Enhancing Earthquake Resilience in Urban Water Infrastructure: A Business Continuity Strategy for Osaka’s Water Supply System

Urban water supply systems are essential for public health, economic stability, and daily life, particularly in earthquake-prone regions like Japan. The Osaka Municipal Waterworks Bureau (OWMB) developed a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to ensure rapid response and continuity of water services following major seismic events. This paper describes the BCP’s framework, emphasizing risk assessment, prioritization of critical activities, and resource allocation guided by the Incident Command System (ICS) and Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). Key components include structured resource reallocation, enhanced disaster response protocols, and regular training programs to build a resilient organizational culture. The effectiveness of BCP was recognized once again during the process of checking the initial response facing to the first alert for Nankai Trough megaquake in August 2024. These findings support a strategic approach to strengthening disaster preparedness and operational resilience in urban water infrastructure.