Challenges in circular urban water management in construction industry of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Construction industry can be known as one of the prominent natural resource consumers compared to all other industries. Among these natural resources, water can be identified as one of the major concerns worldwide at present. Especially in urban area water distribution for essential activities of human beings is also becoming a challenge in most of the countries. As the consumption of natural resource is considerably high in construction industry, moving towards sustainable construction has been recommended. The linear approach, which the construction industry has been practising for years related to all kinds of resources, has become a threat towards the sustainable construction. Construction sector accounts for about 30% of the world's freshwater consumption. In Sri Lankan construction industry, the focus on management of water is limited. Among the natural resources urban water holds a significant place. While highlighting the importance of urban water management, this paper aims to explore the key challenges in circular water management in Sri Lankan construction industry. 12 semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners and academic experts on circular economy were conducted and the data were analysed using manual content analysis. The findings revel that most of the challenges in implementing circular water management in the construction industry in Sri Lanka are due to lack of awareness, realisation, involvement, and commitment by both citizens and the government. Hence the paper has recommended 6R concept towards implementing circular urban water management within the Sri Lankan construction industry as the authors believe that managing urban water is one of the significant actions to be considered now before it becomes too late in achieving long term sustainability.