Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness to Urban Water Scarcity

A Case from Cochabamba, Bolivia

Amber WutichPostdoctoral Research AssociateGlobal Institute of Sustainability

Arizona State University

Presentation Format

Part 1:

Framework, Theory, and Hypotheses

Part 2:

Urban Water Scarcity in Ethnographic Context

Part 3:

Testing Relationships

What is “social vulnerability”?

And how does it relate to resilience?

Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness

Robustness the state (or capacity) of a system to absorb a stressor without adapting

Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness

Resilience

Robustness

the state (or capacity) of a system that is able to adapt to a stressor

the state (or capacity) of a system to absorb a stressor without adapting

Vulnerability, Resilience, and Robustness

Vulnerability

Resilience

Robustness

the state (or capacity) of a system that is unable to adapt to a stressor

the state (or capacity) of a system that is able to adapt to a stressor

the state (or capacity) of a system thatcan absorb a stressor without adapting

Advantages of the Framework

(1) Integrated social & ecological approach

(2) Nested scales

(3) Surprise & transformation

(4) Complex outcomes

What is urban water scarcity?

What theories inform our understanding of it?

Livelihoods Theory

Assets

Economic assets

Social assets

Access

Right to water

Ability to obtain water

Case Study: Cochabamba, Bolivia

Relief Map of Bolivia

South America

Hydrology of the Cochabamba Valley

From Stimson et al. 2001Map depicting ground and surface water in the Cochabamba Valley.

The City of Cochabamba

North side of Cochabamba South side of Cochabamba

Urban Water Scarcity in Villa Israel

Households buy most of their water from delivery trucks at retail prices.

Water Vendor Routes

RIVERBED

TAXI STOP

CHURCH

MARKET SCHOOL

MAININTERSECTION

MAINSOCCERFIELD

COMMUNITYENTRANCE

X

Community Tap Stand System

Ten tap stands distribute water from two small community wells.

Informal Water Exchange Networks

Neighbors, friends, and family give each other water in a pinch.

VulnerabilityElimination of water tasks

ResilienceWater conservation

RobustnessAdequate water (pppd)

Household

ASSETS

Tap stand system

Operationalization of Hypotheses

Water exchangesystem

EconomicWell-being

ACCESS

Water deliverytrucks

Field Methods

• 18 months of fieldwork (June 2003 to July 2005)

• Bolivian-American collaboration

• 4 months of participant-observation

• 2 months of protocol development and testing

• 5 two-month cycles of semi-structured interviews-- with 65 randomly-selected households in Villa Israel

• 12 measures of water scarcity -- including instrumental participatory collection

of quantitative data

Instrumental Participatory Collection of Quantitative Water Data

VulnerabilityElimination of water tasks

ResilienceWater conservation

RobustnessAdequate water (pppd)

Household

ASSETS

Tap stand system

Results

Water exchangesystem

EconomicWell-being

ACCESS

Water deliverytrucks

r2=.18p=.02

r2=.11p=.12

r2=.09p=.23

VulnerabilityElimination of water tasks

Household

ASSETS

Tap stand system

Results

Water exchangesystem

EconomicWell-being

ACCESS

Water deliverytrucks

r2 = .18p-value = .02

B=.11p=.79

B=-.39 p=.08

B=2.80p=.06

B=-.43p=.05

From Knowledge to Action in Villa Israel

• Tap stand system

• Economic well-being

• Access to water delivery trucks

• Participation in water exchanges

**Local Collaborations, Scholars, & Values