Human-water Relationship Research Articles

Naturalization Design of Urban Water Landscape

Urban rivers have always been the foundation of urban development. In the industrial era, many countries, including China, have experienced the painful lessons of environmental pollution. From the human-water relationship study date back to ancient time, we know that there is urgent need for the reversal of this negative human impact. The naturalization design of urban water landscape requires (1) use the advanced science and technology in project planning, design, construction and management; (2) save the project investment, speed up the progress and guarantee the project quality; (3) suitable for bio-lived and multiplied and for the survival needs of the organism after river training. When conducting the urban river landscape design, we should plan and design carefully based on natural and ecological principles, and the aim is not only visually pleasing, but also ecologically sustainable.

Human-Water Harmony Index: A New Approach to Assess the Human Water Relationship

Since the explosive economic and population growth, tensions between human and environment, particularly with regard to water, has never eased but intensified in most parts of the world. The pressing need to examine this relationship further is highlighted by the rapid decline in quantity and degradation of water quality around us every day, especially in developing countries. Simple criterions of water supply and pollution are fall short of the requirement of integrated water resources management. The Human-Water Harmony Index (HWHI) method is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more holistic approach. The index employs 27 indicators from three dimensions (development, coordination, and satisfaction) and was applied to five important cities in China- Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an and Nanjing. The results show they are confronted with the disharmony in human-water relationship of varying degrees, and the weaknesses of each city are of distinctly different types according to the dimension scores. The framework provides a common language based on systems thinking, the introduction of subjective indicator surveys, as well as separated evaluation of development and coordination degrees of the human-water system. The HWHI make it possible to point out the weak factors, prioritize the needs for investment, so as to improve the water-related strategies and policies to help built a harmonious human-water relationship. This approach has the potential for application in other areas and scales for monitoring and comparison purposes, and allows for comparison over time.

Sustainable Use of Water from Natural and Social Science Perspectives

AbstractSeveral seemingly incompatible meanings of water coexist today and are implicated in the organisation of sustainable water usage by humans. We review the conceptual basis of the dominating natural science approach to water as a finite resource. This physical approach shows limits relevant for the notion of sustainability. Valuation and interpretation of human–water relationships as meaningful, which are still widespread in practice and are studied by humanities, appear as irrational under this approach. The natural science perspective is complemented by a second, novel modelling paradigm which is based on a refined notion of behaviour and has been developed in computer science. No single model is superior along the whole water cycle, but the varying influences of living systems along the cycle may require different model abstractions and concepts. The novel extended modelling approach can be formally used to accommodate hermeneutic approaches to the meaning of water typical of social sciences. It organises a systematic ‘fact‐value‐integration’ rather than the separation typical of natural science. Hence, traditional and modern approaches to the organisation of sustainable water utilisation can be compared from a consistent and systematic conceptual basis linking natural and social sciences.

Living on the Edge: A Complexity-Informed Exploration of the Human–Water Relationship

Humanity and water represent an intersection of two natural cycles: the human economy and the earth's hydrological system. Although water is vital for human survival and growth, the point where human endeavor intersects is the most variable and uncertain in the hydrological system. Significant spatial and temporal variation of evaporation and rainfall has led to a number of responses aimed at increasing certainty of access to water. However, many of the world's civilizations can attest that the very act of reducing water uncertainty by technical means (capture, storage, and irrigation) has ultimately led to greater uncertainty and civilization failure. This article explores the concept of living with water as a complex entity, inseparably connected with all three levels of existential complexity—individual, social, and ecological—rather than as a commodity, which has led to our current uncertain status.

The Meaning of Water (review)

Reviewed by: The Meaning of Water Saud Choudhry The Meaning of Water, Veronica Strang, Published by Berg, 2004. Veronica Strang's 'The Meaning of Water' analyses water conflicts in complex political environments. Her approach is novel - an anthropological view, arguing that water tensions have their roots in history and the complex interdependencies unfolding over time. Hence the need to exercise extreme caution in the rush to commodify this 'essence of all life', as that might create serious social, cultural and moral dilemmas. In keeping with her anthropological roots, Strang treats the whole gamut of human-water relationship in a context of ever-changing social, political and spatial arrangements. Hence Part I, 'Cultural Landscapes' offers a historical narrative of how the Stour Valley's material culture (of water ownership and management), also mirrors the social and political conditions of their time. Part II, 'Under Water', explores the metaphorical use of water imagery in the construction of ideas about self and also models the relationships between individuals and their social and material environments. Part III, 'Hydrolatry and Hydrology' looks at how water imagery plays a central role in both religious and secular cosmological models, creating coherent undercurrents in both. Part IV 'Owning Water' examines the public response to the privatization of water in the UK; Part V 'Managing Water' looks at local groups in Dorest and their direct involvement in river management and water conservation. The same reveals how this has enabled the local population to regain some degree of common ownership over water. Part VI, 'contraflows' focuses on how contemporary socio-political arrangements impact upon patterns of domestic water usage as well as government and industry responses to evaluations of water quality. Finally, the conclusion summarises the findings and considers their long-term social and environmental implications. In suggesting a concluding perspective on water ownership and management, the author readily acknowledges that communal arrangements of the past cannot be feasibly replicated in today's technological and demographic reality. However, the current cynicism surrounding public - private partnerships is also understandable, stemming primarily from the frequent tendency to unload costly infrastructure upgrading onto the public sector while retaining profitable operational aspects for the private. A more palatable solution might be to reconsider public ownership in some form, perhaps replacing a private water utility with a semi-mutualised, non-profit organisation. In sum, Professor Strang draws upon a wide variety of sources - ethnographic research, cultural mapping, local archives, folklore, etc., to explore and explain the controversies surrounding water ownership and management. The scope of the study is very broad, but held together by the author's skill and judicious passion for the issue at hand. The topical nature of the issues discussed, makes this book a must read for anyone with an interest in contemporary research on water. Saud Choudhry Trent University Peterborough, Canada Copyright © 2004 Tennesse State University

Environmental Perception and Schistosomiasis

The human-water relationship is highly important in humanity's survival and full of symbolic values. For schistosomiasis infection to occur, it is necessary for humans to contact water bodies harboring snails from several different species. However, studies of human-water contact behavior have not focused on the cognitive aspects of schistosomiasis transmission. This study tested the hypothesis that differ- ences in perception of aspects of the environment (e.g., bodies of water) that are known to be important in schistosomiasis transmission will be associated with different levels of prevalence of this disease in a population of children. A sample of 523 children (5-16 years old) living in seven rural communities in Northeast Brazil was studied. Each child was exposed to two color slides and the response was considered "positive" when the child mentioned water among the features he or she described. The findings demon- strated a significant association between those responding positively to the perception of the environmental characteristics in question and the presence of Schistosoma mansoni infection. Among those infected, 56.2% responded positively to the test; among those not infected, only 34.5% gave positive response.