Isotope techniques for sustainable water resources management in mining-related settings: A state-of-the-art review

Water is a fundamental necessity for human survival and well-being. Globally, the demand for freshwater continues to rise, while the availability of safe, potable water remains limited. Consequently, the sustainable management of water resources is of paramount importance. This study aims to examine strategic approaches to sustainable water resource management in Ghana. A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological approach was utilized to gather insights from the senior management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in Sekondi-Takoradi. The participants, each with over two decades of experience in the water utility sector, provided in-depth perspectives. Their responses to the research questions were analyzed and presented thematically, offering a nuanced understanding of sustainable practices in water resource management. The findings reveal that Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) faces significant challenges in sustainable water resource management, primarily in operational, financial, resource, customer management, institutional, external, political, and non-revenue water (NRW) areas. These challenges are shown to have a detrimental impact on the long-term sustainability of water resources. Both internal and external environmental factors contribute to these issues, compounding the complexity of achieving sustainable management. Although GWCL has implemented short-term strategies such as performance improvement programs, dry season crisis management plans, institutional strengthening, and customer education, these measures, while beneficial, are deemed insufficient for achieving sustainable water resource management. The study, therefore, recommends the adoption of long-term strategies to ensure sustainable water resource management. Key recommendations include the implementation of comprehensive strategic planning, active protection and conservation of water bodies, the establishment of new treatment facilities, expansion of the distribution network, and investment in high-quality human resources. Additionally, fostering a positive organizational culture is essential to reinforce these initiatives, ultimately supporting GWCL in achieving a resilient and sustainable approach to water management in Ghana. Keywords: sustainable, water resource, strategic planning, management. DOI : 10.7176/JRDM/94-07 Publication date : December 31st 2024

Indonesia has abundant water resources in the rainy season but experiences water scarcity during the dry season. The need for sustainable management of water resources in overcoming hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and drought. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of willingness to pay, factors that influence willingness to pay, and the conservation policy chosen by the people of Parerejo Village in realizing sustainable water resource management. The policies offered in the management of sustainable water resources are greening, infiltration wells, and bio-pores. This study uses the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to see the influencing factors of willingness to pay and descriptive analysis to see preference policy accepted by society. The data used are primary data obtained from 156 respondents. The study showed that the willingness to pay for Parerejo village communities in the management of water resources is still low at ≤ IDR 50,000.00. Only variables of education and knowledge about water scarcity significantly influenced the willingness to pay for water resources management. Based on the descriptive analysis, the communities preferred the greening policies solution for sustainable water resources management.

Research in the combination of hydrological variation and ecological demands plays an important role in water availability assessment and sustainable management in watershed scale. An integrative frame, consisting of hydrological regime modeling, ecological water demands estimation and recoverable resources management, is presented in this paper in order to support the implementation of the sustainable water resources management. The proposed integrative frame has been used to the research of the integrated water resources management in southern Hanjiang watershed, the water source of South-to-North Water Transportation Project in China. The amounts of ecological water demands under current situation and climate changes, is also estimated in order to evaluate the available water resources for the local users and the transportation project. Thereby, a scheme by coupling multi-water resources, namely the available water resources, the recovering rate of water resources in natural water cycle, the local water use rate and the amounts of the water transported to North, was proposed, in which the Scheafer model is applied to analyze their evolution. Eventually, the sustainable water resources management measures were assembled by the comprehensive evaluation of the schemes. The results indicate the proposed methodology provides a new way for the integrative water resources management in watershed.

Research on the combination of hydrological variation and ecological demands plays an important role in water availability assessment and sustainable management on basin scale. An integrative frame, consisting of hydrological regime modelling, ecological water demands estimation and renewable resources management, is given in this paper in order to support the implementation of the sustainable water resources management. The suggested integrative frame has been used to study the integrated water resources management in southern Hanjiang River Basin which is the water source of South-to-North Water Transportation Project in China. SWAT (soil and water assessment tool) model was used to simulate the monthly averaging streamflow and the amounts of ecological water demands in stream were also estimated in order to evaluate the available water resources for the local users and the transportation project. Then we formed the developing scenarioes by coupling the available water resources, the recovering rate of water resources in natural water cycle, the local water use rate and the amounts of the water transported to North, and used the Scheafer model to analyze their evolving trajectories. Eventually, the sustainable water resources management measures were assembled by the comprehensive evaluation of the scenarioes. The research indicates that the integrative frame provided a new way for the integrated water resources management in river basin.

Water resource management, during the development of its conditions and scope, is subject to various dimensions and constraints.Therefore, identifying the contributing factors for sustainable water resource management is essential for optimizing its use.This research focuses on the central rural areas of Ardabil County, examining farmers' perspectives on the factors influencing the management of sustainable water resources (including Sharif Baigloo, Hakim Gheshlaghi, Sham Asbi, Vakil Abad, Omidche, Pirghavam, Aghbalagh Rostamkhani, Gharelor, and Gilandeh).This study employs a descriptive-analytic approach with an applied focus and utilizes quantitative methods.The statistical population consists of heads of farming households in the central region of Ardabil County.Seven dimensions were considered, encompassing 72 components, with a calculated sample size of 349 participants.The sample distribution across the villages was conducted randomly and proportionally to the size of farming household heads in each village.Smart PLS software was utilized for analysis.The initial assessment of the measurement model demonstrated a good fit, with 68 components exhibiting impacts above the factor of 0.5.The results of the structural model indicated significant structural relationships between sustainable management and economic, social, productivity, technical, educational, and institutional factors.Furthermore, the coefficient of determination (R) exceeded the threshold of 0.26 for all dimensions, indicating strong relationships.Specifically, the lowest R for the economic dimension was 0.299, while the highest value for the productivity dimension was 0.511.These findings suggest that revising perspectives on agricultural water management, with a shift towards an integrative, participatory approach focused on optimal management while considering economic, social, technical, educational, and other relevant dimensions, is crucial for achieving sustainable water resource management.

This research examines the viability of the design of environmental taxes in the achievement of sustainable waste management in the Addis Ababa Administration (AAA) of Ethiopia. It has employed an empirical qualitative method. It first shows the mutual contribution of the achievement of waste management to the progress of sustainable sanitation and water resource management. Secondly, it displays the distributive and incentive roles of environmental taxes in the achievement of sustainable waste management. Thirdly, it indicates that a cautious design of the source, base, scope and rate of environmental taxes is a critical determinant for environmental taxes’ overall success in addressing the prevalent waste mismanagement in Ethiopia. Fourthly, it demonstrates that in the AAA: (1) The sources of solid waste collection, landfill, sewerage service and effluent charges are subject to the principle of legality; (2) the scope of solid waste collection, landfill, sewerage service and effluent charges is appropriate; (3) while the base of sewerage service and effluent charges is efficient, the base of solid waste and landfill charges is not at all efficient; and (4) while the rates of solid waste, landfill and sewerage service charges are slightly optimal, the rate of the effluent charge has not yet developed. Fifthly, it reveals that, having a somewhat viable design, solid waste, landfill and sewerage service charges are marginally reinforcing the aspiration of Ethiopia to achieve sustainable sanitation. Sixthly, it uncovers that because Ethiopia has not yet developed the rate of effluent charge, effluent charge is neither internalizing the cost of water resource degradation nor incentivizing sustainable water resource management. Finally, it implies that the aspiration of Ethiopia to achieve sustainable sanitation and water resource management by 2030 is contingent on the cautious design of its waste management taxes.

Sustainable water resource management has become a critical issue for the development of cities that suffer scarce water resources. Tianjin City, located in China's Huaihe basin, one of the most polluted and water‐scarce river basins in the country, is a typical example in which water is posing a major constraint to the development. This paper examines the current status of the use of water resources, and the current practices and policy measures taken for water resource management in Tianjin, with a view to drawing lessons through an evaluation of these measures. The study illustrates the role of cities and their complex interaction with their peripheries for the allocation of scarce water resources, and it suggests that a systems approach should be adopted in order to analyse and understand the complexity of the entire picture. Based on this review and evaluation of Tianjin's experience, the authors propose a framework for sustainable water resource management in cities, emphasizing the importance of taking full consideration of resource/environmental capacity and an integrated systems approach for problem solving. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

This thesis aims at analyzing the community social learning process in achieving sustainability in water resource management by using Ban Limthong, Amphoe Nang Rong, Changwat Buri Ram as a successful case study. The thesis also identifies the social and cultural factors affecting the success of building a sustainable community water resource management system. To analyze sustainable community water resource management, the research explores the capability of the community to identify problems, locate water resources, and use them efficiently and the potentiality to be reliant based on experiential learning of the community. Ethnographic data and holistic approach are used to analyze the social and cultural factors that affect the success of building a sustainable community water resource management system. Fieldwork research methodology includes observation, participatory observation, and in-depth interviews of key informants in the community. Ethnographic data on neighboring communities was also collected. Research findings reveal that factors contributing to the success of community water resource management are strong leadership, community participation, the use of transmitted local wisdom, and collaboration and networking with stakeholders. The findings for this research have identified that the success of Ban Limthong is influenced by its local wisdom and its process of social learning which include preservation, adaptation, renewal, and innovation

Fresh water resources and limited across the globe. They are threatened by agriculture, economic development and climate change. Measure to sustainably manage water resources are not well documented. This review aimed at analyzing publications from 2000-2019 regarding stakeholders’ involvement as a key for sustainable water resource management. Literature search was conducted using key words: integrated water resource management; transboundary water resource management; collaborative water resource management; Multistakeholder water resource management; challenges and opportunities of water resource management; domestic water saving; sustainable water resource management from Science Direct database, ResearchGate professional network and Google School Search engine. 280 publications were retrieved from which 150 were found relevant, were read and used during the publication of this paper. It was found that climate change, population explosion, economic development all threaten water resources management and involvement of all stakeholders, transboundary agreements, collaboration with international water agencies and financial investment were recommended for sustainable water resource management.

The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events poses significant challenges to sustainable water resource management, leading to severe natural disasters. To mitigate these challenges, understanding the hydrological characteristics of watersheds, especially baseflow, is critical for enhancing watershed resilience and supporting sustainable water quality and resource management. However, conventional watershed models often neglect the accurate simulation of baseflow recession. This study proposes a method for calculating and applying the alpha factor for each hydrologic response unit (HRU) in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), considering both temporal and spatial variability in baseflow. The study watershed has undergone significant development, increasing the need for effective water management strategies that promote long-term sustainability. The alpha factor was computed using BFlow2021, and its effectiveness was evaluated by comparing recession and baseflow estimates under different methods. The results indicate that incorporating monthly HRU-specific alpha factors significantly improves model predictions of recession characteristics, highlighting the need for a more spatially and temporally detailed approach in hydrological modeling. The proposed methodology can help clarify the connection between recession and baseflow and can be applied to ungauged stations, offering a valuable tool for sustainable watershed and water quality management.

Water is a vital human resource and is indispensable in daily activities and economic production. However, agricultural activities in Vietnam have been increasing pressure on water resources, mainly due to the overuse of fertilisers, pesticides, pollution from livestock farming, and unsustainable farming practices. These factors contribute to the degradation of water resources, endangering both ecosystems and public health. Sustainable agricultural practices and effective water resource management are essential for long-term sustainability. As a predominantly agricultural nation, Vietnam has increasingly recognised the importance of sustainable agricultural development, with an emphasis on reducing environmental pollution and safeguarding water resources for future generations. Despite efforts to regulate pollution and protect water resources, Vietnam’s legal framework remains insufficient and lacks comprehensive enforcement mechanisms, resulting in continued water pollution from agricultural activities. This paper examines the regulatory frameworks of the EU and the Netherlands, the jurisdictions that have successfully integrated sustainable water management and agricultural policies. By analysing their legal approaches and enforcement strategies, the study proposes recommendations for enhancing Vietnam's legal framework to support sustainable water resource management. The insights from this analysis could also benefit other ASEAN countries, particularly in addressing transboundary water pollution in the Mekong River, a critical resource for regional sustainability.

From fragmentation to consolidation: An integrated approach for multidimensional analysis of water security in Langat River Basin, Malaysia

The integrity of renewable freshwater resources is critical for ensuring sustainable futures. Developing strategies to mediate and encourage symbiosis between the dominant discourses of sustainable water resources management and indigenous knowledge and practice is essential. This paper asserts that storytelling plays a central role in the way that people understand and articulate their “lifeworld”: the people, values and actions that make sense to them. Empirical fieldwork, undertaken within three interconnected riparian communities, captures these community stories to reveal the nuanced ways experiential learning and community action enact sustainable local water resources management at the riverside. Paying closer attention to community stories could enable those involved in dominant sustainability discourses not only to critically engage with indigenous knowledge and practice, but also to provide opportunities to find ways to seed these stories with the wider “big history” perspective so essential to supporting sustainable futures, and water resource integrity, over the long term.

The purpose of this research was to analyze the supportive policies and dimensions of sustainable water resources management (SWRM) in agriculture of Khuzestan Province of Iran.The research method was a quantitative research. Total population of experts in the study included all agricultural extension experts (n = 96) of agricultural-Jihad organization of Khuzestan Province, Iran. Based on frequency of respondents about important rate of supportive policies regarding SWRM in agriculture, 70.8% of respondents stated that encouraging farmers to use sustainable methods had very high importance. In reference to the frequency of respondents about extension system roles on realization of SWRM dimensions in agriculture, 52.8% of respondents stated that conservation of water resources had very high importance for supporting SWRM in agriculture. Key words: Sustainable water resources management (SWRM), extension experts, farmers.

Abstract: A decision support system for sustainable water resources management in a water conflict resolution framework is developed to identify and evaluate a range of acceptable alternatives for the Geum River Basin in Korea and to facilitate strategies that will result in sustainable water resource management. Working with stakeholders in a “shared vision modeling” framework, sustainable management strategies are created to illustrate system tradeoffs as well as long‐term system planning. A multi‐criterion decision‐making (MCDM) approach using subjective scales is utilized to evaluate the complex water resource allocation and management tradeoffs between stakeholders and system objectives. The procedures used in this study include the development of a “shared vision model,” a simulated decision‐making support system (as a tool for sustainable water management strategies associated with water conflicts, management options, and planning criteria), and the application of MCDM techniques for evaluating alternatives provided by the model. The research results demonstrate the utility of the sustainable water resource management model in aid of MCDM techniques in facilitating flexibility during initial stages of alternative identification and evaluation in a basin suffering from severe water conflicts.