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Tracking unseen water in products (Embedded Virtual Water) has generated great interest in the scientific community. This water transfers between geographies via suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers in multiple phases. However, the Virtual Water Trading System lacks proper accounting standards, established protocols and processes in the context of product manufacturing. Therefore, there is a need to establish a technology platform to handle the complex virtual water international trade. Such a platform should uphold transparency and create ‘water consciousness’ and awareness among companies and consumers. The concept of a virtual water currency and blockchain technology platform together can manage these processes. Blockchain helps in setting up secure, verifiable, scalable and traceable systems. Blockchain manages the audit and contract management processes with ease. Virtual water currency is critical to advocate sustainability. The objective of this paper is to establish the key linkages between virtual water and usage of blockchain. A systematic literature survey was conducted on 16 journal repositories (153 journal papers) of IWA Publishing to establish virtual water linkages and five journal databases (IEEE Xplore, Sciencedirect, ACM Digital Library, Springer Link and Wiley Online Library covering 5026 journal papers) for blockchain and water management linkages. This study proposes to introduce virtual water currency and set up an International Virtual Water Trading System using blockchain. The proposed platform seamlessly integrates the quality, cost and sustainability of industrial products and their sub-components. HIGHLIGHTS Virtual water trading in the context of product manufacturing lacks proper accounting and sensitization. Therefore, it is important to set up a technology platform to build water consciousness and awareness among companies and consumers.; Virtual water currency plays a profound role in building sustainability.; Blockchain technology helps in setting up a secure, verifiable, scalable and traceable system.;

This paper argues for greater application of adult learning theory in capacity development for water agencies in developing countries. Although the need for capacity development is clear, we believe its delivery, especially through ‘technical assistance’ projects, is of limited effectiveness. In the authors' experience, this limited effectiveness is due to the mismatch between intention and delivery. This may be due to inappropriate objective setting, lack of focus in training delivery and poor cultural awareness, reinforced by an unchallenged, ineffective model of teaching. A more collaborative and adult learner focused approach can help to define the learner's current situation and identify the learning methods that suit them best. Although the effectiveness of capacity development has many factors, the diligent application of well-tested adult learning practices and culturally appropriate learning methods can give positive results. This paper describes five principles for improving capacity development in developing countries. Those principles are: structural alignment of learning, culturally appropriate learning methods, active learning methods, learning trajectories and ‘water specialist as andragogist’. The paper describes and evaluates three case studies of capacity building activities, where these principles were applied either in a deliberate structured approach or through happy accident. HIGHLIGHTS This paper argues that water specialists become ‘andragogists’ and apply adult learning theory for institutional capacity strengthening.; This paper demonstrates the application of five principles which improve institutional capacity strengthening: structural alignment of learning, culturally appropriate learning methods, active learning methods, learning trajectories and ‘water specialist as andragogist’.;

Many countries in the world, including South Africa, are water-stressed with increasing pressure on their water resources due to population growth, climate change, and inadequate funding. Post-independence in 1994, many policies and programmes were introduced by the government with the aim of promoting water management. While these policies and strategies achieved much in terms of water provision to communities and households, they failed to establish a water-conscious country with sufficient knowledge and expertise in water management. In addition, these policies and programmes are outdated, compartmentalised, complex, and lack robust water governance with resilient stakeholder partnerships that advance the more explicit second phase of the National Development Plan (NDP) to achieve water security under the threat of climate change. Using data collection tools inspired by the traditional method of participatory research, this paper analyses the structural and systematic factors hindering the implementation of comprehensive policies to achieve water security in South Africa. There is, therefore, an urgent need for South Africa to establish an independent water regulator to ensure coordination between different government departments, including the National Treasury, to strengthen weak governance capacity and to make it independent to attract private equity into the sector and to recover fiscal deficits in the water sector. Highlights The paper deals with water security in South Africa post-1994.; The country inherited a backlog of unfair water distribution due to the racial injustices of the past.; Post independence in 1994, the new government of South Africa introduced numerous policies and programmes to address the challenges in the water sector, while much have been achieved in terms of fair water distribution of water.; The policies and programmes have, however, failed to address other issues and constraints in the sector.;

After the politicisation of urban water services governance, over a hundred European cities have implemented water services remunicipalisation reforms inspired by the theory of water management as a common. This paper aims to answer questions about the contextual variables that impact the water utility governance processes and the factors that determine the policy-makers' choices. In particular, the work reconstructs the water remunicipalisation reforms of Paris (2009) and Naples (2011) with the Process-Tracing method, compares them, evaluates their outcomes and formulates previsions about their continuance. We base the analysis on qualitative data collected by documentary investigations and 27 in-depth interviews with protagonists of the remunicipalisation processes. Despite implementing the same management model, the water remunicipalisation has produced profoundly different governance processes and outcomes. The Parisian remunicipalisation was quick, efficient, almost conflict-free, and produced a slight implementation gap, whereas the Neapolitan one was long, complex, highly conflictual and generated a substantial implementation gap. Contextual variables and actors’ behaviour are essential in explaining water policy reform outcomes. The protagonists of analysed reforms have taken decisions based on opportunities and limits defined by their local contexts and the relational systems in which they are historically embedded. HIGHLIGHTS Comparison of the remunicipalisation processes of European water services.; Tracing, explanation and evaluation of the water remunicipalisation processes.; Biophysical, cultural and institutional variables impact the water utilities’ governance.; Remunicipalisation actors’ choices are embedded in the local relations, structures, territory and history.; The analysis of governance processes must be multilevel.;

This paper proposes an adaptation of the Rural Water Sustainability Index (RWSI) to the Brazilian Amazon region. Policymakers can use this tool to identify areas of water stress and develop actions to guarantee water access to rural communities. Multi-criteria analysis and a geographical information system were integrated to incorporate various indicators and produce maps displaying spatial water sustainability levels in rural communities. The RWSI was employed on a case study at 16 rural communities in Santa Luzia do Pará, Pará, Brazil. In total, 380 closed and structured interviews were conducted with people living in the area to collect local information for the model application. The results showed a varied spatial behavior between rural communities of Santa Luzia do Pará, with similarities and differences based on the overall condition of water resources (final index values). Half of the locations had ‘Poor’ or ‘Poor-Medium’ water quality. The remaining sample obtained scores ranging from ‘Medium-Good’ to ‘Good’ water sustainability. RWSI scores varied widely (from 5.7 to 6.5) among the communities. It was also found that localities more distant from surface water presented more water stress. HIGHLIGHTS The study proposes an analysis of innovative multi-criteria and participative approaches for rural communities in the Amazon region of Brazil.; A sensitivity analysis was carried out to test the robustness of the Rural Water Sustainability Index and verify redundancies among variables.; A cluster analysis was performed to classify all 16 rural communities into manageable groups, considering their performance in components in the elaborated method.;