Mega-cities face frequent disruptions to and incomplete coverage by potable water delivery and sanitation systems, heavy domestic and industrial effluents, and concentrated solid waste, often near water supplies.
Coastal mega-cities face erosion, forcing dredging to re-open navigation channels, causing further erosion, destroying productive near-shore habitat and increasing coastal cities’ risk from extreme weather events.
Mega-cities face rapid increases in population, which fray the human networks necessary to adapt to change and address resource challenges. Migration from rural to urban areas is of particular concern.
The challenges above should appear daunting – sustainable development cannot arise from a fractured and fractious citizenry. Human gaps must first be bridged for proper stewardship of finite resources to occur.
It is in bridging these gaps that Watermark Initiative, LLC comes into its strength. For mega-cities to survive their adolescence, they must gather as much stakeholder input as can be. Watermark can help. Interweaving technical and human solutions, we combine our patience, expertise, breadth of view with your knowledge of the lay of the land to reveal…not just solutions, but connections that lead to fruitful partnerships and sustainable growth.
By doing so, we help you uncover and sustain choices – choices that allow fisheries and shipping, coral reefs and ecotourism, marshland and agriculture to coexist. Choices that focus water stewardship on the benefits required rather than the volume of water delivered. Solutions that provide options rather than reduce choices.
