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Comparative SWOT Analysis for Water Solutions in Asia and Africa

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Abstract

Various scientific and technological based solutions such as virtual water trading, desalination, groundwater extraction and wastewater reuse have been proposed and implemented in many parts of Asia and Africa to relieve water scarcity. This paper applies SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to examine the suitability of these alternative water solutions to alleviate water scarcity. SWOT analysis proves to be a useful decision making tool as it provides a qualitative approach to simplify multilayer and interdisciplinary problems. The main input for the SWOT analysis consists of knowledge gathered from seven experts in the field of water and environmental sciences. The results show that compared to other solutions, wastewater reuse offers the most desirable qualities as a viable water solution for sustainable water management in Asia and Africa.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Prof. Perry McCarty, Prof. Robin Collins, Dr. Anthony Turton, Lauren C. Roth, Brian Kastl, Dr. Kirsty Carden and Prof. Torleiv Bilstad for sharing their knowledge regarding various water solutions, as without their valuable inputs this paper would not be possible. This research is sponsored by grant RP026-2012G for Africa-Asia University Development Network (AADUN), UM/MOHE High Impact Research Grant H-1600-00-D000047 and the National Key Basic Research Program of China (973) (2014CB046800).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, 300072, Tianjin, Peoples Republic of China

    Genia Nagara & Wei-Haur Lam

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Genia Nagara, Wei-Haur Lam, Nasha Chia Hwee Lee, Faridah Othman & Md Ghazaly Shaaban

  3. School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK

    Nasha Chia Hwee Lee

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  1. Genia Nagara
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  2. Wei-Haur Lam
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  3. Nasha Chia Hwee Lee
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  4. Faridah Othman
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  5. Md Ghazaly Shaaban
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Correspondence to Wei-Haur Lam.

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Nagara, G., Lam, WH., Lee, N.C.H. et al. Comparative SWOT Analysis for Water Solutions in Asia and Africa. Water Resour Manage 29, 125–138 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0831-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0831-8

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