Project Number: 50031-001 TA Number: 9138 November 2020 People's Republic of China: Facility for Strengthening Policy Reform and Capacity Building (Integrated Resource Conservation in Tianjin–Smart Water) SMART WATER STRATEGIES Smart Water Management for Smart Cities in the People's Republic of China Prepared by: Joe Q. Zhao, Melissa Alipalo, and Wencan Yu This report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. 2 CONTENTS FIGURES, BOXES, CASE STUDIES ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................... 7 II. SMART CITY, SMART WATER.............................................................................................................................................. 11 A. Smart Water Management: A Key Component of a Smart City ............................................................... 12 III. THE BASICS OF SMART WATER ........................................................................................................................................... 16 A. Conventional versus Smart ....................................................................................................................... 16 B. Principles .................................................................................................................................................. 16 C. The Path toward Smart Water ................................................................................................................. 17 D. Mutual Benefits ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Box 1. Benefits of Smart Water Management Implementation ....................................................................... 20 IV. THE ARCHITECTURE OF SMART WATER SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................. 23 A. Four ICT Components of Smart Water ..................................................................................................... 23 B. Integration Architecture for Smart Water System.................................................................................... 23 C. How the Frameworks and Layers Work Together ..................................................................................... 25 D. The Four Vertical Frameworks .................................................................................................................. 26 E. The Five Layers .......................................................................................................................................... 26 V. IDENTIFYING THE SCOPE OF SYSTEMS AND BUILDING A ROAD MAP ................................................................................ 30 A. The Needed Policy Mandate for a Smart Water System .......................................................................... 30 B. Three Subsystems of a Smart Water System ........................................................................................ 30 C. A Road Map to Smart Water Management .............................................................................................. 32 D. A Three-Phased Approach ........................................................................................................................ 33 E. Capacity Building for Smart Water Management ..................................................................................... 35 F. An Indicative Implementation Timeframe for Three-Phase Approach .................................................... 36 VI. LEVERAGING POLICY, SMART WATER FOR LIVABLE CITIES ............................................................................................... 40 A. Smart Water Management for Livable Cities ........................................................................................... 41 B. Policy Support ........................................................................................................................................... 41 C. Stakeholder Support ................................................................................................................................. 43 D. Improved Decision Making ....................................................................................................................... 44 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Appendix 1: Persons Supporting the Study ............................................................................................................................... 47 Appendix 2: National Smart City Policies from the People's Republic of China ........................................................................ 48 Appendix 3: National Smart Water Policies from the People's Republic of China .................................................................... 50 Appendix 4: Sustainable Development Goals and Smart Water Management ......................................................................... 52 Appendix 5: Recommended Implementation Timeframe for the Smart Water System ........................................................... 56 4 FIGURES, BOXES, CASE STUDIES FIGURES 1 Information and Communication Technology Components Supporting Smart Water 24 2 Architecture of Smart Water System 25 BOX 1 Benefits of Smart Water Management Implementation 20 CASE STUDY BOXES 1 The Need, Potential, and Readiness of Jinghai District to Model Smart Water 10 Development 2 Korea's Global Water Utility Brand Shares Knowledge of Smart Water Management in 14 Exceptional Volume of Global Case Studies 3 Smart Water Meters in Shenzhen Get Even Smarter, More Secure 15 4 Singapore's Smart Water Grid 22 5 Tongzhou District's Smart Water Management Platform 28 6 Huangshan Proves Early, Timely Strategy is Key to Momentum, Progress on Smart 37 Development 7 South Asian Cities Benefit from Joint ADB, K-water Technical Assistance to Launch, 39 Advance Smart Water Management 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Alan Baird, Principal Urban Development Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, provided guidance to the technical and editorial team in the development of this working paper. Representatives of institutions and independent specialist consultants within the People's Republic of China shared experiences and provided guidance to the case studies, background and technical statements and ideas presented in this paper. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of officials from the PRC that supported the work that serves as a basis for this paper. The Urban Sector Group of ADB's Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department also provided technical and editorial support for this paper. ABSTRACT Information communication technologies (ICT) presents water service providers with new, transformative opportunities for more efficient water management and opportunities improved services to their customers. In particular, ICT allows for strengthened water security, enhanced sustainable development, and more profound resilience against the impacts of climate change and water-related disasters and organic hardships from natural landscapes and challenging environmental conditions. The application of ICT to water management is known as smart water. It is characterized by automation for predictive rather than reactive management, remote monitoring for comprehensive system overviews and real-time decision making, and prediction for early warning systems. Smart water solutions exist from end-to-end in the water value chain, including in the management of water resources (both surface water and groundwater), through to all facets of urban water management including water supply, wastewater management, sanitation, drainage, stormwater, and finally in the management of byproducts. Smart water management can support emergency responses in times of an extended dry season, drought, exceptional storms, and associated flooding. ICT has minimal impact when applied piecemeal and is most impactful when pursued under a long-term vision articulated in policies, strategy, implementation roadmaps, and technical architecture to turn the vision of a sustainable water system into a reality. Strong leadership, committed financial resources, and consumer endorsement create a robust framework for pursuing digital transformation. In this working paper, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) advocates for water service providers to develop smart water strategies and roadmaps. This paper offers guidance on particular issues