ABSTRACT. Yarmouk Water Company LLC, established in 2011 and owned by the Water Authority of Jordan, manages water and wastewater services in northern Jordan, including areas with significant refugee populations. It faces challenges from population growth, declining water resources, and financial constraints. The company focuses on maintaining and optimizing water distribution systems, relying on groundwater and springs, and ensuring efficient wastewater management.

To address these challenges, Yarmouk Water Company established the Reporting and Performance Monitoring Unit (RPMU) to enhance operational efficiency and transparency. The RPMU aims to unify reporting sources, ensure accurate and timely information, monitor complaint systems, update performance indicators, and create a centralized data bank. Key objectives include system development and automation, as well as creating a real-time performance dashboard for management.

The company uses advanced data collection and analysis to support decision-making, improve service delivery, and address future water demands. Through these efforts, Yarmouk Water Company seeks to ensure sustainable water management, improve internal performance, and provide high-quality services to stakeholders.

ABSTRACT. Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries, with over 90% of its land receiving less than 100mm of rainfall annually and less than 70m³ of water per capita, well below the water poverty line of 500m³. Factors contributing to this water scarcity include rapid population growth, economic development, the influx of refugees, political instability, transboundary water issues, and the impact of climate change. Additionally, the high cost of electricity, which constitutes more than 50% of water-related operational expenses, exacerbates the situation.

The Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) plays a crucial role in managing and protecting water resources through various initiatives. These include developing conventional water sources like dams (288mcm capacity) and desert dams (128mcm), increasing non-conventional sources such as treated wastewater for irrigation, reducing water loss in the King Abdullah Canal, and improving irrigation networks. The JVA also works on protecting surface water from pollution, enhancing water quality, and strengthening cooperation on transboundary water management. Furthermore, it collaborates with government bodies, academia, and the private sector to manage water resources effectively and adapt to climate change impacts.

ABSTRACT. Service Providers are under pressure to improve their overall performance and cost efficiency. The sector is becoming regulated and it is becoming more difficult to secure funds. Service providers have no choice: they will have to improve the quality and reliability of their services and they will have to become considerably less dependent on third party funds by becoming financially sustainable. The best way to face this challenge is the introduction of best practices in integrated asset management (ΙΑΜ), where IAM can be defined as: “An integrated approach to monitoring, operating, maintaining, upgrading, and disposing of assets cost-effectively, while maintaining a desired level of service and is intended for improving the overall business performance.” This paper looks at available technology, best-practices and a practical approach, applied within the ISO 55000 Standards framework, towards building capacity for IAM especially for water, sanitation and electricity service providers. . Aspects dealt with include: 1) Policy on Asset Management & Levels of Service 2) Asset Register/ Data Management 3) Maintenance Management 4) Operations (Monitoring & Control) 5) Distribution Management (Technical & Commercial losses) 6) Asset Management/ Rehabilitation Planning (Reliability Centred AM Methodology) 7) Transmission/ Distribution Optimisation 8) Business Planning 9) Monitoring, Evaluation & Improvement

ABSTRACT. Customers and businesses depend on reliable supply of clean water not just for public health, but also for the health of the economy. Critical organisations like hospitals, schools and other industries depend on water to function, with disruption causing ripple effects, meaning that long-term national economic performance is in turn dependent on the performance of the water sector. For this reason it is essential that water asset managers have at their disposal tools to identify vulnerabilities in their supply systems, and plan investment to remove these through asset interventions. Anglian Water adopted a resilience framework in 2019: This paper will set out two key focus areas to assess resilience of the supply system, with associated methods that have been used to improve long term system resilience: 1) Asset level resilience assessment – (reflective risk-based approach to asset health) 2) System level resilience assessment – (robust long-term water resource planning)

ABSTRACT. According to the Concession Agreement between “Sofiyska Voda” AD /SV/ and the Metropolitan Municipality in 1999 SV acquires the right to use and at the same time undertakes to maintain public assets in good condition. The concessionaire shall undertake to update the Register of Assets annually alongside an assessment of the assets.The methodology used was established years ago when SV received recommendations from the Metropolitan Municipality to develop a new document to assess water supply and sewerage assets more extensively and in detail. In 2017 SV won the “Improving the asset management of SV by developing a new asset valuation methodology” Project,funded by the World Bank under the Danube Water Programme. The project developed three methodologies: -Methodology for the assessment of above-ground facilities and buildings. -Methodology for the assessment of the water network -Methodology for the assessment of the sewerage system Two methodologies have been developed- basic and supplementary. For each methodology, procedures were also developed describing the structure of the assets in the context of the GIS and their interconnectedness with other systems, such as the method for the unified coding of assets and the sources of information for assessing the physical condition of assets.

ABSTRACT. For the past 15 years, the Portuguese water service regulator, has been using network rehabilitation as a water utility Key Performance Indicator. This is defined as the average annual percentage of pipes, aged over 10 years, that have been rehabilitated over the last 5 years.

By advocating a rate of network renewal of at least 1,5% per year, ERSAR, is implicitly taking the view that the average useful life of pipes should not extend beyond 65 years. However, the wheighted average for this indicator in Portugal, currently stands at 0.5% per year.

Conventional sector wisdom points the finger at “a systematic problem of insufficient full cost recovery by most water utilities, which prevents the generation of the necessary cash flows for investment in network rehabilitation”.

If this is true, we would naturally expect to observe a strong and positive correlation between the degree of full cost recovery and the intensity of network rehabilitation. However, empirical evidence from the Portuguese water sector (sample of 169 utilities) shows that this is clearly not the case (correlation coefficient of 7.0%). In plain terms, the availability of cash flows is clearly not a sufficient condition to ensure that utilities sufficiently invest in network rehabilitation.

ABSTRACT. The Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive, adopted by the European Union in December 2022, aims to enhance the resilience of essential services, particularly water utilities, against various risks. As part of a broader effort to secure critical infrastructure, member states must align their national laws with the directive by October 2024, though full compliance remains a work in progress.

Infrastructure asset management (IAM) is instrumental for water operators in meeting the CER Directive’s requirements. By promoting strategic, tactical, and operational alignment, IAM fosters long-term resilience planning, prepares actionable response strategies, and ensures effective crisis management through proactive asset oversight. This approach allows for comprehensive risk assessments that identify vulnerabilities and enhance operational efficiency.

The integration of advanced technologies, such as IoT and smart sensors, further supports real-time monitoring and facilitates timely interventions during crises. This research highlights case studies from various EU member states that demonstrate the effectiveness of IAM strategies in bolstering resilience and compliance with the CER Directive, illustrating its critical role in ensuring the reliability of water services in an evolving risk landscape.

ABSTRACT. Asset management principles have gained interest as a means for water utilities to improve their capacity to manage infrastructure that requires renewal due to ageing and adaptation to evolving regulatory requirements. While generalized frameworks suggest best practices, there is often a gap between theoretical ideals and everyday organizational practice. In this study, the practice of professionals engaged in asset management of water infrastructure in Sweden was first examined from a grounded ethnographic approach through interviews, observations and text analysis. Following this grounded approach, sensemaking theory was used as a lens to examine how actors recognize their current situation and what triggers sensing, how meaning is constructed, and how they seek and evaluate possible actions for strategic asset management. The sensemaking perspective was found useful in studying the complexity of the socio-technical environment of water infrastructure asset management, creating a deeper understanding of possible organisational challenges of strategic asset management of water infrastructure, such as difficulties in managing risk and uncertainty.

ABSTRACT. In the past decade, Romania's water and wastewater sector has undergone significant reforms aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and service quality. Key initiatives include the national voluntary benchmarking exercise led by the Romanian Water Association, EU-funded investment projects, the introduction of new economic regulations, and a regulated benchmarking framework by the National Regulatory Authority for Public Utilities (ANRSC). These measures have fostered collaboration, facilitated performance improvement, and promoted the adoption of best practices among operators. The voluntary benchmarking initiative established a detailed national database, enabling operators to develop data-driven action plans. EU-funded programs during the 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 periods resulted in investments exceeding €8.5 billion, driving infrastructure development and underscoring the need for improved asset management systems. Regulatory changes in 2021 expanded ANRSC’s role, enforcing five-year business plans and tariff strategies aligned with cost-benefit analyses to ensure full cost recovery and sustainable investments. The integration of regulated benchmarking with standardized performance metrics has enhanced accountability, operational efficiency, and environmental compliance, aligning Romania’s water services with EU directives. This paper highlights the milestones, challenges, and lessons from these reforms, offering insights for countries aiming to modernize water management systems through strategic regulation and benchmarking.

ABSTRACT. Water availability is an increasingly relevant issue in many parts of the globe, where the demand for water significantly exceed the supply especially in the dry seasons. This imbalance can be addressed by either or both sides of the market. This paper concentrates on the demand side, and in particular on domestic demand for water. The main purpose is to characterize individuals water saving habits, combining individual characteristics, environmental attitudes, perception of the seriousness of water-related problems, and beliefs about the effectiveness of saving equipment and water policies. The main contribution of the paper regards the consideration of individuals’ relation to nature, together with the more frequently used variables. Understanding the determinants underlying specific environmental behaviours can help policymakers design more effective policies concerning water use. Our results can provide clues for policymakers to deepen individuals’ commitment to saving behaviors in the domestic water sector.

ABSTRACT. This study addresses water service affordability in Portugal within the context of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 6. Using data from Portugal's 2022/2023 Household Budget Survey, we analyze the determinants of household expenditure on water services relative to total expenditure, applying quantile regression to capture variability across different socioeconomic groups. Results from 2015-2016 data reveal a clear and significant impact of income on water affordability, with higher income disparities intensifying the financial burden for vulnerable households. Policies such as social tariffs are shown to alleviate this burden but are hindered by incomplete territorial coverage and lack of automatic application. Education emerges as a protective factor, with higher levels correlating to reduced expenditure burdens. Conversely, larger households experience disproportionate challenges, indicating gaps in current tariff structures. Our findings decisively argue for enhanced policy measures targeting the most affected groups, including income-based tariff differentiation and improved accessibility of social tariffs. By comparing outcomes from the post-2008 crisis to the pandemic recovery period, the study underscores the persistent inequalities in water affordability. These insights provide a robust foundation for refining interventions and ensuring equitable access to water services across Portugal.

ABSTRACT. Wastewater treatment not only involves the elimination of pollutants to preserve health conditions and environmental sustainability but also means the generation of sewage sludge that needs to be managed. Under a circular economy point of view sewage sludge can be used to produce biogas as an energy source to reduce electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions related. Raw biogas can be directly used to produce heat and power but has low content of methane (60%), reducing its calorific value. Upgrading biogas to biomethane is the best option to reduce efficiency and environmental problems since it has more than 90% methane (comparable to natural gas). Upgrading process involves the removal of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the biogas, increasing its calorific value and its efficiency and utility to reduce electricity consumption. For these reasons, upgrading biogas becomes a good alternative to reduce costs and increase the environmental performance of WWTPs. dentifying the negative and positive impacts of biogas and biomethane not only from a technological point of view, but also under economic and social points of view offer a multidisciplinary approach that reinforce both the circular economy approach and the energy-from-waste nexus.

ABSTRACT. This study assesses Portuguese domestic water users’ willingness to pay (WTP) for maintaining or improving high-quality tap water, emphasizing its implications for sustainable water resource management. Using an online survey conducted between June and September 2024, 692 valid responses were analyzed to evaluate perceptions of tap water quality and determinants of WTP. The findings highlight that 81.4% of respondents are satisfied with tap water quality, though 32% frequently consume bottled water. Confidence in compliance with legal standards is relatively high, with 42% expressing near-total confidence. However, only 27% of those reviewing water bills check quality control results. Approximately 50% of respondents are willing to pay an additional €2/month to maintain current quality levels, while 40% of dissatisfied users would pay €3/month for improvements. The study identifies a need for targeted campaigns to enhance public trust in tap water and address misconceptions, alongside equitable pricing structures to ensure affordability. Ongoing contingent valuation analysis will further inform strategies to align public perception with the economic value of water, promoting stewardship and sustainability. These findings contribute to understanding how user engagement can support policy efforts in advancing water resource management.

ABSTRACT. The legislative changes for the regulation initiated a new reform in the water and wastewater sector in Romania, by adopting an economic regulation system, based on business plans, thus expanding the role of ANRSC as an economic regulator. The economic regulation system developed by ANRSC represents an ex-ante approach to pricing, based on the efficiency and investment objectives contained in the business plan, for a period of 5 years, taking into account consumers interests, including a minimum affordability rate of 2.5%. Annually, ANRSC pursues the achievement of the efficiency and investment objectives of the business plans and also aims to meet the indicators related to the proposed measures, such as: energy efficiency, staff efficiency, efficiency of asset use, specific electricity consumption, breakdowns/blockages, the gradual reduction of the share of water losses and the annual level of the royalties recorded on costs. Building on previous data collection experience and taking into account the need for digitalization, ANRSC has introduced a robust economic regulatory framework and implemented a regulated benchmarking system, already conducting two annual benchmarking exercises. Economic regulation and regulated benchmarking in the water and wastewater sector provide ANRSC with valuable insights into the overall performance and challenges of the sector.

ABSTRACT. Green Infrastructure are increasingly adopted by municipalities to mitigate urbanization's environmental impacts and providing ecosystem services. However, efficiency of green infrastructure depends on proper maintenance, which often falls short due to lack of inspection and monitoring. External factors such as littering, leaves falling, or sediment accumulation from nearby activities increases maintenance needs of green infrastructure, yet maintenance requirements and planning for green infrastructure remains unexplored. Current study investigates the requirements for mapping risks from external factors affecting green infrastructure performance in urban areas. Two types of green infrastructure, namely bioswales and rain gardens will be investigated. A two-step decision tree method is applied to study failure events and search for modeling methods or proxies. First, external factors influencing performance and maintenance are identified. The second step evaluates data for available models regarding sensitivity, availability, and suitability as proxies. Where models are unavailable, alternative data sources will be explored. Results will include a list of parameters to create hotspot maps for maintenance needs, supporting proactive planning for bioswales and rain gardens to enhance green infrastructure performance and longevity.

ABSTRACT. Constructed wetlands (CW) are one of these strategies based on natural functioning of wetlands that reduce the pollution by physico-chemical and biological processes. Specifically, CWs achieve environmental, economic, and social benefits through the improvement of the quality of ecosystem services, such as water quality and carbon sequestration. As a result, monitoring the ecosystem services become an effective tool for wastewater management in areas with small population, agricultural practices, and urban areas where the water quality improvement is sought but the installation of a tertiary treatment is not feasible. The quality improvement achieved by CWs allow to reuse the effluent helping to bridge the gap in water supply. The CWs becomes a non-conventional and sustainable water source which gives “second life” to effluents, following the SDGS objectives and allowing their implementation in different social and territorial contexts. Considering the aspects below, this study considers the CWs as the future technology for tertiary treatment in small urban areas that need to improve their effluent quality. Through this, the effluent is revalued and managed properly to meet the needs of population and environment according to the SDGS.

ABSTRACT. Resilience is significantly related to asset management (AM) practices. On one hand, best practices in AM promote reliable services and assets. On the other hand, enhancing resilience in one area sometimes leads to unforeseen or unintended impacts on others or on AM objectives. Assessing resilience of both the provided urban services and the infrastructure that supplies them, offers significant advantage by leveraging their interconnections. This paper focuses on the urban water services (water supply, wastewater, and stormwater) and natural areas, considered as a service provided to the city, its citizens, and other stakeholders. It presents the similarities provided in the Resilience Assessment Framework (RAF) developed in the ICARIA projects (https://www.icaria-project.eu) for the addressed services, highlighting the opportunities for AM and resilience improvement for climate change.

ABSTRACT. Urban regions are dynamic and complex systems, highly sensitive to disruptions, requiring coordination among diverse stakeholders due to the interdependence of their strategic services and assets. Climate change (CC) exacerbates existing challenges and introduces new hazards such as intense rainfall, droughts, affecting strategic services and their infrastructure, populations, ecosystems, and economies. Water, green spaces, and biodiversity are deeply interconnected. Enhancing urban systems resilience to CC and other pressures is vital to ensure sustainability and reduce risks to human and natural systems. Natural areas (NA), including both native ecosystems and constructed blue-green infrastructure, play a critical role in addressing CC. They also provide co-benefits for communities and ecosystems while addressing climate challenges. NBS can significantly enhance sustainable urban water management by leveraging natural processes to manage stormwater (SW) effectively and increase climate resilience. To increase resilience of these services to CC, it is fundamental to leverage synergies between their management. The Resilience Assessment Framework (https://www.icaria-project.eu) offers a tool for evaluating their resilience, providing insights that inform asset management decisions. This includes contextual characterization, diagnosis, identification of improvement opportunities and assessment of progress.

ABSTRACT. The study assesses the benefits of advanced pressure management in Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) using regulating valves to maintain optimal pressure levels. High operational pressures in WDNs can lead to significant leakage and rapid deterioration of network components. Traditional approaches to reduce pressure rely on pressure reducing valves (PRVs) ensuring full demand satisfaction but lacking adaptability. In contrast, Real-Time Control (RTC) enables dynamic pressure adjustments based on real-time data from various parts of the network, allowing for lower pressure set points when demand is low. Using both graphical and quantitative analyses, this work demonstrates the effectiveness of RTC strategies in reducing leakage within a real water distribution network.

ABSTRACT. The City of Yokohama has a population of around 3.7 million, making it Japan’s second most populous city after the 23 special wards area of Tokyo Metropolis. This article presents a case study from Yokohama as a major city in Japan, a country that has evolved into a mature society following the rapid economic growth that occurred from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. After peaking in 1992, the volume of water supplied by Yokohama’s municipal waterworks has trended downward due to various factors, including wider use of water-saving equipment. Also, the city’s population peaked in 2021 and is expected to continue shrinking; this shift, along with other changes, suggests a turning point in social conditions. Against this backdrop, we forecasted water demand based on analysis of water consumption and other statistical data, with the aim of ensuring the sustainable management of waterworks operations.

ABSTRACT. The four leading German water sector associations (BDEW, DWA, DVGW, VKU) have collaboratively developed sector-specific standards for the double materiality analysis, aligning with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). This initiative simplifies the process for companies, particularly smaller enterprises, to meet sustainability reporting obligations and navigate their journey toward sustainable practices. By tailoring the ESRS to the unique needs of the water sector, the associations have established a robust framework that includes an accessible guideline document and an Excel-based materiality analysis tool. These resources aim to raise awareness of sustainability, identify impactful opportunities, and foster comparability within the industry, empowering companies to align their strategies with sustainability goals. Join us at this event to learn how these efforts pave the way for a sustainable future and provide actionable insights into transforming your sustainability approach. The topic is particularly topical as, as part of its initiative to reduce reporting obligations by 25%, the EU Commission announced the presentation of a so-called omnibus regulation for February 26, 2025, which is intended to eliminate overlaps in the reporting and notification obligations from the EU taxonomy, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

ABSTRACT. For the last 20 years, ERSAR has been using a system of key performance indicators (KPI) to compare all operators in terms of their quality of service. This set of indicators was designed to be applicable to every operator, regardless of their sophistication level and should provide generic information for regulatory purposes, but also to support each operator in improving to achieve a good quality of service. More recently, for the bulk operators, ERSAR has introduced in its economic regulation model efficiency metrics and reference costs to signal the efficiency levels operators should achieve in specific KPI and which were the basis for adjustments in tariffs. ERSAR is now working in an evolution of this model which applies a Data Envelopment Analysis considering multiple variables to assess the efficiency levels of each operator. These efficient costs levels will provide incentives for operators to aim for additional savings in operational costs with the purpose of ensuring adequate tariffs to consumers in an efficient context.

ABSTRACT. The European Benchmarking Co-operation (EBC Foundation) is a not-for-profit benchmarking initiative by and for the water industry. It annually organises benchmarking exercises to assist water utilities in improving their services. In this task, EBC applies the IWA/AWWA benchmarking framework to ensure that the efforts do not end up in a desk drawer but are used as a basis for real improvement. Today, society ask more from water utilities than ever: they need to be effective, efficient, resilient, sustainable and transparent. Therefore, next to traditional (output) performance areas, EBC pays much attention to all domains of the water value chain, with significant attention to sustainability (also in view of the new EU-Directive on sustainability reporting) and resiliency, to provide more value for society. EBC’s benchmarking programme not just delivers value to utility management, but potentially also to stakeholders like utility owners, associations, regulators and IFI’s. From this perspective, EBC advocates for better collaboration with all actors to accelerate service improvement and reaching the UN SDGs.

ABSTRACT. This paper focuses on data governance and the methodology for strategy implementation and project governance. It defines the governance of strategy implementation as an integrated approach to ensure the effective realization of strategic goals through optimal resource use. This process involves direct supervision, monitoring, and follow-up at every stage, from strategy analysis to resource management and execution. The methodology also guides organizations in making wise decisions to ensure efficient implementation of strategic plans. The main goal is to ensure that strategies are implemented effectively, utilizing available resources optimally. Key themes discussed include: 1.Strategy Governance, covering goal governance (global, national, sectoral) and performance indicator governance. 2.Funding Governance (Resource Governance), including grants governance, loan governance, and public-private partnership (PPP) governance. 3.Governance of Activities and Procedures, which focuses on project governance, governance of initiatives, and governance of tasks and assignments. The paper emphasizes the importance of a structured governance approach to ensure the successful implementation of strategies, projects, and resources.

ABSTRACT. The Utilities Performance Monitoring Unit (UPMU) was established in Jordan in 2019 under Water Law No. 18 and its amendments, aiming to enhance transparency and effective governance in the water sector, and to improve the legal and contractual relationship between the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Jordan Water Authority, and the water utilities (Miyahuna, Aqaba Water, Yarmouk Water). It also aims to monitor the performance of these utilities and improve the services provided to citizens. Supported by GIZ, the unit developed a monitoring tool to collect and verify various variables covering the daily activities of the water utilities, along with performance indicators compliant with international best practices. The unit's tasks include monitoring performance, developing performance indicators, creating necessary documentation, issuing general guidelines for internal procedures, and reviewing business plans. Since 2020, the water utilities have collaborated with the unit to set measurable goals linked to fixed timeframes, initiating a benchmarking process to compare performance and drive improvements. The unit also conducts annual inspection visits to facilities to ensure operational efficiency and sustainability.

ABSTRACT. Achieving equitable access to water is a key target under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6. This study investigates the equity of water service payments in Portugal from 2005 to 2022, focusing on their proportionality relative to household resources. Data come from the last four waves of the Household Budget Survey carried out by Statistics Portugal. The variables used in the analysis are total expenditure and expenditure on water services. To assess the magnitude of the expected regressivity of water payments, we calculate the Progressivity Index, estimated by regression. Results reveal that the share of households spending more than 3% of their income on water services increased from 8.1% in 2005 to 10.3% in 2016. Among the poorest 20% of households, this share rose from 21.5% to 27.2% (results for 2022 will be available at the conference). The Progressivity Index confirmed the regressivity of payments, with values of -0.165 in 2005/06, -0.181 in 2010/11, and -0.186 in 2015/16, all statistically significant (p < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that lower-income households bear a disproportionate financial burden, with regressivity worsening over time, particularly during 2010-2011. Measures are needed to protect the most vulnerable families.

ABSTRACT. A multi-disciplinary approach was adopted, combining historical research with modern field surveys and perspectives from hydrological engineering. Key locations of the aqueduct were identified through available literature. Intact sections near Zaros included tunnel exits, arcades, and remnants of water-driven mills, confirming the aqueduct's trajectory and design. Field studies employed RTK-GPS measurements to mark the aqueduct's remnants, assess gradients, and document structural features, either visible as remains or just traces that have been identified in the form of rubble and ditches. Focus was given to the segment near Zaros, where the aqueduct's trajectory was not evident yet, but a few known points functioned as anchor for the study.

ABSTRACT. Effective asset management is essential for international tourist airports due to complex operations, growing passenger volumes, and the need to balance economic, social, and environmental factors. This paper presents a novel AHP-based Asset Management Modeling Framework to systematically address these challenges, particularly in optimizing critical airport assets, including water-related infrastructure such as wastewater treatment, stormwater drainage, and potable water supply. Efficient water asset management is crucial for ensuring regulatory compliance, minimizing waste, and enhancing resilience against climate risks. The framework integrates diverse criteria, such as operational efficiency, sustainability, and passenger satisfaction, to support strategic decision-making. Traditional asset management methods struggle to account for the complexity of these interconnected systems. The proposed AHP framework structures the decision process into a hierarchy of goals and criteria, combining expert insights with quantitative data for objective prioritization. A real-world implementation at a group of international tourist airports demonstrated its effectiveness in identifying critical assets, optimizing maintenance schedules, and improving stakeholder collaboration. By embedding sustainability—especially water management—within this model, the framework enhances long-term environmental and economic objectives, providing a scalable, technology-driven solution for sustainable airport asset management.

ABSTRACT. Ports are critical nodes in the global transport chain, driving trade, connectivity, and economic growth. In particular, efficient and sustainable management is ensured through effective asset management for high-traffic regions like the Mediterranean. This study employs a systematic and multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the asset management performance of Corfu Port. The methodology integrates both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a holistic understanding of port operations. The paper further seeks to identify challenges and opportunities in implementing advanced asset management frameworks to enhance efficiency and competitiveness. Quantitative analysis of operational metrics combined with financial performance and qualitative data has been collected from interviews and focus groups that included key stakeholders such as port authorities, operators, and government officials. Comparisons are made to other Mediterranean ports to contextualize the findings and outline further areas for improvement. This paper provides an overall framework for the review of asset management at similar Mediterranean ports to pursue its sustainability and competitiveness.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines Miyahuna Water Company’s efforts to address water scarcity in Jordan through advanced data collection and monitoring. Utilizing modern technologies like SCADA systems, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and smart metering, Miyahuna collects comprehensive water data to enhance operational efficiency, reduce water losses, and ensure high-quality service. SCADA systems enable real-time monitoring, GIS supports network management, and smart meters aid in accurate demand forecasting and leak detection, reducing Non-Revenue Water (NRW). Performance indicators such as NRW rates and system pressure levels guide decision-making and resource allocation. Data sharing with the Utility Performance Monitoring and Management Unit (UPMU) enhances communication, regulatory compliance, and transparency. The data-driven approach also aids long-term planning by optimizing water distribution, rehabilitating infrastructure, and preparing for future demand. Despite challenges like aging infrastructure, funding limitations, and population growth, Miyahuna's use of technology improves water governance, promotes sustainability, and fosters collaboration with stakeholders. The paper underscores the importance of data-driven decision-making in managing water resources effectively and achieving sustainability in Jordan.

ABSTRACT. This contribution investigates the statistical properties of the uncertainty underlying water demand in cities. Based on a dataset, a statistical description of water demand is presented. An estimation of tail exponents is used to describe the properties of extreme demands. Locally Estimated Scatterplot Smoothing (LOESS) is used to decompose the time series into long term trends, daily patterns and residual model uncertainty. This uncertainty is investigated by the same methods as the unconditional probability. Furthermore, the normal, log-normal, Levy-stable and Student’s-t distribution are tested for the description of the model uncertainty. Our results show that the distributions of hourly water demands are heavy-tailed. This can be attributed to the model uncertainty, since trends and daily patterns dominating the time series do not show heavy-tailed characteristics. Globally, the uncertainty is best described by a Student's-t distribution. Locally two distinct regimes exist: commonly, the uncertainty follows a normal distribution with slowly varying standard deviation. The second regime shows “bursty” behavior, in which extreme deviations are more likely, giving rise to heavy tails. The findings can be used to improve water demand models through more realistic assumptions of model error and indicate the possibility of a risk-responsive approach to the operation of WDSs.

ABSTRACT. Fifteen years ago (2008 data), the levels of full cost recovery (FCR), at national level in Portugal, were 84% and 50% for water supply and sanitation services, respectively.

Since then, average prices for urban water services have grown at a faster rate than inflation (on average, 2 percentage points per year). Especially in the case of sanitation services.

As a result, the economic sustainability panorama of the sector is currently substantially different in terms of FCR: 108% in the case of water supply and 99% in urban wastewater sanitation.

An econometric analysis of the factors that contribute positively to the economic sustainability of operators, allows validating the relevance and statistical significance of the following four factors:

• Average tariffs for supply and sanitation services • Size of operators, once again confirming the beneficial effects of scale economies; • Operational efficiency of operators: using non-revenue water levels as a “proxy”; • Management model: operators with more “autonomous” management models show clearly better results than Municipal Services.

These results constitute empirical evidence of the merits of the key guidelines of the Portuguese sectoral reorganization policy that have been adopted over the last 30 years, which has promoted FCR, utility agglomeration and professionalization.

ABSTRACT. One of the most important threats posed by climate change and over-stressing of natural resources is the depletion of available freshwater supply. In this context, this work aims to shed light on the public perception around this topic and employ a mixed-method approach for unravelling the most important opinions and topics related to the water crisis. More precisely, 7 videos hosted in the YouTube platform have been identified as the most influential and their comments have been extracted utilizing Python and Google’s YouTube APIv3. Our dataset includes 28.204 comments that were processed. This approach provides a preliminary overview of the examined field with diverse opinions ranging from 2019 to 2025. The main methods used for the analysis are the distilbert sentiment analysis model and the LDA topic modelling. We discovered a polarization towards the negative sentiment which is mainly related to the disbelief in the severity of water crisis, the insufficient policy-making and governmental actions, overconsuming of water resources, and lack in technological integration to the water treatment sector. On the other hand, the topics are heavily focused to desalination and brine, climate change, global warming, nuclear power, optimized use of resources, and people’s actions.

ABSTRACT. Changes in water tariffs can affect consumer behavior and therefore, understanding the impact of tariff structure on water consumption is essential to promote sustainable water management. This study evaluates the impact of a tariff structure change on residential water consumption in Joinville, Southern Brazil. A sample of 243 single-family households was analyzed over a 50-month period (2018–2022). In September 2021, the tariff system was modified, eliminating a fixed charge for consumption up to 10 m³/month. Time series regression analysis was conducted, using average residential water consumption as the dependent variable, the tariff change as an independent variable, and the Covid-19 pandemic as a control variable. The regression model explained 43% of the variation in water consumption and indicated that the tariff change led to reduced water consumption, while the pandemic period and long-term trends contributed to increased usage. Boxplots confirmed these findings, showing a decline in water consumption after the tariff structure adjustment.