Water Supply Issues Research Articles

Delhi Water Politics

Delhi’s pace of growth and urbanization are among the most expansive in India; however, water quality and supply continue to be a highly contentious issue within the media and everyday lived experience. This paper seeks to break down the way issues of water supply and quality are presented in the media towards more critical approaches to water access. Namely, I will investigate less visible narratives of water that do not hold a spotlight in mainstream media.

Acceptance and Adequacy of Water Supply Among Flood Victims at the Temporary Evacuation Centres in Kuala Krai, Kelantan, Malaysia

This article discusses the analysis of water supply acceptance and adequacy among flood victims at the Kuala Krai Temporary Evacuation Centres (TECs) in Kelantan, Malaysia. This study applied a quantitative approach using questionnaire. A total of 300 flood victims were randomly selected. The aspects being measured were the types of water resource acceptance as well as the adequacy of water supply according to four main types of domestic activities at the TECs, namely drinking, cooking, bathing and washing. The analysis used was descriptive analysis, a cross-tabulation test to assess the relation of water supply adequacy to respondents' profile and the selected TECs. The findings showed that the bottled/mineral water acceptance by the flood victims was insufficient for drinking and cooking purposes, while the acceptance of rainwater as a water supply for bathing and washing was sufficient. The findings also show that the water supply was insufficient for drinking (84.96%), cooking (85.84%), bathing (61.06%) and washing (53.10%) for female compared to male. Similarly with the married respondents who claimed that water supply was inadequate for all types of domestic activities such as for drinking (74.29%), cooking (66.29%), bathing (53.71%) and washing (50.29%), compared to the unmarried and widowed. Based on TECs, more attention should be given to the water supply at SMK Laloh and SK Kuala Gris as the majority of respondents (>52.17%) stated that the water supply was insufficient for carrying out all domestic activities, compared to SMK Sultan Yahya Petra 2 and SMK Manek Urai Lama. Therefore, water supply management during flood disasters is urgently needed to deal with insufficient water supply issues by increasing the efficiency of water supply distribution so that the Kuala Krai flood victims can get sufficient water supplies at the TECs despite being hit by major floods.

Wheat sustainable supply chain network design with forecasted demand by simulation

One of the most important challenges in any society is the issue of food and water supply. Undoubtedly, agriculture has a major role in water consumption, and grains have the largest use in the food of people. Bread is also an essential commodity in households and constitutes the staple food of many people. Proper investigation and management of its various stages, from production to distribution, can solve many problems. This research optimizes the sustainable supply chain network of wheat and its products. A multi-objective mathematical model is proposed to minimize network costs and water consumption and maximize job opportunities. Then, the multi-objective problem is transformed into a single-objective problem using the meta-goal programming method. Also, the uncertainty of the demand for wheat flour is addressed through simulation. A case study is considered to evaluate the proposed model, and the results, sensitivity analyses, managerial insights, and suggestions for future research are reported.

Pear peeling using infrared radiation heating technology

Infrared radiation (IR) heating could be a potential alternative peeling method to address the long-term water supply and wastewater disposal issues involved in the conventional lye peeling process of pears. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of IR peeling technology as an environmentally friendly alternative practice to efficiently produce peeled pear products with superior quality and yield. A pilot IR Dry-Peeling System consisting of catalytic IR emitters, roller conveyor, and peeler remover was developed and used for this research. Effects of the pear firmness and heating time on the peeling performance and product quality were studied. Under the continuous loading condition, the most desirable peeling result was achieved for Bartlett pears in the initial firmness range of 22 to 31 N after 99 s of IR heating. The results of IR peeling indicated superior product quality with relative thin cooking ring (0.76 ± 0.20 mm), limited peeling loss (9.25 ± 1.25%), and fairly ease of peeling (5.33 ± 1.00). According to SEM photomicrographs of pericarp cross-section, IR heating caused loss of integrity and compartmentalization of cells of the hypodermal layer to only “ripe” pears (firmness of 26.5 ± 2.8 N). Thermal effect of IR heating dramatically disrupted the middle lamella of hypodermal cells and resulted in mechanical failure of those cells and subsequent layer loosening of “ripe” pears.

Water-energy nexus: Floating photovoltaic systems promoting water security and energy generation in the semiarid region of Brazil

Floating photovoltaic systems could be used to mitigate water supply issues by reducing the evaporation rate of water bodies such as weirs. This paper aims to estimate the potential evaporation prevented and the potential electrical energy generated by the installation of floating photovoltaic systems in specific weirs of the Brazilian semiarid region. Moreover, an economic feasibility analysis is carried out regarding energy and water supply. A net present value approach was used to conduct this analysis. The software System Advisor Model was employed to simulate and compare the performance of two photovoltaic systems in the region: floating and ground-mounted. Three scenarios of the surface cover are considered for the weirs: 1) the average area occupied by dead storage of all weirs; 2) 50% of the total area of weirs; 3) 70% of the total area of weirs. Results show that the installation of floating photovoltaic systems over weirs of the Apodi/Mossoró basin would potentially preserve 20.6 Mm³ of water in scenario 1, 83.3 Mm³ in 2 and 124.3 Mm³ in 3. The annual electricity generation estimated in scenarios 1, 2, and 3 is 2.3 TWh, 8.6 TWh, and 12 TWh, respectively. Financial results show that when energy and water cash flows are considered together, payback time diminishes, and the project becomes more economically feasible.

Prediction of changes in climatic parameters using CanESM2 model based on Rcp scenarios (case study): Lar dam basin

By technology development and industrialization of human societies, we have seen an increase in greenhouse gases produced in the earth that causes the occurrence of climate change. By disturbing the balance in different parts of the earth we have seen negative results like a flood, drought, etc., so based on the importance that climate change has on the earth and its residents, and long term prediction of climate parameters has always been of interest. One of the most popular and appropriate methods for evaluation of future climate is using atmosphere general circulation model that by using micro scaling models and different scenarios of climate change, it tries to predict climatic parameters for the future. this research, for predicting climatic parameters in Lar dam basin by using SDSM micro scaling model and by using temperature and daily rainfall of synoptic station area in base period (1984–1995) one wants to create statistical downscaling to estimate climatic oscillations, also model efficiency amount evaluated based on correlation coefficient statistical test R2 and standard error (RMSE) that results confirmed relative and acceptable adaptation of simulated values by model and observed values in basic period (observations), in next level by using outputs of CanESM2 model and based on 3 scenarios of Rcp11Representative Concentration Pathway. 2/6, Rcp 4/5 and Rcp 8/5 they predicted parameters of minimum temperature, maximum temperature and rainfall in period of years (2020–2060). The results of this research show that the temperature average in the considered region (1/01 to 1/12 degree centigrade) and the average rainfall amount increases by about 21/23 percent based on three considered scenarios. By regarding gained results in period (2020–2060) Lar dam region witnessing tangible climate change towards current situation that by regarding Lar dam strategic situation in this region and issue of water supply by the dam, long term and strategic planning is necessary for the management of these conditions.

Application of multi yield analysis approaches to reservoir system

Yield is used to characterise the capacity of a water resource. It is a fundamental water-supply planning concept, and an understanding of its attributes is critical for those who participate in water-supply issues. This study tends to carry out firm yield analysis by employing both the accumulated difference method (ADM) and reverse chronology method (RCM) in order to ascertain the minimum storage capacity required to sustain the required yield of kainji reservoir system without interruption. In applying (ADM), the inflows were accumulated and the difference calculated. The minimum inflow within the year of record was determined to be the firm yield. The yield of 30x109m3 was hypothetically chosen to determine the minimum capacity to sustain it without interruption during the period under record. Similarly the firm yield analysis was also done by employing the method of reverse chronology (RCM) to confirm the result in the accumulated difference method. This method is based on the premise that what is the minimum volume that has to be in storage at the end of the previous year plus the inflow can meet the demand during the current year. This was carried out by starting with the last year of the record and working back to the first year and the difference between the inflow and the required yield was determined. The shortages were then observed form the difference obtained; the maximum shortage was then selected as the required capacity.The firm yield was determined to be 22.7283×109m3. The minimum capacity required to sustain a yield of 30×109m3 per annum (the average annual demand) without interruption during the period under record was determined to be 7.3431×109m3. The interaction between the reservoir elements were significant considering the correlation matrix applied.

Automated Irrigation and Crop Prediction

This project is based on a national issue, of shortage of water in the villages and the problem that exists in irrigation. The idea came from an interview of Hon. Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi who once addressed the issue of water supply to the crops,the basic idea being, the water supplied to the crops should be in adequate quantity such that there should not be any wastage of water. A solution to it is by designing a water supply system which will take into consideration the moisture level of the soil and dispense the water according to the need of the soil, which would not damage the crop and also water utilization won’t be excessive. Also, Selection of crops is an important issue for agriculture planning. This selection should depend upon various parameters of the soil such as the soil type, its texture, and the amount of nutrients present in the soil. It is very essential to ensure that the nutrients required by the crops are either already present in the soil or are added by the farmers in appropriate quantities.

Current Situation and Issues of Water Supply

Current Situation and Issues of Water Supply

Local Experts as the Champions of Water Security in the Nepalese town of Dhulikhel

This commentary paper examines our local expert engagement methodology that we developed to understand water supply issues as well as to inform the direction of our action research conducted in Dhulikhel, a small town in Nepal. Through three years of field-based research at Dhulikhel, our inquiry uncovered a range of data ‘gaps’ and emergent as well as long-term conflicts around increasingly scarce water resources. To respond to this gap and contribute to inclusive water management, we developed and used a local expert engagement method, through which we were able to pool and mobilise a rich repertoire of hybrid knowledge from a range of local experts in Dhulikhel and others from nearby towns. The method of expert engagement was simultaneously linked to deliberations among local water stakeholders concerned with water supply management. Based on the lessons from this work, we argue that rich local expertise exists in water management and policy in Nepal, one that transcends the dichotomy between indigenous and scientific knowledge. We also show that as formal scientific knowledge becomes hybridised in different ways, this creates an important and actionable opportunity for advancing local science-policy processes to support water security agendas across the country.

Potential microbial transmission pathways in rural communities using multiple alternative water sources in semi-arid Brazil.

Water scarcity combined with high incidences of diarrhoeal disease amongst many rural communities, suggests that the provision of 'safe' water supplies remains a challenge. Subsequent reliance on multi-source water supplies means that microbial transmission pathways may be numerous and complex. This study aimed to identify and elucidate water supply issues and potential microbial transmission pathways at the household level in rural communities in semi-arid Brazil. Community and sanitary surveys were applied to 99 households from 10 communities located in four municipalities of Paraiba State, Brazil. Moreover, physicochemical and microbial parameters were investigated throughout the water supply chain. High levels of faecal indicator organisms (FIO) were detected in water from Water Storage Reservoirs (WSR) and from in-house Drinking Water Storage Containers (DWSC). A decrease in microbial water quality was observed between water stored within WSR's and DWSC's, suggesting potential cross-contamination at the household level. Several common practices were observed among rural residents, such as the use of collection buckets left unprotected outside on the ground, that may have also contributed to the observed decrease. Schematic diagrams illustrating the complex water supply chains and potential microbial transmission pathways were developed to facilitate identification of effective intervention strategies. Decreases in water supply quality were found to be predominantly caused by cross-contamination within the domestic environment due to several factors, including, a lack of awareness and knowledge of 'safe' collection, handling and storage of water, as well as inadequate sanitation services and/or unhygienic practices. In order to improve public health in such communities, more effort should be directed towards education and training of all stakeholders involved in the water supply chain. This would, certainly, support the successful implementation of further WASH interventions, consequently increasing the likelihood of achieving reduction of excreta-borne diseases.

Progress in soil geography I: Reinvigoration

The geography of soil is more important today than ever before. Models of environmental systems and myriad direct field applications depend on accurate information about soil properties and their spatial distribution. Many of these applications play a critical role in managing and preparing for issues of food security, water supply, and climate change. The capability to deliver soil maps with the accuracy and resolution needed by land use planning, precision agriculture, as well as hydrologic and meteorologic models is, fortunately, on the horizon due to advances in the geospatial revolution. Digital soil mapping, which utilizes spatial statistics and data provided by modern geospatial technologies, has now become an established area of study for soil scientists. Over 100 articles on digital soil mapping were published in 2018. The first and second generations of soil mapping thrived from collaborations between Earth scientists and geographers. As we enter the dawn of the third generation of soil maps, those collaborations remain essential. To that end, we review the historical connections between soil science and geography, examine the recent disconnect between those disciplines, and draw attention to opportunities for the reinvigoration of the long-standing field of soil geography. Finally, we emphasize the importance of this reinvigoration to geographers.

Urban sanitation in Nigeria: the past, current and future status of access, policies and institutions.

Though rated among the largest economies in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is currently grappling with enormous socio-economic challenges such as high poverty rate, power and water supply shortages, large-scale unemployment ratio, economic recession and underperforming agricultural sector. Judging by the scale of urgent political and economic importance, urban sanitation definitely ranks low among the government's priorities. No wonder political slogans and manifestos of political parties feature provision of water supply while sanitation is conspicuously usually omitted. This is suggestive of the opinion that having not critically understood the status, challenges and opportunities associated with sanitation in the country's urban areas might be partly responsible for this. Thus, the current work presents a detailed review of the past, current and future status of urban sanitation in Nigeria in terms of access coverage, policies, institutions and future challenges and opportunities. The past status was difficult to evaluate because of the absence of data and unclear definitions of the term 'sanitation'. The current status shows among other findings that water supply issues receive domineering attention than sanitation, mainly due to merging together of discussions, policies and implementation of the two issues together. In cases where sanitation crops up in the agenda, rural areas are favored more than the urban areas. This pattern is also common in the literature. But the future of urban sanitation in Nigeria is double-edged depending on actions or inactions of the government and other stakeholders. The study further makes recommendations for - balanced and sustainable urban development planning, restructuring of land and housing policies and creation of enabling market environment that could trigger a viable sanitation industry - as the way forward.

Exploring the Effects of Alternative Water Demand Management Strategies Using an Agent-Based Model

Integrated urban water management calls for tools that can analyze and simulate the complete cycle including the physical, technical, and social dimensions. Scientific advances created simulation tools able to simulate the urban water cycle as realistically as possible. However, even these tools cannot effectively simulate the social component and quantify how behaviors are shaped by external stress factors, such as climate and policies. In this work, an agent-based modeling tool, urban water agents' behavior (UWAB) is used to simulate the water demand behavior of households and how it is influenced by water demand management strategies and drought conditions. UWAB was applied in Athens, Greece to explore the effect of different water demand management strategies to the reliability of the Athens hydrosystem. The results illustrate the usability of UWAB to support decision makers in identifying how “strict” water demand management measures are needed and when and for how long to deploy them in order to alleviate potential water supply issues.

Nexus approach to solar technology for energy and water supply for sustainable rural development in Egypt: a review

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their interactions in developing countries in general, and in Egypt specifically, form the basis of our review. Issues of energy and water supply, linked to agriculture in rural areas, combine several of the SDGs. The current status and the challenges for solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity production and water supply technologies in rural areas are critically described and an outlook on future developments is provided. The framework of the water–energy–food nexus approach and its relation to the SDGs globally in the MENA region and in Egypt is presented and recommendations are given on institutional governance and research and development to overcome the silo mentality and enhance sector collaboration on all levels as prerequisite to achieving the SDGs. The latest technical developments in PV and water technologies and their opportunities for rural development are outlined. Combined technical solutions are highlighted with examples from Egypt. Specifically, installed systems in various rural locations are presented, and their advantages and shortcomings are discussed. The review provides a context for the studies presented in the Special Section on Solar Energy Solutions for Electricity and Water Supply in Rural Areas, Journal of Photonics for Energy , Volume 9, Issue 4.

Water-Demand Growth Modelling in Puerto Ayora’s Water Distribution Network Using EPANET

This paper elaborates the hydraulic characteristics of the water supply network of the town of Puerto Ayora. First, it intends to replicate the household individual storage by simulating nodal tanks with the use of the EPANET software. Later, it uses the Pressure-Driven Approach (PDA) to develop a methodology that estimates the overflow of storage facilities, one of the main sources of wastage in Puerto Ayora. Finally, it uses the Demand-Driven Approach (DDA), with the aim of assessing the network in the future, under four population growth scenarios. With the chosen moderate growth scenario, two options are suggested in order to tackle the water supply issues at the end of the planning horizon.

Development and assessment of rainwater harvesting suitability map using analytical hierarchy process, GIS and RS techniques

Rainwater harvesting (RWH), which is the collection and storage of rainwater for multiple purposes, is gaining recognition in water supply issues. Selection of harvesting sites is the most critical factor in RWH projects. The objective of this study is to develop a suitability map of RWH sites for a basin in Saudi Arabia. The method used, constitute the identification and assigning weights to criteria, and generation of suitability map using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Eight appropriate criteria were considered. Results showed that excellent and good sites covered about 40.6% of the total available sites. Sensitivity analysis showed that the curve number (CN), slope, rainfall and soil were the most influential criteria. The maximum increase in the percentage area of excellent sites was 92% while good and moderate classes decreased by 43 and 53%, respectively. The developed suitability maps provide useful information to the decision maker for use in water management.

Membrane fouling control by Ca2+ during coagulation-ultrafiltration process for algal-rich water treatment.

Seasonal algal bloom, a water supply issue worldwide, can be efficiently solved by membrane technology. However, membranes typically suffer from serious fouling, which hinders the wide application of this technology. In this study, the feasibility of adding Ca2+ to control membrane fouling in coagulation-membrane treatment of algal-rich water was investigated. According to the results obtained, the normalized membrane flux decreased by a lower extent upon increasing the concentration of Ca2+ from 0 to 10mmol/L. Simultaneously, the floc particle size increased significantly with the concentration of Ca2+, which leads to a lower hydraulic resistance. The coagulation performance is also enhanced with the concentration of Ca2+, inducing a slight osmotic pressure-induced resistance. The formation of Ca2+ coagulation flocs resulted in a looser, thin, and permeable cake layer on the membrane surface. This cake layer rejected organic pollutants and could be easily removed by physical and chemical cleaning treatments, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy images. The hydraulic irreversible membrane resistance was significantly reduced upon addition of Ca2+. All these findings suggest that the addition of Ca2+ may provide a simple-operation, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technology for controlling membrane fouling during coagulation-membrane process for algal-rich water treatment.

Water management and its judicial contexts in ancient Greece: a review from the earliest times to the Roman period

AbstractFrom the earliest times, Greek societies prepared legislation to solve disputes, define access to the water resources, and regulate waste- and storm-water disposal. On the one hand, evidence suggests that in Greek antiquity (750–30 bc), scientific progress was an important agent in the development of water management in some cities including institutional and regulatory issues. In most cities, it seems not to have been a prerequisite in relation to basic agricultural or household requirements. Previous studies suggest that judicial insight rather than practical knowledge of water management became a vital part of how socio-political and religious organizations dealing with water management functioned. The evidence indicates an interest in institutional matters, but in some instances also in the day-to-day handling of water issues. Thus, the aim of this review is to follow the development of water law and institutions and their technical solutions in the Greek states during the Archaic through the Roman periods. In addition, it demonstrates that the need for water management regulations is not a modern creation, but there is a long tradition of solving complex issues of water supply and use with rather sophisticated legal measures.

An ethnography of policy: water reuse policy in Kenya

Abstract Water scarcity and inadequate infrastructure for sanitation are two challenges that are emblematic to Kenya and other developing nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Under such circumstances, water reuse has the potential to address these challenges but only under a favourable policy environment. In this paper, policy documents were considered as the ethnographic object to understand how people talk about water reuse in Kenya through policies, plans, regulations and guidelines. Using a general inductive approach to content analysis, the findings suggest that Kenya's policy on water reuse has progressed, especially in the recognition of the potential of reused water for addressing water scarcity, pollution, cleaner industrial production, food production, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. While many of the water reuse issues have been discussed under water and irrigation, environment and industrialization, other key sectors such as food and agriculture, housing, urban development and health remain silent on water reuse. Therefore, there is a need to take water reuse conversations beyond the water, environment, and industrialisation sectors if we are to address the water supply and wastewater management issues. Likewise, the study reminds us of the importance of foregrounding public perception and harmonized institutional arrangements in the success of water reuse in the country.