gets amplified by summers. It is necessary to solve challenges of scarcity of water and to optimize and conserve local resources to build resilient cities. Pune water supply system is affected due to the fast and chaotic development in and around the city. Quantity of per capita water supply, pressure and hours of supply per day varies substantially. Some central parts of city are benefited by large availability and adequate pressure as compare to peripheral areas. Current study used Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models to better understand the factors behind observed spatial patterns of water distribution, and to predict water supply in areas of new construction. Results confirm the statistical significance of the distance from service reservoirs; water supply hour, population density, slope and presence of service reservoirs in each water supply zones. Study found improvement of the GWR over the OLS model which suggests that there are spatial effects above and beyond the effects of the OLS variables. The current research shows proposed areas of interventions to achieve urban water sustainability through advanced geospatial techniques in Pune City.