Water Conservation Initiatives Research Articles

Determinants of efficient water use and conservation in the Colombian manufacturing industry using machine learning

Water is a fundamental aspect of achieving sustainable industries, and it is essential for firms to make efficient use of it. However, not all companies have sustainable water management practices in place. In this study, we aim to answer the research question: What factors influenced the efficient use and saving of water in the Colombian manufacturing industry in 2020? We used data from the Annual Manufacturing Survey and the Industrial Environmental Survey conducted by DANE to investigate this question. Our study grouped the variables into four categories: Environmental commitment, Risk mitigation, Innovation, and Location. We used two supervised learning machine-learning algorithms—decision tree and logit regression with LASSO regularization—to analyze the data. The results underscore those investments in wastewater treatment, total water consumption, and commitments to air and climate protection emerge as pivotal drivers for embracing sustainable practices. Moreover, the geographical location of companies significantly influences the likelihood of implementing water conservation initiatives. To enhance efficient water use and conservation in the Colombian manufacturing sector, several targeted public policies are recommended. These include offering fiscal and financial incentives to encourage investments in advanced wastewater treatment and reuse technologies. Additionally, advocating for specialized training and environmental education programs tailored for corporate personnel is crucial. Moreover, establishing initiatives for environmental certification and eco-labeling within the corporate sector can significantly promote sustainable water practices. Lastly, enforcing more stringent environmental regulations and standards, especially for industries like Textile, Metallurgy, and Manufacturing of rubber and plastic products, is essential to ensure responsible water management across the sector.

Watershed management in Ethiopia and its effects on soil quality and productivity

Indigenous peoples have utilized watershed management techniques for ages. It has substantial ramifications for improved productivity and improved soil management. This essay examined Ethiopia’s soil quality and production improvements as they relate to watershed management strategies. In particular, the roles of the government and other partners who started soil and water conservation initiatives are described. These initiatives had unsatisfactory or unsuccessful results because the community was not involved, the land was held insecurely, there were disincentives, and the planning units were too large. Ethiopia’s Federal Democratic Republic has copied community-based participatory watershed management. It has had a great impact on the restoration of highly damaged areas and provided local populations with a source of income. For instance, Amhara, the Oromia, and Tigray Regional States’ well-managed watersheds of the Abraha Atsbaha, Gerebshelela, Bechyti, Goho Cheri, Kereba, and Bedesa Kela rivers have boosted agricultural incomes and food security. Additionally, the environmental soundness, commercial feasibility, and social acceptability of watershed management must be assessed.

SPH-DEM modeling of cable-controlled ROVs: Underwater mobility and path planning

Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are commonly used in water conservation initiatives to inspect underwater structures. However, significant issues remain in guaranteeing the safety of ROVs during field testing, such as loss of control in complex flow regimes and cable breakage. An SPH-DEM numerical model is constructed in this paper to characterize the motion properties of cable-controlled ROVs in complex flow scenarios such as flood discharge, gate leakage, and wave impact. Two dam underwater detection tests are carried out to reveal the damage mode or loss of the cable-controlled ROV. Furthermore, simulations of two benchmark scenarios are used to validate the SPH-DEM coupling model. In the water entry test for a sphere, our simulated depth has a maximum relative error of 12.38% compared to the experimental value, and a maximum relative error of 7.52% compared to the theoretical value. Following that, the interaction mechanism between the submersible vehicle, current, cable, and hydraulic structure is investigated. The findings highlight the importance of flow velocity near the underwater gate and cable length in impacting the precise attitude control of cable-controlled ROVs. Furthermore, it is clear that most occurrences of cable-controlled ROV damage or loss result from the ROV becoming entrapped or from cable breakage. This numerical investigation provides critical insights into guaranteeing the safe operation of cable-controlled ROVs in real-world detection situations.

Water Resources in Jordan: A Review of Current Challenges and Future Opportunities

Jordan is facing significant challenges related to water scarcity, including overexploitation of groundwater, increasing demand, and wasteful practices. Despite efforts to manage water resources, inadequate planning has resulted in ongoing water security concerns and deteriorating water quantity and quality. To address water stress, Jordan has implemented measures such as desalination, dam construction, and water conservation initiatives. However, water stress remains high, necessitating a comprehensive strategy that includes short-term demand-side interventions and long-term supply-side reforms. Financial and governance challenges hinder the implementation of these measures, requiring private investment and coordination among stakeholders. This paper provides a comprehensive review of Jordan’s water resources, analyzing current trends, challenges, and opportunities. The aim is to offer insight into the current situation and propose sustainable management approaches. The findings will be valuable for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders working towards addressing Jordan’s complex water challenges and securing a sustainable water future for its citizens.

Significance of Mulching on Soil Conservation

The rapidly expanding global population, coupled with limited accessible freshwater resources and recurrent climatic fluctuations, have placed significant stress on humanity. This pressure has necessitated decisive actions to curb water wastage. Concurrently, water conservation initiatives have gained momentum, particularly within the world's largest water-intensive sector, agriculture. One notable advancement in enhancing water use efficiency in agronomy is the widespread adoption of drip irrigation. This method involves the precise delivery of water directly to the root zone of crops, minimizing water losses up to 70% attributed to evaporation and distribution inefficiencies. Furthermore, the synergistic application of mulching in conjunction with drip irrigation in arid crop cultivation has emerged as a robust strategy for alleviating water stress in agriculture. Mulch, comprising natural, synthetic, or blended materials, serves as a protective layer between the soil and the atmosphere. Its multifaceted benefits include efficient soil moisture retention, regulation of soil temperature, prevention of nutrient leaching, improved fertilizer utilization, erosion resistance, weed suppression, and aesthetic enhancement of landscapes. This review paper comprehensively explores various facets of mulching, underscoring its role as a dynamic tool for water and soil management in agriculture while preserving the intrinsic value of cultivated crops.

GIS-based watershed characterization and morphometric analysis in Bohol Watersheds, Philippines

ABSTRACT The study presents a GIS-based morphometric analysis characterizing the watersheds in Bohol, Philippines. An IfSAR-derived DEM data were processed and used to delineate the watersheds and evaluate morphometric parameters in QGIS/QSWAT. The analysis revealed that Loboc Watershed (LW) and Wahig-Inabanga Watershed (WIW) were sixth-order watersheds. Covering 675 km2 (LW) and 610 km2 (WIW), the watersheds encompassed about 34% of the mainland area. The bifurcation ratios, 3.91 (WIW) and 4.06 (LW), suggested highly dissected watersheds with high flood peaks. LW has low permeability, and high runoff and erosion susceptibility compared to WIW, as indicated by higher values for the form factor, circulatory ratio, drainage density, and stream frequency. The ruggedness numbers of 1.653 (WIW) and 1.457 (LW) indicated steep slopes in WIW than in LW, associated with high erosion and environmental degradation. The hypsometric integral of 0.22 (WIW) and 0.37 (LW) implied lesser erosional areas in WIW than in LW. The study found that both watersheds were highly susceptible to erosional processes. The two watersheds performed critical environmental functions on Bohol Island; hence, the results of this study present a piece of baseline information for resource managers to conduct further investigations that would identify hotspot areas and enable targeted soil and water conservation initiatives.

Prioritizing sub-watersheds for soil and water conservation via morphometric analysis and the weighted sum approach: A case study of the Geba river basin in Tigray, Ethiopia

Ranking watersheds according to their susceptibility to soil erosion is crucial in setting priorities for soil and water conservation initiatives. The main intention of this work is to characterize and prioritize 12-sub-watersheds of the Geba River Basin, northern Ethiopia for planned soil and water conservation practices. SRTM-DEM, GIS, and statistical correlation-based weighted sum approach have been utilized for generating morphometric parameters, data processing, and calculating the combined rank of sub-watersheds respectively. Fourteen morphometric parameters that have high nexus with the soil erosion susceptibility were selected and quantified using different standardized mathematical equations. Based on these quantified variables, a compound factor (rank) was calculated for each sub-watershed. Using the combined rank, the sub-watersheds were clustered into five soil erosion susceptibility zones, i.e., very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. Results revealed that sub-watersheds 7, 8, 9, and 12 which collectively cover the majority of the area (36 % of the total area) are possibly fall under the very high soil erosion susceptibility. The high (comprising of sub-watersheds 1, 5, 11), moderate (consisting of sub-watersheds 2, 3), low (consisting of sub-watershed 10), and very low (consisting of sub-watersheds 4, 6) soil erosion susceptibility zones cover 26%, 28%, 4%, and 6% of the total area respectively. The results further reflect that sub-watersheds in the very high soil erosion susceptibility category require immediate action for implementing soil and water conservation measures. This study’s findings could serve as a basis for policymakers and planners in the development of erosion control strategies.

Promoting the adoption of residential water conservation behaviors as a preventive policy to sustainable urban water management

As concerning with water insecurity driven by water scarcity threatens the lives and livelihoods of humanity worldwide, urban water demand management is focused on promoting residential water conservation behaviors (WCBs) as a critical policy response to water scarcity. However, urban water conservation initiatives cannot be successful unless households involve in residential WCBs voluntarily by adopting water curtailment and/or water-efficiency actions. Thus, understanding motivations and mechanisms underlying accepting these two types of WCBs and interpreting their distinctions are primary policy considerations to make sustainable water consumption behaviors. Hence, the purpose of this research was twofold: (1) To explore intentions to household adoption of water curtailment and water-efficiency actions, key corresponding determinants, and distinctions between them; and (2) To evaluate the capability and robustness of the Health Belief Model (HBM) to explain residential WCBs. The present research design was a cross-sectional survey conducted in Tehran, Iran. The outcomes from structural equation modeling indicated that: (1) Water curtailment intention was solely determined by self-efficacy and perceived benefits; (2) In addition to self-efficacy and perceived benefits, perceived severity, cues to action, and perceived barriers were significantly related to water-efficiency intention; (3) While only perceived susceptibility was not a significant determinant for water-efficiency intention, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers, and cues to action could not significantly explain water curtailment intention; (4) Self-efficacy also emerged as the strongest predictive variable behind intentions to adopt both WCBs; (5) The perceived barriers had a negative significant relationship only with water-efficiency intention; and (6) The HBM could explain 72% and 61% of the variance in households’ intentions to adopt water curtailment and water-efficiency actions, respectively. These outcomes supported that the HBM could propose a reliable and practical heuristic theoretical framework to predict residential WCBs. Moreover, the findings confirmed significant differences among socio-psychological factors behind intentions to household adoption of both WCBs, which need to be addressed. The research results introduced numerous implications from theoretical and policy standpoints for improving residential WCBs.

Detection of vegetation coverage changes in the Yellow River Basin from 2003 to 2020

The Yellow River occupies a pivotal strategic position in the development and economic construction of China. Moreover, grasping the dynamics of change in long-term vegetation cover and predicting future trends in the Yellow River Basin could provide an empirical foundation for improved ecological protection and soil and water conservation initiatives. This study uses statistical methods such as Dimidiate pixel model, linear regression, Moran’s index, and coefficient of variation to conduct a spatio-temporal analysis of the vegetation coverage in the Yellow River Basin. The Hurst exponent is used for further analysis of the trend of change in the vegetation coverage across the study area. The results show that from 2003 to 2020, the fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) in the Yellow River Basin increased at an average rate of 0.19% per year. Furthermore, only 2.22% of the area of the Yellow River Basin shows a relative increase in FVC from 2003 to 2020; most of the increased area is located in the northwestern Loess Plateau. The Global Moran index values from 2003 to 2020 are all greater than 0.8, indicating that the vegetation coverage presents a strong agglomeration. According to the Local Moran index, the vegetation coverage of the Yellow River Basin presents a strong spatial difference. According to the coefficient of variation, 73% of the vegetation coverage in the Yellow River Basin has been highly stable over the past 18 years. In addition, the overall Hurst exponent for the FVC in the Yellow River Basin is less than 0.5, indicating a anti-persistence pattern of change in vegetation.

Water Benchmarking in Buildings: A Systematic Review on Methods and Benchmarks for Water Conservation

Water conservation is essential to sustainable development, and among human activities, buildings are responsible for a significant portion of total water consumption. Therefore, we present a systematic review that aims to search for valuable contributions from benchmarking and their potential significance to water conservation. The relevance of performing such a review is to support the research in the field, organise information, and highlight both the lack of data and valuable results in specific building types. Benchmarking highlights best performance buildings, while it also classifies performances, which allows developing interventions for different buildings. Seventy-two documents on the environmental performance of buildings were reviewed, and a variety of methods, metering procedures, and indicators were found as valuable data for water-saving initiatives. In addition to a systematic search in SCOPUS, searches were made in Science Direct and Google Scholar databases. Although the main challenge in this matter lies in the lack of procedures standardisation, it was found that performing benchmarking is relevant for accurately developing water conservation initiatives. Gains of over five million m3 per year in a set of buildings or above 151 thousand m3 per year in a single factory were found, which indicate the existing potential for water conservation.

WATER CONSERVATION INITIATIVE IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL FROM TROPICAL COUNTRY: PERFORMANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENTS

Water resources are rapidly declining in Malaysia due to various challenges such as climate change, pollution, urbanisation, and high-water domestic consumption. On the other hand, water conservation initiatives in Malaysia are mainly concentrated in commercial and residential buildings while public buildings such as schools have been underutilized. Water conservation initiatives in Malaysian schools are seen to be able to conserve a significant amount of water and manage water supply responsibly, given the high annual rainfall received throughout the year and the huge rooftop catchment area. Thus, this study aims to assess the performance and sustainability assessment of water conservation initiative in Convent Infant Jesus (1) Primary School in Malacca (Malaysia). Water footprint findings demonstrated lavatory usage accounted for nearly 60% of overall water consumption in the selected primary school. The rainwater harvesting system was selected as this method enables the use of a renewable source (rainwater) and it conveniently fit with the existing building rooftop and plumbing system to engender high sustainability potential. After several months of operation, the rainwater harvesting system at school lavatory has led to significant reductions between 24m3 and 278m3 of water use along with water bill saving of USD285. Sustainable assessment has indicated that all the six dimensions were well balanced with scores greater than 50% and continued improvements will increase the project’s sustainability in the future. This water conservation initiative can be implemented in any school worldwide with a similar water footprint for significant water savings and sustainable water management.

Understanding Resident Intention and Behavior toward Water Conservation Initiative in the Upstream of West Java, Indonesia

Upstream areas have long been targeted as the priority of water conservation initiatives. While earlier studies often considered underlying socio-psychological factors determining residents’ intention and behaviors in water conservation, studies that focused on the resident’s intention and behavior in upstream areas, where water is abundant, remain underexplored. The current study used socio-psychological constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), i.e., subjective norm, attitudes toward behavior, and perceived behavioral control, to analyze the determinants of water conservation intention and behavior in two villages upstream of West Java (i.e., Cibeusi and Sanca villages), Indonesia. A total of 200 usable questionnaires were retrieved. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the linkages and strength of relationships among constructs. There was evidence that residents perceived behavioral control exerted the most significant influence on residents’ water conservation intention and behavior. Moreover, perceived behavioral control was an effective mediator of the linkage between attitude and residents’ intention and behavior. The findings confirmed the suitability of TPB in explaining interrelationships among determinant factors that explain residents’ intention and behavior, albeit with different mechanisms and effects. The study implied that increasing awareness of the value of water conservation would significantly affect residents’ attitudes, which subsequently increased their willingness to perform water conservation efforts. Keywords: attitude, Cipunagara watershed, theory of planned behavior, Subang

Identification of critical watershed at risk of soil erosion using morphometric and geographic information system analysis

Morphometric analysis is a pertinent scientific approach in any hydrological analysis, and it is necessary in the progress and management of drainage basin. Identification of areas at risk of erosion, and the prioritization of 48 sub-watersheds of Inaouene basin, was done by using linear, relief and areal aspects of watershed. The research carried out the use of geographic information system spatial data. The linear aspects include stream number, stream sequence, stream length, and bifurcation ratio, mean length of stream order, stream length ratio, mean stream length ratio, and form factor. The areal aspect includes frequency of stream, drainage density, texture ratio, channel length constant, and overland flow maintenance length. Ultimately, the relief dimensions included relief proportion, relief and ruggedness number. The array of compound (Cp) values computed allow us to set the priority ranks and classify the sub-watershed into three priority ranks groups: low, moderate, and high priority. Such morphometric analyses can be used therefore as a watershed erosion status estimator to prioritize land and water conservation initiatives and natural resources management.

Water Conservation and Management Practices at the University of Sharjah to Achieve Sustainability Excellence

The University of Sharjah is a leading educational and research institution in the Gulf region. To stimulate the different aspects of sustainability in education and research as well as to ensure the implementation of sustainability concepts throughout the University campus operations, the concept of sustainability circles is implemented. The University being in hot-arid-zone and mostly surrounded by desert terrain relies on unconventional water conservation programs and initiatives such as the use of innovation & technology, reuse and recycling of water, and awareness campaigns. In line with such programs, the use of potable water is limited for hygiene purposes and wastewater generated within the University is reused after treatment to irrigate the vast green spaces through the most efficient irrigation water application systems. Examples of water conservation practices include use of efficient water devices, reuse of treated greywater for toilet flushing at a selected location, water quality monitoring, preservation to conserve water for its intended use, promoting waterless car wash on the campus grounds etc. On-campus water is also conserved through disseminating knowledge and awareness to the University community and beyond through various sustainability related programs and initiatives organized by Sustainability Office for water conservation and environmental protection.

“Choosing not to choose”: Preferences for various uses of recycled water

In addition to promoting conservation, the use of recycled water offers numerous environmental benefits and can also provide a sustainable water supply for municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors. However, there are members of the public who express their concerns over the adoption of recycled water. This research employs an in-person field study, which combines an incentive-compatible decision task and a detailed survey questionnaire, to analyze respondent's preferences for recycled versus conventional water across three different uses. Data was collected from 600 participants in three North American cities with varying local drought-conditions. We observe that water abundant regions are not less likely to express preference for recycled water. Results suggest that a slogan promoting water conservation can be effective in dissuading environmentally-poor preferences for closer-contact water uses. Additionally, our results suggest that many individuals, especially those with evidence of pro-environmental attitudes, are uncertain of their water type preference. Thus, water conservation initiatives need not consider only people who explicitly state a preference for recycled water as potential adopters but should also recognize these uncertain persons. Extending the de facto definition of “potential adopter” could have extensive benefits for the success of recycled water initiatives.

The ebbs and flows of green waves: environmental sustainability in Grand Slam tennis

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the structure and scope of environmental sustainability efforts of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments as communicated via their websites.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative content analysis methodology guided the study. To accomplish the goal of the study, the researchers analyzed each tournament's website and each venue's website to document the environmental initiatives outlined on these pages.FindingsResults indicated Grand Slam events focus primarily on energy and water conservation initiatives, increasing sustainable food choices and improving spectators' knowledge about environmental sustainability. Most sustainability programs fell into the first wave of sustainability efforts indicating that formalized strategic planning is largely missing.Practical implicationsBy examining how Grand Slam events utilize their webpages to promote environmental sustainability, implications are drawn for not only website content but also actual event initiatives and activities. Pertinent efforts should move from a mere focus on communication to finding actionable solutions built upon the interconnectivity of events with allied sectors and the subsequent forging of cross-industry partnerships.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that Grand Slam tennis events pursue different trajectories in engaging with sustainability. This makes it important to understand in tandem their organizational conduct, strategies and communication practices. To move forward, there is a need to approach sustainability in a more holistic manner. A holistic view of how sport events engage with the environment can reveal causal patterns and points of leverage to use for initiating a change of practice toward adopting environmentally friendly behaviors.

Using Homeowners’ Association Membership to Define Audience Segments for Targeted Local Social Marketing Interventions: Implications From a Statewide Study

People working on water issues in the state of Florida, USA, recognize outdoor water conservation as an important area of focus. Social marketing has become increasingly accepted as a behavior change approach in Florida, but often the individuals who wish to use social marketing do not have access to the formative audience research needed. In addition to a lack of formative audience research, the prevalence of homeowners’ associations (HOAs) across the state further complicates outdoor water conservation initiatives. This study’s purpose was to evaluate how those who live in HOAs might be considered distinct segments for residential outdoor water conservation interventions. An electronic survey instrument was used to collect data to examine the relationship between theory of planned behavior variables and landscape water conservation behavioral intent in HOA and non-HOA segments. The model fits the two segments similarly. Then, descriptive norms drawn from four distinct referent groups (close-peer, neighborhood, state, and national) were introduced to the theory of planned behavior variables. None of the descriptive norms were significant in the non-HOA model, and close-peer, state, and national norms were significant in the HOA model. State norms had a negative relationship with behavioral intent. Findings revealed clear distinctions in factors relating to behavioral intent between the two segments. Social marketing efforts should treat non-HOA and HOA members as distinct segments and incorporate the normative beliefs that relate to intent among HOA dwellers.

Water Conservation and Efficient Water Rates Produce Lower Water Bills in Los Angeles

Contrary to many water customers’ beliefs, implementing efficient water rates, efficient plumbing, and conservation initiatives actually reduces the cost burden on water customers.

Negotiating water conservation communication through indigenous media

Water conservation efforts have become increasingly important as spiralling population figures and snowballing economic development continue to pile pressure on fresh water resources across the world. In South Africa there are a number of water conservation initiatives to ensure optimal use of dwindling water resources. But not all citizens, particularly in rural communities, consider water conservation a social priority. The apathy has been attributed to the failure of current conservation communication to galvanise people in a way that they come to regard conserving water as a critical factor in achieving sustainable water use. The water conservation efforts rely heavily on persuasive communication, which encourages rural residents to take on new behaviours adjudged beneficial by the promoting agencies, often without seeking their commitment and understanding or appreciating the sociocultural dynamics underpinning their water use behaviour. This study used the participatory action approach to explore the effectiveness of indigenous media in engaging and mobilising rural residents on water conservation initiatives. Given its grassroots nature and interpersonal attributes, indigenous media provide a communication approach with the potential to negotiate the issues around water conservation.

Water Resources Users Associations in the Mara Basin, Kenya: Pitfalls and Opportunities for Community Based Natural Resources Management

Water Resources Users Associations (WRUAs) in the Mara Basin, Kenya, are community-based natural resources management institutions set-up following the Integrated Water Resources Management framework. They are the most local participatory governance structure currently in place managing the tributaries of the Mara river. WRUAs are the link between environmental services from the river and livelihoods of local communities. Opportunities and pitfalls for the undertaking of their roles are assessed through the analysis of four WRUAs. Recognition of local knowledge, procedural considerations in the setting-up and carrying out of activities, as well as distributional aspects of the WRUA undertakings are evaluated in the paper. The authors argue that typical issues identified in critical community management literature appear in this case study: elite capture, dependency on donor support, lack of meaningful participation, and difficulties for scaling up initiatives. However, WRUAs have positively impacted environmental services in a localized and indirect manner, opening opportunities in terms of awareness, scaling water conservation initiatives, and conflict resolution. Future development of WRUAs can improve environmental flows particularly if a targeted follow-up is maintained by encouraging leadership and monitoring the relationship between donors, elites, and marginalized community members.