Water Crisis Research Articles

Help us Deal with Water Crisis! Solving Water Crisis to Save Lives.

Water scarcity remains a critical global challenge, prompting the exploration of innovative strategies for sustainable water management. This study investigates the dual potential of rainwater harvesting and ocean water purification as solutions to address water scarcity. Through a comprehensive review of literature and case studies, this research examines the efficacy, challenges, and implementation strategies of both approaches across diverse contexts. The findings underscore the capacity of rainwater harvesting to augment local water supplies and reduce dependence on traditional sources, while ocean water purification offers a promising avenue for expanding freshwater resources. Key factors influencing success, including technological advancements, policy support, and community engagement, are identified and analyzed. Moreover, the study explores the environmental, economic, and social implications of these approaches, emphasizing their role in water conservation, climate change resilience, and sustainable development. Practical recommendations are offered for policymakers, practitioners, and communities to leverage rainwater harvesting and ocean water purification as complementary strategies for addressing water scarcity and advancing water security globally.

Enhanced solar-driven steam generation and water purification using 3D arch solar evaporators

Steam generation strategy through solar-driven evaporators has now been widely recognized as one of the effective means to relieve the global fresh water crisis. Reducing heat loss has shown to be an effective way to improve the evaporation efficiency which has been overlooked in three-dimensional (3D) evaporators in the past. Herein, a superhydrophilic photothermal fabric was developed by the layer-by-layer assembly of carbon nanotubes followed by dip-coating with polyvinyl alcohol. The as-obtained photothermal fabric was designed as a 3D arch solar evaporator (ASE). The arch structure allowed the photothermal fabric to achieve double-sided water evaporation and a well-balanced saline water supply by controlling the height of the ASE. The ASE effectively captured the incident sunlight and demonstrated extraordinary thermal management performance, resulting in a saline water evaporation flux of 1.015–3.400 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun irradiation for 6 h. In addition, the proposed ASE exhibited excellent water purification for high salinity saline water, colored wastewater, and heavy metal wastewater. This work provides new insights into emerging solar steam generation systems by regulating the saline water supply balance.

The Impact of Community Engagement in the Design and Implementation of the Flint Registry

Abstract: Background: The Flint water crisis (FWC) was a public health tragedy caused by crumbling infrastructure, subverted democracy, and indifference toward a predominantly poor and Black community that resulted in lead-in-water exposure, Legionnaires’ disease, and emotional and health-related trauma. Through the cooperation of community partners, the Flint Registry (FR) was conceived to track long-term health and improve public health via service connections. Objectives: This study sought to share the FR’s community-partnered, multi-tiered engagement strategy and determine the efficacy of this strategy to engage the community and reach Flint residents. Methods: Community engagement and impact were measured by collecting and describing feedback from the community engagement strategies and by comparing the demographics of the enrollees recruited through community-engaged recruitment (CER) and non-CER methods. Enroll-ees indicated how they heard about the FR; CER involved direct interaction with a community member. Results: Community engagement strategies incorporated approximately 1,200 people and 7 funded organizations, impacting 22 key areas of FR design and implementation. More than 50% of enrollees heard about the FR through CER methods. They were, on average, more likely to be younger, female, Black/African American, and living outside of Flint during the FWC. Conclusions: Community engagement elevated voices of those impacted by the FWC. CER methods were as effective as non-CER methods. Although there were no differences in screened measures of social vulnerability, there were in age, gender, and race. CER methods may increase participation and build trust in populations which historically are hesitant to participate in public health efforts.

Context-based Good Governance Approach: A Sustainable Solution for Water Crisis

Water governance is a complex, multilevel process based on the socio-political and administrative systems. The sustainable use of water resources is the main challenge of the present-day global water governance. The top-down, technocratic approach to governance made the water crisis, the crisis of governance. Literature shows a radical change towards a more humanistic, situation-based strategy that can solve water issues. The article analyses the significant water challenges, which include governance, scarcity, sustainability and adaptability. The article focuses on the importance of considering good governance principles such as accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, inclusiveness and equity and citizens’ engagement in water governance, with particular emphasis on the context-based approach. The central argument is that the water governance system differs according to the context of governance, and the application of the good governance principle should follow contextual understanding. A major suggestion is that a context-based, good governance approach can be the sustainable solution to the water crisis.

Efficient Soil Health Monitoring and Irrigation Management System Using Fuzzy Logic

Abstract: The need for sustainable agriculture is acutely felt due to ever increasing global water crisis. Efficient irrigation management is crucial in this regard. The proposed system employs a network of soil moisture sensor distributed over a agricultural field, where continuous acquisition of real time data on soil moisture levels is done. Soil moisture measurement is a vital parameter in terms of precision agriculture, which affects the irrigation scheduling for ensuring optimal crop growth. Traditional methods related face challenges adapting to changing soil patterns at different conditions. The system proposes application of fuzzy logic algorithm for processing of data. Key advantages of using fuzzy logic in soil moisture measurement include improved precision in moisture detection, enhanced ability to make more informed irrigation decisions. The proposed system delivers a model for promoting water conservation, enhancing crop productivity and maintaining soil health.

Egyptians awareness towards domestic water conservation and reuse

Egypt's population growth has led to the expansion of new cities and urban communities in the desert areas near the Delta and Nile Valley. However, providing fresh water to these cities is a costly affair due to their distance from the Nile River, high elevation, and excessive water consumption by residents. To address this issue sustainably, renewable sources of water must be found, and existing resources must be managed efficiently. Public acceptance is crucial for success, so a survey was conducted in four governorates (Cairo, El-Minya, Assuit, and Sohag) to assess public awareness of water-saving practices and treated greywater reuse for non-potable options. The results indicated that women have a lower level of awareness of water scarcity issues compared to men. Only 53 % of female participants were aware of the problem, while 75.2 % of male participants were aware. Similarly, only 79.5 % of female participants were aware of the importance of water conservation compared to 92.3 % of male participants. This lack of awareness has resulted in negative impacts on their water consumption habits, willingness to adopt water conservation measures, and their willingness to reuse treated greywater. Shockingly, only 50 % of individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 were aware of the issue of water scarcity. Furthermore, only 25 % of participants with primary education were aware of the issue of water scarcity and the importance of conserving water. There is a strong correlation between knowledge of the water crisis issue and willingness to adopt water conservation measures and reuse treated greywater. Participants were most accepting of reusing greywater for car washing at 66.5 %, followed by irrigation of green spaces at 64.5 %, and then for toilet flushing at 33.5 %. About 44.2 % of participants believed that the main challenge in reusing treated greywater was concerns about water quality.

IoT, Cloud and AI Enable Sensor Based Water Monitoring to Handle Water Crisis in Indian Cities

IoT, Cloud and AI Enable Sensor Based Water Monitoring to Handle Water Crisis in Indian Cities

Investigating Farmers’ Intentions to Reduce Water Waste through Water-Smart Farming Technologies

The scarcity of water resources, climate change, and water-wasting behavior have contributed to a worsening water crisis in many countries. This has raised concerns among farmers and increased pressure on governments. Digital technologies provide effective solutions to reduce resource waste; therefore, exploring farmers’ willingness to implement water-smart farming technologies to reduce waste, especially in developing countries, requires further analysis. To address this gap, this paper aims to investigate the factors that influence farmers’ intention to minimize water waste in Algeria. The theory of planned behavior was extended with the constructs of perceived usefulness of water-smart farming and knowledge of water waste reduction. Primary data were collected from 202 farmers to test the model. The empirical evidence suggests that attitudes, knowledge about water waste reduction, perceived usefulness, and perceived behavioral control significantly predict farmers’ intention to reduce waste. These factors explained 54.6% of the variation in intention. However, social influence was not found to be a significant antecedent of intentions. This paper’s findings can provide useful insights for various stakeholders on how to encourage farmers to reduce water waste and offer guidance on strategies for achieving sustainability in agriculture.

A techno-economic review of direct air capture of moisture processes: sustainable versus energy-intensive methods

AbstractOne of the biggest challenges that the world faces today is the availability of fresh and potable water in arid, semi-arid, and deprived regions. This is a challenge that concerns not only economic development but also social development spanning several UN SDGs. This article presents a detailed critical and systematic review of the technologies for producing industrial and potable water. Emphasis is made on direct air capture (DAC) methods as the next frontier in sustainable water production against the backdrop of traditional energy intensive methods such as desalination. Comparisons using a variety of techno-economic, scale, geographic, and environmental metrics are carried out. While market reports suggest that investments and market value of DAC technologies will continuously rise, these data only extend the next 5–10 years. However, using this data, a projection was made by the authors on various scenarios leading to 2050. At 2030, best projections fall short of UN SDG 6 predictions for a four-fold increase (from 2020 levels) required to sustain populations. The review notes that DAC has the potential to be an attractive solution for the current water crisis (in some cases drought) experienced in various regions on earth. The report finds that while several moisture DAC technologies (e.g., fog and dew water harvesting) are currently being developed, they are only being implemented on small scales around the world—with huge implications for arid and deprived regions of the world.

Estimate of the Surface Evaporation from the Tharthar Lake (Buhayrat Tharthar) in Iraq, Based on Remote Sensing Data and Techniques of Geographic Information Systems GIS

Tharthar is the largest water reservoir in Iraq. It is Giving the circumstances of drought and water crisis in Iraq, which is considered a semi-arid region, along with significantly feverish temperatures, especially in the summer. It is expected that evaporation rates will increase. Therefore, it was necessary to determine the water loss due to evaporation from Lake Tharthar. Due to the lack of ground measurement stations providing such data, the study relied on remote sensing data, specifically satellite imagery from Landsat 8 and Landsat 9. These images were used to extract temperature values for Lake Tharthar for the hydrological year extending from October 2022 to September 2023. This was done in conjunction with geographic information system (GIS) software and using ArcMap to calculate the annual evaporation rate and volume of the lake. Spatial modeling of evaporation was conducted for each month using the modified Lambert equation, adapted from the Penman-Cridle equation, which is most suitable for the climatic conditions of Iraq. Using this methodology saved time, effort, and cost, and yielded satisfactory results compared to field measurements of nearby water bodies. Temperature and evaporation rates were calculated at the level of each image pixel (30×30 meters). The research concluded many important findings, including that the total annual evaporation from the lake is estimated at 1881.16 millimeters (2.930 billion cubic meters per year). Accordingly, the annual loss per square kilometer from Lake Tharthar is estimated at 188 million cubic meters. This means that when Lake Tharthar reaches its maximum capacity, expanding the area to 2710 square kilometers, the evaporation loss will increase to 5.089 billion cubic meters per year. This necessitates relevant authorities to take necessary measures to reduce the annual evaporation loss from the lake surface. The study recommends adopting this method in cases where data is not available for locations lacking weather stations or when there is a data shortage.

Foreword

The diversity of interdisciplinary research has encouraged scholars in the Arab region and in other parts of the world to explore the intersectionality of different disciplines. This exploration of intersectionality requires researchers to move away from traditional approaches and seek innovative ways to address areas of research that may have not yet been investigated or have emerged as new trends. Such endeavors enrich our understanding of existing knowledge and build upon existing information. The current AWEJ for Translation and Literary Studies issue has attracted works from researchers across disciplines and invites readers, both specialized and nonspecialized, to come abreast with new insights around machine translation, the quality of digital communication, crime against children, gender differences, vegetarian ecofeminism, masculine food studies, humanity, the notion of identity, linguistics and standup comedy, emerging Arab women literature, the configuration of the social and cultural aspects of freedom, the restrictions of confinement and the sense of belonging amidst the chaos of war and revolutions. Such a wide spectrum of research work is a reflection of the growing influence of digital technologies in creating opportunities for innovation and the development of new scopes of knowledge. The very concept of cross disciplinary approaches challenges researchers to tap into the grey areas and create novel connections which address both regional and global issues. Encouraging interdisciplinarity stems from the deep conviction that the world today needs unique approaches to understanding current shared challenges such as the frailty of communication between communities, security and safety amidst wars and hunger, identity against the backdrop of political uncertainty, food security, water crisis, and humanitarian crisis. Research that addresses and advances progressive thought processes with groundbreaking insights and or impact is the basis of change. With this in mind, it remains the duty of journals and reviewers to join efforts to create the right basis for quality research and impactful results to emerge

Fuzzy-based dilemma assessment in confrontation analysis with applications to the Walkerton Drinking Water Crisis

As the global population continues to rise and the processes of globalization gather momentum, the conflicting nature of water management issues is becoming increasingly apparent. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a fuzzy-based dilemma assessment method into the methodology confrontation analysis to analyze and assess the conflict problems. More specifically, the inherent logic of dilemma classification and mathematical definitions to the dilemmas are furnished initially to assist in understanding the mechanism of dilemma generation and assessment. Next, the statements of decision-makers (DMs) are quantified and assigned to a specific interval of fuzzy values, which serve to denote the degree of preference regarding their position and intention, as well as the intensity of doubts. Based on that, the dilemma intensity is calculated using the logic derived from the dilemma itself and the dilemma effect is obtained through the application of the same quantitative methodology. Then, to circumvent the complexities associated with parameter discussions, a four quadrant analysis framework is employed, utilizing dilemma intensity and dilemma effect as the two axes to assess dilemma priority. Finally, the Walkerton Drinking Water Crisis is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the aforementioned approach.

A Comprehensive Review on the Use of Wastewater in the Manufacturing of Concrete: Fostering Sustainability through Recycling

The primary aim of this review article is to find the influence of wastewater and its characteristics on recycling as an alternative to potable water for concrete preparation. On the other hand, scarcity, and the demand for freshwater for drinking are also increasing day by day around the globe. About a billion tons of freshwater is consumed daily for concrete preparation for various operations such as mixing and curing, to name a few. The rapid development of certain industries such as textile, casting, stone cutting, and concrete production has caused the water supply to be severely affected. Recycling wastewater in concrete offers various potential benefits like resource conservation, environmental protection, cost savings, and enhanced sustainability. This article reviews the effect of various types of wastewater on various physical and chemical properties of wastewater, rheological characteristics, strength, durability, and microstructure properties of concrete. It also explores the potential effects of decomposing agents on enhancing concrete properties. Currently, limited research is available on the use of various types of wastewater in concrete. Hence, there is a need to develop various methods and procedures to ensure that the utilization of wastewater and treated wastewater is carried out in the production of concrete in a sustainable manner. Although wastewater can reduce the workability of fresh concrete, it can also increase its strength and long-term performance of concrete. The use of various types of wastewater, such as reclaimed water and tertiary-treated wastewater, was found to be superior compared to those using industrial- or secondary-treated wastewater. Researchers around the globe agree that wastewater can cause various detrimental effects on the mechanical and physical properties of concrete, but the reductions were not significant. To overcome limited scientific contributions, this article reviews all the available methods of using various types of wastewater to make concrete economically and environmentally friendly. This research also addresses possible challenges with respect to the demand for freshwater and the water crisis.

On the diverse utility of Cu doped ZnS/Fe3O4 nanocomposites.

The global water crisis is a growing concern, with water pollution from organic dyes being a significant issue. Photocatalysis has emerged as a sustainable and renewable method for removing organic pollutants from wastewater. The study synthesized innovative (2.5, 5 and 10 wt%) Cu doped zinc sulfide/iron oxide nanocomposites using a sonochemical method, which have versatile applications in adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. The nanocomposites underwent comprehensive characterization using powder X-ray diffraction, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible spectrophotometer, field emission scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Mott-Schottky analysis. The synthesized samples demonstrate strong adsorption ability to remove RhB and MB dyes. Afterward, we evaluated their capability to degrade Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under UV light exposure. The greatest photocatalytic efficiency was noticed when employing a UV-C lamp in combination with the 10 wt% Cu doped ZnS/Fe3O4 nanocomposite as photocatalyst (98.8% degradation after 60 min irradiation). The Langmuir-Hinshelwood model can be used to describe the pseudo first order kinetics of RhB dye photodegradation. The calculated ban gap values are 4.77, 4.67, and 4.55 eV, for (2.5, 5 and 10 wt%) Cu doped ZnS/Fe3O4, respectively. Furthermore, 10 wt% Cu doped ZnS/Fe3O4 showed good recyclability, with a degradation rate of 89% even after five cycles. Consequently, prepared samples have outstanding photocatalytic activity and can be used as useful adsorbents in water purification.

Synergetic integration of machining metal scrap for enhanced evaporation in solar stills: A sustainable novel solution for potable water production

The global water crisis necessitates innovative solutions for sustainable potable water production. Solar stills represent a promising technology for harnessing solar energy to meet this demand. However, solar stills often face limitations regarding yield and cost-effectiveness. This research addresses the pressing need to augment the performance of solar stills by introducing amendments such as utilizing black-coated metal scrap as a photothermal absorber in the absorber basin. These modifications aim to boost the absorption of solar radiation, thereby increasing potable water yield and improving the system’s economic viability. The study explores the utilization of black-coated metal scrap as a photothermal absorber to modify the absorber basin. Experimental results demonstrate a significant improvement in potable water yield, with a 129.85 % increase on day 1 and 127.21 % on day 2, reaching 3080 mL/m2 and 3090 mL/m2, respectively. Compared to conventional solar stills, the newly developed double slope solar still with an absorber basin featuring metal scrap exhibits a remarkable economic advantage, with a payback period (PBP) of 5.4 months, as opposed to 9.45 months for the traditional system. Additionally, the cost per liter (CPL) of potable water generated by the innovative system is 75.53 % lower than that of the conventional solar still system.

Flint community science leadership: co-production of knowledge around environmental and public health action

ABSTRACT At the ten-year anniversary of the Flint water crisis, Flint residents continue to work to improve the well-being of their community and advance community leadership in science. While the water crisis is remembered by most as just an egregious example of government mismanagement, a lesser told story is that of the ongoing leadership and mobilization of Flint residents. Our paper reflects on a collaborative project as part of a larger, sustained partnership in co-producing knowledge about Flint residents’ experiences with the water crisis, their expertise in responding to public health crises, and concerns and curiosities that may be explored as scientific research questions. We detail our investigative effort over five years focusing on understanding Flint residents’ expertise in responding to the water crisis and our processes of working with residents to connect personal experiences to explorable questions. We align the activities of our engagement (focus groups, workshops, a technology co-development pilot study, and interviews) with an iterative process of listening, dialogue, and action consistent with Paulo Freire’s processes for advancing collective consciousness. We position our work as an implementation of liberation sociology by working to explore scientific questions that are meaningful and impactful to disenfranchised populations.

Hydrometeorological Drivers of the 2023 Louisiana Water Crisis

AbstractDuring summer and fall 2023, Louisiana experienced a historic local drought while dry conditions elsewhere in the central US withheld vital runoff from the Mississippi River, leading to below‐normal discharge into the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, by late October 2023, Louisiana was gripped by two super‐imposed water crises: a severe local drought and saltwater contamination in the Mississippi River channel. This study frames the development of the water emergency through the lens of flash drought using the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI). The EDDI shows south Louisiana experience a flash drought during June 2023, while the Mississippi River basin was subsequently characterized by large expanses of high‐percentile EDDI in August‐September 2023 shortly before the saltwater intrusion episode along the lower Mississippi River. Over the last 15 years, MRB‐wide EDDI percentile has oscillated between years‐long elevated and depressed states, accounting for 23.7% of the monthly discharge anomaly near New Orleans.

Design of Phytic Acid Crosslinked Xerogels as Organic Photocatalysts for Visible Light‐Assisted Degradation of Dyes

AbstractExtensive research is being carried out on the degradation of water pollutants using various strategies to overcome the global water crisis. In the present study, xerogels as a better alternative is utilized to metal oxides for the photocatalytic degradation of toxic water pollutants such as dyes. Xerogels of polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPy) are synthesized using phytic acid as a dopant as well as cross‐linker in the weight ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 via simple chemical oxidative polymerization. The synthesized xerogels are analyzed for their spectral, morphological, thermal, and optical properties using FTIR, UV–vis, XRD, SEM, and TGA techniques. The xerogels are also tested for their photocatalytic activity against textile dyes – Methylene Blue (MB), Alizarin Red S, (ARS), Rhodamine B (RhB), and Methyl Orange (MO). Among all the composite xerogels, PANI/PPy‐2/1 showed excellent degradation efficiency of 91% for MB dye, 88% for RhB dye, 96% for ARS dye, and 92% for MO dye respectively. The composite PANI/PPy xerogels showed better degradation efficiency than their pristine counterparts. The fragments of the degraded dyes are examined using the LCMS technique and a tentative dye degradation mechanism is proposed.

Lessons From 30 Years of Water Crises and Water Policy

Key TakeawaysMost water crises are caused by events that are beyond the control of water system managers.New or updated regulations will not necessarily address all water crises.Extreme weather events are increasingly problematic, so water systems need to invest in preparedness; the question is how much to invest.

In situ Electrical Impedance Tomography for Visualizing Water Transportation in Hygroscopic Aerogels.

The global water crisis demands immediate attention, and atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) provides a viable alternative. However, studying the real-time subtle relationship between water absorption, diffusion, and internal structure for hygroscopic materials is challenging. Herein, a dynamic visualization technique is proposed that utilizes an in situ electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system and a precise reconstruction algorithm to achieve real-time monitoring of the water sorption process within aerogels from an internal microstructural perspective. These results can be inferred that composites' pore sizes affecting the kinetics of their moisture absorption. In addition, the diffusion path of moisture absorption and the distribution of stored moisture inside aerogels exhibit intrinsic self-selective behavior, where the fiber skeleton of the aerogel plays a crucial role. In summary, this work proposes a generic EIT-based technique for the in situ and dynamic monitoring of the hygroscopic process, pointing to an entirely new approach regarding research on AWH materials.