The 22nd of March 2022 saw the twenty-ninth commemoration of World Water Day – as a worldwide water crisis continues to leave populations vulnerable. It is an extremely multi-faceted issue. Governance sadly determines water accessibility, with marginalized people disproportionally affected. Urban typologies are another factor. The over-pumping of groundwater sources to meet the water demands of Hanoi, for instance, has resulted in arsenic being drawn into Vietnam’s village wells.
Interlinked with policies at the governmental level are the many examples of traditional water infrastructures that have sustained communities for generations. These ancient water harvesting, water conservation, and water management techniques realized into built form across cultures offer useful frameworks towards cultivating a more water-accessible future.
