Increasing Water Demand Research Articles

Controls and rates of evaporation from a water supply reservoir in the Colorado Front Range

Evaporation can be a major component of a reservoir’s water balance in arid, populated regions such as the western United States, yet accurate measurements are scarce. In an effort to fill this observation gap, direct measurements of evaporation from Standley Lake, a water supply reservoir in the Colorado Front Range, were collected via the eddy covariance method from March 1, 2020 through February 28, 2021. Evaporation followed a seasonal pattern, with the spring, summer, and early fall experiencing daily cycles that peaked just after midday, with measurable evaporation occurring each day for approximately 4–6 h. In the late fall and winter, the daily cycles decayed and episodic enhancements in evaporation were common, most often lasting between 18 and 36 h, some longer. Evaporation peaked in June, aligning with peak net radiation, and summertime evaporation was predominantly driven by diurnal variations in wind speed and the vapor pressure gradient. Interestingly, fall and winter saw multiple periods of negative (downward) sensible heat transfer which helped drive wintertime evaporation. The study period evaporation totaled 1377 mm, with 35 % of that occurring in summer, 27 % in fall, 21 % in spring, and 17 % in winter. This study shows that evaporation is a significant part of the energy balance of Standley Lake, and with continued observations, enables a better understanding of the impacts a changing climate and increased water demands have on water resources.

Collaborative Watershed Modeling as Stakeholder Engagement Tool for Science-Based Water Policy Assessment in São Paulo, Brazil

This study describes a collaborative modeling process deployed at the Cantareira Water Supply System (CWSS) in São Paulo City Metropolitan Area, Brazil. The CWSS faces challenges for meeting the increasing water demand, while land-use and climate change and their combined effect on its water cycle and balance have created a complex water resources management problem. Through a stakeholder engagement process—involving scientists and policymakers, the water utility company, and state administration—environmental simulation models were developed to elicit and represent multiple environmental, economic, and policy perspectives, developing a mutual language to communicate and establish common goals of water resources management. Study outputs include estimation of biophysical and economic benefits associated with prioritized native vegetation restoration activities in the source watersheds. These outputs are deployed in support of landscape planning and the decision process integrating multiple stakeholder perspectives in São Paulo state administration, the water utility company, and municipalities.

Groundwater Investigation Using Electrical Resistivity Method at New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt

New Borg El-Arab is a city located on the northwestern coast of Egypt, where the increasing anthropogenic activities have led to an increase in water demand. Groundwater is the main source of water in this area, but it is seriously affected by the Mediterranean saltwater intrusion. This causes a substantial impact on the water quality of the coastal aquifer. In this study, the electrical resistivity method was applied to delineate the shallow groundwater aquifer and its quality. Twenty vertical electrical soundings (VES) distributed along 6 profiles were measured. To observe the seasonal groundwater variations, 14 VES points were measured at the end of the rainy season, while the measurements of 6 VES points were repeated at the end of the dry season. The results revealed 4 geoelectrical layers; the first layer is a surface dry zone with variable resistivity values, followed by a water-bearing layer; while the third is a limestone layer, followed by a clay deposits zone. In comparison to the winter season, the water-bearing layer records lower resistivity values at the end of summer. Optimal locations to drill new groundwater wells have also been determined with a depth varying from 1.8 m north to about 30 m south.

Water Scarcity Risk Index: A Tool for Strategic Drought Risk Management

Drought events have affected many regions of the world, having negative economic, environmental and social impacts. When accompanied by increasing water demands, these events can lead to water scarcity. Since droughts can significantly vary in each geographic area, several indices have been developed around the world. Hazard indexes are commonly used to predict meteorological, agricultural and hydrological droughts. These indexes intend to predict hazards, but they do not provide information on when and where deficits can have negative consequences. This study presents a new planning and decision-support tool for monitoring water scarcity situations in a given region. This tool, called the Water Scarcity Risk Index (W-ScaRI), is formed by two subindices, which are proposed to describe a hazard and its consequences. Each subindex was constructed using a group of indicators and indices selected from the technical literature or originally proposed in this work. The W-ScaRI was applied to the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region (RJMR), supplied with water by the Guandu/Lajes/Acari system. The RJMR is one of the most densely populated regions in Brazil, located in an area that has no natural water bodies capable of meeting its supply needs. Therefore, the Guandu River, which, in fact, is formed by two discharge transpositions from the Paraíba do Sul River, is the main drinking water supply source for this region. The RJMR suffered the consequences of unexpected, prolonged droughts in the Southeast region in 2003 and 2014–2015, leading the local authorities to implement temporary emergency measures in the management system of Paraíba do Sul and Guandu Basins, avoiding water shortage but showing the urgent need for planning and management support tools to anticipate possible future problems. The results of the study show that the formulation of the W-ScaRI can represent the water scarcity risk in a relatively simple way and, at the same time, with adequate conceptual and methodological consistency.

APPLYING THE QUALITY AND POLLUTION INDICES FOR EVALUATING THE WASTEWATER EFFLUENT QUALITY OF KUFRANJA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, JORDAN

In Jordan, reclaimed wastewater has become a significant component of water resources due to acute water scarcity and increased water demand for different purposes. The vast majority of the reclaimed wastewater is used for restricted and unrestricted agriculture, with agriculture being one of the main economic activities in the country. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of the wastewater effluent from the Kufranja Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and its suitability for irrigation and discharge into streams, wadis, or water bodies using the water quality index (WQI) and the water pollution index (WPI). The WQI and WPI were calculated using 15 physiochemical and biological parameters in total. The results of WQI and WPI based on the Jordanian standards for the reuse of reclaimed wastewater showed that the wastewater effluent of Kufranja WWTP falls within the category of "good quality" for the irrigation of industrial crops, field crops, and forest trees, while it falls within the category of "unsuitable quality or highly polluted water" for other irrigation uses. Moreover, the Kufranja WWTP effluent is of "unsuitable quality or highly polluted water" for discharging into streams, wadis, or water bodies. The findings from this study show that the Kufranja WWTP performed well during the year of study, where the average removal efficiency (EFF%) for BOD5, COD, and TSS was 95.1%, 95.6%, and 96.0%, respectively. The WQI results in this study revealed that E. coli has the greatest contribution to the WQI values, followed by PO43-, pH, and SAR, implying that the previous parameters are to blame for the deterioration of the effluent quality of the Kufranja WWTP and its inappropriateness for most uses. Therefore, further advanced treatments are required to reduce the loading of these parameters.

Evaluation of the quality indicators of collector-drainage water for reusing purposes: a study from Sirdarya province, Uzbekistan

Currently, in the countries of the Aral Sea basin, due to the negative effects of climate change and the unreasonable use of water resources, the reduction and pollution of existing water resources, the increase in demand for water and its protection are required. Due to the increase in the amount of mineralization due to the discharge of the mineralized collector-drainage waters formed in the irrigated areas to the rivers, their use is limited due to the pollution of the upper and lower streams of the river basins. Researches revealed that the mineralization of Central Mirzachol drainage water has increased by 3.5 times, the total hardness has increased by 4 times, the amount of cation and anion and heavy metals is also high. It was found that the quality of the water of the Central Mirzachol drainage is the worst, and the water of the Boyovut well has a relatively good quality indicator. As a result of the discharge of collector-drainage waters to the Syr Darya River, the main water source of the province, the total hardness of the river reaches 2.0 times, the mineralization is 1.2 times, the amount of cations potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium, the amount of sulfates and chlorides from anions, heavy metals: manganese, caused the amount of zinc, tin, copper to exceed the permitted standards.

Monitoring and modelling of water quality parameters using artificial intelligence

Rapid population growth leads to an increase in demand for water and spikes levels of water pollution. In this study, a low cost and innovative internet of things (IoT) device was used in the monitoring of water quality parameters. The monitoring system implemented used consists of maker-UNO as the core controller, SIM7600-GSM module as the Wi-Fi module and the water quality parameters sensors (total dissolved solids (TDS), oxidation reduction potential (ORP), temperature and turbidity). This study applied five different artificial intelligence (AI) techniques models to predict the water quality parameters. The data were collected from phytoremediation treatment system and modelled by using artificial neural network (ANN), regression trees, support vector machine (SVM), ensemble trees and the Gaussian process regression (GPR). A satisfying prediction models were achieved indicating that early prevention of contamination in the treatment system can be achieved through the application of monitoring and artificial intelligence modelling tools.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis on Groundwater - Case Study for Thiruvallur District

Thiruvallur District in Tamil Nadu is one such district, with groundwater levels reaching depths of 50m to 60m below the surface. Growing populations, variations in land use patterns, reduction in rainfall depth, and other factors all contributed to an increase in water demand and a decrease in water potential. This affects the quality of groundwater as well. In this study, the variation of both Groundwater potential and Groundwater Quality is analyzed. The collected data has undergone thorough processing to ensure its accuracy and relevance for the area to be studied. (Thiruvallur District). The base map for the place to be analyzed and the well-map are created in the QGIS software with the data. The processed data is imported into the QGIS to create a database. With the database, the spatial variation between the stations is mapped. The temporal variation of the stations is carried out. The spatial map is done for the groundwater level and Groundwater quality parameters like pH, TDS, Cl, etc. The temporal variation is shown in the graph for the GW level and GW quality parameters with respect to the well-points.

Application of advanced computer technologies in determination of irrigation regimes for cotton in water scarcity areas

Agriculture is one of climate change's most sensitive economic sectors. In Uzbekistan, 95% of agricultural products come from irrigated lands. Because the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan meets the population's demand for food and industrial raw materials, ensuring national food security. Different climatic and soil-hydrogeological variations are countrywide significant to assess the possible increase in crop water demand and to determine the water consumption and irrigation regime in the irrigated lands. Therefore, this research aimed to create the hydrological module-zoning (HMZ) map of irrigated lands using geoinformation systems (GIS) technologies by employing spatial soil-hydrogeological data and determining water consumption and irrigation regimes for cotton according to FAO methodology. The area of investigation was the irrigated agricultural lands of the northern regions of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, located in Uzbekistan, which has undergone significant climate change over the last 30 years due to the Aral Sea tragedy and is faced with water scarcity. HMZ map of the study area has been figured out by ArcGIS 10.8 program based on Bespalov's methodology. Determining water demand of cotton developed by developed HMZs based on the CropWat 8.0 program using meteorological parameters. The study showed that identified areas of HMZ and the irrigation regime for cotton by Bespolov in the 80s of the last century have significantly changed because of climate change.

Assessment of Water Distribution for the Effectiveness of Water Allocation Modeling

This research intends to conduct the assessment of water distributing performance for supporting the performance index assessment of water allocation modeling. The main aim is intending to solve the conflict of water interest, so there is necessary to be carried out the water allocation so water user society will get the water regarding to their right fairly, efficiently, and sustainably. Along with the increasing of population number and the social and economy conditions of society, there will all be increasing water demand for various uses. However, the quality tends to decrease because it has potency to increase the local conflict becoming a conflict between the regency and city that is unwanted. The water preparation and allocation are activities in operating the water resource infrastructure, whose aim is to optimize the usage of water resource infrastructure. This research was conducted in the watersheds of Manjuto, Slagan, Dikit, Teraman, Muar, Padang Guci, Bangkenang, Manna, Kelam, Nasal, and Luas. The methodology consists of collecting data on each watershed that are water availability and water demand; then, water balance and distribution (allocation) are analyzed. The result of water allocation analysis shows the water availability due to the dependable discharge as the reference such as Q 80 or discharge with the probability of 80%; still several watersheds experience the water deficit in fulfilling the irrigation water requirement, household-city-industry (RKI), plantation, fishery, husbandry, and river flow maintenance needs. A new research is needed for the index assessment of water allocation in the watersheds that experience the water deficit to obtain the plan value of water demand fulfilling allocation in the water deficit condition, whether non-critical, lightly critical, moderately critical, and heavily critical. Keywords : water availability, water demand, water balance, water allocation. https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.50.3.7

Modified Particle Swarm Optimization for the Optimum Use of Multi-Reservoir Systems: MRP Complex, Chhattisgarh

The effective operation of reservoirs has been a key concern among the water resources management authorities as a consequence of global water shortages and decreased surface water runoff owing to increasing water demand and the effect of climate change. Water shortages, economic constraints, and environmental concerns have all contributed to the optimization of operations becoming increasingly replaced by new technologies. Optimization operation of water resources system is a challenging issue because of its nonlinearity, multiple constraints, and several dimensions. To address the challenges associated with the operation of the multipurpose Mahanadi reservoir in Chhattisgarh, India. The present study utilizes the application of modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO). The present study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) model in comparison to the current operating reservoir system, to minimize the sum of squared deviations in downstream release and demand. The average percentage changes in reliability (100.31%), resilience (85.02%), sustainability (24.54%), as well as vulnerability reduced up to 69.54%. The model also had the lowest error parameters in the system such as (RMSE = 1.3892, MAPE = 0.1003, NMSE = 0.1025, MAE = 38.6689, and MSE = 1.9299), despite having the highest R2, i.e., 0.8974. When applied to the Ravishankar Sagar reservoir, MPSO yields optimal, worst, average, and standard deviation (SD) values of 0.45, 0.56, 0.51, and 0.038, respectively. In terms of optimizing the release and storage rates, MPSO performed consistently better than the PSO and other metaheuristics reviewed from the literature during the study. Therefore, MPSO is advantageous in the search for the optimal reservoir operation policy because it is easy to implement, requires less functional evaluations, and quickly tracks global optimum. Hence this study provides significant evidence that MPSO can be used to effectively solve real optimization challenges.

Unlocking Hidden Water Resources: Mapping Groundwater Potential Zones using GIS and Remote Sensing in Kerala, India

The study describes a case study from an ecologically fragile region of Kerala, India, in which GIS and remote sensing techniques were used to identify groundwater potential zones (GWPZ). The study area has been adversely affected by pollution from various sources, and residents have become reliant on groundwater for their drinking water needs. Here, the Weighted Index Overlay Analysis method was used to identify the potential groundwater zones to assign ranking values to different classes of individual thematic maps based on their mediating and moderating influence on groundwater potentiality. Twelve thematic layers were used. The results of the GWPZ were validated by overlaying samples on the potential zones in the GIS environment. The study emphasizes the importance of GWPZ mapping for planning new abstraction well locations to meet increasing water demand and improve the awareness of groundwater availability for sustainable development.

Revisiting the IWT for technical gaps and climate change vulnerability: a policy perspective from Pakistan

The history of India-Pakistan relations has been brimming with squabbles and conflicts since their separation in 1947. Except for the significant and lasting Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 for sharing river waters, little-to-none economic cooperation has taken place between the two riparian states. This paper analyses some noticeable gaps that have rendered this treaty obsolete such as the escalating influence of climatic changes on water resources of the region and some other shortcomings, namely the possible limits of shared water usage, unrestricted use of shared waters for power generation, rerouting of water, and the lack of synergistic projects. Moreover, due to the exponential increase in water and energy demand along with the aggravating depletion of water tables in Pakistan, the treaty is failing to secure the combined water resources of the Indus river basin. This study presents the policy perspective to guide future endeavours, ensuring the treaty’s survival as it needs the necessary adjustments to enhance the socio-economic cooperation between India and Pakistan, put in place the collective efforts for mitigation of risks posed by climate-induced disasters, and improve the management of water resources for collaborative development.

ESTIMATING THE WATER POVERTY IN SEMI-ARID DISTRICTS OF PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

An increase in population and water demand, climate change, and changes in land-use patterns are severe problems in Pakistan. Water management in Pakistan has been a provincial matter after the 18th amendment. Each province in Pakistan measures the water on its own intention and indicators. The current study aims to map the water scarcity status through the water poverty index (WPI) using the Multiple Indiactor Cluster Survey (2018) at the semi-arid districts in Punjab, Pakistan. WPI was estimated by using the components named “Resources,” “Access”, “Capacity”, “Use”, and “Environment”. Each component score was calculated using ifferent indicators, assuming equal weights for all components. Layyah (57.6) and RajanPur (48.03) had the best and worst situations among all districts in 2018. The findings showed that the absence of physical water resources in these districts is not the only factor of domestic water shortage but environment and capacity also plays a significant role in achieving the domestic water need. Due to their socioeconomic ineptitude, lack of infrastructure, and restricted access to water, the region is experiencing severe to high levels of household water poverty. This study's results showed that WPI is an operative tool to measure water scarcity and could be used to make an important priority for water management.

Dam Environmental Impact Assessment in Java Island, Indonesia

Increasing demand for water requires the improvement of water infrastructure. Dams are one of the most prominent infrastructures for water supply, especially as water demand increases. Due to its size, the dam is bound to affect the local environment, including the hydrometeorological and hydro/geological condition. The impact of dam on the local scale is supposedly dependent on several variables, namely, the height of the dam, its age, and the area of the river basin. This study studies the impact of dams on the surrounding environment by investigating 12 dams located in Java and are spread all throughout Java in particularly West Java, East Java, Central Java and lastly Jogjakarta. The dam environmental impact will be analyzed using: firstly, linear regression to determine the relationship between dams and environmental impact and secondly cluster analysis to divide the researched dams into categories. Dams in the study area could be divided into three clusters based on the similarity in height, age and river basin area. Additionally, this study finds that there is no correlation between the river basin area and both (ground) water quality and local climate. However, there was a correlation between the dam height with temperature and precipitation, as well as the dam age with Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) and pH. Regarding groundwater, the values of DO, TDS and pH are higher in dams located inside of groundwater basins compared to the opposite.

Reversal of soil moisture constraint on vegetation growth in North China

The response of vegetation growth to soil moisture varies greatly from space and time under climate change and anthropogenic activities. As an important grain producer in China, the vegetation growth and grain production of North China are constrained by the region's water resources. With the significant increase in vegetation greenness in North China over the last 40 years, it is essential to explore the changes in soil moisture constraints on vegetation growth to water management. However, to what degree vegetation growth responds to soil moisture and how the response varies spatiotemporally in North China remain unclear. In this study, the response patterns of vegetation growth to soil moisture at different depths and the spatiotemporal trend patterns of their relationships were explored thoroughly based on long time series remote sensing data in North China over the past 40 years. The results showed that compared to forests, the growth of grasslands and crops with one maturity per year and two maturity per year in North China was more constrained by soil moisture. Due to the combined effects of climatic conditions and human activities, vegetation growth in North China has been significantly less constrained by soil moisture over the last 40 years. This was especially seen in one maturity per year crop and natural vegetation in Shanxi and central Shandong. However, with the significant increase in temperature, potential evapotranspiration and water demand of the crop, the moisture constraints on vegetation growth in North China have begun to show an increasing trend since the early 2000s, especially for irrigated crop in central and southern North China. These findings highlight a comprehensive understanding of the vegetation response to soil moisture from the time-varying perspective and provide a theoretical basis for water management and appropriate planning of agricultural water use in North China.

Bacteriological quality of drinking water for Masinga-Kitui water supply system, Kenya

Background: Increasing population has led to increased water demand in major towns across the world. This study focused on Kitui Town in Kenya where about 80% of the inhabitants depend on Masinga-Kitui water supply system. There are limited alternative water sources including groundwater that are not reliable due high contamination with coliforms. The aim of this study was to determine bacteriological quality of Masinga-Kitui water and establish the potential sources of contaminants.Methods: A total of 90 water samples were collected for analysis whereby, 72 were from the households’ water storage facilities selected through stratified purposive sampling technique. Additional 18 samples were representatively collected from the main distribution network/including two community water points located in Kitui Town (Kalundu and Bondeni). Water quality analysis was performed at Kenya Water Institute water laboratory in Nairobi.Results: All the analyzed water samples were grossly contaminated with E. coli and total Coliforms which exceeded the acceptable WHO/KEBS limit of zero (0) CFU/100 ml of water sample. Majority of the Kitui Town residents associated poor water quality with poor sanitation, poor waste management, poorly maintained sewage and waste waters, contamination of water at the main distribution tank at Kwa-Ngindu, poor water storage at the household and unhygienic practices. About 34% of Kitui residents were at the risk of contracting waterborne diseases due to consumption of contaminated water.Conclusions: Regular monitoring of water quality, surveillance of Masinga-Kitui water infrastructure, and enhanced awareness programme should be adopted to encourage Kitui residents to treat drinking water.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Groundwater Resources in the Saïss Aquifer, Morocco

In recent decades, the Saïss plain, in the northwest of Morocco, has experienced a noticeable increase in water demand due to a very significant population growth and economic development, as well as the climate change effects. With the aim of reaching optimal and dynamic management of these water resources, it is essential to have comprehensive and reliable information on the state of the aquifer systems in the region. To achieve this, we assessed a geostatistical analysis of groundwater level data, and created a multivariate regression model. Indeed, in this study, a spatiotemporal analysis of groundwater depth based on piezometric measurements of 45 wells was carried out for the period from 2005 to 2020. It compares and evaluates eight geostatistical interpolation methods and solves the problem of data gaps of the piezometric measurement by completing the chronological series of the groundwater level between 2005 and 2020 using the ARIMA model. The results demonstrate that the variation in the groundwater level between 2005 and 2020 indicates that the water table level is decreased in certain areas, but it has improved or remained constant in other areas. These results emphasize an urgent need for a dynamic management for the conservation of groundwater resources in certain areas of the region under this study.

Use of condensed water from air conditioning equipment as a strategy to face the global scarcity of freshwater: a review

The increase in the world's demand for water has become one of the most relevant topics on environmental sustainability and the conservation of water resources. As a result of the scarcity of potable water, processes such as the use of water through practices, techniques, and technologies for its efficient use have become essential for future generations. Among the possibilities for using water, air conditioning systems stand out, due to the formation of condensed water during operation. The world's population is increasingly concerned about environmental issues, showing that it is necessary to seek alternatives to recycle water, whether for use in gardening, sewage systems, washing sidewalks, and cars, among others. The present study carried out a literature review to reflect on the theme of the reuse of condensation water from air conditioners as a strategy for the sustainable use of water resources and enhancing the future of planet Earth.

Effect of groundwater residence time on geogenic fluoride release into groundwater in the Mt. Meru slope area, Tanzania, the Great Rift Valley, East Africa

People living in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa suffer from fluorosis resulting from their consumption of groundwater. This paper shows that geogenic fluoride contamination in a natural water system has changed in the last two decades in the Mt. Meru slope area of northern Tanzania based on water quality, dating of the residence time, and stable isotopes of groundwater. The results demonstrate that 1) the average recharge altitude of groundwater with a high geogenic fluoride concentration is estimated to range from 1900 m to 3000 m on the southern slope of Mt. Meru, and the fluoride concentration tends to increase with an increase in the recharge altitude, 2) the fluoride concentration increases with increasing groundwater residence time for groundwater with a residence time of 20 years or longer, suggesting that water-rock interaction processes (weathering, dissolution, and ion exchange), which depend on the contact time between the volcanic aquifer and groundwater, have predominated for approximately 20 years or longer, and 3) the mixing of aerobic young water and old groundwater has been active for approximately 20 years, and the fluoride concentration is increasing in some shallower well waters. The mixing of fluoride-contaminated groundwater with aerobic water infiltrating the aquifer through pumping groundwater in the last two decades may increase the spread of groundwater contaminated with fluoride due to increased water demand caused by rapid population growth, and urbanization, industrial growth, and the expansion of irrigated agriculture.