To address these problems, not only will more emphasis have to be placed on the integration of urban and rural planning, but also on the options for the rehabilitation of damaged environments. Rights to Water Urban expansion is encroaching on agricultural land and the dependant rural communities. The encroachment on rural areas spurs competition over land and water rights between urban and rural populations. In some cases, for example, the west coast of USA, the rural agricultural water rights take precedence over those of adjacent urban areas. These urban-rural tensions over raw water are determining not only the limits to growth of urban areas, but also the structure and stability of surrounding rural populations.
Urban expansion can have a negative impact on soils, surface water bodies and aquifers.
The most visible evidence of this is the serious human health problems associated with discharge of pathogens into drinking water sources, and the widespread eutrophication of lakes, rivers and reservoirs with associated algae formation and death of animal life such as fish. Further waste discharges are having widespread impacts on vulnerable coastal environments in Asia and the Pacific. Groundwater quality management in many Asian countries is as serious as surface water quality management. The destruction, especially of shallow riverine and coastal aquifers, through over-pumping and pollution, is greatly adding to the water crisis in many Asian cities, such as Bangkok. 1 Competing Interests Urban water supply utilities and most industrial concerns are always looking for low volume high quality water whereas irrigated agriculture seeks high volumes of raw water and is generally indifferent to quality.