Water resources

This working paper examines the concept of metabolism and its potential as a critical analytical lens to study the contemporary city from a political perspective. The paper illustrates how the metabolism concept has been used historically, both as a metaphor to describe the technological, social, political and economic dimensions of human-environment relations, and as a concrete analytical tool to quantify and better understand how flows of matter and energy shape the territorial and spatial configurations of cityscapes. Drawing on the example of the urban water metabolism of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), the paper shows how the metabolism concept can be applied to study the politics of water in the city.

(excerpt) "We should indeed look to watery natures for inspiration. We are all part of an oceanic commons that sustains and bonds all life. Turning to water as design muse can thus be understood as a moment of recognition, where our own watery natures are amplified. But when we hail the ocean as teacher, do we also consider the silent slippage between gift and theft, between use and usurpation? What happens when the sea ceases to be an unknowable mystery, and is figured instead as inexhaustible resource? Water—as substance or idea—cannot be simply ours for the taking."

Making use of the social accounting matrix (SAM) of the Spanish province of Huesca in 2002, updated following Junius and Oosterhaven's GRAS method and work by Lenzen and colleagues, we have estimated the water footprint of the region. The water footprint is defined as the volume of water needed for the production of the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants plus the direct consumption in the households. We built an open Leontief model, which gives us the water embodied in the production of goods. The valuations concern the industrial, service, and domestic sectors’ water consumption, the embodied water imported from and exported to other countries, and the agrarian water use. This agrarian sector, clearly the sector that shows the greatest water consumption, is carefully examined, so it is disaggregated for the calculations into 31 irrigation land products, dry land, and 9 livestock classifications. As a consequence, the framework enables the observation of the relationships and flows of water taking place among all the sectors and activities in the economy. Finally, we also make use of the per capita water footprint estimations to get a clear picture of how the responsibility for water use is distributed once foreign trade is taken into account.

The overexploitation and impairment of our freshwater resources require land management strategies that support the preservation of green and blue water flow and various ecosystem services. Historical landscape analysis and the influential driving factors of landscape development provide an essential basis for tackling current environmental questions in land and water management. Hence, this article investigates the influence of historical land use pattern on the hydrological processes and provision of blue and green water flow and storage for man and ecosystems under current climate conditions. Moreover, we discuss in how far these findings could be used to predict or optimise future land management options or as a reference for future land and water management. We used digitalized historical land use maps from 1787, 1827, 1940 and 1984 and a digital land use map of present situation from 2009 for our study areas, which are two small scale Slovenian catchments (Reka and Dragonja). The integrated river basin model soil and water assessment tool was used to simulate the land use change effects on blue and green water flow. The results showed for both catchments that the influence of land use change on total and green water quantity would be statistically insignificant but would have considerable effects on the seasonal flows. In the Reka catchment, historical situations indicate effects on spring and summer blue and green water flow due to a decreased percentage of forest and an increased percentage of grassland and vineyards in the past. Results for the Dragonja catchment indicate past shift from arable land use to forest as decrease in summer green water flow and increase in blue water flow. Possible effects are also increased levels of blue water flow and decreased levels of green water flow during the growing period of the year.

The Increasing pace of Industrialization throughout the world has brought with It a serious, and ever Increasing threat from air pollution. It Is true that this threat Is being taken seriously, and that many responsible research workers, government advisers and others are working towards Its reduction. But air pollution seems to have something of the nature of a hydra-headed monster: tackle one problem and another immediately grows to take its place. Actions taken sometimes have results that are far from what was envisioned, sometimes even seeming to make the problem worse.

In "The Forgotten Pollution", Roos shows clearly and In an often entertaining way, how many of the "unexpected" side effects of pollution by waste gases and particles can be explained by paying attention to the electrical activity of the atmosphere and the earth.
Using an Instrument, which he has developed the Electrostatic Charged Aerosol Monitor (ECAM), together with other instruments and reference to the literature, much of it dating back to the early days of science, when electrostatics was appreciated as a science more than It Is today, Roos has succeeded In explaining many hitherto "puzzling" phenomena in a clear, simple and intellectually satisfying way.

The process of privatization in Turkey started as a result of some agreements signed with the World Bank and the IMF in the 1980s. A decade later this process started to include also water services and became already dominant by the beginning of 2000. The main actors of privatization in the world are a few water multinationals, some international organizations such as the World Water Council (WWC) a global water privatization lobby that builds the necessary social, economic, and legal grounds for these corporations to create a global water market and take control of it, and the nation-states which are in an increasing competition for “development”. The main discourse of these actors is that the growing world population despite the limited and constant amount of water resources causes a global water crisis and the public sector fails to deal with it. This view became also official in Turkey within decades resulting in global scale gatherings taking place in the country such as the 5th World Water Forum (WWF) in 2009 organized by the WWC.
First, contrary to this discourse, the growing pressure on the world’s water resources results from increasing demand from unsustainable economic activities rather than the increasing human need for water due to population growth. For as much as, only 15% of total water consumption in Turkey is urban while 85% is agricultural and industrial together. For this reason, the decrease in water use per capita per year fails in explaining the water crisis in Turkey. In addition, Turkey aims at increasing its share, in both agricultural and industrial sectors, in the global market. This means that pressure on water resources will grow and an increasing share of water will be used for meeting the demands of economic sectors instead of human needs. Second, the public sector is not primarily responsible for failing to deal with water problems. In both, the world and Turkey privatization in the water domain has a relatively short history while it is the contrary for the public sector. Even though the public sector in Turkey has long been affected adversely by centralist and anti-democratic structures, it provides us with much experience and many lessons to learn in water management. Instead of abandoning the public sector as the pro-privatization lobbies suggest, it seems essential to redefine the meaning of public and search for ways to make it closer to citizens and the local scale through public participation.
In the last decades, many social and ecological problems arose around the globe due to practices of privatization. These problems caused various social counter-movements in almost every country they occurred. To overcome this problem, the pro-privatization lobby, through its international think-tanks and investment organizations, defined a “new” term called Public-Private Partnership (PPP) which is neither new nor has anything to do with public content but privatization itself. As a result of many reforms of commercialization and privatization of water resources and services in Turkey: i) water has become an economic commodity rather than a human right, ii) the cost of water has risen while its quality has dropped down; iii) water services have become profit-driven rather than human-centered; iv) water consumption has been promoted rather than water conservation; v) private companies have become richer from common property water resources while some economically disadvantaged people and locals such as the river basin communities have become poorer; vi) water multinationals have taken risks whose price are often paid by the public; vii) local governments have become increasingly dependent on multinationals, and viii) corruption has flourished. In defending water resources and water as human rights, there is a growing need for Public Public Partnership (PuP) in contrast with PPP. Water, which belongs to the public, should naturally be managed in the hands of the public.
This field study is based on in-depth interviews and focuses on group meetings held with over 60 key water actors in Ankara, Batman, Diyarbakır, İstanbul, and Van in May and November 2011. Among these actors were mayors and technical staff working in municipalities and “water and sanitation services authorities”, activists of civil society organizations, and academics working on the water policy and management in Turkey. Actors indicate that a new water policy should adopt the following principles in Turkey:
• Water is neither an instrument for building hegemony in the region (in particular the Middle East) nor a national security weapon, but an opportunity for promoting dialogue and peace among states and nations.
• Water is not an instrument of economic development, but a fundamental right to life for both humans and other living beings.
• The main actors of water management are neither water corporations nor central government bureaucrats, but people.
• As water is a right for all living beings including humans, its management should not be in the hands of water corporations and the central government supporting them, but in the hands of the public.
• The sacrifice of the locals for the so-called “general public good” is the root cause of all social-ecological injustice.
• An essential approach in water management is not more consumption, but conservation of water resources.
• Raising the cost of water is not the best but the most unjust way of conserving water resources as it creates more debts for economically disadvantaged people.
• The scale of water management is not defined by the nation-states but the water basin itself.
The building of a new water policy under the guidance of these principles could only be possible with the involvement of the local actors. This study shows that local authorities should shoulder several responsibilities at the stage of defining a new water policy and empowering it so that it challenges the existing one. The success of both stages depends entirely on the local authorities’ performance in attracting a growing public involvement from all segments of society. One efficient way to achieve such performance is an exchange of experience and political empowerment through PuPs at regional, national and global scales.

The subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) predictive timescale, encompassing lead times ranging from 2 weeks to a season, is at the frontier of forecasting science. Forecasts on this timescale provide opportunities for enhanced application-focused capabilities to complement existing weather and climate services and products. There is, however, a ‘knowledge-value’ gap, where a lack of evidence and awareness of the potential socio-economic benefits of S2S forecasts limits their wider uptake. To address this gap, here we present the first global community effort at summarizing relevant applications of S2S forecasts to guide further decision-making and support the continued development of S2S forecasts and related services. Focusing on 12 sectoral case studies spanning public health, agriculture, water resource management, renewable energy and utilities, and emergency management and response, we draw on recent advancements to explore their application and utility. These case studies mark a sign...

This study presents the effects of environmental pollution on the quality of domestic roof-harvested rainwater (DRHRW) using fuzzy comprehensive assessment (FCA). Seven metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ca, and Mg) and six water-quality parameters (Acidity, PO4 (3-), SO4 (2-), NO3 (-) , Cl(-), and pH) were investigated in DRHRW sampled from 12 sampling points each from Ibadan (residential) and Lagos (industrial) environments, Nigeria. The results of these parameters were formulated into membership function fuzzy matrices based on four contamination classifications of high, marginal, low, and poor qualities using regulatory limits as criteria. The products membership function matrices and weight matrices generated indices that classified the degree of anthropogenic activity impact on the sites. Results of FCA classified the DRHRW from residential environment as between high and marginal quality, whereas DRHRW from industrial environment is classified between marginal and low quality. Lead ...

When Pakistan and India achieved independence in 1947, their boundaries and the disputed state of Kashmir lay directly across the vast and vital Indus river basin. This quickly led to a still-simmering row over territorial rights and a similarly entrenched but more resolved conflict on water rights. During ten years of negotiations, which involved engineers rather than politicians and using the World Bank as mediator, the two countries finally concluded the Indus Water Treaty in 1960. This paper describes how the treaty was arrived at, its provisions for separate management and water sharing, the many, often massive, control schemes that have been built or attempted since and the lessons learned for future cross-border water disputes.

There is a threat to our water in northeast Montana. The Keystone XL Pipeline crosses the Missouri River, which is where we get our water from.  There is also a possibility of losing control of our water supply to privatization because of a gigantic loan for a casino project.

A rapid growth of urbanization and industrialization is observed in Rangpur city after becoming a new administrative division of Bangladesh. As a result, the demand for consumptive water use has prominently increased here. The main source of drinking water for most of the working-class people and slum-dwellers are public tube-wells that are installed at the masjid, school, college, marketplace, bus stand, and roadside. Though the water quality is a major concern, there is lack of monitoring of drinking water quality. Hence, this study aims to assess the water quality of the public tube-wells and find out its suitability as drinking water according to the Bangladesh ECR1997 and WHO guidelines. Fifteen water samples were collected from public tube-wells of Rangpur City and some important water quality parameters were tested. After testing, the values of different parameters were statistically analyzed to determine the maximum, minimum, mean, median, and standard deviation. The spatial distribution was illustrated by GIS mapping. The average value of pH 6.75, Total Dissolved Solids 186.2 mg/L, Conductivity 401.98 µS/cm, Dissolved Oxygen 4.34 mg/L, Total Hardness 117.67 mg/L, Alkalinity 107.33 mg/L, Total Iron 1.247 mg/L, Copper 0.067 mg/L, Phosphate 0.35 mg/L, and Chloride 31.56 mg/L. Most of the parameters have been found within the permissible limit but total iron of few samples exceeds the limit. The study reveals that the public tube-well water is safe for consumption. Finally, the geo-spatial map is generated that depicts the distribution of each water quality parameter in Rangpur City.

The Central Asian lowlands are characterized by an arid and continental climate. At the same time, the large streams and rivers have been providing water for the development of flourishing oases and extensive irrigated farming areas. Bukhara is one of those oases. The population of 1.7 mln. and especially the agricultural sector (with an irrigated area of 275,000 ha) use a considerable amount of water. But as the flat topography does not provide sufficient natural drainage, water logging and raising groundwater tables have become serious problems for the agricultural productivity. The combination of the high salinity of the irrigation water and the generous application of fertilizers leads to a widespread soil salinization. Excessive leaching is supposed to reduce the top soil salinity, but as the drainage system is only covering a small portion of the irrigated areas and is in need of maintenance, this process only contributes to the ongoing salinization and the reduction of soil f...

As we have broadened our vision of health, the full meaning of water to the human race has begun to reveal itself.  In the most concrete terms, our dependency on water is indisputable. In its 1948 Constitution, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This paper explores the multi-dimensional connections between water and human health.

The Cagayan de Oro River and the Iponan River are two major rivers in the City of Cagayan de Oro-a highly urbanized city in the southern part of the Philippines. The waters of these two rivers were monitored at the downstream, midstream, and upstream portions for 8 months to establish the levels of mercury and cadmium. A total of 11 samples have been taken and analyzed for mercury using AAS equipped with a mercury/hydride

In this educational lesson plan, students will learn about a recent environmental struggle in Greece to prevent diseases caused by the water from affecting the population of a small village in the 19th-20th centuries.  The conflict between American archaeologists and the modern village of Ancient Corinth to provide a clean water source was a major environmental concern in the area which is heavily used for agricultural purposes to this day.

В рамках государственной программы по охране окружающей среды и рациональному использованию природных ресурсов на 2015-2017 годы по всей территории Республики Крым производится переоценка запасов подземных вод. В свою очередь, воссоединение Крыма с Российской Федерацией требует приведения эксплуатационных запасов подземных вод в соответствие с действующим законодательством. В связи с этим была проведена оценка современного состояния месторождений нераспределенного фонда недр (НФН) на территории Равнинного и частично Предгорного Крыма. Площадь работ охватывала центральную, западную и северо-восточную части территории Крымского полуострова.

L'humanité utilise actuellement 50% de l'eau douce de la planète. En 40 ans utilisera 80%. La répartition géographique de l'eau douce est inégale. À l'heure actuelle un tiers de la population mondiale vit dans des régions où il est rare. L'utilisation de l'eau impropre à la consommation représente 60% des patients sur la planète. La moitié des cours d'eau du monde sont contaminés par les égout, les pesticides et les déchets industriels. Rapport de l'ONU sur l'utilisation de l'eau confirme que, sans mesures contre le gaspillage et en faveur la consommation durables, l'accès à l'eau potable et à l'assainissement sera encore plus réduit.

Recently, a novel approach to a highly sensitive and quantitative detection of rare earth element (REE) ions including La3+, Eu3+ and Tb3+, by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, has been reported. The detection of REE ions is based on the catalytic nature of REE ions targeting the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), thus monitoring of the ions can be achieved by reading the level of intact DNA by PCR. Despite of its high sensitivity (at ppb to ppt levels), the conventional PCR-based REE detection protocol requires certain length of time (1-2 hours). In the present study, we modified the PCR-based REE detection protocols by employing the high-speed PCR, and performed the automated and rapid detection of La3+ in small-sized aqueous samples within 5min.