Sufficient Water Resources Research Articles

Assessing the impact of agriculture value chains on food and water environments in Meerut District, India

AbstractWater and food are interconnected elements crucial for agricultural production and food security. While sufficient water resources have facilitated significant food production, intensive agricultural practices have contributed to the degradation of water resources. Agriculture value chains play a pivotal role in shaping food systems and can lead to virtual water movement through the production and trade of water-intensive crops. These chains affect both water and food environments, with water being a driver and food determining factors like availability and accessibility. Despite the economic benefits, agriculture value chains pose non-economic challenges, including environmental and social impacts. The focus on profitability often overlooks sustainability and equity concerns, leading to mono cropping and exclusion of small farmers from markets. This trend is evident in Meerut district, situated in the fertile Indo Gangetic plain and a top farming state in India. Despite its agricultural potential, the district has shifted towards sugarcane monoculture, impacting water and food environments. This study aims to explore the complex relationship between agriculture value chains, water sustainability, food availability and accessibility. The objectives include understanding these interlinkages, analyzing baseline scenarios, and assessing the implications of value chains on food and water environments. The analysis reveals the adverse effects of sugarcane monoculture on water environment, food environment and agricultural sustainability. To address these challenges, the study puts a way forward to adopt value chains approach for the strategical promotion of crop diversification, emphasizing resilience and sustainability.

PEMETAAN POTENSI SUMBER DAYA AIR UNTUK PERTANIAN LAHAN PRODUKTIF (STUDI KASUS: DESA KAMBUHAPANG DAN DESA KAMBATAWUNDUT)

Desa Kambuhapang and Desa Kambatawundut are villages located in the Lewa District of East Sumba Regency. This area is characterized by arid conditions and experiences an 8-month-long dry season. Most of the population in this region is engaged in agriculture, particularly dryland farming. The main water supply for agriculture in this area comes from low rainfall, resulting in limited water availability. The purpose of this study is to assess the water discharge potential in these two villages. Secondary data, including rainfall data, was obtained from two stations: the Waingapu meteorological station and the Lewa Paku rain station. Additionally, climatological data from 2012 to 2021 was used. ArcGIS 10.7 software was employed to map the area using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data. The Modified Penman method was used to determine evapotranspiration, while the F.J. Mock method was applied to calculate the reliable discharge. The results showed that the average annual water availability, according to the F.J. Mock method, is 16.45 m³/s for the Lay Mbeda River and 16.54 m³/s for the Wai Wei River. The villages of Kambuhapang and Kambatawundut have sufficient water availability, with a total of 74.18% across an area of 63.12 km². The adequate water availability in these two villages is evident from the minimum discharge during the dry season, ranging from 6.60 to 7.12 m³/s. This indicates that the villages have sufficient water resources to support the expansion of productive agricultural land for the local community. The utilization of these water resources could be further optimized by providing supporting infrastructure to increase runoff storage, such as water reservoirs, small ponds, or retention basins.Keywords: mapping, water potential, water availability, waingapu, lewa paku

Catalysing sustainable development through water conservation: Insights from Malaysia

This study aims to investigate the attitudinal predictors (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control) of consumers’ water conservation intentions. The average daily water usage among consumers in Malaysia is 201 litres higher than the recommended 165 litres by the United Nations. Furthermore, based on the National Water Resource Study (2000-2050), water consumption is expected to rise by 103% by 2050. The water issues require decisive action to ensure sufficient clean water resources for future generations. Thus, educating consumers regarding water saving is of paramount importance in ensuring sufficient water resources and achieving SDGs. Data were collected via 320 questionnaires, and Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate a positively significant association between attitudinal predictors and Water Conservation Intention among Malaysian consumers. Interestingly, income level exhibits a clear negative and significant relationship with Water Conservation Intention. This implies that income level does not influence consumer’s attitudes. The findings in this paper contribute to the essential component of holistic and integrated governance frameworks aimed at achieving sustainable and inclusive development for water management in Malaysia. This study contributes to the scarce yet crucial body of evidence regarding water-conservation efforts to ensure sustainable water management practices.

Groundwater in Katowice - center of a large urban and deep coal mining area in Poland

The paper presents the groundwater resources of Katowice and the results of studies conducted to identify prospective areas in aquifers with sufficient water resources for the location of public water intakes. The city of Katowice is the capital of Upper Silesia, the largest urban-industrial area in Poland, the region with a highly developed hard coal mining and many other different industries covering almost the entire scope of the economy. Due to long term drainage of mines causing the depletion and deterioration of groundwater and surface water resources, the main municipal water intakes have been located outside Katowice. Most of the pumped mine water is discharged into surface waters, causing significant salinity of water and disallow its use for municipal or industrial purposes in Katowice. The water collection and supply system is very extensive and covers a significant part of the Silesian agglomeration which is why Katowice is supplied with water from surface water intakes located outside the city. According to older published materials, such as the Hydrogeological map of Poland, there were no aquifers in the city that could have been used to supply the city with drinking water, however recent studies have shown that groundwater in the Quaternary aquifers in the western part of the city can be used to supply the city with public water. Less productive, Quaternary aquifers in north-eastern parts of the city may constitute the basis for drinking water supply in emergency situations, when surface intakes cannot be used, such as toxic, radiological or viral contamination or damage to the water supply network eg. as a result of an earthquake or warfare.

An integrated urban water resources management approach for infrastructure and urban planning

Transportation projects are crucial for the overall success of major urban, metropolitan, regional, and national development according to their capacity by bringing significant changes in socio-economic and territorial aspects. In this context, sustaining and development of economic and social activities depend on having sufficient Water Resources Management. This research helps to manage transport project planning and construction phases to analyze the surface water flow, high-level streams, wetland sites for development of transportation infrastructure planning, implementing, maintenance, monitoring and long-term evaluations to better face the challenges and solutions associated with effective management and enhancement to deal with Low, Medium, High levels of impact. A case study was carried out using the Arc Hydro extension within ArcGIS for processing and presenting spatially-referenced Stream Model. Geographical information systems have the potential to improve water resources planning and management. The study framework would be useful for water resources problem solving by enabling decision makers to collect qualitative data more effectively and gather them into the water management process by a systematic framework.

Well-controlled preparation of WO3-x/WSe2 sponges by electric field-assisted laser-induced plasma deposition for hydrovoltaic

Hydrovoltaic, which converts the energy of water into electrical energy, is a regenerative energy harvesting method that utilizes the earth's sufficient water resources. Electricity production relies on water molecules interaction with functional materials. Strategies like surface modification, structure engineering, and ion doping can be used to increase output performance. We present an electric field-assisted laser-induced plasma deposition method to prepare WO3-x/WSe2 sponges for water-induced electricity generation. By adjusting the electric field strength, we are able to control the porosity, Se vacancies, and O doping of the sponges. These modifications directly impact the performance of water-induced electricity generation by altering the streaming potential and ion diffusion gradient of sponge structures. The prepared WO3-x/WSe2 sponges can participate in the complete water cycle to achieve the energy harvesting of different forms of water, obtaining droplet-induced voltages of 65.4 mV and moisture-induced voltages of 207.1 mV. This overcomes the limitation of single-stimulation water-induced electricity systems that require specific conditions. When exposed to Sunlight, the photosensitive properties of WO3-x and WSe2 can lead to a current up to 7 times higher than that produced in darkness. Furthermore, this research can be expanded to develop other two-dimensional materials and be utilized in various applications, such as the self-powering of flexible and wearable electronic devices.

Response of Matching Degree between Precipitation and Maize Water Requirement to Climate Change in China

The synchronicity of rain and heat in the summer of China’s monsoon region provides sufficient water and heat resources for maize growth. However, the intra-annual distribution of precipitation and the probability of extreme precipitation have been inevitably altered by the ongoing climate change, thus affecting the matching degree between precipitation and crop water requirements (MDPCWR). Evaluating the extent to which the MDPCWR will change in the future is of great importance for food security and the sustainable management of water resources. In this study, considering that different growth stages of crops have different sensitivities to water stress, the AquaCrop model was used to calculate the MDPCWR more accurately. In addition, a cumulative distribution function-transform (CDF-t) method was used to remove the bias of 11 global climate models (GCMs) under two typical emission scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) from phase six of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). A comprehensive investigation was conducted on how maize growth, water consumption, and the MDPCWR will respond to future climate change with CO2 concentration enrichment in the Huang–Huai–Hai (3H) region in China by driving a well-tested AquaCrop model with the bias-corrected GCMs outputs. The results indicate the following: (1) The CDF-t method can effectively remove seasonal bias, and it also performs well in eliminating the bias of extreme climate events. (2) Under the SSP2-4.5 scenario, the average maximum temperature will increase by 1.31 °C and 2.44 °C in 2021–2050 and 2051–2080, respectively. The average annual precipitation will increase up to 96.8 mm/year, but it will mainly occur in the form of heavy rain. (3) The increased maize evapotranspiration rate does not compensate for the decreased crop water requirement (up to −32 mm/year), due to a shorter growth cycle. (4) The farmland cultivation layer is not able to hold a significant amount of precipitation, due to the increased frequency of heavy rains, resulting in increased irrigation water requirements for maize over the next two periods, with the maximum value of 12 mm/year. (5) Under different scenarios, the projected future MDPCWR will decrease by 9.3–11.6% due to changes in precipitation patterns and crop water requirements, indicating that it will be more difficult for precipitation to meet the water demand of maize growing in the 3H region. The results can provide comprehensive information to understand the impact of climate change on the agricultural water balance and improve the regional strategy for water resource utilization in the 3H region.

Conflicts over water and energy resources in Central Asia and their impact on women's rights

Central Asia has sufficient water and energy resources. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have large reserves of fresh water. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have oil and gas. However, conflicts constantly arise between all Central Asian countries over water and energy resources. The purpose of the article is to analyze the key problems in the distribution of water resources and conflicts between Central Asian countries and their negative impact on women’s rights. This study used analysis of research conducted by international organizations, by the National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan, and content analysis of Internet resources. The solution to conflicts over water and energy resources between Central Asian countries lies in the balanced and coordinated use of the existing high potential and reasonable mutual exchange of resources. Negotiated conflict resolution is important for women. The active participation of women in increasing efficiency in the water and energy sector will create the prerequisites for improving the economies of the republics, developing “green” energy, and maintaining the environmental balance. It would help to achieve sustainable development goals in the Central Asian region.

Diversity and Distribution of Large Herbivore Mammals in Kawal Tiger Reserve, Telangana State

The usage of habitat, rate of growth, dispersion, and the reaction of a population to management activities are all factors in estimating the richness of wild animals. However, because there are so many real-world field issues, determining the densities of herbivore animals in the forest is challenging. The current study is conducted in Kawal Tiger Reserve, northeast of Telangana, to estimate the number of big herbivore mammals and learn more about how these animals use various habitats. The direct sighting and line transect methods were applied to collect systematic data. 7 species of large herbivore viz. Bluebull, Four-horned Antelope, Indian Gaur, Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Indian Gazelle, Wild boar were observed during the surveys. Based on the information, the habitat preferences of different large herbivore species in the study area is assessed. Results shows the richness of the species is abundant in the study area due to availability of sufficient food resources, sufficient water resources. No adverse increase or decrease in the quantity of sightings annually. Even if there have been a few local hunting occurrences, they are not noteworthy nor do they appear to have any impact on the extinction of species. It may also lamentably state that our carnivore density is really low.

A Critical Review of Recent Progress in Global Water Reuse during 2019–2021 and Perspectives to Overcome Future Water Crisis

The exacerbation of the global water crisis due to an increase in global population, industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural activities, along with global climate change and limited water resources, makes water reuse inevitable in all continents. By 2030, global water consumption may grow to ~160% of the currently available volume. This study reviews recently published articles (2019–2021) to explore global case studies of water reuse and discusses future perspectives by country based on a literature survey on water reuse. There are 17 obstacles reported worldwide regarding water reuse (e.g., the properties and low amounts of treated water, regulations, financial challenges, etc.) and 10 advantages of utilizing reused water in various fields (e.g., overcoming the global water crisis, improving the economy, benefiting the industrial sector, etc.). The concept of reusing water has been accepted by countries in almost every continent (e.g., Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America); the technical findings from different countries are summarized in this study. The water reuse scenario is not restricted to countries with limited water supply and can be applied to those with sufficient water resources (e.g., Canada and Brazil have also implemented water reuse policies). Water reuse can be utilized by human beings via indirect and direct potable recycling, as well as in agriculture, textile, construction, hotel, groundwater recharge, and aquaculture industries. However, a standard guideline for the application of reclaimed water at a global scale is unavailable. Several perspectives have been suggested for the future utilization of reclaimed water worldwide as an effort to secure and ensure the sustainability of existing natural water resources. Lastly, water reuse may be considered a potential alternative for reducing the burden on water resources in the future.

Analysis of the optimal photosynthetic environment for an alpine meadow ecosystem

The changes in the carbon sink function of sensitive and fragile alpine ecosystems under climate change are widely concerned. Radiation, temperature, and water resources play important roles in regulating carbon assimilation. Therefore, it is important to detect the optimal configuration of environmental factors for the photosynthesis of alpine meadow ecosystems. In this study, based on 10-year flux and corresponding environmental observations in a typical alpine meadow ecosystem, the optimal environmental configuration that could realistically occur in the natural world for photosynthesis was detected. The results indicated that the temperature and water conditions were the primary limiting factors, as radiation resources are abundant on the Tibetan Plateau. The optimal temperature for photosynthesis (TAopt) was determined to be 11.92 ℃ based on the entire observation dataset, with a maximum photosynthetic capacity (GPPmax) of 0.20 mg CO2 m−2 s−1. However, the TAopt and the corresponding GPPmax could be elevated when the soil water content (SWC) was abundant. When SWC exceeded 0.26 m3 m−3, TAopt increased to 13.41 ℃, and the corresponding GPPmax reached as high as 0.30 mg CO2 m−2 s−1, which is the maximum the ecosystem could reach. Thus, the optimal environmental configuration for photosynthesis that could realistically occur in the natural world in this alpine meadow was air temperature (TA)=13.41 ℃, SWC=0.28 m3 m−3, vapor pressure deficit (VPD)=0.61 kPa, net radiation (RN)=411.53 J m−2 s−1. According to this study, it could be inferred that within a reasonable range, higher temperatures and VPD would benefit photosynthesis in this alpine meadow as long as the soil water supply is sufficient. The climate on the Tibetan Plateau is arid with high VPD and is experiencing warming due to climate change. Consequently, alpine ecosystems situated in relatively humid regions with sufficient soil water resources may exhibit greater potential for carbon sequestration than previously estimated.

Evaporation rate for covered and uncovered condition case study: UiTM Shah Alam

High development, urbanization, and industrial activity in urban areas contribute to greenhouse gases emission that increases ambient temperatures. These phenomena influence the hydrological cycle as it speeds up the rate of evaporation in water storage. Sufficient water resource is essential as it helps to grow social and economic activities in a country. The study developed three aluminium evaporation pan models with 225 mm diameter and 80 mm width to measure the evaporation in UiTM Shah Alam. Each pan was covered using ping pong balls as a floating cover with a different percentage of coverage. The percentage of coverage used in the pan models is 0% uncovered, 46.08% covered, and 92.16% covered condition. The observation lasted 12 hours, from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. The 0% uncovered condition had the highest evaporation with 6 mm, followed by the 46.08% covered and 92.16% covered conditions with 3 mm and 2 mm, respectively. Next, the influence of temperature on the evaporation rate in the three conditions was also analysed. The provided floating cover reduces the effect of temperature on the rate of evaporation in urban area.

Effects of Different Micro-Irrigation Methods on Water Use and the Economic Benefits of an Apple–Soybean Intercropping System

Intercropping systems reduce ineffective evaporation between trees but also intensify interspecific competition and reduce productivity. To improve the water-use efficiency and the economic benefits of an intercropping system on the Loess Plateau, China, where rainfall is limited and evaporation intense, an apple–soybean intercropping system with micro-irrigation water control was adopted to analyze the soil water, root density, water-use efficiency, yield, and economic benefits of intercropping under different micro-irrigation methods. Subsurface seepage irrigation, bubbler irrigation, and drip irrigation under mulching were used with irrigation upper limit levels of three maximum irrigation levels [60% (W1), 75% (W2), and 90% (W3) of field capacity (FC)]. Rainwater harvesting from ridges and furrows (GL) without irrigation was the control. Bubbler irrigation increased the soil water content, optimized the vertical soil water distribution, and promoted root growth. Except for the control treatment (GL), the other micro-irrigation treatments increased with the irrigation amount, but the water-use efficiency decreased. Drip irrigation under mulch combined with W2 (75% Fc) irrigation could obtain the maximum intercropping yield, which was increased by 71.1% compared with the GL treatment. Drip irrigation under a mulch combined with W2 produced the maximum intercropping yield; the economic benefits were higher under drip irrigation with mulching combined with W1; and all three micro-irrigation methods combined with W2 improved the economic benefits by 52.1–115.5% compared to GL. Drip irrigation under mulching or bubbler irrigation combined with W2 should be used when there are sufficient water resources, but drip irrigation under a mulch combined with W1 when there is a water shortage.

Designing and calibrating an agent‐based platform to evaluate the effect of climate variables on residential water demand

AbstractMany Iranian metropolises, including Shiraz, are situated in arid and semi‐arid regions, lacking sufficient renewable water resources. In recent years, climate changes, including drought and rising temperatures, have led to changes in water supply and demand. Given the necessity and importance of urban water supply, this study investigates the impact of different climate scenarios on residential water demand. Many studies, in their models, do not consider the social interactions between household water consumers and the change in their consumption behaviour, which serves as a fundamental drawback. Thus, the present research attempts to propose an agent‐based framework by modelling social interactions via the diffusion process to investigate water consumption behaviour efficiently. The model is calibrated and applied to Shiraz City in Iran, according to the data from 2006 to 2019, and it is used to simulate each scenario for the following years until 2032. The findings show that temperature has a positive and significant effect on residential water consumption; yet, rainfall negatively affects water consumption. The simulation results of these scenarios for temperature increase or decrease and rainfall changes are estimated. In addition, the developed agent‐based platform can be easily calibrated and adjusted based on the data of any other city to simulate water demand estimation under different climatic and even economic scenarios. Urban water managers can benefit from such estimates to plan future infrastructure development and proactive management of seasonal water resources under the growing pressure of potential climate change because construing the sensitivity of seasonal water consumption to climate conditions is essential to respond to variations in demand.

Toward waterborne protozoa detection using sensing technologies.

Drought and limited sufficient water resources will be the main challenges for humankind during the coming years. The lack of water resources for washing, bathing, and drinking increases the use of contaminated water and the risk of waterborne diseases. A considerable number of waterborne outbreaks are due to protozoan parasites that may remain active/alive in harsh environmental conditions. Therefore, a regular monitoring program of water resources using sensitive techniques is needed to decrease the risk of waterborne outbreaks. Wellorganized point-of-care (POC) systems with enough sensitivity and specificity is the holy grail of research for monitoring platforms. In this review, we comprehensively gathered and discussed rapid, selective, and easy-to-use biosensor and nanobiosensor technologies, developed for the early detection of common waterborne protozoa.

Afforesting arid land with renewable electricity and desalination to mitigate climate change

Afforestation is one of the most practised carbon dioxide removal methods but is constrained by the availability of suitable land and sufficient water resources. In this research, existing concepts of low-cost renewable electricity (RE) and seawater desalination are built upon to identify the global CO2 sequestration potential if RE-powered desalination plants were used to irrigate forests on arid land over the period 2030–2100. Results indicate a cumulative CO2 sequestration potential of 730 GtCO2 during the period. Global average cost is estimated to be €457 per tCO2 in 2030 but decrease to €100 per tCO2 by 2100, driven by the decreasing cost of RE and increasing CO2 sequestration rates of the forests. Regions closer to the coast with abundant solar resources and cooler climate experience the least costs, with costs as low as €50 per tCO2 by 2070. The results suggest a key role for afforestation projects irrigated with RE-based desalination within the climate change mitigation portfolio, which is currently based on bioenergy carbon capture and storage, and direct air carbon capture and storage plants.

Modeling Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions: Evidence from Borkena Catchment, Awash River Basin, Ethiopia

The availability of sufficient water resources is critical for sustainable social and economic development globally. However, recurrent drought has been a precursor to inadequate water supply in the case of Borkena Catchment, Awash River Basin, Ethiopia. To support the conjunctive use and management of surface water and groundwater in Borkena Catchment, an integrated model was developed using the SWAT–MODFLOW model. The model was designed to operate on a monthly time scale. The change in the water balance obtained from the SWAT–MODFLOW model provides a quantitative means to assess the effect of the climate variability and changes, as well as the impact of human activities, on water resources. To advance the understanding at the regional and local scales, surface water–groundwater interactions in the Borkena Catchment geochemical information and piezometer maps were integrated. The results show that the groundwater recharge in the study area is approximately 122 mm/a. The surface water–groundwater interaction results show that the areas around Harbu and Dessie are characterized as losing rivers, while the areas around Kemisse-Chefa and the highlands of Kutaber, where the Borkena River originates, are characterized as gaining rivers. A geochemical analysis indicated that there is an inter-basin groundwater transfer from the Abbay to the Awash basin. The integrated model generated key temporal and spatial information that is useful for the sustainable conjunctive management of surface and groundwater in Borkena Catchment for climate resilience in the face of climate variability and increasing demand.

The effects of quinoa and okra incorporation on the quality of diet cake.

Producing quality products in baking industry has been facing several challenges including meeting the needs of the growing population, lack of sufficient water resources for producing enough wheat, lack of quality products made from wheat flour and high amount of waste. Recently, the quality of baking products has been improved by mixing different types of flour, which increases the nutritional value and improves the quality of the final product. This study evaluates the possibility of making a cake by incorporating wheat flour with quinoa and okra flour. Moreover, basil gum is used to improve the gluten network. The cake samples were prepared with quinoa flour at two levels (15 and 30%), okra flour at two levels (0.8 and 0.16%) and basil gum at a level of 0.4%; finally, their physicochemical, rheological, SEM, and sensory properties were evaluated. Based on the results, adding quinoa and okra flour and basil gum increases the density and consistency of the batter. Hardness, springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness of the blend Q2B1R was improved. The granule structure of the quinoa flour cakes were affected, and the gluten network was not well formed as shown in the electron microscopy images. However, the gluten network was improved in the samples with 0.4% basil gum and 0.8% okra flour. By adding okra and quinoa, better specific volume, porosity, and moisture content was obtained. Sensory evaluation of the cakes indicated that the blend Q2B1R was scored close to the control sample.

An Estimation of Virtual Trades of Embedded Water and Land through Sri Lankan Seasonal Crops’ Trades to Improve the Cropping Preferences

Due to the increase in population, growing urbanization, and higher demands for processed and unprocessed foods, resources related to food production have become scarce. Water and land can be considered as the primary resources to determine the crop production potential of a country. Ideally, countries that lack water and land resources can import these in virtual form. Sri Lanka is a country rich in water resources that faced bankruptcy recently. This study analyzes and explores the potential for use of land–water resources in Sri Lanka. A comprehensive framework is generated to identify the virtual land–water trade by considering ten major imports and nine major export crops in Sri Lanka. Consequently, the top ten imports/exports and top ten import/export trade partners are identified. The analysis reveals that Sri Lanka is a heavily import-dominant country, having seven times higher imports compared to exports. The country imports wheat, which is 82% of its import crops, and the same crop is the largest export (85% of crop export). Compared to its trade partners, Sri Lanka has sufficient water resources, but availability of arable land is limited. Banana is the largest export of the country, which involves higher embedded water and less land, matching the resource availability to Sri Lanka, whereas the trade partners are expected to continue importing the crop due to their water and land stress conditions. Finalization of the long-awaited agriculture policy of the country is strongly recommended.

Identifying The Potential Sources of Chemical Elements in Drainage and Rivers Using Google Earth Imageries and Posteriori Knowledge

This study attempts to identify the potential sources of the chemical elements in the river and drainage water using in-situ water quality sampling and public domain satellite data. Monitoring the physico-chemicallevel of urban streams and rivers is important to secure sufficient water resources, an indicator to the ecological degradation in urban areas and an indicator of environmental pollution. Nonetheless, identifying the potential sources of chemical pollutants by field observation is constrained by hard labor activities, time, and cost. Having satellite imagery that provides land use activity information would be useful in determining the chemical sources. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to utilize the publicly accessible Google satellite images in identifying the potential sources of the chemical elements' presence in the water that is physically sampled and measured over the selected urban rivers and drainage of Johor Bahru. Three chemical elements were identified, ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3-), and phosphate (PO43-). The identification of the chemical sources is conducted based on the interpretation of the satellite-derived information together with the posteriori knowledge, experience, and inputs in an environmental chemistry perspective. The findings revealed that the proportion of land used did not always have a significant impact on the chemical content of the waterways. For ammonia, areas with significant hotspots (aquaculture, wet market) are more significant, although the size of the area is not dominant. The nitrate content, on the other hand, showed quite a distinct pattern linked to oil palm, intensive farming, and industrial or commercial areas. There was no distinct land use pattern associated with phosphatelevel. However, locations with high residential areas were likely to have high phosphate content in their respective waterways or drainage to the onsite investigations with minimal labor works, cost effective, and time efficient.