Managing Water Consumption Research Articles

Abstract Water troubled administrators of the colonial regime and residents in Hong Kong during the first three decades of the post-war period. The colonial regime attempted to remedy water shortages by exploiting additional water supplies and by improving its administration of water usage. Using archival records in Hong Kong and London, as well as unofficial sources such as local newspapers, this article studies an under-explored demand-side maneuver, separate water metering, introduced by the colonial government in Hong Kong in 1965, and its sociohistorical role in managing water usage. With an improved legibility of water consumption for both local households and the government, separate meterage prompted households to use water more wisely and economically. This article demonstrates that separate meterage expanded the state’s capacity to manage household water consumption and strengthened societal efforts in water conservation. The combination of technology, financial incentives and persuasion—a “pragmatic-persuasive” governing strategy—planted “save water” in the minds of residents which involved households in the water administration to a greater extent. Separate meterage transformed public perceptions of water consumption in the long run and fostered the emergence of civic obligation over water conservation in Hong Kong. This article thereby makes an original contribution to the political and social history of Hong Kong, colonial statecraft, and water management.

PurposeThis paper’s purpose is to contribute to the financial management knowledge literature by presenting the framework of water accounting factors and evaluation of its identified factors through an argumentation-based Fuzzy-DEMATEL approach.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted mixed, inductive and deductive approaches to develop a water accounting framework, validate its practicability and verify its effectiveness in selected firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). In developing the framework and implementation procedure, the study employed an exploratory data collection (qualitative) approach to review the phenomenon of water accounting factors. Then, in this study’s second phase, Fuzzy-DEMATEL is used to evaluate the areas identified in the presented framework. In this study, Fuzzy-Delphi is also used to verify the reliability of the core components so that it is possible to generalize the factors to the Fuzzy-DEMATEL process.FindingsThe results obtained from the process of ground theory indicate the identification of 3 categories, 6 core components and 29 propositional themes, which are considered to constitute the framework of water accounting. Besides was determined in the quantitative phase that the optimal water consumption efficiency is considered the most effective component of implementing water accounting in capital market firms.Originality/valueThis research is one of the few studies in the field of water accounting framework and Fuzzy evaluation of its functions in the capital market. Because prior research has only described the importance of financial functions and sustainability in the form of a case study, this study seeks to achieve a framework for the implementation of water accounting. Also, through the evaluation of Fuzzy-DEMATEL, this study tries to develop the strategic functions of firms in managing water consumption. The originality of this study is, firstly, the identification of the driving fields of the water accounting, and secondly, the study follows the Fuzzy-Delphi and Fuzzy-DEMATEL of the factors identified in the TSE. Both implications raised in this section show the knowledge-enhancing and practical capacities of the study.

This study investigated the use of an intelligent irrigation system for greenhouse cucumber cultivation, aiming to manage water consumption efficiently. During the initial phase, irrigation was tested at four levels: 80%, 90%, and 100% of Field Capacity (FC), and Conventional Flood Irrigation (CFI). Data on environmental conditions and water usage were meticulously recorded. Optimal yields and crop quality (measured by size and firmness) were achieved at CFI and 100% FC, with CFI consuming the most water (0.148 m3/m2) Consequently, 100% FC was identified as the best practice, informing the intelligent system's calibration in the subsequent phase. This adjustment resulted in reduced water consumption and a 15.6% improvement in Water Use Efficiency (WUE) over CFI. Additionally, by examining the product performance and the color characteristics, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis of the leaves, it was observed that the quality and optimal water supply and the product performance were maintained in the smart irrigation system. The study concludes that, considering long-term outcomes, the intelligent irrigation system is preferable to CFI, offering significant water savings and enhanced WUE without compromising crop quality.

Water is the most important resource for human life and all living organisms. Water automation is the management and tracking of water use and control of water in different places. This automated water supply management system for urban areas can be used to uniformly distribute water for their daily consumption and monitor water storage tanks to reduce water losses by estimating water consumption and water level. All these operating steps are linked by a programmable interface controller (PIC) with delay communication via the GSM module and facilitate process control. When designing a water supply system for any facility, it is first necessary to determine how much water and what quality must be supplied to this facility. To solve this problem, it is necessary to take into account as fully as possible all possible water consumers and establish their requirements for the quantity and quality of supplied water.The article explores the issues of automation and control of the water supply system in a residential complex. Modern technologies and approaches to automating the processes of control and distribution of water in residential buildings and complexes are considered. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of smart systems to monitor and manage water consumption, ensuring optimal consumption, reducing losses and improving efficiency. Automation of water supply not only helps save resources, but also increases convenience and safety for residents. The article also discusses examples of successful implementation of automated systems in various residential complexes and prospects for their development in the future.

Abstract. UCC has been a leading institution for sustainability in Ireland and beyond for a number of decades. The approach at UCC has been to integrate sustainability within the operations, teaching, research and engagment activities of the University. Operationally UCC implements best practice in managing water consumption and disposal. Through our Green Campus programme, students, academic and professional services staff are actively engaged in environmental management on campus. Our water conservation efforts have followed the approach taken with energy management through our Saver Saves scheme. This scheme established Green Teams within Buildings and a revolving fund mechanism whereby teams were incentivised to reduce consumption and supported to implement projects specific to their individual setting. A major exercise to baseline water consumption was undertaken a number of years ago and drawing on these findings, specific projects have been implemented to improve efficiency. This paper will explore sustainability at UCC across operations, teaching, research and engagement with a specific focus on water. Keyword: Sustainability, energy consumption, single-use plastics, university

Commiphora gileadensis (L.) C. Chr is a perennial plant existing mainly in the southern and western mountains of the Arabian Peninsula. In the Makkah province, the remaining populations are threatened by many factors such as overcutting, overgrazing, and urban developments. These dangers are expected to be aggravated by the progression of aridification factors arising from climate change. To overcome the decline in remaining populations of this valuable species, a timely evaluation of the population’s genetic variables and genetic structure is vital for the conservation of existing C. gileadensis populations. In this study, we used 61 SSR primers to achieve this objective. Only 50 loci showed polymorphisms, which led to further analysis of the population genetics for 600 genotypes that were collected from 50 populations of C. gileadensis found in 10 different sites in the Makkah region: Gebel Al Muliesaa, Wadi Albathna, Wadi Houra, Wadi Albaidaa, Wadi Elebiedia, Gebel Kniethl, Wadi Sayaa, Wadi Elbarasa, Wadi Alfawara, and Wadi Alkharar. The results showed an obvious decrease in genetic diversity variables in all studied populations. The range of PPL was between 8 and 40; additionally, the low HT value of 0.804 and the high value of inbreeding, Fis = 0.238, reflected a severe lack of heterozygotes. High levels of FST and GST and low gene flow indicate considerable segregation among the C. gileadensis populations, which creates a barrier to gene migration. Our data suggest the need for conservation planning for C. gileadensis in order to avoid the species’ forthcoming extinction. Efforts should be largely oriented around managing water consumption, prohibiting overcutting and overgrazing, and establishing appropriate seed banks.

PurposeThe objective of this research is to develop an solution to water management at the scale of buildings, through the technological resources. Automating analysis using 3D models helps increase efficiency in buildings during the operational phase, consequently promotes sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThis study presents a methodology based on Design Science Research to automate water management at building scale integrating BIM-IoT-FM. Data from smart meters (IoT) and the BIM model were integrated to be applied in facilities management (FM) to improve performance of the building. The methodology was implemented in a prototype for the web, called AquaBIM, which captures, manages and analyzes the information.FindingsThe application of AquaBIM allowed the theoretical evaluation and practical validation of water management methodology. By BIM–IoT integration, the consumption parameters and ranges for 17 categories of activities were determined to contribute to fulfill the research gap for the commercial buildings. This criterion and other requirements are requirements met in order to obtain the AQUA-HQE environmental sustainability certification.Practical implicationsTraditionally, water management in buildings is based on scarce data. The practical application of digital technologies improves decision-making. Moreover, the creation of consumption indicators for commercial buildings contributes to the discussion in the field of knowledge.Originality/valueThis article emphasizes the investigation of the efficiency of use in commercial buildings using operational data and the use of sustainable consumption indicators to manage water consumption.

Managing water consumption per capita using performance indicators: a case study

Developing the power plants in any country is considered an economic development strategy as it changes the country’s market despite the competitive pressures. However, to grow the electricity market, policymakers need to evaluate the domestic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of electric power plants. So, the necessity of a strategic plan for the power plants is inevitable to reach the goals such as eliminating the shortcomings, and meeting the desired criteria of an organization, such as more market share, acceptable profitability, customer satisfaction, increasing profit growth rate, and productivity through economic and cost-effective operations. Therefore, in this paper, the Zarand power plant in Iran is chosen as a case study to develop the associated strategies and rank them. A power plant strategic plan was generated by using a SWOT matrix. Then, the developed strategies were prioritized using a quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM) and the best-worst method (BWM). The results confirm that developing the main product (electricity power), managing water consumption, and providing equipment are the most critical strategies for the Zarand power plant. Findings also demonstrated that the results of the BWM method are more accurate and correct than the QSPM method for prioritizing strategies

There are many problems related to water in Indonesia, ranging from floods to water crises. One of the things we can do is manage water consumption so that we can use water effectively and wisely. The problem of excessive anggd unwise water use can be overcome by water consumption management.. In this study, a water consumption management system incc the household is created, which includes monitoring and control so that we can monitor and control it and also have a history of daily water use. The system will be made using Arduino Uno as controller and will be displayed on the LCD and the website. Based on research, the following conclusions were obtained: Successfully implemented IoT based home water monitoring using Arduino, Successfully designed a tool for water tank management based on Arduino Uno, the results obtained by the tool can detect when the water is full, and the water pump turns off automatically so that the water does not fill again and the tank will not be full. The average error of this system is 6.16 %. The bigger volume will make the error value decrease.

Micro-economic analysis of domestic water demand: application of the pseudo-panel approach

Managing water consumption is vital for life preservation. Knowing water and power consumption at homes can have a great impact water saving. This project presents an innovative home security control system, based on controlling door with power and water resource while increasing the added values for security applications. When we in front of the door the IR sensor sense the position and lock the door using key, automatically signal send to the microcontroller. It acts as a brain of the system. After receiving signal switch ON the relay circuit, OFF the power supply, shut off water line using solenoid valve. This would make the security process more efficient and convenient for house owners.

ABSTRACT Managing water consumption is of vital importance in the sustainable development of the tourism industry. In the hotel sector, guests’ good water consumption habits result in greater conservation, leading to more efficient sustainable management of the resource. Sociodemographic profile has been identified as a key factor in explaining the frequency of guests’ displaying good water consumption habits in hotels. However, variables related to guest stay could also be fundamental in predicting guests’ environmental behaviour. Data were collected from 648 surveys administered to guests at a hotel that excels with its good practices in water consumption and management. A generalized linear model with common sociodemographic variables and two stay characteristics variables (length of stay and loyalty) were applied to predict guests’ water conservation habits. Unlike loyalty, the results show that length of stay significantly and positively influenced water conservation habits. In this sense, guests who stay longer at the hotel tend to display greater water conservation habits. In accordance with this, hotel sector strategies aimed at promoting longer stays may prove useful in achieving maximum efficiency in water conservation management.

Conducting field experiments to determine an optimal strategy for managing water consumption in paddy fields is quite time-consuming and expensive. This study applied HYDRUS-2D model to simulate fluctuations in water level and nitrate transfer over the 2 years of 2013 and 2014 at Rice Research Institute of Iran (Rasht). To monitor water-level fluctuations, a piezometer was installed in the plot. Three irrigation management regimes were considered: first, permanent water flooding or irrigating by as much as 1.3 times the amount of evaporation from the evaporation pan (I1); second, applying irrigation treatment by one time the amount of evaporation from the evaporation pan (I2); third, irrigating by 0.7 times the amount of evaporation from the evaporation pan (I3) from the transplanting date to the end of irrigation period (10 days before harvest). Two fertilizing treatments were considered, i.e., C1 = 60 kg N ha−1 and C2 = 60 kg N ha−1 + 5000 kg compost ha−1 equal to 160 kg N ha−1. After model run, observed and simulated values were compared using EF (efficiency factor), RMSE (root-mean-squared error), and nRMSE (normalized root-mean-squared error) indices. The results of EF, RMSE, and nRMSE with respect to water-level changes at the calibration stage were 0.94, 5.39 cm, and 7.6%, respectively. At the validation stage, the results of EF, RMSE, and nRMSE were 0.96, 2.25 cm, and 3.2%, respectively. The nRMSE index showed the model's excellent performance in simulating water-level changes. In the case of nitrate transfer, at the calibration stage, the EF values at the two fertilizer levels of C1 and C2 were 0.60 and 0.85, and nRMSE values were 27 and 9.97%, respectively. At the validation stage, the EF values at the two levels of C1 and C2 were 0.60 and 0.99, and nRMSE values were 13.7 and 1.3%, respectively. Based on the values of nRMSE index, the performance of the model in simulating nitrate transfer was shown to vary in the medium-to-excellent class. Overall, the simulation results showed that the HYDRUS-2D model exhibited an appropriate ability to simulate water movement and nitrate transport either from chemical or compost sources; therefore, it can be used for irrigation and fertilizer management in the case of paddy fields to analyze different scenarios.

Managing water consumption is important for life preservation. Knowing water consumption at homes can have a great impact on water saving. There is a global water crisis due to increasing population growth, climate change, increasing consumption. Giving a report about the state of the planet’s water, especially in developing countries, the report describes the outlook for future generations as worries. To visually check water taps in the house consumes time and requires a family member to be at the house. To remotely do so, we propose a system that monitors, alerts the user and allows the user to control the water flow through taps whenever there is an unusual reading of the water usage at home. The Water Flow Monitoring and Controlling System is an android- based mobile application. It is equipped with external hardware to sense a tap’s water flow rate and control which means turning on or off the water supply line whenever necessary. Registered users can login and view their house’s current water flowage from the mobile application. The external hardware updates the water flow rate at every specified time to a database through the Internet connection. If the users decide to turn on or off the water supply taps at their homes, it can be done through the on or off button provided in the mobile application. A user’s on or off instruction is set within the database. The hardware receives this instruction and performs the desired action.

Fuel ethanol is considered to be a clean alternative fuel to meet increasing energy demands and mitigate environmental pollution. Faced with challenges in terms of energy security and environmental pollution, China is vigorously developing fuel ethanol. However, ethanol-manufacturing is a water-intensive industry; it consumes large volumes of fresh water and generates a corresponding amount of waste water. Expansion of this industry can reduce water quality and cause water stress. This study aims to combine the water footprint (WF) with a water pinch analysis technique to manage water consumption and sewage discharge systematically in an ethanol plant. A well-operated cassava ethanol plant in China was chosen as a case study. The WF of industrial ethanol production was evaluated. The total WF was 17.08 L/L ethanol, comprised of a 7.69 L blue water footprint (BWF), and a 9.39 L gray water footprint (GWF). The direct WF was 16.38 L/L ethanol, and the indirect WF was 0.70 L/L ethanol. Thereafter, a water pinch analysis was conducted, and the optimal direct water reuse scheme was studied. After the water network was optimized, the BWF was reduced by 0.98 L/L ethanol, while the GWF was reduced by 1.47 L/L ethanol. These results indicate that the combined use of WF and pinch analysis can provide the starch-based ethanol industry with an effective tool to improve its water management.

Due to the limited natural water resources and the increase in population, managing water consumption is becoming an increasingly important subject worldwide. In this paper, we present and compare different machine learning models that are able to predict water demand for Central Indiana. The models are developed for two different time scales: daily and monthly. The input features for the proposed model include weather conditions (temperature, rainfall, snow), social features (holiday, median income), date (day of the year, month), and operational features (number of customers, previous water demand levels). The importance of these input features as accurate predictors is investigated. The results show that daily and monthly models based on recurrent neural networks produced the best results with an average error in prediction of 1.69% and 2.29%, respectively for 2016. These models achieve a high accuracy with a limited set of input features.

Abstract Adaptive approaches are required to counteract the mounting threats to water security. Demand management will feature centrally in such adaptations. The increase in the use of smart-meter technology offers an improved way for utilities to gauge consumer demand and to supply consumers with consumption feedback in (near) real time. Such feedback can decrease the discrepancies between perceived and actual water usage. In contrast to the energy sector, however, where the advantages associated with smart-meter consumption feedback are extensively documented, few studies have focused on the usefulness of such feedback when it comes to managing water consumption. This review assesses the evidence base for the effectiveness of water-usage feedback technology in encouraging water conservation. The review highlights the potential value of high-granularity smart-meter feedback technology in managing domestic water consumption. Findings from the papers covered in this review (N=21) indicate that feedback was ...

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts in many parts of the world. Since water is an essential resource for many economic activities, water scarcity can cause disruptions that manifest as losses in industrial outputs. These effects can propagate through economic systems as a result of the inherent interdependencies among economic sectors. Risk management strategies for droughts must therefore account for both direct and indirect effects of water supply disruptions. In this work, we propose a methodology for evaluating drought management strategies by combining economic input–output modeling with event tree analysis. We apply the methodology to a simulated drought scenario affecting the United States National Capital Region. Three risk management strategies, namely, reducing the initial level of water supply disruption, managing water consumption, and prioritizing water-use dependencies, are evaluated based on inoperability levels and cumulative economic losses. Results show that while managing water consumption yields the lowest cumulative economic losses in the region, reducing the initial level of water supply disruption and prioritizing water-use dependencies result in lower inoperability of critical sectors. These findings provide insights for decision makers in identifying critical sectors and formulating timely intervention strategies that minimize the overall effects of drought to economic systems. Further, the proposed modeling framework for drought risk assessment can be applied to other regions to evaluate the effects of drought severity and management strategies over the drought timeline.

Water shortages are an increasingly significant social and economic issue in many countries. Increasing the supply of water is one solution (e.g. desalination plants, new dams), but such measures are expensive. Using price to manage household water demand may be viewed as socially unequitable and politically contentious. Social marketing campaigns, where voluntary behaviour change is the goal, provide the potential to foster sustainable consumption of an increasingly scarce yet essential resource. This paper details a case study of successful water demand management in a drought affected region of South‐Eastern Australia. In this region, water consumption was reduced to more sustainable levels through a targeted and successful social marketing campaign. This case is of significant relevance to the field of Social Marketing where there are increasing calls for research into environmental issues in general and water consumption in particular (Kotler, 2011). The extant research literature and this case study are integrated to form several propositions about household water consumption behaviour. Consequently, this paper contributes to the literature by providing a conceptualisation of how residents respond to water conservation related social marketing campaigns. Key issues include the potential for reciprocal behaviour by consumers when a water authority is perceived to manage the water problem effectively, and linking behaviour change through structural approaches (e.g. subsidies and restrictions) and voluntarist approaches (e.g. attitudinal change). Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.