ABSTRACT
SUMMARY
Current projections of the world population growth indicate that practically the entire future increase will take place in urban areas, and more specifically, in smaller secondary cities and towns of the developing world. Maksimovic and Tejada-Guibert (2001) described the resulting demands on urban water management as one of the greatest challenges in the management of large urban entities, and such a challenge will require concerted action by the whole international community in dealing with provision of safe drinking water and improved sanitation. The material discussed in this book contributes in a distinct way to the search for, and implementation of, solutions to the urban water management problems by elucidating a basic hydrologic concept, the hydrological cycle, and its transformation in urban areas to the urban water cycle. The UWC can serve as a tool for planning ways to meet the water needs of the urban population, respond to changes in the hydrology of urban areas caused by urbanization, analyse the role of urban infrastructures in meeting urban water management needs, and mitigate the associated effects of urbanization on the environment.
