Water Safety and Water Governance: A Scientometric Review

Abstract

Water safety and water governance are critical concerns, as water is a vital and finite resource that is essential for ecological processes, human survival, and economic and social development, requiring collaborative and coordinated work of all related actors. The subject literature is scattered and fragmented, making it difficult to identify the key contributions and understand the current state of research; however, these considerations are an increasing preoccupation. To address this issue, a scientometric analysis was conducted in this work to identify the main contributions in the field. The methodology of the research was divided into two sections: the first section presents a scientometric mapping, including an analysis of scientific production by country, journal, and author. The second section identified the main theoretical contributions through the use of the Tree of Science metaphor. The main subfields identified include social governance structures and capacities, drinking water management, and socio-hydrogeology and collaborative governance. This research provides valuable insights for decision makers to develop and promote effective strategies to improve water safety and participatory efforts.