Each year more than 200 million people are affected by floods, tropical storms, droughts, earthquakes, and also operational failures, wars, terrorism, vandalism, and accidents involving hazardous materials. These are part of the wide variety of events that cause death, injury, and significant economic losses for the countries affected.

In an environment where natural hazards are present, local actions are decisive in all stages of risk management: in the work of prevention and mitigation, in rehabilitation and reconstruction, and above all in emergency response and the provision of basic services to the affected population. Commitment to systematic vulnerability reduction is crucial to ensure the resilience of communities and populations to the impact of natural and manmade hazards.

Current challenges for the water and sanitation sector require an increase in sustainable access to water and sanitation services in residential areas, where natural hazards pose the greatest risk. In settlements located on unstable and risk-prone land there is growing environmental degradation coupled with extreme conditions of poverty that increase vulnerability. The development of local capacity and risk management play vital roles in obtaining sustainability of water and sanitation systems as well as for the communities themselves.

Unfortunately water may also represent a potential target for terrorist activity or war conflict and a deliberate contamination of water is a potential public health threat. An approach which considers the needs of communities and institutions is particularly important in urban areas affected by armed conflict. Risk management for large rehabilitation projects has to deal with major changes caused by conflict: damaged or destroyed infrastructure, increased population, corrupt or inefficient water utilities, and impoverished communities.

Water supply and sanitation are amongst the first considerations in disaster response. The greatest water-borne risk to health in most emergencies is the transmission of faecal pathogens, due to inadequate sanitation, hygiene and protection of water sources. However, some disasters, including those involving damage to chemical and nuclear industrial installations, or involving volcanic activity, may create acute problems from chemical or radiological water pollution. Sanitation includes safe excreta disposal, drainage of wastewater and rainwater, solid waste disposal and vector control.

This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place in Ohrid, Macedonia under the auspices of the NATO Security Through Science Programme and addressed problems Risk management of water supply and sanitation systems impaired by operational failures, natural disasters and war conflicts.

The main purpose of the workshop was to critically assess the existing knowledge on Risk management of water supply and sanitation systems, with respect to diverse conditions in participating countries, and promote close co-operation among scientists with different professional experience from different countries.

The ARW technical program comprised papers on 4 topics: (a) Vulnerability of Wastewater and Sanitation Systems, (b) Vulnerability of Drinking Water Systems, (c) Emergency response plans, and (d) Case studies from regions affected by Drinking Water System, Wastewater and Sanitation System failures.

Growing populations and rising standards of living exert stress on water supply and the quality of drinking water. Some of these pressures can be reduced by demand management and water and wastewater reuse. In wastewater management, new challenges are caused by new chemicals of concern, including endocrine disrupters, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and personal care products, which often pass through wastewater treatment plants unabated, but may cause serious impacts on receiving aquatic ecosystems. Thus, there is a need to address the sources, fate and transport of these new chemicals. Advanced wastewater treatment leads to production of biosolids, which are processed in various ways, including on-land applications in agriculture. Again, there are some human health concerns regarding these practices. Municipal effluents, combined with increasing withdrawals of water, lead to the worsening of receiving water quality. Expert opinions indicate that the only way to deal with the current urban water management dilemmas is by integrated management and innovative delivery of water services. This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place in Senec, Slovakia, in October 2005. This book presents important aspects of Challenges in Management of Urban Water Resources, Challenges in Urban Water Supply, Urban Drainage and Water Bodies, Wastewater Treatment and Security, and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse.

This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place under the auspices of the NATO Security Through Science Programme and addressed urban water management problems. The workshop sought to critically assess the existing knowledge on Xenobiotics in urban water cycle, with respect to diverse conditions in participating countries, and promote close co-operation among scientists with different professional experience.

Each year more than 200 million people are affected by floods, tropical storms, droughts, earthquakes, and also operational failures, wars, terrorism, vandalism, and accidents involving hazardous materials. These are part of the wide variety of events that cause death, injury, and significant economic losses for the countries affected.

In an environment where natural hazards are present, local actions are decisive in all stages of risk management: in the work of prevention and mitigation, in rehabilitation and reconstruction, and above all in emergency response and the provision of basic services to the affected population. Commitment to systematic vulnerability reduction is crucial to ensure the resilience of communities and populations to the impact of natural and manmade hazards.

Current challenges for the water and sanitation sector require an increase in sustainable access to water and sanitation services in residential areas, where natural hazards pose the greatest risk. In settlements located on unstable and risk-prone land there is growing environmental degradation coupled with extreme conditions of poverty that increase vulnerability. The development of local capacity and risk management play vital roles in obtaining sustainability of water and sanitation systems as well as for the communities themselves.

Unfortunately water may also represent a potential target for terrorist activity or war conflict and a deliberate contamination of water is a potential public health threat. An approach which considers the needs of communities and institutions is particularly important in urban areas affected by armed conflict. Risk management for large rehabilitation projects has to deal with major changes caused by conflict: damaged or destroyed infrastructure, increased population, corrupt or inefficient water utilities, and impoverished communities.

Water supply and sanitation are amongst the first considerations in disaster response. The greatest water-borne risk to health in most emergencies is the transmission of faecal pathogens, due to inadequate sanitation, hygiene and protection of water sources. However, some disasters, including those involving damage to chemical and nuclear industrial installations, or involving volcanic activity, may create acute problems from chemical or radiological water pollution. Sanitation includes safe excreta disposal, drainage of wastewater and rainwater, solid waste disposal and vector control.

This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place in Ohrid, Macedonia under the auspices of the NATO Security Through Science Programme and addressed problems Risk management of water supply and sanitation systems impaired by operational failures, natural disasters and war conflicts.

The main purpose of the workshop was to critically assess the existing knowledge on Risk management of water supply and sanitation systems, with respect to diverse conditions in participating countries, and promote close co-operation among scientists with different professional experience from different countries.

The ARW technical program comprised papers on 4 topics: (a) Vulnerability of Wastewater and Sanitation Systems, (b) Vulnerability of Drinking Water Systems, (c) Emergency response plans, and (d) Case studies from regions affected by Drinking Water System, Wastewater and Sanitation System failures.

This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place under the auspices of the NATO Security Through Science Programme and addressed urban water management problems. The workshop sought to critically assess the existing knowledge on Xenobiotics in urban water cycle, with respect to diverse conditions in participating countries, and promote close co-operation among scientists with different professional experience.

Growing populations and rising standards of living exert stress on water supply and the quality of drinking water. Some of these pressures can be reduced by demand management and water and wastewater reuse. In wastewater management, new challenges are caused by new chemicals of concern, including endocrine disrupters, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and personal care products, which often pass through wastewater treatment plants unabated, but may cause serious impacts on receiving aquatic ecosystems. Thus, there is a need to address the sources, fate and transport of these new chemicals. Advanced wastewater treatment leads to production of biosolids, which are processed in various ways, including on-land applications in agriculture. Again, there are some human health concerns regarding these practices. Municipal effluents, combined with increasing withdrawals of water, lead to the worsening of receiving water quality. Expert opinions indicate that the only way to deal with the current urban water management dilemmas is by integrated management and innovative delivery of water services.

This book is based on the discussions and papers prepared for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop that took place in Senec, Slovakia, in October 2005. It presents important aspects of Challenges in Management of Urban Water Resources, Challenges in Urban Water Supply, Urban Drainage and Water Bodies, Wastewater Treatment and Security, and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse.