Assessing water urban systems to the compliance of SDGs through sustainability indicators. Implementation in the valencian community

Abstract

[EN] The sustainability improving must be supported in the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The research shows a procedure, establishing 136 indicators, which are linked to the management of water systems. The procedure classified each indicator according to its intervention in the water cycle, measuring the level of sustainability applied to water systems. This methodology assesses the water systems possible and establishes a benchmarking on sustainable aspects. The developed database and the proposed procedure enable the establishment of an evaluation of the SDGs in any water system, establishing different four levels of sustainability benchmarking. These indicators were applied to 110 worldwide case studies, which were obtained from the background developed in the research. Applying this methodology will allow companies and water system managers to assess the SDG targets and incorporate new challenges to improve sustainability. As example, the methodology was applied to six real supply systems, which are located in Spain. According to the results, the contribution to water supply compliance is 42% of sustainability targets.