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Today, the world is having more urban population with 55% of them living in the cities of different types (Nations, 2018). Transition in urban population has been opined by many researchers as an increase in economic opportunities for better livelihood and living standards. But this huge urban-agglomeration has also led to major social as well as environmental changes, exceeding the carrying capacity and putting additional stress on the natural resource base of the region (Meadows, et al., 1974; Mathur and Sharma, 2016; Miller-Robbie et al., 2017). Urbanization has initiated a new debate where ―urban nexus‖ approach is being looked as a resource management strategy and promoted by many for sustainable urban development (Lehman, 2018; Covarrubias, 2019).
India is urbanizing very fast. A comparison of data for last 50 years indicates that the number of ―urban agglomeration‖, towns and cities have grown over three times (NITI Aayog Report, 2011). Country's urban landscape is seeing an increase in population, the number of cities, and the expansion of existing municipal boundaries. So, understanding the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus from urban perspectives is very pertinent for developing countries like India which has potential to provide opportunities for optimal resource use.
Numerous studies suggest that the WEF nexus is a well established concept for resource management and finds an important place in the sustainability science era. WEF resources are viewed as one integral entity, and are considered for paradigm shift in natural resource management (Hellegers, 2008; Hoff, 2011; Bizikova et al., 2013; Rasul, 2014, Biggs et al., 2015). The concept is being promoted as a tool for greater policy coherence among diferent sectors (Biggs et al., 2015; Rasul and Sharma, 2015; Mohtar and Daher, 2016; Weitz et al., 2017). Inter linkages, synergies, trade-offs and nexus hotspots are common key terminologies being used in nexus research (Cabello et al., 2019; Pardoe et al., 2017).
While there is sufficient literature to support WEF nexus from food production perspective but limited studies are available from the food consumption view in urban areas. Based on the literature and research gaps identified, this study
i) assessed the magnitude of WEF nexus challenge for urbanizing India taking Gurugram as a case study;
ii) identified measures for sustainable WEF consumption patterns under four factors namely regulatory, institutional, socio-economic and technological; and
iii) Suggested adaptation framework for optimizing WEF linkages for Indian cities.
Key focus of this study was to understand the intensity of WEF nexus at the urban consumption level, identify factors influencing the nexus and develop an adaptation framework. The study was exploratory in nature with blend of qualitative and quantitative methods. WEF hotspots were identified by delineating the micro-watershed boundaries within the city and survey was conducted through structured questionnaire in the identified hotspots to calculate the WEF footprints at household level. An expert group and purposive survey was conducted to analyze different factors affecting the WEF inter linkages at the city level. In this survey, experts were the people working in the field of water, energy, food, climate change, natural resources management and urban environment. The study investigated the interlinkages with a new interactive approach of integration of perspectives of researchers, policy makers (bureaucrats) and expert views of practitioners (working in the field of WEF nexus) which were helpful in prioritizing important parameters that influence the nexus at a city level.
The key findings of the research were:
• WEF hotspots have been identified based on three criteria: minimum water availability, minimum energy availability and maximum food consumption.
• Importance of watershed delineation in WEF nexus management at city level.
• WEF footprints calculated at the consumption level and projections made for urban population by 2031. It is observed that water consumption will increase by 1.5 times, energy consumption in the form of LPG will increase by 2 times and energy in the form of electricity will also increase 2 times for urban India by 2031. Both type of energy sources (LPG and electricity) are following the same trend.
• Prioritization of issues simplifies the policy options and helps in mainstreaming the focus to a selected set of measures.
• Urban-WEF adaption framework was suggested for efficient resource utilization.
The findings of the research indicate that the nexus framework has been recognized and finds applicability across the different sectors. But it has not been addressed comprehensively at urban level in developing countries context. In the rising trend of urbanization and interconnections among WEF resources, the urban-WEF framework provides a way forward for optimal resource use and offers opportunities to address the agenda for sustainable urban development in a more holistic way. This study showed that management of WEF resources at food production as well as consumption level is complex because of involvement of many stakeholders. Given the governance of WEF resources is complex at urban level, any shift towards more ―sustainable management of resources‖ will need to focus on the network of actors for its successful implementation.
