With ongoing economic growth, urbanization and industrialization, demand for natural resources such as water, energy and food continue to rise worldwide, especially in cities. The result is serious environmental challenges and climate change. Integrated urban planning to leverage on potential synergies of climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches and measures urgently needs to be developed and implemented by 2030 to avoid disastrous climatic change. The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach is one integrated urban planning way for cities to devise more sustainable development pathways. The approach advocates that supplying water to cities takes much energy, and that much water is also needed to produce energy and food. Planning these three sectors in an integrated manner can support water, energy and food security and achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Water reclamation with integrated resource recovery is a key synergy opportunity for the operationalization of the WEF Nexus approach. However, so far, few examples exist where this has been implemented at urban scales. More case study development and pilot projects are urgently needed in order to test the viability of this approach. Further, such development needs to be embedded from the outset in a participatory multi-stakeholder process. Within the TUM Nexus Lab initiative (Nexus@TUM) founded by Dr. Gondhalekar in 2021, the Urban WEF Nexus Research Group uses the Nexus approach as an integrated urban planning framework to analyze the interactions between the sectors water, energy and food, as well as other related sectors such as mobility, solid waste, health and ecosystem services, and devises alternative future urban development scenarios to support the development of pilot projects at urban scales. Nexus@TUM aims to build on an environmental engineering perspective by integrating all three pillars of sustainability and connecting these to social, institutional, legal, political, and economic aspects, in an equal manner. Nexus@TUM further acknowledges that the issue at hand pertains equally to contexts in developing as in developed economies. The research group works in several case study locations including Germany, Ghana, India, Niger, South Africa and Tunisia.
For more information, please visit www.nexus.wasser.tum.de
Al-Azzawi, Mohammed S. M.; Gondhalekar, Daphne; Drewes, Jörg E.: Neighborhood-Scale Urban Water Reclamation with Integrated Resource Recovery for Establishing Nexus City in Munich, Germany: Pipe Dream or Reality? Resources 11 (7), 2022, 64 more…BibTeX
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Al-Azzawi, Mohammed S. M.; Gondhalekar, Daphne; Drewes, Jörg E.: Neighborhood-Scale Urban Water Reclamation with Integrated Resource Recovery for Establishing Nexus City in Munich, Germany: Pipe Dream or Reality? Resources 11 (7), 2022, 64 more…BibTeX
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Becker, Lukas; Gondhalekar, Daphne: Estimating the Water and Carbon Footprints of Growing Avocados in the Munich Metropolitan Region Using Waste Heat as a Water-Energy-Food Nexus Potential. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 6, 2022 more…BibTeX
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Gohari, Alireza; Savari, Peyman; Eslamian, Saeid; Etemadi, Nematollah; Keilmann-Gondhalekar, Daphne: Developing a system dynamic plus framework for water-land-society nexus modeling within urban socio-hydrologic systems. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 185, 2022, 122092 more…BibTeX
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Gondhalekar, D.; Drewes, J.E.; de Vries, T.W.: Nexus@TUM: TUM as Frontrunner University with a Targeted Research and Teaching Agenda on Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus. Water Solutions 1, 2022, 81-83 more…BibTeX
2021
Books / Contributions to Collections
Gondhalekar, D.; Hu, H.Y.; Chen, Z.; Tayal, S.; Bekchanov, M.; Sauer, J.; Vrachioli, M.; Al-Azzawi, M.; Drewes, J.E.; Patalong, H.; Uhl, H.D.; Grambow M.: The emerging environmental economics of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus with water reclamation with resource recovery as key: the case of China, India and Germany. In: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Environmental Economics. Oxford University Press, 2021 more…BibTeX
Journal Articles
Gondhalekar, Daphne; Drewes, Jörg E.: Infrastructure Shaming and Consequences for Management of Urban WEF Security Nexus in China and India. Water 13 (3), 2021, 267 more…BibTeX
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Gondhalekar, Daphne; Erlbeck, Ruth: Application of the Nexus Approach as an Integrated Urban Planning Framework: From Theory to Practice and Back Again. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 3, 2021 more…BibTeX
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Páez-Curtidor, Natalie; Keilmann-Gondhalekar, Daphne; Drewes, Jörg E.: Application of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus Approach to the Climate-Resilient Water Safety Plan of Leh Town, India. Sustainability 13 (19), 2021, 10550 more…BibTeX
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Conference Papers / Poster
Gondhalekar, D.: Adopting water reclamation with inte- grated resource recovery as the cornerstone to plan climate change-resilient cities. Webinar on Integrated Water and Wastewater Management. 22. March 2021, online, 2021 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Nexus City: Water reclamation and resource recovery towards zero carbon urban development. Asian Development Bank Water Sector Group, Manila. 16. September 2021, online, 2021 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Planning the Urban Water-Energy-Food (WEF). Nexus Training Session / Innovation Lab, UN-Habitat Innovate4Cities conference. 14. October 2021, online, 2021 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Towards Zero Carbon or even better. Rejuvenation Cities, MIT Alumni Association “Climate Change Matters” Symposium, Stuttgart. 16. October 2021, 2021 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Urban water reclamation and reuse as a key Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus opportunity in Munich, Germany and Leh, India. TREE of LIFE Landscape Webinar Series, University of Tehran, Iran. 24. February 2021, online, 2021 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Urban water reclamation and reuse as key Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus synergy potential. 9th German-Brazilian Dialogue on Science, Research & Innovation on „Cities & Climate “, German House of Research & Innovation (DWIH), São Paulo. 17. May 2021, online, 2021 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.; Saravanan, V.S.; Drewes J.E.: Zero Carbon City Munich, through Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus-based infrastructure development. German Sustainability Science Summit. 9. July 2021, online, 2021 more…BibTeX
Hernandez-Robles, G. & Gondhalekar, D.: Feasibility of energy generation with biogas at the household level: assessing the impact of anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge and food waste taking a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach, and implications for Europe and Africa. International Conference on Applied Energy 2021, Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2021, in Bangkok, Thailand (online), 2021 more…BibTeX
Hernández Robles, G. & D. Gondhalekar: Feasibility of energy generation with biogas at the household level: assessing the impact of anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge and food waste taking a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach. International Conference on Applied Energy 2021, 2021Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2021, in Bangkok, Thailand.more…BibTeX
2019
Journal Articles
Lahmouri, Mounia; Drewes, Jörg E.; Gondhalekar, Daphne: Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Centralized and Decentralized Water Reclamation with Resource Recovery Strategies in Leh Town, Ladakh, India, and Potential for Their Reduction in Context of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus. Water 11 (5), 2019, 906 more…BibTeX
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2018
Books / Contributions to Collections
Gondhalekar, D.; Al-Azzawi, M.; Drewes, J.E.: Urban Water Reclamation with Resource Recovery as a Cornerstone of Urban Climate Change Resilience. In: W. Leal Filho (Ed.): Handbook of Climate Change Resilience. Springer International Publishing, 2018 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.; J.E. Drewes and M. Grambow: Risk and water management under climate change: towards the Nexus City. In: Sustainable Risk Management. Springer, 2018 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.; Vogt, C.; Eisenbeiß, K.: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Ed.): Integrated Urban Development: Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals for Urban Resource Efficiency, Economic Prosperity and Social Inclusion. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, 2018 more…BibTeX
Conference Papers / Poster
Basnet, M.; Drewes, J.E.; Gondhalekar, D.: Urban Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Decentralized water and wastewater management as a solution to conserve water resources in Leh town in Upper Indus River Basin in India. International Conference on "Water, Environment and Climate Change: Knowledge Sharing and Partnership", 2018Jointly organized by Government of Nepal (GoN), Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS), Society of Public Health Engineers, Nepal (SOPHEN) and Nepal Engineers' Association (NEA) under patronage of Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation (MoWSS)more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Operationalizing water reclamation with resource recovery for more effective SDG implementation as a city-to-city cooperation. European Week of Cities and Regions, 2018Pitch given at European Parliament, by invitation of Global Diplomacy Lab / Bosch Foundationmore…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.: Towards the Nexus City: Research Project Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus in Leh, Ladakh, India. German Water Partnership / BMU India session, IFAT trade fair, 2018 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.; Drewes, J.E.: Nexus City: urban water reclamation and reuse as key synergy potential to close resource loops in Munich, Germany and Leh, India. Sust. Devt. of Energy, Water and Env. Systems (SDEWES), 2018 more…BibTeX
2017
Conference Papers / Poster
Drewes, J.E., Gondhalekar, D.: Towards the Nexus City: Closing the Loops. Workshop on Water Challenges and Solutions in India with focus on Urban Water, 2017 more…BibTeX
Drewes, J.E., Gondhalekar, D.: Implementing the Urban Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Drivers, Barriers and Technical Solutions. DWIH Annual Symposium: WaterScapes, 2017 more…BibTeX
Drewes, J.E., Gondhalekar, D.: Urban Water-Energy-Food Nexus Workshop. Workshop TUM-Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2017 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D. and J.E. Drewes: Nexus City: Operationalizing the urban Water-Energy-Food Nexus for climate change adaptation in Munich, Germany. UNU-Flores Nexus Conference, 2017 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.; Drewes, J.: Towards the Nexus City: Closing the Loops. Workshop on Water Challenges and Solutions in India, with focus on Urban Water. Water Future Programme of Future Earth, 2017 more…BibTeX
Gondhalekar, D.; Drewes, J.: Towards the Nexus City: Closing the Water, Energy, and Food Loops in Cities for Synergistic Climate Action. UNESCAP Seventh Regional Workshop on Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: the Urban Nexus, 2017 more…BibTeX
Misc.
Gondhalekar, D. and Ramsauer, T.: Nexus City: operationalizing the urban Water-Energy-Food Nexus for climate change adaptation in Munich, Germany. Urban Climate (19), 2017, 28–40 more…BibTeX
