A framework for assessing qualitative and quantitative risks of installing and operating water supply services in small, remote Indigenous communities

Water infrastructure and supply service in Canadian small, remote Indigenous (SRI) communities are facing various challenges, including long-term water quality advisories. A water infrastructure risk assessment system is much needed to help identify critical nodes that are prone to cause failure in the entire water supply service chain, ranging from pre-project planning to water service operation. In the proposed study, a comprehensive framework will be developed to assess various types of risks in water infrastructure project development and water supply service in SRI communities. The framework integrates both qualitative (e.g., supply chain risk) and quantitative (e.g., human health) risk assessment methods into one system, and it will be able to aggregate different types of risks assessed into one metric for risk benchmarking. The framework will be applied to four SRI communities in BC for demonstration. The outcomes of the proposed study will provide a useful tool to help address water supply issues in Canadian SRI communities.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rehan Sadiq;Madjid Mohseni;Kasun Hewage

Student:

Partner:

RES’EAU Centre for Mobilizing Innovation

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: