Water Supply Problems Research Articles

THE PROBLEM OF ECOLOGICAL RISK ZONES IN THE COASTAL AREAS OF THE CRIMEA

Ensuring environmentally safe conditions for the use and development of coastal areas, which usually have a high level of urbanization, is an important engineering and socio-economic task, since it requires tak-ing into account environmental factors of natural and man-made environments when optimizing planning solutions for development and organization of activities. The work is devoted to the study and identification of areas of environmental risk in the current resort and recreational, residential and industrial areas, com-plex environmental conditions and prospects for the development of coastal areas of the Crimea (for exam-ple, recreational complexes of the southern coast of Crimea). When conducting research of problem areas, the structure of the drainage system, with an emphasis on stormwater, areas of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the impact of highways, has been studied in detail. Conducted researches allowed to establish for all in-vestigated water objects changes of water quality due to the flow of non-canalized domestic sewage, the storm sewers, sewage waters of individual small private enterprises, the unorganized surface drain during rains, a high recreational load on separate beaches. The highest level of pollution, including microbiological, coastal marine waters are observed when they are to several sources of pollution at the same time. Considered possi-ble measures to reduce or overcome negative processes in the environment. In order to improve the ecologi-cal condition and recreational value of coastal beaches, it is necessary to redistribute the flow of residents throughout the coastal zone, to solve the problems of water supply, sanitation of territories for the placement of solid waste and other waste, and to take preventive and technical measures for the protection of coastal recreational zones. The research results can be used in the development of projects for the reconstruction of the territory of coastal settlements of the southern coast of Crimea while ensuring environmental safety.

Fluoride removal from aqueous solution onto activated carbon of Catha edulis through the adsorption treatment technology

BackgroundNowadays freshwater quality deterioration and quantity depletion are rapidly increasing across the globe. Especially fluoride polluted groundwater is causing a severe shortage of water supply and public health problem. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the performance of activated carbon produced from the Catha edulis stem for the removal of fluoride from aqueous solution. A C. edulis stem sample was collected from dumping sites of Addis Ababa City and its activation and carbonation processes were performed using H2SO4 and a high temperature of 600 °C. The experimental study was designed to use a full factorial approach with a 33 which were the three factors with the three levels, namely pH (2, 7 and 9), contact times (60, 90 and 120 min) and adsorbent doses (0.5 g, 1.0 g and 1.5 g in 100 mL) at the initial fluoride concentration 30 mg/L which resulted in 81 experimental runs in triplicates.ResultsThe calculated maximum adsorption capacity of 18 mg/g was found under the Langmuir isotherm, whereas the Freundlich model (R2 0.98) better fitted the experimental data, which indicated that the adsorption process was multilayer and cooperative. The maximum fluoride removal of 73% was observed at the optimum condition of adsorbent dose of 1.5 g in 100 mL contact time of 60 min and pH 2, whereas the predicted value of the fluoride removal of 69% was calculated under the same experimental condition. Fluoride removal was positive and strongly influenced by the adsorbent dose, whereas the adsorption pH was negatively and weakly impacted on removal.ConclusionsGenerally, the performance of activated carbon for the removal of fluoride from aqueous solution is promising. The study also indicated that C. edulis activated carbon is a potential candidate for water treatment technology.

Effect of Frequency of Multi-Source Water Supply on Regional Guarantee Rate of Water Use

Multi-source, combined water supply models play an increasingly important role in solving regional water supply problems. At present, in the area of regional water supply, models are mainly used to study the problem of overall water guarantee rate, and do not take into account the impact of the uncertainty of multi-source water supplies on water supply risk. There is also a lack of research on how changes in multi-source water supplies affect sub-region and sub-user water guarantee rates. To address this knowledge gap, the encounter probability of different frequencies and a refined water resources allocation model of multi-source supplies were used. Using Tianjin as an example, this paper studies the quantitative relationship between the uncertainty of multi-source water inflows and the regional guarantee rate of water use. The objectives of the study are to analyze the changing trend of the water shortage rate and the main body of water supply in each region, and to quantitatively describe the influence of the variation of multi-source water supply on the main body of water supply for users. The results show that under the same requirement of guarantee rate for water use, as the number of water diversion sources increase, the probability of water supply meeting the water use rate increases significantly, and the risk to water supplies decreases. At the same time, suburban areas have a low dependence on external water supplies, while the change in the quantity of external water sources has a great impact on the water supply of the Zhongxinchengqu and Binhaixiqnu areas. The distribution and main body of water supply will change for different water users. Therefore, it is important to ensure a stable supply of external water for maintaining the guarantee rate of regional water use.

Permeability of Clays and Shales

The low permeability of clays, shales, and other argillaceous lithologies makes them key controls of transport and deformation processes in the crust but is known for being challenging to characterize. As muds are modified by compaction and diagenesis to low-porosity shales, permeability can decrease by six or more orders of magnitude, but at large scales it is often dramatically and unpredictably increased by fractures, faults, and other features. Testing and inverse modeling show that petrophysical properties and the geological environment are dominant controls of clay and shale matrix permeability and its scale dependence. Active sedimentation and tectonism on continental margins cause large-scale permeability to vary with time, but in stable continent interiors it is unclear how regional permeability of argillaceous formations changes over time or, in most cases, what controls it. Although rarely considered, it is also unknown whether Darcian permeability adequately describes flow in clay-rich materials. ▪ Critical for problems in energy, water supply, waste isolation, and geologic hazards, clay and shale permeability remains problematic. ▪ Test data and inverse model analyses are beginning to reveal where and how permeability of clay and shale changes with scale. ▪ In clays and shales, causes of permeability scale effects, their time dependence, and even flow behavior continue to raise questions.

Application of bi-objective genetic programming for optimizing irrigation rules using two reservoir performance criteria

ABSTRACT A bi-objective genetic programming (BO-GP) algorithm is developed and applied to optimize the operating rules of the Aidoghmoush reservoir (East Azerbaijan in northeastern Iran). The two-objective optimization problem maximizes reservoir reliability and minimizes the vulnerability index associated with the supply of agricultural water. The developed BO-GP algorithm calculates Pareto possibility frontiers representing loci of optimal operating policies. Any operation policy is calculated by the BO-GP based on the inflow volume to reservoir, the storage volume, and the water demand volume that minimize vulnerability and maximize reliability. The application results show a successful performance of the BO-GP algorithm in solving the bi-objective water supply problem with reservoir operation. This paper’s results establish that the system vulnerability and its reliability range between 16–41% and 46–78%, respectively.

Ετοιμότητα των Νοσοκομείων στην Αντιμετώπιση Καταστροφών: Ανασκόπηση Παραγόντων Τρωτότητας

Hospitals suffer just the same by certain disasters, thus entering a “victim” state. The disruption of their smooth operation may be due to a serious event of either internal (e.g. fire) or external origin (e.g. earth- quake). This paper aims to identify the vulnerability fac- tors of hospitals in the event of disasters that could make the hospital a victim. Following a bibliographic search (PubMed), 31 papers were used as study material. Findings show that electricity, water and communications are major vulner- abilities with significant secondary effects, while gener- ators (more precisely their failure) are the Achilles heel of hospitals. Microbiology, radiology, pharmacy, dialy- sis, surgery, sterilization, feeding and nutrition depart- ments along with centralized management are the most common departments that prove to be vulnerable. Observed malfunctions, especially in electricity, commu- nications and water supply cause secondary “side effects” that eventually turn into care problems and in many cases may lead to evacuation. Taking into account the time needed to address these failures, it stands to reason that the impact on care is long-lasting. Con- structing hospitals in accordance with strict building regulations, preventing problems in generators, water supply and communications, solving co-ordination and co-operation problems, improving disaster plans and offering practical training is effective fields of action. Further research is required both on the impact of dis- asters on hospitals and on solving the identified prob- lems. Experiences from researchers can help minimize hospital failures and protect society.

The sustainability of the Italian water sector: An empirical analysis by DEA

The sustainability of the development of water resources is a pressing challenge. Natural forces, economic pressure and increasing population determine a significant growth in water use and pollution not supported by highly inefficient water supply practices. In this framework, the Italian water services with fragmented management, highly deficient collection and treatment of wastewater - and existing and potential problems in water supply in some areas of the country – explains the reasoning of the drastic restructuring introduced by Law 36/1994 (Act n. 36 on Water Resources, 1994). The impossibility of avoiding natural monopoly and the necessity to industrialize the whole sector determined the imposition of a “for the market” competition in order to exploit possible economies of scale and scope. In this work, a group of Italian water utility companies is used to assess the sustainable efficiency of the Italian water sector, using the mathematical/linear programming of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) on a set of key variables including, water losses (never considered in the previous studies) to assess technical and environmental efficiency. This well-known technique allows evaluating the systems’ efficiency not only by calculating the efficiency of each unit, but also helping policymakers by suggesting corrective policies and measures which could make the inefficient units efficient. This approach can be useful for policymakers to direct decisions towards a more sustainable and efficient water sector.

A New Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Methodology for the Selection of New Water Supply Infrastructure

Reliable and safe access to drinking water is necessary to ensure the economic and social sustainable development of human communities. This task requires a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology to select alternatives for new water supply infrastructure. These alternatives represent significant financial resources and are established for a long lifespan. To support decision-making in the context of building new water supply infrastructure, this study developed an MCDA methodology that integrates a hierarchy of non-economic benefits and the expected costs into a global index. Our methodology was implemented in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia. This city currently has a 60% drinking water shortage, and urgently needs to expand its capacity to satisfy the increasing water demand. The results of this study support the implementation of the best alternative for addressing Santa Marta’s water supply problem by considering the preferences of stakeholders.

Design of Peristaltic Pump with Mechanical Drive of Static Bike as Multi-Function Equipment

Multi-function tool is one of the solutions offered to solve the recent problems of human beings, especially in health and water supply problem. A static bike was one of the fitness equipment resulting in wasted power. In this work, the power of static bike was proposed to drive peristaltic pump which complies water supply for human beings. The peristaltic pump was chosen due to its simple construction and its low torsion requirement to transport water with the height of five meters. The proposed equipment was constructed by the components which were easy to find. It was examined by comparing the time whether hand and static bike driver. The experimental results showed that the proposed equipment which integrating the function of the peristaltic pump and static bike produced multi-function tool which was versatile to do the daily sport of human beings.

Sustainability of clean water supply through ecotourism (A Study in Lembang Subdistrict)

The growth of tourism in Bandung City is also one of the factors that cause the rapid growth of population in Bandung City. This condition will certainly increase the need for a clean water supply for residents in this city. Fulfillment of clean water needs for inhabitants in the city of Bandung conducted by a regional company that is Regional Water Company TirtaWening Bandung that utilizes several sources of clean water such as surface water, springs, and groundwater that is located in the Cikapundung sub-watershed, which is still very potential for the provision of raw water for the needs of the inhabitants of Bandung and the land-used in the Cikapundung watershed itself is very diverse. Lembang subdistrict as the upstream area in this sub-watershed has a significant role in the water supply condition. This study will create a conceptual framework of sustainable tourism for clean water sustainability using a system dynamics approach that integrating land use, tourism, clean water, and sustainable tourism, and is expected to contribute to be an alternative solution to the problem of water supply in urban areas of Cikapundung sub-watershed, especially Bandung City, in the long run.

A Tale of Two Water Supplies in China: Finding Practical Solutions to Urban and Rural Water Supply Problems.

Access to safe drinking water is among the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals. As the largest developing country, China has confronted large challenges to providing safe and sufficient drinking water to its population of 1.4 billion under the conditions of limited water sources and ubiquitous water contamination. This Account outlines these challenges as well as the practical solutions implemented by Chinese water professionals. We first provide a general introduction of the water supply in China. Next, we describe the main challenges of water source shortages and source water contamination. The practical solutions developed by Chinese water professionals are the core part of this Account, to which we have devoted ourselves to and contributed in some issues and cases. The water supply in China is a binary system that reflects the gap between urban and rural communities. Both urban and rural water supplies have been subject to water source shortages and contamination. Water shortages are mainly solved by long-distance water transportation projects. Urban water utilities generally pay attention to organic matter, ammonia, algae, and chemical spills in source water while also focusing on micro-organisms and disinfection byproducts in tap water. Micro-organisms are a widespread concern for rural water supplies, whereas arsenic, fluoride, and ammonia are an endemic concern in some rural communities. Investment in updating of treatment processes significantly benefits urban water supplies, and advanced treatment of ozonation and biologically activated carbon processes are now commonly used to ensure that strict drinking water quality standards are met. However, this is not the case for rural water supplies, where expensive advanced treatment is not affordable. Thus, improving rural water supplies requires approaches such as searching for sources with better water quality, using automated ultrafiltration instruments, or connecting to urban water supply distribution systems. For rural areas with high concentrations of arsenic or fluoride in source water, specific adsorbents are a practical way to help farmers. Similar challenges will be encountered elsewhere in the world; therefore, the practical solutions applied in China will be useful to other countries in different stages of development.

Domestic Water Adequacy of Surakarta, Indonesia: Is it Prone to Vulnerability?

One of the goals of sustainable development is to provide clean water to all. Rapidly growing cities have to deal with limited water resources. Providing safe water is one of the critical issues in the Global South. This article assesses the vulnerability of domestic water supply of Surakarta, a rapidly urbanized medium-sized city in Java. The vulnerability was assessed at the city scale and the household scale. The study recommends establishment of a regional water reservoir as a necessity through regional cooperation. Every stakeholder of cities and regions should be aware of the importance of water. Therefore, the development of collaborative capacity of local governments is one of the key determinants of dealing with the problem of domestic water supply.

Characterizing groundwater quality and seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers of Nagapattinam and Karaikal, South India using hydrogeochemistry and modeling techniques

A severe problem of water supply in eastern coastal India is the saline water intrusion into aquifers due to growing industrialization, urbanization, groundwater withdrawals and sea-level rise. The present study investigated the groundwater quality and sea intrusion in a coastal area of southern India using different techniques. A total of 122 groundwater samples were collected during May 2014 representing summer (SUM) and August 2014 representing southwest monsoon (SWM), and analyzed for 12 chemical parameters (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, NO3−, F− PO4−, Si and TDS). Water quality index (WQI) was used to determine the groundwater quality. The WQI suggests that more samples during SWM are classified as poor quality than in SUM due to multiple factors seawater intrusion, ion exchange, excess withdrawal, sewages impact and agricultural activity. The spatial of Cl−, EC and WQI indicate that Cl− and EC related to poor quality groundwater. Saline water mixing index indicates greater percentage (35%) of samples during SWM, influenced by seawater intrusion noted toward western and eastern localities of the study area. The SEAWAT model attempted describes seawater intrusion noted along the eastern stretches of the study area owing to excess withdrawal and simulation for 50 years suggests further migration inland.

Multidisciplinarity in Research of Extreme Solar Energy Influences on Natural Disasters

The atmosphere is a very sensitive medium to extraterrestrial forces, most importantly, solar electromagnetic radiation and energetic particle intrusion. This released intense solar activity can cause sudden disturbances in the Earth’s atmosphere and further create ground telecommunication interferences, blackouts, transportation problems, water supply problems, potential health effects, as well as natural disasters, such as forest fires. These extreme events can cause billions of dollars of damage and impact individuals, families, communities, and societies. For this reason, it is of crucial importance to investigate the connections between this extreme activity and natural disasters, and further develop ways to prevent, prepare against, and respond to them. The aim of this special issue is to engage a wide community of scientists to de-fragment broaden and improve our knowledge in this field. We invite researchers from all relevant fields to publish their recent investigations in this special issue.

Ocorrência das águas subterrâneas no município de Montes Claros - MG: um estudo de caso utilizando a geotecnologia

O estudo das águas subterrâneas, com a globalização, assume uma importância cada vez mais expressiva, visto que é entendido como um instrumento capaz de prover solução para os problemas de suprimento hídrico. Através de determinadas ferramentas é possível sintetizar o espaço geográfico e aprimorar o estudo deste recurso. Sendo assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a ocorrência das águas subterrâneas no município de Montes Claros-MG, a fim de ampliar o conhecimento hidrogeológico da região. A metodologia baseou-se em uma pesquisa quali-quantitativa com caráter descritivo, através de um estudo de caso realizado no município com a utilização de ferramentas do Geoprocessamento. Os resultados apresentaram satisfatoriedade na utilização da Geotecnologia, visto que foram obtidos dados relevantes da região em estudo, como o mapeamento da superfície freática, das vazões dos poços perfurados e da topografia local. Pode-se concluir que este estudo permitiu a contribuição e o suporte técnico às políticas públicas para a gestão dos recursos hídricos do município.

Removal of Coliform Content in Sewage Treatment Plant Using a Sand Filtration System with Potassium Permanganate Powder

Reuse of refined sewage with two goals of providing more water and protecting the environment from pollution is one of the solutions to water supply problems and one of the potential sources for irrigation in agriculture. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possibility of effluent disinfection using a sand filtration system to reduce microbial contamination with potassium permanganate powder. Each experiment was performed in 3 replications. The results of this study showed that adding 5 weight percent of potassium permanganate powder to silica sand eliminates the removal efficiency of total coliform and focal coliform to 99.99%. By reducing this percentage to 0.15 weight percent of potassium permanganate powder as the optimal amount, the results were the same. Also, the addition of 15 weight percent of potassium permanganate powder with silica sand increased the amount of opacity removal and the removal efficiency was 95.5%. As measured parameters were less than environmental standards. According to the results, the performance of potassium permanganate powder with silica sand is better than other treatments.

How Long Does a 15-Year Drought Last? On the Correlation of Rare Events

Abstract Communities reliant upon the Colorado River system are at risk of water shortages because of fluctuations of the river’s streamflows. The solution to the water supply problem for the Colorado River system lies within a quantitative understanding of these fluctuations during droughts. Streamflow data (direct and inferred) for the Colorado River extend back approximately 1200 years through the analysis of tree-ring records (Meko et al.; Woodhouse et al.). We further analyze these data using a mathematical model to present estimates for the future water supply of the Colorado River by comparing measured streamflows of the past century with the yearly tree-ring data of the Colorado River. We estimate that the Colorado River system’s reservoirs lack enough stored water reserves to last through the current drought, which has been ongoing since 2000. If true, it is essential to reevaluate the way water is used and stored for the Colorado River. The methods presented are relevant to any river system whose streamflow statistics are Gaussian.

Water resource system risk and adaptive management of the Chinese Heihe River Basin in Asian arid areas

Water scarcity is a challenging environmental problem in global arid regions in the twenty-first century. Global climate change and urban economic development exacerbate the problem of limited water supply and water shortage. In Asian arid areas, water has been being an important economic lifeline to maintain a healthy and sustainable oasis system. This study took the Heihe River Basin (HRB) in China’s north-western arid area as a typical case region, identified an analytic framework of water resource system risk (WRSR) and analysed systematically the WRSR degree from the different perspectives. The results indicated that the runoff from mountainous watershed showed an increasing trend, but the total amount of watershed water resource showed a decreasing trend in the HRB in the past 50 years. Besides serious drought risk in recent 20 years, the WRSR is mainly from excessive water use in agriculture irrigation. Overall, the WRSR has increased from the year 2000 onward and is expected to increase and fluctuate in the future. Similarly, the potential WRSR is also huge in some arid watersheds relied heavily on glacial runoff in the world. In order to reduce water scarcity risk, it is necessary to implement and carry out effectively the watershed management policies of water resource; coordinate with the balance between the river and tributaries, surface water and groundwater and water quantity and quality to ensure the reasonable water supply in the different regions and water sectors; and promote rational industry structure adjustment and the innovations and applications of water saving and conservancy science and technology.

Анализ информационных систем инновационного управления организациями городского водохозяйственного комплекса

The paper features some relevant issues of developing an adequate policy in the field of urban water supply. The authors analyze the information systems of innovative management of organizations of the urban water utilization scheme, recycling of water resources and sewage. They identify the specifics of information systems from the point of view of their use in the Russian practice of sustainable water supply. The research involved analytical and logical methods, as well as theoretical developments in the field of management of urban organizations. As a result, the authors managed to identify the tools for the strategy of sustainable urban water utilization scheme. They prove that its development is hindered by the lack of comprehensive and reliable information to support strategic development, policy development, and management decisions. Based on the analysis of information systems, they point out topical issues that need to be addressed at various levels and introduce new principles for the urban water utilization scheme. Sustainable urban development is inextricably linked with the solution of the water supply problem, including recycling of water resources and sewage. The paper offers some provisions for a sustainable urban water supply strategy.

State of Play on the Physicochemical Quality of Waters Stored in Concrete Tank Buried Under Wet and Polluted Soil: The Case of the City of Pointe-Noire (CONGO)

The problem of water supply from the public distribution network is still very acute in many cities in developing countries. The intermittent supply of water is forcing some households to build underground tanks of reinforced concrete to store domestic water. This work shows the problem of sustainability of water storage tanks made of concrete, in an aggressive environment but also especially the physicochemical quality of water stored in. The methodological approach chosen is based first of all on the physicochemical analysis of the water stored in these tanks. Indeed, the reliability of tanks, which reflected in their impermeability overlooked external environment, has a direct impact on the quality of stored water and therefore the use that is made daily. In this context, the results of the physicochemical measurements carried out, the comparison of the water coming out of the treatment plant of the National Water Distribution Company (SNDE), made it possible to highlight indices of pollution in the stored waters contained in the buried tanks.. Some samples of stored water, about 42.10%; which poses a public health problem. These results have clearly demonstrated the porous nature of the concrete chosen as the base material used for the construction of said tanks. Thus, anthropogenic pollution is evoked, which is confirmed by the high levels of physicochemical parameters measured in samples RE01, RE02, RE03, RE04, RE04, RE05, RE10, RE11 and RE12. In addition, 57.9% of these stored waters have low mineralization. These are acceptable as drinking water (RE06, RE07, RE08, RE09, RE13, RE14, RE15, RE16, RE17, RE18 and RE19). These waters identified as such must be subject to specific treatment and time monitoring. These results were obtained during dry season. During this period, there is drawdown of ground water. In rainy season, ground water is enhanced and exchanges are more important.