What is a case study? Each case study documents a real water infrastructure project — what problem it addressed, how decisions were made, what worked, and what trade-offs were involved. Every case study is assessed against the six UNDRR Principles for Resilient Infrastructure and broken down into structured components: decision context, stakeholders, hazards, costs, digitalisation, and futures.
Case studies are the foundation of the Water Decisions framework. Through the ontology, each case study is decomposed into reusable use cases and decision patterns that can be applied in other contexts. The critical question for decision makers is whether solutions used elsewhere will work in their context — structured case studies help answer that question.
How to read this page: Browse by country, theme, or search by keyword. Each card shows the location, key themes, and a brief summary. Click any card to see the full structured case study with resilience principle assessments, stakeholder analysis, and links to related decision patterns.
22
Case Studies
15
Countries
6
Principles Tracked
7
Themes
Water • Australia
Melbourne Water Conservation
How Melbourne halved per-capita water use through behaviour change and demand management during the Millennium Drought.
Water • Australia
Murray–Darling Basin Plan
Landmark water reform balancing agricultural extraction with environmental flows across Australia’s largest river system.
Water • Bangladesh
Flood Early Warning System
National flood forecasting and warning system that has dramatically reduced flood deaths in one of the world’s most flood-prone countries.
Water • China
Dujiangyan Irrigation System
A 2,300-year-old hydraulic engineering masterpiece that controls flooding and provides irrigation without a dam, working with natural forces.
Water • China
South–North Water Transfer
The world’s largest water transfer project moving water from the Yangtze to arid northern China across 4,350 km.
Water • Israel
National Desalination Programme
How Israel transformed from water scarcity to surplus through large-scale seawater desalination supplying 80% of domestic water.
Water • Japan
Tokyo Flood Control System (G-Cans)
The world’s largest underground flood diversion facility protecting metropolitan Tokyo from extreme flooding.
Water • Nepal
Community Gravity Water Systems
Community-managed gravity-fed water supply delivering clean water to millions in Nepal’s remote hill communities.
Water • Netherlands
Netherlands Delta Programme
National climate adaptation strategy protecting the Netherlands from flooding and ensuring freshwater supply through 2100.
Water • Netherlands
Room for the River Programme
34 projects giving Dutch rivers more room to flood safely, combining flood protection with spatial quality improvements.
Water • Pakistan
Indus Basin Irrigation System
The world’s largest contiguous irrigation network serving 18 million hectares of farmland across Pakistan.
Water • Singapore
Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS)
National provision of water security through used water reclamation via a deep tunnel sewage system and three water reclamation plants.
Water • Singapore
Marina Barrage
Urban dam creating Singapore’s largest freshwater reservoir in the city centre while providing tidal flood protection.
Water • Singapore
NEWater
Advanced water recycling programme producing ultra-clean reclaimed water, supplying up to 40% of Singapore’s water needs.
Water • South Africa
Cape Town Day Zero Crisis
How Cape Town averted a complete municipal water supply shutdown during an unprecedented three-year drought through emergency demand management.
Water • South Africa
Orange River Transfer Scheme
Inter-basin water transfers redistributing water from Lesotho Highlands to South Africa’s industrial heartland.
Water • Spain
Barcelona Water Reuse Programme
Integrated wastewater reuse programme providing drought resilience for a Mediterranean city facing increasing water scarcity.
Water • UK
Beckton Desalination Plant
London’s first desalination plant converting brackish Thames Estuary water into drinking water for drought resilience.
Water • UK
Thames Flood Barrier
The world’s second-largest moveable flood barrier protecting 1.4 million Londoners from tidal surge flooding.
Water • UK
Thames Tideway Tunnel
A 25 km super sewer beneath London intercepting combined sewer overflows to dramatically reduce sewage pollution in the River Thames.
Water • USA
California SGMA Implementation
Landmark legislation requiring local agencies to achieve groundwater sustainability by 2042, transforming governance of over-exploited aquifers.
Water • USA
Flint Water Crisis
Catastrophic governance failure when a city switched its drinking water source without proper corrosion control, causing lead contamination.
| Case Study | Country | Key Theme | Key Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Water Conservation | Australia | Behaviour Change | 50% Per Capita Reduction |
| Murray–Darling Basin Plan | Australia | Water Allocation | 1M km² Basin Area |
| Flood Early Warning System | Bangladesh | Disaster Resilience | 170M People Protected |
| Dujiangyan Irrigation System | China | Ancient Infrastructure | 2,300 yr Age |
| South–North Water Transfer | China | Mega Infrastructure | $80B+ Total Investment |
| National Desalination Programme | Israel | National Water Security | 80% Of Domestic Supply |
| Tokyo Flood Control System (G-Cans) | Japan | Underground Engineering | ¥230B Construction Cost |
| Community Gravity Water Systems | Nepal | Community Governance | 40,000+ Schemes Built |
| Netherlands Delta Programme | Netherlands | Climate Adaptation | €1.5B/yr Annual Budget |
| Room for the River Programme | Netherlands | Flood Resilience | €2.3B Total Investment |
| Indus Basin Irrigation System | Pakistan | Large-Scale Irrigation | 18M ha Irrigated Area |
| Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) | Singapore | Water Security | $10B Total Cost |
| Marina Barrage | Singapore | Urban Water Management | S$226M Construction Cost |
| NEWater | Singapore | Circular Water | 40% Of Water Demand |
| Cape Town Day Zero Crisis | South Africa | Drought Management | 50 L/day Per Person Target |
| Orange River Transfer Scheme | South Africa | Inter-Basin Transfer | $8B+ Combined Investment |
| Barcelona Water Reuse Programme | Spain | Water Reuse | 25% Reuse Target |
| Beckton Desalination Plant | UK | Desalination | £270M Construction Cost |
| Thames Flood Barrier | UK | Flood Protection | £534M Construction Cost (1984) |
| Thames Tideway Tunnel | UK | Pollution Reduction | £4.3B Total Cost |
| California SGMA Implementation | USA | Groundwater Governance | 2042 Sustainability Deadline |
| Flint Water Crisis | USA | Governance Failure | 100,000 Residents Affected |
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