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Challenges for Water Security in Asmara, Eritrea

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Ecosystem Services for Urban Water Security

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Geography ((BRIEFSGEOGRAPHY))

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Abstract

This chapter presents a case study of urban water sector selected to apply a novel approach for designing and assessing impacts of Watershed Investments and more generally to explore the challenges of urban water security in a Sub-Saharan Africa context characterized by limited resources. The case is about the city of Asmara—the city capital of Eritrea—and its main water supply, the Toker watershed. The chapter illustrates the main socio-ecological challenges and opportunities for promoting adaptive management in the case study. In particular, to illustrate contextual and contingent factors characterizing the case study, three examples of ongoing soil and water conservation activities are presented. The chapter concludes with a focus on the Asmara Water Supply Department (AWSD), a key stakeholder in the selected case study. Specifically, the AWSD is analysed through an approach for conceptualizing water utilities as “learning organization” and assessing their institutional capacity.

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Correspondence to Blal Adem Esmail .

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Adem Esmail, B., Geneletti, D. (2020). Challenges for Water Security in Asmara, Eritrea. In: Ecosystem Services for Urban Water Security. SpringerBriefs in Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45666-5_4

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