Urban Water Shortage Research Articles

Urban Sustainable Development Based on the Framework of Sponge City: 71 Case Studies in China

Sponge city is a new urban stormwater management strategy proposed in China, which enables the city to absorb and save stormwater like a sponge, then release stormwater to solve the problems of urban waterlogging and water shortage. However, at present, sponge cities are confronted with such problems as high management cost and low management efficiency, a lack of research on collaborative management between cities and the feasibility of regional cooperation between sponge cities needs to be proved. Therefore, this article puts forward the theory of sponge city regional ecological cooperative management and builds a multivariate cluster analysis model of sponge city and conducts an empirical study on data of 71 Chinese cities. The research results show that under the multi-index linkage system, China’s urban climate and ecological characteristics do have the characteristics of regional agglomeration and the basic conditions of interregional ecological cooperation, which proves the feasibility of the hypothesis of regional cooperation. Therefore, strengthening the ecological cooperation of sponge cities among regional cities is conducive to improving the supply efficiency of ecological environment quality and realizing the sustainable development of cities.

Analysis and Evaluation of the Urban Rainwater Harvesting System in Green Buildings

In the present study, urbanization provides residents with superior material and cultural living conditions, but also brings series of problems such as environmental pollution and water supply and drainage issues. Urban rainwater utilization is one of the method to solve urban water shortage and reduce waterlogging disaster.Taking an office building in Wuhan as an example, based on the analysis of rainfall characteristics in Wuhan, this thesis demonstrates a rainwater utilization system by rational use of the structural form of buildings, and analyzes and evaluates the function of the system with actual data. It is feasible and necessary to prove its comprehensive benefit according to the input and revenue. And the system is economic and reasonable for the project and the society as a whole. Based on the specific project, the author summarizes experiences and put forward effective suggestions.

Research on the goal of urban water system governance system construction-Taking Jinan sponge city as an example

With the accelerating process of urbanization in China, the traditional urban water system governance system is facing the challenges of flood and waterlogging, river ecosystem deterioration, water pollution and urban water shortage. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a new urban water system governance system that respects nature and complies with nature. Taking Jinan sponge city construction as an example, the paper analyzes the existing problems in the pilot area, putting forward the overall goals of sponge city construction, total annual runoff control rate, waterlogging standards, flood control standards and build ways. The works can provide direct guidance for the construction of sponge cities in Jinan city. On the other hand, they may be able to accumulate experience for the research on urban water system construction in China, gradually boosting the application and development of sponge city theory in practice.

Coping With Water Supply Shortages in Major Cities of Malawi

Urban water shortages continue to pose a threat to the livelihoods of many people in most developing countries including Malawi. In the past few decades, researchers and policy makers have focused on improving the performance of water utility infrastructure in order to eliminate this threat. However, little efforts have been made to understand social issues to water shortage and how people respond to them. Using a cross sectional survey and interviews in 11 townships in three cities of Malawi, the water supply disruptions and the study population’s coping mechanisms to water shortage and frequent disruptions were investigated. This study aimed at understanding water shortage coping mechanisms and the implication on the income and health of the affected populations. The results suggest that while some people in areas affected by water disruptions spend huge sums of money to get water from alternative sources, others are exposed to health hazards. That is, circumstances force them to draw water from unsafe sources, hence, exposing themselves to diseases. The results imply that there is an urgent need to address water supply systems in order to prevent people from impoverishment and water borne diseases.

Cape Town's drought: don't blame climate change.

People, politics and poor planning are behind most urban water shortages, argues Mike Muller. People, politics and poor planning are behind most urban water shortages, argues Mike Muller.

镇江市水污染控制与海绵城市建设现状

海绵城市的建设不仅可以从根本上缓解城市缺水危机，而且对于城市的可持续性发展有着十分重要的作用。通过查阅国内外大量文献，基于镇江市统计年鉴2005~2016年的数据，对镇江市水污染控制及海绵城市建设现状进行统计分析，并从多角度探讨两者之间的相互关系。结果表明：镇江市各地区间经济发展迅速且城市化水平差异较大，城市污水控制水平逐年提高。镇江市附近城区工业废水排放量及生活污水、工业污水处理主要集中在市区，城市污水主要处理指标的去除量逐年增加。这些彰显着镇江市近几年旧城区改造试点工程、古运河中段整治、园林绿地改造等生态工程项目取得了巨大成果。海绵城市的建设不仅大幅提升城市防洪排涝减灾能力，还提高水污染控制水平、改善城市水体质量，有利于镇江市经济与环境之间可持续发展。 The construction of the sponge city could not only alleviate the urban water shortage crisis fun-damentally, but also play an important role in the sustainable development of the city. On the basic data of the statistical yearbook of Zhenjiang city from 2005 to 2016, the current status of sponge city construction and water pollution control was analyzed in Zhenjiang city through consulting a large number of literatures at home and abroad, and further explored the relationship between them from a multi-angle. The result showed that regional economic development of Zhenjiang City was rapid, and the level of urbanization was quite different, while the level of urban water pollution control increased year by year. The regional distribution of industrial wastewater discharge and domestic sewage as well as industrial wastewater treatment in Zhenjiang was mainly focused on urban district, while the main indexes of municipal wastewater treatment increased on main Years. These highlight the great achievements of the Zhenjiang city in the past few years, such as the transformation of the old city pilot project, middle canal renovation, landscaping transformation and other ecological projects. The construction of sponge city not only significantly enhanced the ability of urban flood control and drainage as well as disaster reduction, but also raised the level of water pollution control and improved the quality of urban water, which is conducive to the sustainable development of economy and environment in Zhenjiang.

Conjunctive use of Inter-Basin Transferred and Desalinated Water in a Multi-Source Water Supply System Based on Cost-Benefit Analysis

Water shortage has forced coastal cities to seek multi-source water supply with a focus on inter-basin water and desalinated seawater. The differences of water supply costs pose a challenge in the optimal use of multiple water resources. This paper aims to understand the impact of desalinated seawater’s variable costs on multi-source water supply through a cost-benefit analysis method based on a multi-objective optimization model, considering different combination scenarios of desalination yield, streamflow condition, seawater desalting plant (SDP) scheme, water shortage index and utilization ratio of the SDP. The application in the coastal city Tianjin, China shows that the desalination yield has an impact on the tradeoff between the water shortage index and the total water supply cost and an optimal desalination yield can be determined at a turning point. And where the turning point appears is influenced by the utilization ratio of the SDP and streamflow conditions of inter-basin water. Moreover, a single centralized SDP is found to have an overall lower water supply cost than several decentralized small-sized SDPs. Lower water shortage index leads to higher cost, and the unit decrease of shortage index will need more added cost when the shortage index is very low. This method is proven to be effective in identifying the best conjunctive use of inter-basin water and desalinated seawater, which can contribute to relieve urban water shortage.

China’s Current Urban Water Resource Problems and Effective Strategies of Sponge City

China’s urban water problem has always been a prominent urban disease since it restricts the development of Chinese cities, and plays a very important role in urban life. Urban drinking water shortage is a very prominent contradiction of urban water resource problems but not the only one. Facing the urban water issues, a double-edged sword, we need to face up to the present situation of water resources and look for an efficient and feasible solution actively. Sponge city theory, as a representative of LID concept, advocated by our country in recent years for the construction of ecological city, provides an effective way to resolve the problem of water resource in China.

Social Perception of Public Water Supply Network and Groundwater Quality in an Urban Setting Facing Saltwater Intrusion and Water Shortages.

Perceptions developed by consumers regarding the quality of water reaching their household can affect the ultimate use of the water. This study identified key factors influencing consumers' perception of water quality in a highly urbanized coastal city, experiencing chronic water shortages, overexploitation of groundwater, and accelerated saltwater intrusion. Household surveys were administered to residents to capture views and perceptions of consumed water. Concomitantly, groundwater and tap water samples were collected and analyzed at each residence for comparison with perceptions. People's rating of groundwater quality was found to correlate to the measured water quality both in the dry and wet seasons. In contrast, perceptions regarding the water quality of the public water supply network did not show any correlation with the measured tap water quality indicators. Logistic regression models developed to predict perception based on salient variables indicated that age, apartment ownership, and levels of total dissolved solids play a significant role in shaping perceptions regarding groundwater quality. Perceptions concerning the water quality of the public water supply network appeared to be independent of the measured total dissolved solids levels at the tap but correlated to those measured in the wells. The study highlights misconceptions that can arise as a result of uncontrolled cross-connections of groundwater to the public supply network water and the development of misaligned perceptions based on prior consumption patterns, water shortages, and a rapidly salinizing groundwater aquifer.

Biofilm growth kinetics and nutrient (N/P) adsorption in an urban lake using reclaimed water: A quantitative baseline for ecological health assessment

Reclaimed wastewater reuse represents an effective method for partial resolution of increasing urban water shortages; however, reclaimed water may be characterized by significant contaminant loading, potentially affecting receiving ecosystem (and potentially human) health. The current study examined biofilm growth and nutrient adsorption in Olympic Lake (Beijing), the largest artificial urban lake in the world supplied exclusively by reclaimed wastewater. Findings indicate that solid particulate, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and metal oxide (Al, Fe, Mn) constituent masses adhere to a bacterial growth curve during biofilm formation and growth. Peak values were observed after ≈30 days, arrived at dynamic stability after ≈50days and were affected by growth matrix surface roughness. These findings may be used to inform biofilm cultivation times for future biomonitoring. Increased growth matrix surface roughness (10.0μm) was associated with more rapid biofilm growth and therefore an increased sensitivity to ecological variation in reclaimed water. Reclaimed water was found to significantly inhibit biofilm nutrient adsorption when compared with a “natural water” background, with elevated levels of metal oxides (Al, Fe, and Mn) and EPS representing the key substances actively influencing biofilm nutrient adsorption in reclaimed water. Results from the current study may be used to provide a quantitative baseline for future studies seeking to assess ecosystem health via monitoring of biofilms in the presence of reclaimed water through an improved quantitative understanding of biofilm kinetics in these conditions.

Research on the New Type of the Biological Suspended Filler

At present, much research has been down to deal with urban sewage in the world to overcome the problem of urban water shortage. And many sewerage treatment systems need to be transformed to meet the requirement of city development. The method of using Bio-film to deal with urban sewage has gotten more attention by the countries of the world. Hydrophilic modified biological suspended filler is one of core technologies in the sewage treatment system which affects the efficiency, energy consuming, stability and reliability of the urban sewerage treatment. In this paper the new hydrophilic modified biological suspended filler is researched systematically and the processing technique is studied. The hydrophilic and mechanic performance of the suspended filler was tested. Results shown that the new type of hydrophilic modified suspended filler has good hydrophilic and meets the demand of urban sewage treatment system, which has great meaning and value in solving the problem of urban sewage and recycling.

Urban water resources allocation and shortage risk mapping with support vector machine method

The assessment of urban water shortage risk is crucial to the development of management strategies that enable a more systematic allocation of water resources and effectively reduce societal losses. The present work proposes a comprehensive approach to the thorough evaluation of water shortage risk in an urban basin. We focus on a case study in Jilin City, demonstrating the suitability of the proposed method. The development and utilization of hydric resources in Jilin City is both evaluated and simulated using the MIKE BASIN model, involving hydrological data from 1956 to 2010. Furthermore, this investigation provides a comparison between measured and analog quantity results during the period 2001–2010, yielding an acceptable average relative error of 4.478 %. Five indicators, namely, hazard rate, restorability, vulnerability, recurrence period, and risk level are investigated with the purpose of organizing the assessment system prior to mapping the level of water shortage risk with the SVM model. The data calculated from both the MIKE BASIN model and the emergency conditions are used to formulate five indicators of water shortage assessment. Finally, the level of water shortage risk is determined for six sub-basins in Jilin City. Several schemes are capable of improving the water supply and alleviating the shortage conditions.

Optimization of urban industrial structure under the low-carbon goal and the water constraints: a case in Dalian, China

Rapid industrial development consumes a large amount of water and energy, which causes both urban water shortages and massive carbon emissions. Therefore, optimization of the urban industrial structure is urgently required to pursue the low-carbon goal under the constraints of water supply. In this paper, we chose Dalian city in China as a case study and divided its industrial sectors into three types according to their output value. Meanwhile, we used the LMDI (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index) method to decompose the factors that impact industrial carbon emissions from energy consumption. Based on the ratio of the carbon emission effects, five scenarios were set respectively, and accounted for the carbon emissions and water consumption under different scenarios of industrial structure. The results indicated that the economic growth effect was the most significant factor that contributed to industrial carbon emissions, while industrial structure effect was the largest negative factor for increasing industrial carbon emissions. The results also indicated that the total carbon emissions under the HOV (high output-value)-preferred and water-conserved scenario will be lower by 8.5% in 2020 than the baseline scenario, while both its energy intensity and water intensity will meet the requirements of the constraints of the urban development planning.

Assessment of flow paths and confluences for saltwater intrusion in a deltaic river network

AbstractSaltwater intrusion is a serious issue in estuarine deltas all over the world due to rapid urban sprawl and water shortage. Therefore, detecting the major flow paths or locations at risk of saltwater intrusion in estuarine ecosystems is important for mitigating saltwater intrusion. In this paper, we introduce a centrality index, the betweenness centrality (BC), to address this problem. Using the BC as the weighted attribute of the river network, we identify the critical confluences for saltwater intrusion and detect the preferential flow paths for saltwater intrusion through the least‐cost‐path algorithm from a graph theory approach. Moreover, we analyse the responses of the BC values of confluences calculated in the river network to salinity. Our results show that the major flow paths and critical confluences for saltwater intrusion in a deltaic river network can be represented by the least cost paths and the BC values of confluences, respectively. In addition, a significant positive correlation between the BC values of confluences and salinity is determined in the Pearl River Delta. Changes in the salinity can produce significant variation in the BC values of confluences. Therefore, freshwater can be diverted into these major flow paths and critical confluences to improve river network management under saltwater intrusion. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reducing riverbed infiltration using mixtures of sodium bentonite and clay

Using reclaimed water has become one of the most effective ways to solve the problem of urban water shortage. Using mixtures of sodium bentonite and clay to reduce infiltration is an important safeguard measure to meet the need of groundwater recharge and water quality safety. The microscopic structure of sodium bentonite was studied with environmental scanning electron microscopy. The effect of different mix ratios of sodium bentonite and clay on the performance of reducing infiltration was studied with constant head infiltration experiments and adsorption of ammonium and phosphate with the batch method. The results showed that the dry particles of sodium bentonite had lamellar and compact structure, after absorbing water, and both the number and size of pores gradually reduced to become uniform distributions. With the increase of bentonite mix ratio (10–20 % of the total dry weight), the infiltration coefficient of the mixed materials decreased exponentially (R2 = 0.95). Linear, Freundlich, and Langmuir equations could be used to describe adsorption of N/P on the mixed materials. There were significant correlations between adsorption parameters (Sm and MBC) and bentonite mix ratio. The effect of removing ammonium with mixtures was better than that of phosphate. Considering synthetically the capability of reducing infiltration and decontamination, a mixture of 19 % bentonite and 81 % clay was a suitable model in the Yongding River in Beijing plain segment.

Dielectric Barrier Discharge Structure Design for Sewage Treatment

The problem of the urban water shortage and water pollution is becoming problem more and more serious. Therefore, governments around the world pay close attention to the application of sewage treatment technology, especially that with high efficiency, low energy consumption and strong operability. Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) can produce low temperature plasma under atmospheric pressure, and the application of the technology for sewage treatment research gradually becomes to be one of hot research. In this paper, the dielectric barrier discharge structure is designed, and the plasma produced is used for sewage treatment research. The system adopts coaxial type discharge structure. The research shows that the structure is safe and reliable. And, it has low discharge power and can discharge uniformly. So, the plasma produced by dielectric barrier discharge can be convenient and easy to used in sewage treatment, and the result is effective.

Research on Innovation of Urban Sewage Treatment System Based on Perspective of Energy Conversion

As the deepening contradictions between the urban water and water shortages, Urban requires urban sewage treatment systems to improve the efficiency of treatment; it requires the level of the assessment of urban sewage treatment system higher. We commonly used in urban sewage treatment system evaluation model for the Analytical Hierarchy Process model and input-output model, respectively, from two different perspectives to assess the urban sewage treatment system. However, both of two models are flawed. This paper attempts to examine the lack of two assessment models, and make two the models to be amended by the perspective of energy conversion.

Integral stormwater management master plan and design in an ecological community

Urban stormwater runoff nearly discharges directly into bodies of water through gray infrastructure in China, such as sewers, impermeable ditches, and pump stations. As urban flooding, water shortage, and other environment problems become serious, integrated water environment management is becoming increasingly complex and challenging. At more than 200ha, the Oriental Sun City community is a large retirement community located in the eastern side of Beijing. During the beginning of its construction, the project faced a series of serious water environment crises such as eutrophication, flood risk, water shortage, and high maintenance costs. To address these issues, an integral stormwater management master plan was developed based on the concept of low impact development (LID). A large number of LID and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) approaches were designed and applied in the community to replace traditional stormwater drainage systems completely. These approaches mainly included bioretention (which captured nearly 85th percentile volume of the annual runoff in the site, nearly 5.4×105m3 annually), swales (which functioned as a substitute for traditional stormwater pipes), waterscapes, and stormwater wetlands. Finally, a stormwater system plan was proposed by integrating with the gray water system, landscape planning, an architectural master plan, and related consultations that supported the entire construction period. After more than 10years of planning, designing, construction, and operation, Oriental Sun City has become one of the earliest modern large-scale LID communities in China. Moreover, the project not only addressed the crisis efficiently and effectively, but also yielded economic and ecological benefits.

Water Transmission Protocols and Sustainable Development in Face of Climate Change. Case study: Urban water supply in Dez to Qomrood Water Transmission Project, Iran

Central area of Iran is located in a dry- semi dry district suffering from shortage of fresh water. The water shortage has been the most important factor threatening sustainable development in this region and the growing rate of population exacerbates this critical condition. Several inter-basin water transfer projects have been considered to overcome this difficulty such as under construction Dez to Qomrood water transmission project. Three water allocation protocols have been considered in this project (Proportional Allocation (PA), Fix Upstream allocation (FU), and Fix Downstream allocation (FD)). This paper analyses transmission protocols to minimize the shortage risk of urban water shortage by considering the major goals of project in other categories as like as agriculture and hydroelectricity. Climate change effects have been forecasted via a wide range of GCMs (Global Circulation Model) to predict the change of available water resources in the basin's area for different climate scenarios in 2050. Two different scenarios have been used to cover the uncertainty of growing rate of population. In the next step, a water allocation model has been used to forecast results of each transmission protocol, climate scenario and population combination. As the final result in the first round of sustainability assessment, it can be inferred that Fix Downstream allocation (FD) protocol would be the best choice supplying more population especially with urban water for a fix cost and also is the most adjusted protocol with the probable future condition.

Motivational indicators of protective behaviour in response to urban water shortage threat

Summary The present study examined the role of protection motivation variables in predicting rainwater tank adoption among urban householders. A regression analysis found that subjective knowledge, threat appraisal, response efficacy, response costs, subjective norms and social norms significantly predicted adaptive behavioural intentions ( F (6, 399) = 50.769, p f 2 = .763). The model accounted for 43% of the variance in intentions to install a rainwater tank as a protective measure against future water shortages. Results further indicated that several variables uniquely contributed to the prediction of rainwater tank adoption (listed in order of relative contribution: response efficacy, threat appraisal, response costs, subjective knowledge and subjective norms). This suggests that people who perceive there is a real water shortage threat, and believe that rainwater tanks are effective in relieving the threat and require minimal or manageable effort to obtain, are more likely to install a tank on their property as a protective measure. Implications of these results are discussed from a research and policy perspective. Recommendations for future motivational research in the area of urban decentralised system acceptance and adoption are presented.