A new approach for defining water security indicators for water utilities

ABSTRACT Understanding water security requires the use of indices, which are established from indicators. The dearth of indicators to compose an index to assess water security in the public water supply was the motivation for this study. The main objective of this paper was to present a novel method capable of identifying indicators for water supply at a local scale. In order to do so, modifications were made to a cause-effect process analysis method, which included the aspects and impacts generated by the parties involved. The method was applied in the municipality of Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. The indicators were verified with experts and stakeholders. Results showed that, for the area of study, 34 indicators are capable of adequately composing a water security index.