ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the management and governance of fresh water are evolving in response to digital transformation. Proponents of digital technologies argue that they have the potential to improve sustainability practices, mitigate health hazards, identify and anticipate risks and hazards, address water insecurity, and provide innovative, inclusive ways to involve citizens in planning, decision-making, and polycentric social learning. On the other hand, critics argue that digital technologies are problematic due to ethical issues related to transparency, privacy, data colonialism, and e-waste. The Digital Water debate thus raises contentious and complex questions, particularly in the context of uneven development globally. Through two brief case studies – of groundwater in California and urban water in the global South – this chapter aims to unpack key social, ethical and technical aspects of these questions while considering the impact of Digital Water on sustainable water management within the water-development nexus.
