Water resource management strategy for urban water purposes in Dili Municipality, Timor-Leste

ABSTRACT There are various factors in Dili’s water system responsible for the water scarcity problem in the city. Hence, there is a need for strategic plans which could be used as guidelines in improving its water system. The objective of this study was to formulate a strategic plan for water resource management in Dili. The process commenced with the identification of external and internal factors. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to weight the score at the input stage. The alternative strategies were formulated with the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) matrix. Furthermore, the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) was used to select the priority strategy at the decision stage. Based on the results, a total of 13 internal and 13 external factors were identified, while five alternative strategies formulated. Moreover, the selected strategy as the priority for implementation has the capacity of developing the water resource management infrastructure in Dili, as well as improving the water supply system performance in meeting the urban water demand.