Integrated Water Management Approach Research Articles

GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Approach for Ranking Suitable Areas for the Implementation of PV-Powered MCDI Desalination Plants in the Rheris Watershed, Southeast Morocco

In Morocco's oases, which rely heavily on surface water from mountain sources, the threat of decreasing rainfall presents a significant challenge, leading to a decline in surface water availability. This study focuses on the Rheris Watershed in Southeast Morocco, where brackish water desalination emerges as a viable alternative to ensure sustainable water supply for agriculture. Prior to the deployment of a pilot plant integrating a desalination unit, selecting an optimal site for PV-powered MCDI desalination plants was critical. This selection was based on a range of criteria, including Groundwater Quantity, Global Horizontal Irradiation, Temperature, Evaporation, Water Salinity, Water Quantity, Well Density and Slope. These criteria were evaluated using a combination of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and geospatial data obtained from Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques.This case study in the Rheris watershed identified potential sites for future Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) desalination projects, High suitability areas encompass 280.45 km² (30.91 %), located west of Tinejdad, Khettarat Moulay Hachem, north of Goulmima, and south of Tinghir. Low suitability areas cover 63.75 km² (7.02 % of the study area), including regions south of Tadighoust and Tinejdad. Moderate suitability areas span 562.86 km² (62.05 %), involving central regions of Goulmima, Tadighoust, Tinejdad, and Tinghir. Based on the results of the study, the recommendations include focusing on areas identified as highly suitable for MCDI technology for sustainable agriculture, refining selection criteria based on local data, exploring brine management strategies, and adopting integrated water management approaches to ensure sustainable resource use.

Lessons learned from water-scarce cities: Proposed policies toward an integrated urban water management in Egypt

Water scarcity is one of the main challenges facing countries in arid or semi-arid zones. As an example, Egypt needs to deal with both insufficient quantity and quality of water for residents. Here, we propose actions and policies to promote an integrated water management approach to respond to water challenges in Egypt. Based on a literature review, we have selected a set of criteria concerning the environmental, economic, social, governmental, and physical dimensions of urban water management. We studied approaches from Peru, Namibia, and South Australia as these countries have similar climatic conditions and water issues and have made substantial advances toward sustainable water management. Key criteria are state or municipal ownership of water and related infrastructure, agreement on master plans for sustainable water management, improvement of water sanitation and overall infrastructure, and reduction of water demand. Participatory, and educational campaigns put water issues at the center of public debates. We evaluated which elements of water management approaches can be adapted and used in Egypt, which faces limited freshwater resources, and which faces a highly increasing population. Proposed actions included directing water fees to ecosystem projects, treatment of wastewater to be potable, participatory approaches that engage the community in water management, educational campaigns that lead to change of public perception and knowledge dissemination. We interviewed key stakeholders in the water sector in Egypt to validate our proposed approaches. The stakeholders supported knowledge dissemination, suggested using water fees in implementing environmental projects and criticized converting wastewater into drinking water. Finally, we drafted specific recommendations at the organizational and urban levels of water management. We recommended establishing a General Organization for Water Management to oversee water-related organizations and ministries. We also recommended prioritizing the economic conditions to support alleviation of water subsidy, increasing public awareness, and creating a public database for water knowledge. In addition, we recommended decentralized water management and water sensitive urban design. The value of these approaches is their applicability, with minor adaptations, to countries with similar or close climatic and socio-economic conditions to Egypt, such as the MENA region.

Ramifications due to urbanization and climate change on stormwater runoff and conduit efficiency: an integrated water management approach

Abstract Urbanization and climate change increase the frequency of urban floods worldwide which in turn poses a great challenge in the management of the urban stormwater drain system. This study investigated the impact of climate change and surface imperviousness in the urban stormwater runoff and the impact of washed off pollutants load in the conduit efficiency for two census wards Triplicane (ward 116) and Valasaravakkam (ward 152) in Chennai City. The climate change data for the study area wards were taken from the regional climate model (RCM) of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5. Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) with quality and quantity scenarios were developed and the results of the present year scenario were validated using a questionnaire survey. Intensity Duration Frequency (IDF) curves were generated to forecast the observed rainfall and climate model data for various return periods, i.e., 2, 5, 10, 50, and 100 years for future climatic scenarios (2030s and 2050s). The model results show that infiltration is only 3–7% of the total rainfall in the study areas and the maximum blockage and reduction in conduit capacity were estimated to be 65 and 40%, respectively. This paper presents the observations and suggestions for improving the conduit efficiency from an Integrated Water Management Approach (IWMA).

Pipes, Taps, and Vendors: An Integrated Water Management Approach

This paper applies a microeconomics-based stylized model to identify the optimal modal split of water supply infrastructure in regions of the Global South against the background of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 6. Based on an assumed linear city, we calculate the optimal modal split of water supply. Not all water users need to be connected to a centralized, pipeline-based water supply network from an economic perspective. We calculate the optimal tap density and the optimal spatial range of households served by non-mobile or mobile water vendors for the area with unconnected households. The analysis is made for the case of water requirement (totally inelastic water demand), and afterward, the research will be extended to the case of an elastic water demand based on a Stone–Geary utility function to incorporate price and income effects. The result, an “optimal modal split” between network-based water supply and other supply options, has main implications on water tariffication. While the volumetric elements of the tariff are based on the marginal costs, the level of the access fee mainly depends on the subsistence level of water.

Oil & Gas Produced Water Management

This book outlines the technologies and techniques used in the oil & gas industry’s shift from treating produced water as a “waste stream” to an integrated water management approach. Produced water is formed underground and brought to the surface during oil & gas (O&G) production and exploration and production (E&P) operations. It is usually a complex mixture of inorganics and organics and contributes to the largest volume waste stream of O&G and E&P operations. Traditionally, produced water has been considered a waste and conventional management strategies include disposal (typically by injection into depleted wells or permitted disposal wells), recycling (direct reuse within the E&P operation) and reuse (treatment and reuse offsite for food crop irrigation, livestock watering or industrial use). The O&G industry is going through a paradigm shift where scarcity of water, economics of water management, declining oil costs, and increasing focus on environmental and ecological stewardship are shifting the focus toward integrated water management in E&P operations. Water is no longer a problem to be delegated to a third-party disposal or treatment vendor, but is becoming a cornerstone of O&G production. This is a summary of produced water characteristics, regulations and management options, produced water treatment fundamentals, and a detailed discussion of process equipment and advantages/disadvantages of currently available treatment processes. It provides a guide for selecting appropriate technologies for the desired application and points toward the optimization of current technologies and the use of combined treatment processes to meet reuse and discharge limits and critically, more stringent environmental regulations.

Increasing Challenges of Potable Water Supply and Its Implications on the Population of Buea Municipality, Cameroon

The increasing challenges of potable water supply on the population of Buea municipality, Camerooon, if not monitored and effectively managed by government and all the local communities (stake holders) will be very detrimental to the municipality. The water demand of the growing population of Municipality is supplied by CAMWATER (Cameroon Water Utilities Corporation) and the local communities involved in potable water management. This study employed the use of a purposive systematic random sampling technique and focus group discussion among the community dwellers to evaluate the implications of potable water scarcity. A total of 350 questionnaires were administered in the field, interviews were conducted with water supply authorities and various stake holders in the municipality to identify the major problems faced by the inhabitants of Buea as a result of potable water supply challenges. Results revealed that about 27% of the population of Buea faces frequent water shortages, 32% and 41% of the respondents stated that the main causes of water supply challenges are poor management of potable water by the authorities concerned and over exploitation of water sources by the increasing population respectively. Besides the human factors mentioned above, changing climatic conditions worsen these challenges. In conclusion, over exploitation of potable water sources by the population and poor management by the authorities concerned stands as a major driver of the challenges of water scarcity in the Buea municipality. As such, we recommend an integrated water management approach as a means of making potable water supply challenges less problematic to the population of Buea.

Planning London’s green spaces in an integrated water management approach to enhance future resilience in urban stormwater control

Vegetation, as a fundamental element of urban green infrastructure, plays a vital role in mitigating urban flooding. Green infrastructure performance in mitigating floods depends on plant responses to meteorological forcing. This puts urban green infrastructure in risk under a changing climate. In this study, the resilience and efficiency of London’s green infrastructure under climate change is evaluated. The coupled water and carbon dynamics were evaluated using a mechanistic ecohydrological model forced with the new generation of 2018 UK Climate Projections (UKCP18).It was found that despite overall reductions of runoff production in London under climate change in winter/autumn, current urban green infrastructure in London can lose its efficiency due to the elevated levels of plant water stress unless it operates in an integrated manner with the traditional grey infrastructure drainage system. Plant water stress induced mostly by changes in climate is expected to limit vegetation performance during the end of growing seasons. The negative effects of varying climatic factors on vegetation dynamics can only be partially alleviated by the positive effects of the elevated CO2 concentration level, and are highly uncertain due to the large uncertainty of climate projections.

Integrated Water Resources Management Approaches to Improve Water Resources Governance

The water crisis can alternatively be called a governance crisis. Thus, the demand for good water governance to ensure effective water resources management and to attain specific water goals is growing. Many countries subscribe to the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to achieve this goal. The Integrated Water Resources Management approach aims to ensure a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in a drainage basin to maximise economic and social welfare equitably without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. The design of the Integrated Water Resources Management approach, including its pillars and principles, aspires to good water governance and effective resource management. However, empirical studies examining this hypothesis and analysing the impact of the Integrated Water Resources Management approach on water resources governance are limited, especially in developing countries. Therefore, we characterised and compared the water resources governance aspects of two catchments in Uganda’s Lake Albert basin. One of the catchments was exposed to integrated water resources management projects, while the other had no exposure to integrated water resources management projects. Some of the factors that supported the comparability of the two sites included spatial proximity linking into a related hydrological and social-economic setup, common water needs and belonging to the same water administration zone. Comparing both areas led us to analyse whether there was a difference in water resources governance actions, as well as in the quality of water resources governance, under the same overall water management and administrative zone. The data were based on field surveys using questionnaires and information guides in both catchments. The results show that the performance of water resources governance is markedly better in the catchment with Integrated Water Resources Management practices than the base catchment unaffected by these practices. Key themes examined include water resources governance styles, water resources governance systems presence, functionality, the performance of good governance principles, and water resources management effectiveness. The findings contribute to the aspirations for the promotion of integrated water management approaches for improved water resources governance, and the concept that the effectiveness of water resources management measures depends on governance effectiveness. Water governance is significant, as it spells out the power, rights, decisions, and priorities relating to given water resources and communities.

Pipes, Taps and Vendors: An Integrated Water Management Approach

This paper applies a microeconomic-based stylized model to identify the optimal modal split of water supply infrastructure in regions of the Global South against the background of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 6. We assume a linear city, with some plausible assumptions on income and willingness-to-pay, and then calculate the optimal tap density, leading in turn to an optimal modal split between piped and unconnected water consumption. From an economic perspective, not all water users need to be connected to a centralized, pipeline infrastructure, and the non-connected households should be served by non-mobile or mobile vendors. The analysis is firstly made for the case of totally inelastic demand functions for simplification reasons and afterwards the analysis becomes more complicated and realistic by addressing elastic demand functions which are based on a simplified version of the Stone-Geary utility function. In terms of policy implications, the paper suggests a role for decentral, offgrid solutions to generalized water supply, with a certain role for water vendors.

Time series analysis of water use and indirect reuse within a HUC-4 basin (Wabash) over a nine year period

Anthropogenic water use and reuse represent major components of the water cycle. In the context of climate change, water reuse and recycling are considered necessary components for an integrated water management approach. Unplanned, or de facto, indirect water reuse occurs in most of the U.S. river systems, however, there is little real-time documentation of it. Despite the fact that there are national and state agencies that systematically collect data on water withdrawals and wastewater discharges, their databases are organized and managed in a way that makes it challenging to use them for water resource management analysis. The ability to combine reported water data to perform large scale analysis about water use and reuse is severely limited. In this paper, we apply a simple but effective methodology to complete a time series watershed-scale analysis of water use and unplanned indirect reuse for the Wabash River Watershed. Results document the occurrence of indirect water reuse, ranging from 3% to 134%, in a water-rich area of the U.S. The time series analysis shows that reported data effectively describe the water use trends through nine years, from 2009 to 2017, clearly reflecting both anthropogenic and natural events in the watershed, such as the retirement of thermoelectric power plants, and the occurrence of an extreme drought in 2012. We demonstrate the feasibility and significance of using available water datasets to perform large scale water use analysis, describe limitations encountered in the process, and highlight areas for improvement in water data management.

Integrated Water Management Approach for Adaptation to Climate Change in Highly Water Stressed Basins

Adaptation aims at increasing the resilience of natural and human systems to current and future impacts of climate change. The main objective of the current research is to introduce an innovative methodological framework which can effectively assess adaptation measures in basins with severe water deficits by coupling hydrology, climate change and management scenarios, leading to accurate decision making. In this paper, both supply and demand adaptation measures were proposed in line with various regional, national and European policies in order to improve the severe water problem of the Mygdonia basin. The overexploitation of the surface water systems (Lakes Koronia and Volvi) and groundwater resources of the Mygdonia basin during the previous decades, along with the projected decrease of the future water availability, due to climate change, accentuate the need for concerted action towards adaption to climate change. The measures include the increase of a stream diversion towards Lake Koronia, the increase of the embankment elevation at the outfall point of Lake Volvi, the restructuring of crops and their combinations. The measures were examined in terms of their sustainability and effectiveness in the short-term (2020–2050) and long-term (2050–2080) future periods under the most reliable climatic model. The results indicate that the application of demand management measures is more efficient compared to supply oriented solutions for addressing the future water deficit of the Mygdonia water system. The combination of crop restructuring and the decrease of agricultural land proved to be the most efficient and sustainable solution.

Gender Transformative Impacts from Watershed Interventions: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study in the Bundelkhand Region of India

HighlightsSocial and technical interventions related to agriculture, watersheds, and capacity building should enhance women’s awareness, access, and decision-making role in agrarian communities.Strict gender norms and relations hinder the empowerment of women in the Bundelkhand region and prevent women from participating in the decision-making process at the household, farm, and community level.When implementing watershed projects in a highly patriarchal context, as in the Bundelkhand region, advocacy of behavioral change communication must be implemented, addressing the diverse needs of women and men.Strengthening of systematic and gender-sensitive institution building, social engagement, and capacity development for global water security is needed for sustainable watershed interventions.ABSTRACT. This study examined gender perspectives on water security by exploring an integrated water management approach for agriculture, livestock, and human consumption. The data were generated in a watershed project to enhance drought resilience of farming through groundwater recharge and agroforestry interventions in the water-scarce Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh in central India. Post-intervention, a quantitative survey and qualitative gender and social analysis tools were applied to understand the benefits of the interventions for women, men, and the community as a whole. Quantitative data were collected from 700 individuals in five villages (three treatment villages and two villages where watershed interventions were not implemented). In addition, 33 semi-structured interviews and eight focus group discussions were conducted to understand local gender norms at the project sites. Data analysis revealed that the community benefits accrued from the watershed interventions included increased crop productivity and diversification of agriculture and livelihoods. However, strict patriarchal norms restricted the visibility, mobility, and communication of women within the household and community during the interventions. Considering gender diversity, this study identifies that women can benefit from participating in watershed interventions and provides a deeper understanding of the constraints and barriers to women’s participation in such projects, including economic, social, and cultural factors. The construction of check dams reduced women’s time per day for fetching water by about 29%. Groundwater level increases reduced the effort required of women to draw water from open wells and hand pumps. Female education is a significant factor related to the benefits of watershed interventions, and regression analysis indicated that households with higher levels of education of adult women were significantly more likely to benefit from the interventions than other households. To avoid perpetuation of the exclusion of diverse local knowledge and gender inequality at the community level, mechanisms must be developed and adjusted continuously such that whole communities, including men and women, are empowered to participate in the decision-making process at various levels and for different purposes. When implementing watershed projects in a highly patriarchal context, as in the Bundelkhand region where women are hidden behind the strong presence of men, advocacy of behavioral change communication must be implemented regularly. The community needs to be sensitized toward systematic and gender-sensitive institution building, social engagement, and capacity development for local as well as global water security. Keywords: Bundelkhand region, Gender, Social norms, Transformative, Watershed intervention.

Integrated Water Management Approach for Vulnerability Reduction in Delhi, India

Water supply and demand gap is a potential crisis situation for any metro city like Delhi. This situation can escalate during the times of disaster events due to their cascading effects damaging the water storage and supply network infrastructure. Under this study, integrated water management has been emphasized as a comprehensive approach to address the crisis during extreme events. The process of integrated water management is described not only from water management perspective but also from perspectives of disaster management and Sustainable Development Goals. Emphasis on technological and institutional reforms for efficient and effective implementation during disaster event has been given. Along with this, the role of community participation is also considered as an integral component to make the proposed integrated approach sustainable. Results of an impact assessment study on human lives, economic and environmental conditions can be used to create holistic response plans which subsequently may result in disaster risk reduction and thus increased resilience towards vulnerability in disaster scenarios.

Governing the gaps in water governance and land-use planning in a megacity: The example of hydrological risk in Mexico City

Megacities are socio-ecological systems (SES) that encompass complex interactions between residents, institutions, and natural resource management. These interactions are exacerbated by climate change as resources such as water become scarce or hazardous through drought and flooding. In order to develop pathways for improved sustainability, the disparate factors that create vulnerable conditions and outcomes must be visible to decision-makers. Nevertheless, for such decision-makers to manage vulnerability effectively, they need to define the salient boundaries of the urban SES, and the relevant biophysical, technological, and socio-institutional attributes that play critical roles in vulnerability dynamics. Here we explore the problem of hydrological risk in Mexico City, where vulnerabilities to flooding and water scarcity are interconnected temporally and spatially, yet the formal and informal institutions and actors involved in the production and management of vulnerability are divided into two discrete problem domains: land-use planning and water resource management. We analyze interviews with city officials working in both domains to understand their different perspectives on the dynamics of socio-hydrological risk, including flooding and water scarcity. We find governance gaps within land-use planning and water management that lead to hydro-social risk, stemming from a failure to address informal institutions that exacerbate vulnerability to flooding and water scarcity. Mandates in both sectors are overlapping and confusing, while socio-hydrological risk is externalized to the informal domain, making it ungoverned. Integrated water management approaches that recognize and incorporate informality are needed to reduce vulnerability to water scarcity and flooding.

Integrated multi-scale water management as a climate change adaptation strategy

Water management will become increasingly critical as the effects of climate change manifest. There are existing water management tools and concepts in current use for both policy and decision-making in industry, but these often look at water issues from the limited perspectives of specific decision-makers who see the problems only at particular scales. In this perspective paper, we argue for an integrated water management approach as an imperative climate change adaptation; there is an urgent need for research on the development of such a multi-scale framework to effectively manage water use in industrial systems.

Identifying the groundwater basin boundaries, using environmental isotopes: a case study

Groundwater, which is renewable under current climatic conditions separately from other natural sources, in fact is a finite resource in terms of quality and fossil groundwater. Researchers have long emphasized the necessity of exploiting, operating, conserving and managing groundwater in an efficient and sustainable manner with an integrated water management approach. The management of groundwater needs reliable information about changes on groundwater quantity and quality. Environmental isotopes are the most important tools to provide this support. No matter which method we use to calculate the groundwater budget and flow equations, we need to determine boundary conditions or the physical boundaries of the domain. The Groundwater divide line or basin boundaries that separate the two adjacent basin recharge areas from each other must be drawn correctly to be successful in defining complex groundwater basin boundary conditions. Environmental isotope data, as well as other methods provide support for determining recharge areas of the aquifers, especially for karst aquifers, residence time and interconnections between aquifer systems. This study demonstrates the use of environmental isotope data to interpret and correct groundwater basin boundaries giving as an example the Yeniçıkrı basin within the main Sakarya basin.

Potable Reuse is Expanding

The US water supply is in crisis because of factors such as population growth, climate change, limited high‐quality water sources, and increasing water demand. Potable reuse is one component of an integrated water management approach many utilities are exploring.

Integrated water management using feasible goals method and interactive decision maps: the case of Odivelas irrigation

In Mediterranean areas water scarcity is a real problem and stakeholders have conflicting visions and interests. This paper aims to determine feasible and efficient combinations of stakeholder goals using an integrated water management approach. A framework based on the Feasible Goals Method/Interactive Decision Maps (FGM/IDM) technique to approximate all Pareto optimal solutions of a linear multi-criteria model was developed. The model was applied to the Odivelas irrigated area in southern Portugal and a participative decision making was obtained considering multiple stakeholders goals that are in conflict.

Assessing the potential of using water reclamation to improve the water environment and economy: scenario analysis of Tianjin, China

Tianjin City in China is a typical area that suffers from a serious water resource shortage and pollution problems, and this situation has spurred the use of reclaimed water as an additional source of water and an efficient method of improving water quality. This study aims to assess the reclaimed water utilisation amount available and its potential impacts on the water environment and economy, and proposes applicable approaches to establish the optimal development for Tianjin. A water resources-environment-economic management model was constructed, which was accomplished by dynamic linear optimisation. Through scenario analysis, Tianjin's optimal reclaimed water recycle rate can reach 56%, with 475 × 106 tons of reclaimed water amount available (supporting 22% of the water supply), while bringing sufficient environmental and economic benefits, such as reducing 20% of water pollutants and maintaining 6.3% annual economic growth by 2020. This research also suggests that an integrated water management approach is preferable, including a proper introduction of technologies suited to the region's needs, a support system for construction, and control of water pollutant emission sources, especially in agriculture. The originally formulated water management system can be easily applied and extended to solve water issues, especially for water recycling.

The potential of water reuse as a management option for water security under the ecosystem services approach

Focusing on the water–energy–food nexus, this paper revisits water reuse as a management option for water security under the ecosystem approach. The case of Singapore is presented as an example where water near self-sufficiency has been achieved through careful planning and leveraging of technology. Water reuse features prominently amongst other innovative integrated water management approaches. Although the application of water reuse technologies is very limited in the UK, there is a lot of potential both from a business and from an environmental point of view. The Anglian region, being extremely dry and hosting highly water-intensive economic activities, is classified as seriously water stressed. Water reuse is, therefore, of particular interest, especially considering the multiple benefits that are derived from ecosystems, i.e. ecosystem services, and how these depend on water availability and quality. Examples of technologies that deliver the highest grade water for reuse are ultra filtration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection (often in combination). Findings demonstrate that water reuse can help in addressing water problems and challenges, particularly when decision-making is from a systems perspective. When ecosystem services are taken into account and are valued properly, water reuse is a sustainable practise that can also be financially profitable.