Climate Risk & Adaptation Assessment for Jiaxiang County Water Supply & Sewage Improvement

Jiaxiang County is one of the most water-sensitive areas in the PRC and faces water security issues related to water supply, safe sanitation, floods, and environmental degradation, which are aggravated by rapid urbanization and climate change.

The Shandong Smart Water Program (SWP) is a US$ 200 million investment to secure reliable water and wastewater services for Jiaxiang County. It includes the construction of a water supply reservoir, integration of water/wastewater services and introduction of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) into the county. The Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) is a multi-disciplinary assessment of the risk, impact and vulnerability of the SWP to climate change, producing a set of technical, institutional and economic recommendations for adaptation that enhance resilience of the investment project.

We led the design and implementation of the CRA methodology, coordinating inputs from a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, scientists and economists to produce a prioritised list of adaptation options including recommendations for a complex of constructed wetlands with managed aquifer recharge of groundwater resources, integration of water and wastewater service delivery and application of industrial ecology to ensure water supply quality is fit-for-purpose.

Client: Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Implementing partners: Australia’s CRC Water Sensitive Cities; AquaRock Consultants Pty Ltd

Country: China

Duration: 2020