Emergency Water Planning and the Issues with making Drinking Water Accessible for Everyone

Abstract: In Sweden, the access to drinking water is something that often is taken for granted. But several incidents where regions have found themselves without drinking water shows that we should be more concerned about crisis management concerning drinking water. Regulations state that even in a situation with drinking water disturbance the municipality is responsible for providing all citizens with drinking water of acceptable quality. When drinking water is not delivered in regular pipelines it is called emergency water, which is an alternative way to distribute drinking water within the region. During a crisis it is important that the authorities can act quickly in order to minimize the consequences that will occur if a region is without drinking water. The National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) have therefore developed a guide for municipalities how to make an emergency water plan. It contains information of how to map and prioritize water users. This is a case study of Nordmaling Municipality that investigates how and why water users should be prioritized during a disturbance in drinking water. The aim has also been to locate emergency water containers for citizens and study the accessibility of these locations and the level of justice within the society connected to citizens (in)accessibility. In order to do this study, the guide from the National Food Agency have been studied along with consultation with the municipal administration. Then a quantitative Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) in GIS has been performed in order to find “optimal” locations for emergency water resources. Recommendations from the National Food Agency have been followed within the frame, ability and visions of Nordmaling Municipality. The study displays the functions that will obtain emergency water, and recommendations and regulations behind the decisions. Along with 12 different locations which have been decided based on results from the MCA. Water users (with extra consideration to vulnerable water users) living outside of the geographical “catchment-area” of a location with emergency water have been studied. This has shown that the locations are not accessible for everyone within the municipality. Constrained accessibility can be seen especially for elderly and those living in the sparsely parts of Nordmaling, which displays an unjust society.