Economic Water Use Research Articles

A Closed Loop Automated Drip Irrigation System Based on Arduino Uno

In recent years, the limited availability of irrigation water has made the optimal use of water a necessity. Successful irrigation practices in agriculture reduce excessive water usage and increase water use efficiency. Economical use of water can be made possible through modern irrigation systems. Nowadays, automatic control systems in agriculture have made significant progress and offer important advantages. In this study, a mini evaporation pan consisting of nested two cylinders was used (outer cylinder diameter 32 cm, inner cylinder diameter 27 cm, and both with a height of 20 cm) and the water remained at a constant level in both cylinders due to the notch beneath the inner cylinder. A water level sensor was placed inside the inner cylinder, and irrigation was activated based on the signal received from the sensor. The data from the sensor was processed by the microcontroller on the Arduino Uno, and three different irrigation applications were implemented by activating pumps connected to relays at 07:00, 14:00, and 21:00 o’clock, and then the mini-evaporation pan was refilled, and the system waited for the next irrigation period. The automation drip irrigation system maintained irrigation as a closed loop throughout the entire growth period of the lettuce plants using this approach. The addition of a fertilization unit to this system could make it more effective in plant production. The performance of the system will be significantly enhanced by enabling hardware that provides irrigation and fertilization to the plant according to its specific needs in terms of timing and quantity, along with appropriate software integration.

საავტომობილო გზის მიწის ვაკისისა და საფუძვლის გაძლიერება დოროსოლისა და დოროპორტის გამოყენებით

Road construction is the main determining part of the transport and operational condition of highways. The improvement of the road surface with the use of hydraulic binders under the conditions of minimum costs is discussed. The physical-mechanical parameters of soils are examined, as well as the issues of deformation of layers and a higher modulus of elasticity, which all contribute to enhancing the quality and durability of road construction. Details on the advantages of using hydraulic road binders, Dorosol and Doroport in the soil strengthening process are provided. Financial costs and terms for road construction are compared and calculated, and the differences between soil consolidation using new hydraulic road binders and Portland cement are evaluated. In addition, the article concentrates on the challenges of reducing the following negative impact on the ecology and the environment by strengthening soils with hydraulic road binders, with economical use of water and natural resources.

A Cheap and Basic Solar-Powered Smart Irrigation System Proposal for Medium and Small-Scale Farming

Nowadays, the need for water consumption for agricultural production is increasing. Economical use of water has become mandatory both to increase agricultural product yield and to eliminate the damage caused by excessive irrigation to the soil. Preferred instead of traditional irrigation, Drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and pivot irrigation systems are now being replaced by “Smart Irrigation Systems” that save more water. In this study, a basic solar energy-supported mobile phone-controlled smart irrigation system, recommended for medium and small-scale agricultural enterprises, is proposed. In the study, the basic elements that make up the system, their approximate prices and circuit connection ways are shown. In the study, the cost, water, energy consumption, and payback periods of smart irrigation systems with traditional drip, sprinkler, and pivot irrigation methods were compared. As a result, although the initial investment cost in smart irrigation systems seems relatively high, it offers significant advantages in terms of resource efficiency and environmental sustainability. It is a fact that modern irrigation systems will make important contributions to national economies in the long term by increasing agricultural production and saving energy and water.

Water Resource Utilization Assessment in China Based on the Dynamic Relationship between Economic Growth and Water Use

Water scarcity has significantly hampered China’s economic, social, and environmental development. Ensuring sustainable water utilization is crucial given the mounting water stress accompanying continuous economic growth. A quantitative water resource forewarning model was constructed using the vector autoregressive (VAR) model. By analyzing the key indicators related to water systems and GDP data from 2001 to 2022, the VAR model revealed the long-term dynamic correlation between water consumption and economic growth using generalized impulse response, co-integration, and predictive variance decomposition analyses. The results revealed the presence of a long-term equilibrium between water consumption and economic growth, with a stable co-integration relationship and an optimal lag period of one year. The positive impact of water consumption on economic development increased during the 2001–2022 period, indicating a rising dependence of GDP on water resources. Water usage rose with economic development, while the water resource carrying capacity remained high and continued to grow. Based on the generalized impulse response, co-integration, and predictive variance decomposition analyses, this study predicted water-use-related indicators, providing vital early warnings for China’s water environment carrying capacity from 2023 to 2050. This enabled informed decision-making and fostered sustainable water management practices for the future.

Technical and scale efficiencies of the salinity-induced rice production system in the western coastal region of the Mekong delta, Vietnam

Salinity events make Mekong delta’s rice production change significantly. In the salinity-impacted regions, shrimp-rice production is a possibility besides the traditional rice models. This paper aims to assess the economic efficiency of rice-based farms in the Mekong delta in the context of salinity-induced hazards. The random sample is collected from 254 rice-based farms in 28 villages in 24 districts in the western coastal region in the Mekong delta. The method of Data Envelopment Analysis and OLS and Tobit regression estimations are used to measure the economic efficiency and identify the determinants of the technical and scale efficiencies respectively. The findings show that the average overall efficiencies for the technical efficiency and the scale efficiency are 0.642 and 0.848 respectively, implying that substantial inefficiencies occur in farming practices in the Mekong delta. It indicates that there is still potential for improving the economic efficiency of rice-based system. The findings also show that, statistically significantly, the land ownership and the area are the determinants of the economic profit; the irrigation system, saltwater drains, salinity impact, are the determinants of the economic irrigated water use; the land ownership status, the area, and type of seed are the determinants of the technical efficiency; and the gender, age, education level, irrigation system, saltwater drains, area, type of seed, and numbers of fertilizing and weeding are the determinants of the scale efficiency

ВОДОПОТРЕБЛЕНИЕ, УРОЖАЙНОСТЬ И КАЧЕСТВО ЛУКА РЕПЧАТОГО В ЗАВИСИМОСТИ ОТ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ГУМИНОВЫХ УДОБРЕНИЙ ПРИ КАПЕЛЬНОМ ПОЛИВЕ В САРАТОВСКОМ ЗАВОЛЖЬЕ

Purpose: to study the features of humic fertilizer impact on water consumption, yield and quality of onions under drip irrigation in the dry-steppe zone of Saratov Trans-Volga region. Materials and methods. Field studies were carried out on dark chestnut soils in 2019–2022. The objects of the study were the zoned Chalcedony variety and fertilizers based on humic acids. Related observations and studies of water consumption, productivity formation and yield quality were carried out using generally accepted methods. Results. Research has shown that when maintaining a drip irrigation regime, which involves watering when soil moisture is reduced to 80 % of the lowest moisture capacity in the 0–30 cm layer, the total water consumption of onions on average over the years of the study amounted to 4102 cub. m/ha, average daily – 31 cub. m/ha. The humic fertilizer application contributed to a more economical use of moisture and irrigation water, as evidenced by a decrease in the water consumption coefficient by 7.1–23.3 %, and the cost of irrigation water to form a unit of marketable output by 15.9–24.0 %. Humic fertilizers also provided a significant yield increase – 4.9–15.31 t/ha (10–31 % higher than the control – without fertilizers). Conclusions: the humic fertilizer application, which have stimulating and adaptogenic features, when growing onions under the arid conditions of the Saratov Trans-Volga region with drip irrigation, is an effective technique that ensures more economical use of water resources and increases the yield of one of the leading vegetable crops – onions.

Assessment of the effectiveness of methods for reducing soil salinization based on experimental data for Uzbekistan

The article briefly analyzes foreign approaches to regulating the salt regime of soils and compares them with leaching methods used in Uzbekistan. Based on experimental data from the authors’ field studies, a comparison was made of the effectiveness of check leaching and alternative methods of soil desalinization for the conditions of Uzbekistan. The purpose of this study is to find a method for amelioration of saline soils with economical use of water, taking into account the scarcity of water resources. The materials can serve as a guide for choosing technology for regulating the salt regime of the kidney in various conditions and situations.

Assessment of the water quality of the Danube river for economic and drinking water use

Assessment of the water quality of the Danube river for economic and drinking water use

Mobile Application Interface for Device Management in the Smart Household System

The article analyzes the features of the development of a complex information system called Smart Household, aimed at automating and improving the implementation of a wide variety of functions in a multi-disciplinary modern household, in particular, such as care for domestic animals, a garden, home territory, etc. The use of an effective mobile interface in this kind of system will allow household owners to monitor and control remotely a lot of useful functions using a mobile phone or a tablet. The Smart Household information system could help with the tasks of taking care of the home territory and a garden, automatic watering of the garden and lawn. The system can be configured for certain time moments according to weather conditions (temperature, humidity), which will allow economical use of water and provide optimal conditions for plant growth.

A multiple criteria decision-making approach for water allocation of environmental flows considering the value trade-offs - A case study of Fen River in China

In the water-scarce basin, the allocation of environmental flows needs to achieve the equilibrium between ecological protection and economic development. One of the challenges is the lack of quantitative analysis of the value of water in the economy and ecosystem, which could not effectively support the decision-making. This paper proposed a new multi-criteria decision-making approach that considers the value trade-offs between the environmental flows and the economic water use of rivers. The value of environmental flows was assessed using the modified equivalent factor method combined with the hydraulic method, which considers the influences of the hydraulic characteristics of rivers on value assessment. The value of the economic water use was estimated using the modified Cobb-Douglas production function. The ideal point method was applied to obtain the optimal solution of the multi-criteria decision with the objective of maximum values of the economic water use and maximum values of environmental flows (or the value of multiple recommended environmental flows). This new method was applied to determine the optimal environmental flows in the Fen River, the second-largest tributary of the Yellow River of China. The results indicated that the reasonable environmental flows were 51.1 % or 40.4 % (considering the water shortage for development) of the natural runoff of the Fen River. This work could provide a valuable reference for determining the water allocation of environmental flows in the water shortage area of China.

Concrete for Living Walls: Current Status and a New Design Recommendation

Concrete may be a promising material for application in living walls, broadening existing vertical greening systems and, most importantly, reducing installation costs. This study presents the concept of layered living concrete (LLC) wall panels that were developed and field-tested over the past 3 years. Simultaneously with long-term field observations, several laboratory studies on the selection of a rational concrete mix composition were carried out. Based on field data, the results of laboratory tests, and numerical simulations, a new LLC wall panel design was proposed. The new panel design retains the previous idea of a layered structure suitable for natural colonization by plants, but also adds improved material characteristics, rational dimensions, the economical use of water, and, potentially, the ability to hasten the greening of vertical surfaces.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of surface runoff from the exemplary rest area (RA)

Due to the changed nature of atmospheric precipitation and an increasing water deficit, the possibilities of water retention where rainwater occurs have been more and more popular in recent decades. Yet, no comprehensive studies have been carried out in Poland to show the possibilities of economic use of water flowing out from roads, not only in terms of quantity but also quality. The aim of this paper is to present the findings of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the surface runoff from an exemplary rest area (RA). The analysis followed the hydrodynamic method and was divided into two parts: runoff analysis and quality analysis related to the amount of the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) washed off from the analyzed RA during precipitation events. The findings prove that the case study RA is efficiently drained in terms of hydraulic conditions. The qualitative analysis showed that the concentration of the TSS exceeded the maximum acceptable level during all rainfall events. However, in-situ tests of the quantity and quality of rainwater from the RA are highly recommended.

Cleaner tillage and irrigation options for food-water-energy-carbon synergism in wheat−maize cropping systems

The conventional wheat−maize systems in the North China Plain are energy and water intensive with high carbon emissions. It is imperative to find cleaner production technologies for sustainable food-water-energy-carbon synergism. Here, a three-year field experiment was performed to explore the effects of two tillage modes and four irrigation regimes during wheat season on crop yield, economic profile, water use efficiency, energy utilization, and carbon footprint in typical wheat–maize cropping systems in the North China Plain. Pre-sowing irrigation resulted in the lowest crop yield and benefit profile. Pre-sowing + anthesis irrigation decreased economic benefit and water use efficiency with higher carbon footprint. Pre-sowing + jointing + anthesis irrigation led to the greatest energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, pre-sowing + jointing irrigation increased yield by 2.3–8.7%, economic benefit by 4.0–11.1%, water use efficiency by 7.4–10.9%, and net energy by 6.5–12.0% but reduced carbon footprint by 9.8–14.3% compared to pre-sowing + anthesis irrigation and pre-sowing + jointing + anthesis irrigation. The corresponding metrics in rotary tillage improved by 9.6%, 13.9%, 7.0%, and 14.2%, respectively, relative to subsoiling, whereas carbon footprint decreased by 12.4–17.2%. Besides, rotary tillage coupled with additional jointing irrigation obtained the highest value based on a Z-score method, which was recommended as a cleaner management practice to improve benefit return and water use efficiency with lower energy consumption and carbon footprint. This work provides valuable insights into food-water-energy-carbon nexus for ensuring food security and achieving environmental sustainability in the wheat−maize cropping systems.

Spatiotemporal analysis of water reservoirs in San Luis Potosí state, Mexico, from 1990 to 2015

ABSTRACT It is essential to identify the spatial distribution and use of water resources for developing appropriate strategies for their use. Therefore, this work aimed to estimate the spatial distribution of economic and ecological Water Use Profit (WUP) and relate it to the Normalized Differential Water Index (NDWI) and evapotranspiration in the San Luis Potosí state, México. When calculating or obtaining the NDWI, this indicator is associated with values of evapotranspiration concentrations that are obtained spatially in the various portions of the territory, since in SLP territory the climate and soil moisture vary from one region to another, as there are 4 different regions. The methodology in this study involved a multitemporal analysis of the WUP in the State corresponding to 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2015, since it is an indicator that measures the uses and water exploitation in a region obtained over time, which is why it is called multitemporal, since we are talking about a 25-year period of analysis and the result is different from one place to another in San Luis Potosi territory. This study was realized through the application of economic and ecological indicators which were evaluated, considering the economic and ecological activities that use water in the region; therefore, the behavior of ETR depends on the area and the economic and/or ecological activities that have been carried out in the period. Also, for understanding the behavior of water reservoirs in the basins in the study area, the NDWI was obtained from Landsat 8 imagery. The results of NDWI showed that, from 1990 to 2015, there was a decrease in moisture content, becoming more evident in 2000. This study found that secondary and tertiary activities significantly influence yearly economic value. From 1990 to 2000, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) value doubled, while from 2000 to 2010 tripled, and for 2015 the increase was nearly 25% compared to 2010. The WUPeconomic’s and WUPecological’s highest values were obtained in the most important urban areas of the state because secondary and tertiary activities are mainly developed. It is precisely with this reasoning that the behavior of relationship between ETR and WUP is vital for the understanding of water consumption generated. Finally, the ETR’s highest values are in the Huasteca region of the state.

Regional water demand forecasting based on shared socio-economic pathways in the Zhanghe River Basin

Abstract Based on the framework of shared socio-economic pathways, this study predicts future population and economic conditions of the Zhanghe River Basin and combines with the water quota to predict future water demand. First, the localization parameter system is constructed. Furthermore, the water demand is calculated. The results show that (1) under regional competitive pathway, the population is the largest, while under uneven pathway, the population is the smallest. The largest economic forecast is obtained under fossil fuel development pathway, while the smallest economic forecast is obtained under regional competitive pathway. (2) The results for domestic and economic water use in the basin show that the annual water demand shows an increasing trend. Fossil fuel development pathway is the scenario with the highest socio-economic water demand, while regional competitive pathway is the scenario with the least. (3) The Zhanghe River Basin faces a high risk of water resource shortage in the future. Even under the situation of minimum socio-economic water demand, the total water demand is difficult to meet fully. The forecasting framework established in this paper has high application value and can provide a reference for water demand forecasting and prospective water demand management in river basins.

The impact of globalization on the decoupling of water consumption and economic growth in BRICS and N11 countries—Linear and nonlinear approaches

AbstractIn the context of globalization, the 2030 sustainable development goals pose a huge challenge to the coordinated development of economy and environment in emerging economies. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether globalization contributes to balance water consumption and economic growth in emerging economies. China is the largest developing country and the largest trader of goods in the world. From holistic and representative perspectives, this article analyzes the mechanisms affecting economic growth and water consumption in BRICS countries, Next Eleven (N11) countries and China. Combining decoupling model and econometric models, fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) linear model and threshold panel nonlinear model are constructed. Both linear and nonlinear effects of trade and foreign investment on economic growth and water consumption are considered. The results show that, from a holistic perspective, globalization helps balance economic growth and water consumption in emerging economies. The impact of trade on water consumption in BRICS countries is negative. And with the increase of trade, its positive coefficient on water consumption in N11 countries gradually decreases. Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a positive role in the coordinated development of economic growth and water environment in BRICS and N11 countries. Taking China as a representative country, there is a decoupling phenomenon between economic growth and water use during the study period. With the trade crossing the threshold successively, the promoting effect on economy increases first and then decreases, and the inhibiting effect on water consumption weakens. With the increase of foreign investment, its positive effect on GDP increases, and its positive coefficient on water consumption decreases. The conclusions from representative country and holistic perspective are consistent. Finally, some policy recommendations are put forward.

Analysis of the Decoupling State and Driving Effects of Economic Development and Production Water Use in Jiangsu Province, China

Identifying the evolutionary patterns and drivers of regional water use is a prerequisite for achieving the strictest water resource management system. This study used the Tapio-LMDI model to analyze the decoupling state and driving factors between economic development and production water use in Jiangsu Province from 2004 to 2020. The results show that: (1) From the evolution of the water use structure, the total water use in Jiangsu Province shows a decreasing trend from 2004 to 2020. Among them, the production water use decreased by 9.59%. From the characteristics of economic development (constant prices), the growth of Jiangsu’s gross regional product (GDP) from 2004 to 2020 reached 363%. (2) In terms of the decoupling status, economic development and production water use in Jiangsu Province underwent a “weak decoupling—strongly decoupling” transition and achieved “strongly decoupling” in 2020, with a decoupling elasticity coefficient of −2.30. (3) From the perspective of the decoupling drivers, the reduction in production effects has contributed to the decoupling between economic growth and water use in Jiangsu Province. By sector, the decline in the water use intensity effect and the industrial structure effect in the primary and secondary sectors were the main reason for the decline in its water use, while the increase in the industrial structure effect and economic scale effect of the tertiary sector has effectively contributed to the increase in water use in the tertiary sector. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the water use efficiency of the primary and secondary sectors, accelerate the transformation and upgrading of the tertiary sector, and realize a “strongly decoupling” pattern between economic development and production water use in Jiangsu Province.

Study on the method and model of water balance allocation of the Yellow River with overall fairness and efficiency

Abstract Under the changing environment, the problems of the water cycle and water resources in the basin become extremely complex, and the coordination of water use efficiency and fairness is extremely difficult. This paper takes the Yellow River Basin as the key research area and creates a balanced allocation method and model of water resources that take into account the fairness and efficiency of water use. The dynamic equilibrium allocation of water resources increment brought by new water source projects and regulation projects is realized, and the fine-tuning optimization of the water distribution scheme is realized. The results show that the optimal adjustment strategy of the water diversion scheme is to increase the upstream water allocation, and the adjustment range is 2.13%. The water allocation in the middle reaches was slightly increased by 0.25% to reduce the downstream and Hebei Province, Tianjin water allocation, and the adjustment range is −3.81%. The optimization scheme reflects the principle of ecological priority, guarantees the basic ecological environment water use in the Yellow River, balances the fairness and efficiency of economic and social water use outside the river, and provides technical support for water resources security in water-shortage basins.

Optimization of agricultural soil and water resources under fuzzy and random uncertainties: Synergy and trade-off between equity-based economic benefits, nonpoint pollution and water use efficiency

Optimization of agricultural soil and water resources under fuzzy and random uncertainties: Synergy and trade-off between equity-based economic benefits, nonpoint pollution and water use efficiency

Decomposition Analysis of Virtual Water Outflows for Major Egyptian Exporting Crops to the European Union

International trade can spur economic growth, but it can also deplete the water resources needed to produce traded goods. This is crucial for Egypt as a lower-middle income country where boosting agricultural exports is encouraged to promote the sustainable agriculture development strategy. The objective of this paper was to quantify Egypt’s virtual water flows contributing to agricultural trade with one of its main trading partners, the European Union. We considered calculating virtual water of exports since 2001 as it represents Egypt-EU’s implementation of the association agreement. We focused on the five governorates of the Nile Delta. These governorates are major producers of the five major crops exported to the European Union. This study used long-term trade trends, and changes in crop composition to analyze the implications for virtual water outflows and economic water use efficiency. By decomposing the virtual water of exports, we were able to identify the trend of virtual water outflows and the factors affecting this trend. From both an economic and water perspective, our results suggest that adopting a policy aimed at saving water resources at the national level and focusing on high-yield exports at the international level will promote the development agenda of Egypt.