Achievements of the RIANA and AWACSS EU Projects: Immunosensors for the Determination of Pesticides, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals

The protection of water resources and the secure delivery of clean water to consumers are important tasks for humans in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to have novel analytical systems to control water quality. Here we give a review on the performance of the AWACSS (Automated Water Analyser Computer Supported System) biosensor and describe the results obtained during a field test and for a validation with drinking water. The system was developed during a research project (EVK1-CT-2000-00045) supported by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme and contributes to the implementation of the Key Action "Sustainable Management and Quality of Water" within the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development. The system is based on immuno- chemical technology and can measure a variety of small organic pollutants in water at the low nanogram per liter level in a single few-minutes analysis without the need of any pre-concentration or pre-treatment steps. Furthermore, this instrument is equipped with a software package for remote control and web-based networking between the measurement and control stations, global management, trend analysis, and early-warning applications. The AWACSS biosensor is a fully automated, sensitive, cost-effective, and easy-to-use analytical system for the continuous monitoring of surface, ground and drinking water.

To develop a sustainable and vibrant agricultural sector capable of meeting the food demands of the growing population, freshwater in agriculture must be used efficiently and effectively to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the economy. Issues such as climate change, land degradation, water pollution and population growth among others will continue to influence sustainable water management and agricultural development in South Africa. The challenge facing South Africa is how to ensure water and food security in the face of recurring droughts, increasing urbanisation and decreasing freshwater resources. South Africa will need to understand the drivers influencing water management and agricultural development to develop improved methods for planning sustainable water management and agricultural development. This study made use of a participatory approach, which provided a valuable platform for the identification of drivers of change, their characteristics and relative importance regarding agricultural water resource management and agricultural development in South Africa through participation. The study identified and analysed 5 clusters and 37 drivers, and their relative importance in influencing water management agricultural development in South Africa. The study found that population growth; education, climate extremes, irrigation technology, land degradation, rainwater harvesting, government support, and land reform, mismanagement of public resources and net agricultural export were among the most influential drivers in agricultural water management. The implication of these results for sustainable agricultural water management is discussed.

This research aims to explore the feasibility of adopting urban symbiosis for sustainable urban water reduction and management through a bibliometric analysis of key literature. A Scopus-based systematic review was conducted to analyse journal articles related to urban symbiosis, water management, and water reduction, with a focus on their intersection towards achieving sustainability. The outcomes of the systematic review were analysed using bibliometric techniques to examine the evolution of publications, identify leading journals, and determine the authors and countries which have published the most papers on the topic. The research also conceptualised the benefits, barriers, and enablers associated with adopting urban symbiosis for water reduction and management. The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential implications and practical implications of urban symbiosis in the context of sustainable water management. The study contributes to the knowledge of the potential of urban symbiosis in addressing the challenges of water management in urban areas and gives insights to policymakers, urban planners, and practitioners interested in implementing sustainable water management practices in urban areas.

Smart water management, driven by the integration of photovoltaic (PV)- powered pumps and the Internet of Things (IoT), represents a revolutionary approach to address the challenges of sustainable water resource management. This chapter explores the concept of "Smart Water Management: PV-Powered Pumps and IoT Integration," highlighting the transformative potential of combining solar energy with intelligent data-driven decision-making in water pumping systems. The chapter begins by tracing the evolution of water management practices, emphasizing the need for more sustainable and efficient approaches in the face of increasing water demands, population growth, and climate change. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2021, an estimated 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services, underscoring the urgency of sustainable water management solutions. It then focuses on the advantages of PV-powered pumps over conventional fossil fuel-based alternatives, including reduced carbon emissions, cost- effectiveness, and energy independence. Advancements in PV technology and its potential applications in smart water management are also discussed. The World Health Organization estimates that around 485,000 people die each year from diarrhea, primarily due to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation, highlighting the need for improved water quality monitoring and management. The pivotal role of the Internet of Things in smart water management is explored, highlighting how IoT integrationelevates water pumping systems to new levels of intelligence and efficiency. Real- time data collection, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and adaptive control mechanisms empower stakeholders with valuable insights for optimizing water usage and ensuring system reliability. Efficient water distribution and consumption, critical elements of smart water management, are addressed through IoT-enabled sensors and data analytics. Case studies demonstrate successful implementations of IoT-driven smart water distribution projects across various sectors. The chapter also delves into how IoT- enabled water quality monitoring enhances safety and supports environmental conservation efforts. Smart water management's impact on resilience and disaster management is examined, showcasing its ability to facilitate rapid response and recovery during emergencies. A study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that the deployment of solar PV for water pumping applications has the potential to save around3.6 billion liters of diesel fuel and avoid nearly 10 million tonnes of CO2emissions annually by 2030.Furthermore, the integration of PV-powered pumps with urban infrastructure and smart grids is explored to optimize water resources and enhance sustainable urban water management. The United Nations projects that by 2050, 68% of the world's population will reside in urban areas, further exacerbating water challenges. Smart water management powered by PV and IoT technologies offers a scalable and efficient approach to address the growing water demands of urbanization. The chapter concludes by discussing the policy and governance aspects necessary for scaling up smart water management practices. Regulatory frameworks, incentives, and public-private partnerships play a crucial role in fostering widespread adoption of PV-powered pumps and IoT integration for sustainable water management. In summary, "Smart Water Management: PV-Powered Pumps and IoT Integration" holds the promise of transforming water management practices. Leveraging solar energy and intelligent data-driven decision-making, smart water management enhances efficiency, conserves water resources, and mitigates environmental impact. Embracing this paradigm shift is vital in ensuring water security and resilience in the face of global water challenges and environmental concerns.

Driven by increasing water demand, scarcity concerns, and climate change impacts, numerous countries prioritize solutions for enhanced water use efficiency. However, these solutions often focus primarily on managing water quantities to improve water productivity in agriculture, urban, and industrial sectors. Effective and sustainable water use, however, requires monitoring and management of both water quantity and quality. Traditionally, water quantity and water quality have been managed separately, often by different government agencies with different missions and limited interaction. Ensuring sufficient water quantity for agriculture and food production often takes precedence over managing water quality. Water accounting, as a tool for allocating and managing water quantity is now widely accepted and numerous examples of successful implementation exist worldwide. However, the concept of incorporating water quality into water accounting has not yet been widely promoted. Measuring both quantity and quality in the same water bodies is a fundamental principle of assessment of impacts on water quality through the determination of loads. The load is the amount of a given substance or pollutant for a given period of time. Using the key steps necessary for the development of a water quality monitoring and assessment programme, a framework has been developed that can be applied to water accounting projects using typical water accounting applications. Two examples of potential applications are used to consider the technical, institutional, and financial requirements. Implementing a framework for incorporating water quality monitoring and assessment into water accounting should contribute substantially to the need for more water quality data at global scale. Such data are required to facilitate achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” through more efficient water resources management and greater awareness of water quality impacts in the agricultural water use sector.

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is one of the most analyzed environmental legislations in the scientific literature, influencing the water management in some non-European countries. The WFD has the strong ambition of achieving a good ecological status of water bodies across all river basins in Europe. However, the advances towards sustainable management are falling far behind the planned schedule. The emphasis of the Directive is focused on water quality rather than on water quantity. The advances during the last quarter of the century since its inception have been strong on urban and industrial point pollution, but not on agricultural non-point pollution that remains high and even increases in major basins. Water quantity aspects have been mostly left aside in the Directive, despite the fact that water scarcity is a serious problem in Southern European countries, and will become more critical with climate change in most basins across Europe. Some policy measures of the WFD need to be reformed, in particular measures for abating agricultural pollution, and new measures for addressing water scarcity. The narrow focus of the WFD on water pricing to solve at the same time issues of financing, water allocation and efficiency, environment, opportunity costs and pollution abatement, should be broadened. The challenge is giving more emphasis to command & control and collective action instruments, and designing combinations of instruments adapted to sectoral and spatial locations in basins. This overhaul of the water policy instruments by the European Commission will be needed to advance in the sustainable management of river basins in Europe.

Co-development of East African regional water scenarios for 2050

Background: Water is a vital global resource, available in forms such as surface water and groundwater. Human activities, particularly increased population, have led to unsustainable water use, causing pollution in rivers, lakes, and oceans. In Indonesia, water resources, including in Muara Teluk Jakarta, are polluted by organic, inorganic, chemical, and plastic pollutants, especially microplastics and debris. Method: This study uses a qualitative approach with secondary data from journals and water quality reports by DKI Jakarta Environmental Agency. The research involves classifying topics, analyzing human-environment interactions, and reviewing water quality data to assess pollution levels using the water quality index (WQI). The findings aim to inform effective water treatment strategies and policies for addressing water pollution in Indonesia. Findings: The study and data analysis of sea water quality of Muara Teluk Jakarta index trends from 2017-2023 show that conditions fluctuated in the 2017-2023 range but heavily polluted condition. These water pollution problems need appropriate and proper management to reduce pollutes and increase water quality from biological, chemical, or physical properties. Well water management with customized condition will be very effective as one of solution for clean water supply and solution for sustainable water management in Indonesia. Conclusion: Effective water management strategies tailored to specific local conditions are essential to mitigate pollution and improve water quality in Indonesia. Sustainable water management is crucial for ensuring clean water supplies. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study highlights the persistent water pollution in Muara Teluk Jakarta, particularly from plastic and chemical contaminants, and the need for technological solutions to address water quality issues. It offers a practical approach to sustainable water management by exploring innovative methods to reduce pollution and improve water quality in Indonesia.

This study was conducted to find the distribution pattern of the Batanghari River water pollution, to find out the status of water quality in terms of the value of the Batanghari River Pollution Index (IP), and to analyze the Batanghari River water management strategy which is sustainable. Determining the distribution patterns of the contamination by analyzing the test results of Batanghari River water quality parameters was conducted by the Environment Agency Jambi. The determination of the status of the water quality is done by using the calculation method Pollution Index (IP) and comparing it to the water quality standard for class I as a source of raw drinking water of Governmental Regulation No 82/2001. The formulation of the strategy of sustainable water management Batanghari River used the SWOT analysis. Batanghari River water flowing from upstream to downstream has decreased quality, as indicated from the parameters of pH, BOD, COD, TSS, Cu, PO4 which exceed the quality standard which has been established. The quality status of Batanghari River water quality is in medium polluted category. So it can be concluded that the water quality of Batanghari River is not suitable for the designation of class 1 as a source of raw drinking water. Thus, it is necessary to implement a strategy for sustainable water quality management of Batanghari River so that the river water can be useful according to its allocation. The sustainable Batanghari River water management strategy that can be carried out is by making Batanghari River as a water tourism area, implementing of the policy on pollution control, increasing knowledge and community participation in the waste management, improving supervision and guidance of water waste disposal, making communal and home industry wastewater treatment and determining the pollution load capacity.

Observational evidence from all continents and various spheres shows that many natural systems are being affected by anthropogenic climate changes. One of those systems affected by the climate change scenario is the hydrological cycle, which encompasses water availability and water quality, as well as water services. In any industrial plant, the discharge of by-products and waste materials in various forms may pollute receiving waters rendering them unsuitable as a water supply. Excessive nutrients can lead to algal blooms, oxygen deficits, the release of toxic gases and increased pollution load, which in turn contribute either directly or indirectly to the climate change. In return, climate change can also negatively affect the industrial water sector in its own unique way. Adaptation to climate change is, consequently, of urgent importance in today’s world. While end-of-pipe treatment of industrial waste was a popular management approach only 20 years ago, advanced treatment/management concepts such as Industrial Ecology, Clean Development Mechanism, Industrial Symbiosis and Design for Sustainability are more common today. This paper discusses the theoretical background of industrial water management as an important tool in putting water adaptation to climate change into practice. It focuses on the impacts of climate change on sustainable water management, the additional new challenges for water management deriving from climate change, and how the planning should be modified to adapt to climate change from an industrial ecology point of view. Although water management seems to be an operational issue, the choice of appropriate site location, provision of services, facilities design, best operational management practices along with supported institutional structures such as site development, risk mitigation measures, quality control measures, awareness creation, emergency planning and monitoring are needed to ensure sustainable industrial water management for mitigating climate change.KeywordsClimate changeIndustrial wastewaterAdaptationMitigationIndustrial ecologyPolicyIntegrated water managementSystem engineering

In order to balance between financial and social constraints of water and respond to competing for water requirements, it is important to sustain and manage essential water systems. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate sustainable water management in specific sectors: urban, agricultural, and environmental and addresses questions, such as (1) how is sustainable water management described and assessed? (2) what challenges occur in sustainable water development in different sectors? (3) which aspects/elements of sustainable water developments are important in agricultural and urban water management? and (4) how do different countries improve sustainable water management? Depending on the complexity of water systems, water users and sources of water, techniques for estimating performances of water management can be simple (such as indicator techniques) or complex (such as several models). The techniques are analyzed in this study. The findings from implementing sustainable water management suggest that all water users consider which source of water (e.g., usable and reusable) is more suitable to use. They also state that increasing agricultural water use efficiency can significantly reduce total water consumption, which can lead to global food security. In addition, results showed that the level of local infrastructure conditions and financial capabilities are more important in sustainable water management than is the level of regional development.

To achieve sustainable swimming pool water management, it is necessary to minimize the consumption of energy, water, and chemical agents to maintain the appropriate water quality. Some of the pollutants are introduced by swimmers and can be relatively easily removed if swimmers take a shower before entering a pool. Thus, this research questions how much of an impact this simple act could have on the water quality and generally on sustainable water management in swimming pools. To address this question, experiments were conducted at the AGH Swimming Pool in Kraków, in a real facility—a hot tub—with the participation of volunteers who took a shower in Variant 1 and did not in Variant 2. The assessment was made on the basis of selected microbiological and physicochemical parameters of swimming pool water, including disinfection by-products. The research results proved that taking a shower can significantly reduce the load of pollutants users introduce into swimming pool water and can contribute to more efficient and ecological treatment of swimming pool water and minimize the negative impact on the health of swimming pool users (microbiological contaminants and precursors of harmful chlorination by-products).

Iran (the Islamic Republic of Iran) is a country in Western Asia considered as the second populous nation in the Middle East region. The main environmental issues in Iran are air pollution, water quality and quantity crisis, municipal and industrial wastes, and climate change. Tehran, the capital of Iran with a population of near nine million, as a megacity suffers from various environmental and social problems, such as severe air pollution, water crisis, and slums. Water management is particularly important for Tehran as it affects the daily function of the capital, its sustainable development, and health of the citizens. The per capita renewable water is now reached to a critical threshold level in Iran. Furthermore, the withdrawal to availability ratio, as a water scarcity index, is estimated to be more than eighty percent, which shows severe water stress. In such dry condition of Iran, Tehran’s misallocation of water consumption through different categories of usage, i.e., agricultural, domestic, and industrial, has caused such important issue for the country that without resolution leads to an unfortunate chaos. Furthermore, the current per capita consumption of treated water in the city of Tehran is twice to three times of the international average. High-quality drinking water consumption for domestic and sanitary uses is another main challenge for Tehran. In addition, a significant fraction of treated water is leaked due to old water pipe systems. Additionally, sewage of the residential areas, surface runoff, and natural pollution due to geological structures can increase the chance of water resource pollution. Groundwater is one of the main sources of water supply in Tehran, but after it turns into wastewater, it is discharged away directly or with some treatments into surface waters and exits the city. This process decreases freshwater tables and reduces the water availability in the long term. Management of the nutrients is not advanced either. Nutrients of the soil are consumed in agriculture and discharged with the wastewater into the aquatic ecosystems, where they can trigger some environmental problems such as water pollution. Thus, sustainable water management (SWM) is crucial for Tehran. Applying a SWM in the megacity of Tehran may only become achievable by using an integrated water resource management, which is a process that manages the land, water, and related resources in a way that preserves the ecosystem while maximizes the social and economic comfort. Access to safe water, efficient economy, and sustainable ecosystem need to be revised in the water policies for Tehran. Engaging private sectors, creating revenue opportunities by water reuse activities, managing water-use allocation, and sustaining financial resources, above all, are the most important approaches toward a sustainable water management in it. In this chapter, we first look at the current water issues in Iran, especially Tehran. Then, by looking at the management strategies available for water resources and wastes, we analyze the shortcomings and the challenges. Finally, we summarize the opportunities and possible solutions to the water issues in the megacity of Tehran.

Assessment of employees' perceptions of approaches to sustainable water management by coal and iron ore mining companies

Management based on sustainable approaches increases the resilience of systems in which they are implemented. The following study explores the sustainability and efficiency of water management in the regions of Ukraine and the role of these factors in its resilient development. The study conducts a bibliometric analysis of sources on sustainable water management, a comprehensive assessment of water resource efficiency in the regions of Ukraine, identifies and maps regional differences, and analyzes their dynamics over the period 2016–2020. The assessment shows that almost half of the regions (48.3%) have sufficient water management efficiency, 40.8% are very high, and 10.9% are average. Most regions (79.2%) maintained the same level of water resource efficiency. The Kharkiv region was examined in-depth, revealing higher water losses during transport and municipal/household sectors than the national average. Based on the assessment’s results, a differentiated approach to sustainable water management should be taken, depending on the type of regions. For regions with a very high and sufficient level of water efficiency, strategies to maintain the achieved positions should be implemented, while for regions with an average level of efficiency, strategies to improve the respective indices should be implemented. These research findings and policy recommendations can be utilized to guide policy-makers aiming to enhance the economic mechanism of sustainable water management at regional and national levels and improve their resilience to face the intensifying challenges.