Current trends of water use in Brazil are dangerous and unsustainable. This fresh-water-endowed country’s nearly 30-year old legal framework is conducive to sound governance, in principle. In practice, fair and sustainable freshwater governance faces steep obstacles and requires new institutions. Too much responsibility is left to voluntary processes and to a disempowered and largely demobilized public as the motor for change, while national decision makers allow dangerous wastefulness and prioritize large-scale use of water as a commercial commodity over the legally sanctioned purpose of sustaining human and animal well-being. Purely voluntary processes are insufficient to counter this. Top-down governmental authority and enforcement mechanisms are needed to ensure wise use and compliance by all, as is greater general access to system-critical knowledge. Needed collective pressure for fair and sound water governance is obstructed by power-inflected information and education structures that leave Brazilians uninformed about the true costs of Brazil’s commodities-centered economic model and about the reality of water insecurity and its avoidability. New institutions are vitally needed to empower the citizenry and generally improve decision-making in the public interest.

Food and water insecurity remain critical public health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, affecting millions of people and hindering progress toward Sustainable Development Goals. Despite the severity of these problems, cross-country comparative data are consistent in their measurement approaches. Data were collected from the Afrobarometer survey (Round 8), conducted in 34 sub-Saharan African countries between 2019 and 2020. Participants were asked how often they had "gone without enough food to eat" and "gone without enough clean water for home use" in the past year - data analysis involved bivariate and multivariable methods. Overall, 52.1 % of participants reported experiencing food shortages at least once in the past year, while 54.5 % reported going without water. Substantial cross-country variation was observed: the proportion reporting "Always" going without food ranged from 10 % in Malawi to 0.13 % in Tanzania; in comparison, for water, it ranged from 17.8 % in Gambia to 0.58 % in Morocco. Multivariable regression revealed that males had higher odds of both food insecurity (OR=1.05, 95 % CI=1.01–1.09) and water insecurity (OR=1.11, 95 % CI=1.08–1.15) compared to females. Rural residents faced 1.21 times higher odds (95 % CI=1.17–1.26) of food insecurity and 1.31 times higher odds (95 % CI=1.27–1.36) of water insecurity than urban residents. Individuals with no formal education had 2.40 times higher odds (95 % CI=2.25–2.56) of food insecurity and 1.50 times higher odds (95 % CI=1.41–1.60) of water insecurity compared to those with post-secondary education. Those reporting very bad living conditions had 3.43 times higher odds (95 % CI=3.16–3.71) of food insecurity and 2.35 times higher odds (95 % CI=2.18–2.54) of water insecurity. A significant disparity exists in the proportion of participants experiencing food and water insecurity across countries. Our findings highlight the influence of various socioeconomic and environmental factors related to water and food insecurity, which should be prioritized in health promotion efforts in the region.

Groundwater depletion and salinity intrusion have deepened concerns over the long-term reliability of freshwater resources across Bangladesh, stimulating increased attention to the role of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in strengthening water security. The review examines the development, implementation, and performance of MAR across two distinct hydrogeological settings: the Barind Tract in the northwest, where groundwater levels are rapidly declining, and the coastal zone in the southwest, where salinity limits access to freshwater. The study evaluates the development of MAR practices in Bangladesh and synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of major MAR techniques, including Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHS), Aquifer Storage, Transfer and Recovery (ASR/ASTR), and Induced Bank Filtration (IBF). RWHS installations, which rely on rooftop and stormwater capture, typically recharge shallow aquifers ranging from 140 to 1,070 m 3 /year. ASR/ASTR systems using treated pond or surface water achieve recharge capacities of up to 3,600 m 3 /year, although their performance is influenced by water turbidity, filter clogging, and aquifer properties. IBF systems provide substantially larger recharge volumes, reaching up to 31,200 m 3 /day where permeable riverbank sediments permit efficient infiltration; however, their effectiveness is reduced in areas with thick clay layers. Findings highlight the dominant role of geological variability in determining the suitability and long-term performance of MAR interventions. The study emphasizes the need for site-specific hydrogeological assessments, operational monitoring, and coordinated strategies that integrate technology, policy support, financing mechanisms, and community participation. Strengthening these elements is essential for enhancing groundwater sustainability and improving resilience in drought-sensitive and salinity-prone regions. • MAR in Bangladesh has evolved irregularly across regions and technologies. • Most MAR initiatives have been implemented through foreign-funded projects. • MAR suitability varies across Barind and coastal zones due to diverse geology. • MAR techniques show contrasting recharge capacities and operational constraints. • Sustainable MAR requires site-specific assessment with strong local capacity and policy support.

From pollutant profiling to source attribution: An interpretable staged machine learning framework for sewer surveillance.

The Upper Zarafshon River Basin (UZRB) in Tajikistan hosts numerous glaciers, of which the Zarafshon glacier is the largest and most important source of meltwater for both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In this study, we analyzed glacier retreat, surface displacement, and the evolution of supraglacial features from 2016 to 2024 using multi-temporal, high-resolution satellite imagery from Gaofen-2 and PlanetScope (80 cm and 3 m spatial resolution). We selected five representative glaciers-№ 168, 178, 185, 202, and 203 based on their size (greater than 1 km2) and hydrological significance. Our comprehensive investigation of the glaciers in 2024 includes data on glacier area, length, supraglacial lakes, and morphological classification. The results show a decrease in total glacier area from 254.1 km2 in 2016 to 252.8 km2 in 2024. Surface movement patterns, derived from visual and geomorphological assessments, reveal spatially heterogeneous displacement, especially in debris-covered areas. Supraglacial lakes and ponds showed dynamic changes, with the most significant expansion in 2022, driven by increased surface melt and subglacial hydrological reorganization. These findings highlight the need for ongoing glacier monitoring in the Zarafshon River Basin (ZRB) due to the significant implications that cryospheric changes hold for regional hydrology, water security, and the frequency of climate-induced natural hazards.

Urban cities have been intensely prone to floods during extreme rainfall events and water scarcity issues during dry periods in recent years. In this context, identifying rainwater harvesting potential (RWHP) regions in urban environments provides a sustainable approach to mitigate both urban flooding and water security, thereby improving urban stormwater management. Geospatial mapping of RWHP has tried to consider various hydrometeorological, topographical and other geospatial datasets, but integrating socio-economic factors over urban environments has not been explored much. The present study integrated remote sensing and hydrological-based information, such as slope, soil type, drainage density, geomorphology, topographic wetness index (TWI), land use land cover (LULC), rainfall, runoff coefficient, proximity to roads, and proximity to settlements for geospatial mapping of RWH potential zones for Hyderabad city using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and weighted overlay analysis (WOA). The resulting RWH potential map indicates that 80.20% of the area falls within the “low” potential category, 17.53% as “moderate”, 2.0% as “very low”, and only 0.25% as “high” potential, mainly in the southeastern portion near the Hussain Sagar outlet. These categories are spatially verified using Sentinel-2 LULC and Google Earth imagery to assess the qualitative plausibility of the mapped RWH potential zones. Northwestern areas, with loamy soils and mild slopes, demonstrate suitability for rooftop collection and percolation structures, highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed modelling framework for sustainable stormwater management for urban environments.

Groundwater is a critical resource that underpins water security, but it is increasingly threatened by climate variability and growing anthropogenic pressures. In the Kobo Valley of Ethiopia, groundwater serves as the principal source of water for domestic and irrigation purposes, raising serious concerns about the sustainability of the aquifer. This study evaluates groundwater flow dynamics and provides insights for sustainable groundwater management in the region. A numerical groundwater flow model was developed using Visual MODFLOW Flex (MODFLOW 6), with key hydraulic parameters derived from pumping test data analyzed through Aquifer Test. Model simulations revealed seasonal groundwater-level fluctuations of up to 1.7 m along the eastern boundary and 1.4 m along the southern boundary. Scenario analysis indicated that a 50% reduction in pumping rates could effectively mitigate groundwater-level decline, limiting drawdown to 1.5 m during irrigation periods. These results demonstrate that the Kobo Valley aquifer is highly susceptible to over-extraction, emphasizing the importance of optimized pumping regimes, artificial recharge interventions, and continuous monitoring. The findings offer critical guidance for sustainable groundwater management and support the formulation of evidence-based water resource policies in Ethiopia.

This article examines and analyzes the typology of global geoclimatic shifts, classifying the types of environmental and climatic changes that change the face of the planet. The authors identified 4 types of geoclimatic shifts, such as gradual climatic trends, extreme changes in weather conditions, turning points in the Earth’s system, and changes in biosphere and ecosystem regimes. The authors also consider global cognitive shifts that classify changes in human behavior, values, and collective psychology in response to the global crisis. The types identified by the authors are as follows: climate anxiety, environmental grief and the psychology of crisis, digital transformation and cognitive overload, changes in values, worldview, and moral principles. For each category in the article, the authors identified the key driving factors, their characteristics and the observed consequences for environmental stability, human health, food and water security, as well as the sustainability of infrastructure. The authors draw on modern scientific literature in the fields of the environment, behavioral sciences, cognitive sociology, and moral psychology. A key analytical contribution is the study of the effects of the interaction between geoclimatic and cognitive shifts. In the article, the authors analyzed how climatic stress factors — extreme heat, lack of resources, population displacement, and exposure to natural disasters — can increase psychological stress, change moral priorities, and transform institutional trust, while cognitive models such as increased risk, cascades of misinformation, and failures of collective action, in turn, can influence the results of mitigation and adaptation. In conclusion, the authors consider how these shifts interact with each other (for example, how climatic stressors cause psychological reactions or social changes), and also consider how such a typology can help in research, policy development, and political sustainability planning.

Climate change, migration, and infectious disease vulnerability at Europe's southern border: Lampedusa as a sentinel interface.

Abstract Recent United States federal policy for military installations has emphasized the importance of developing a standardized approach for water security assessment to monitor changes in water resources and the ability for an installation to meet both its civilian and mission needs. For military installations in the United States, these assessments must consider demands both inside and outside the installation’s fence line, as regional resources are required to meet mission readiness. Focusing on physical water scarcity, this study compares four water security metrics with unique formulations and spatial resolutions, including an installation-scale metric and multiple regional metrics defined for either baseline conditions or the future. We evaluate these metrics across thirty United States Air Force installations and find little congruency. Notably, the two future metrics we consider both include indicators for seasonal variability and interannual variability, however there is no correlation in these indicators between the two metrics. Using three Air Force installations as case studies, we evaluate how variability across water security metrics can lead to inconsistent representations of water security, causing ambiguity for decision-makers who rely on these assessments. We emphasize the importance of incorporating both site-specific and regional indicators of water security rather than relying upon a single, aggregate metric of water security.

Abstract Constantine Province, located in the semi-arid region of north-eastern Algeria, is experiencing increasing water resource stress driven by rapid urban expansion, population growth and intensifying climate change impacts. By 2025, the population is projected to reach approaximately 1.2 million inhabitants, while the average daily production of drinking water production capacity is estimated at 355,000 m 3 . The annual population growth rate is estimated at 1.5%, whereas urban water demand is projected to increase by approaximately 2% annually over the coming decades. Despite major infrastructural investments, particularly the mobilisation of water from the Béni Haroun Dam, persistent spatial disparities in water distribution, high leakage rates and management inefficiencies continue to undermine water security across municipalities. Projections indicate that, by 2050, daily water demand could reach approaximately 440,000 m 3 to supply a population of nearly 1.76 million, thereby intensifying pressure on existing infrastructure and available resources. Without targeted interventions, daily losses could exceed 100,000 m 3 , which would seriously affect the region’s water balance and resilience. Using an integrated analytical approach to Water Resources Management (IWRM), climate adaptation and urban sustainability, this study evaluates the key challenges facing Constantine’s urban water system and proposes strategic pathways to ensure long-term water security.

Water is an important resource for life, livelihood, and development, especially in rural areas where access is often limited. This study examines household water consumption and water security in Mawlyndep village, Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya, based on primary data from 79 households selected through random sampling. The results show that households use different water sources, with Public Health Engineering (PHE) as the main one, though its supply is only moderately reliable. Other sources like wells and tankers are more regular. The average water use is 70.23 litres per person per day, but many households still face shortages, along with some issues related to infrastructure and quality. The study further highlights that water is used not only for domestic purposes but also for livelihood activities such as agriculture and gardening, thereby increasing overall demand. Water consumption is strongly influenced by household size, with larger households requiring greater quantities of water. Although awareness regarding water conservation is relatively high among households, the actual adoption of water-saving practices remains limited, suggesting a gap between knowledge and behaviour. To manage irregular supply, households store water and use multiple sources. Overall, water conditions in the village depend on supply stability, infrastructure, and household needs. The study suggests improving supply systems, encouraging practical conservation, and strengthening community involvement.

The status of water security in small, rural, and remote communities in Canada: a review on water contamination and small water systems

Surface water extent (SWE) is a key indicator of the regional water balance in dryland environments. However, the hydrological processes regulating SWE responses remain poorly constrained. Focusing on the Mu Us Sandy Land (MUSL), this study integrates multi-source remote sensing and hydrological datasets to investigate the long-term evolution of SWE and, critically, to distinguish the hydrological linkages between SWE dynamics and water storage variability in endorheic and exorheic regions during 1987–2024. An improved water extraction method was implemented on the Google Earth Engine platform, and SWE dynamics were interpreted within a water-balance framework supported by attribution analysis using machine learning. The results show that total SWE exhibited a significant increasing trend (7.95 km2 yr−1, p < 0.05) during 1987–2024, primarily driven by permanent SWE, while fundamentally different hydrological regimes governed SWE evolution. In the endorheic basin, SWE exhibited strong co-variation with subsurface water storage, with soil moisture and groundwater storage changes occurring concurrently with SWE changes. In contrast, no synchronous increase in SWE with groundwater storage was observed in the exorheic region. Instead, SWE expansion was mainly associated with accelerated groundwater storage depletion and reservoir construction. These contrasting patterns indicated that SWE dynamics in the endorheic basin were primarily controlled by subsurface water storage, whereas in exorheic regions they were largely driven by human-induced water redistribution rather than increases in total water storage. These findings highlight the importance of integrated surface–subsurface water management for sustaining long-term water security under climate change and increasing human water regulation.

In ecologically fragile karst regions, surface water leakage and spatial mismatches between supply and demand exacerbate water scarcity and ecosystem degradation. In this context, sustainable water resource allocation is of great significance for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study proposes a Dual-stage Prediction and Optimization Coupled Allocation Model (DPOCAM), which integrates an LSTM–Transformer-based intelligent water demand forecasting model with the NSGA-III multi-objective optimization algorithm. The forecasting model was trained on data from 2001 to 2020 and tested on data from 2021 to 2024, achieving a mean absolute percentage error of 2.89%. The model incorporates ecological water demand as an independent optimization objective, quantified using the Tennant method, aiming to coordinate the relationship between domestic and productive water use with aquatic ecosystem protection. Applied to Sinan County, a typical karst area in Guizhou Province, China, the model projects sectoral water demands for 2035 and conducts water resource allocation based on water network planning. Results show that under the current water network, the comprehensive water shortage rate reaches 17.7%, with ecological deficit accounting for 10.1%, posing dual threats to human water security and ecosystem integrity. Following the planned construction of a water network centered on the Huatanzi Reservoir, the overall shortage rate drops to 0.6%, and the ecological deficit declines to 4.6%, demonstrating significant improvements in both water supply reliability and ecological flow guarantee. The water network construction plays a positive role in reducing water shortage rates and enhancing ecological flow protection, providing a scientific basis and practical reference for sustainable water resource management in karst regions.

The Alborz Mountain range, serving as the strategic water tower of the Iranian Plateau, is experiencing the accelerating impacts of climate change. Given the critical role of snow reserves in this region for water security, understanding the mechanisms of snow degradation in response to warming is essential. Aiming to investigate the divergent responses of snow cover and snow depth to extreme temperature indices, this study analyzes a 23-year time series (2001–2023) of ERA5-Land data and MODIS imagery across 11 elevation bands. To this end, trends and correlations among the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI), the Percentage of Warm Days (TX90p), the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI), and Average Snow Depth (ASD) were assessed using the Modified Mann–Kendall (MMK) test, Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM), and Spearman’s rank correlation. The findings reveal elevational heterogeneity in the snow regime of the Alborz. Notably, the decline in spatial snow cover (NDSI) is primarily concentrated in the mid-elevation transition zone (2000 to 3000 m), whereas the reduction in snow depth (ASD) is a widespread phenomenon, observed even at high altitudes above 4000 m. A key innovation of this research is demonstrating the dominant role of heat frequency over heat duration; GLM results indicate that the TX90p index (frequency of warm days) has a much stronger negative correlation with the degradation of snow resources than WSDI. These results confirm the transition of the Alborz hydrological system toward instability, the upward shift in the snowline in the transition zone, and the invisible thinning of the snowpack at higher elevations.

Qwaqwa, a mountainous region situated within the Maluti-A-Phofung municipality, faces persistent challenges including food and water insecurity, deteriorating infrastructure, and limited state support, reflecting broader governance failures in rural and peri-urban South Africa. In response, a network of social entrepreneurs, including members of Qwakanda NPC, has emerged to address these challenges through community-led initiatives. This study investigates how these actors contribute to achieving several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Employing a constructivist case study approach, the research used five in-depth interviews with Qwakanda members, supported by social media analysis. Data were thematically analysed through a hybrid manual and AI-assisted coding process to explore autogestion in sustainable development in Qwaqwa. Findings reveal that Qwaqwa’s social entrepreneurs enact autogestion by creating non-hierarchical solutions to systemic challenges through community gardens, waste management programmes, skills development initiatives and eco-tourism ventures. The research makes an original contribution by applying Lefebvre’s theory of autogestion to the context of social entrepreneurship in Qwaqwa – an area where such a theoretical and empirical intersection has not been explored before. By linking autogestion to the SDGs, this research shows how grassroots social entrepreneurship in Qwaqwa fosters locally grounded, equitable, and sustainable development. The research offers a model for other historically marginalised regions seeking locally driven solutions to persistent socio-economic and environmental challenges.

ABSTRACT Map of Erguna River right bank with sub-basins, stations, climate trends (warmer, drier, higher evaporation), declining runoff coefficient, and land use pie chart. The right bank of the Erguna River Basin, a critical transboundary region between China and Russia, plays a vital role in regional water security and ecological stability. Using hydrological and meteorological data from 1957 to 2018, this study systematically investigates the drivers of declining runoff efficiency through trend analysis, spatial interpolation, and runoff coefficient evaluation. Results reveal significant spatial heterogeneity. The multi-year average runoff coefficients for the primary runoff-generating areas of the Hailar, Gen, and Jiliu Rivers are 0.193, 0.345, and 0.434, respectively. Over the 62-year study period, the runoff coefficient declined across the entire basin, with the Hailar River Basin experiencing the largest reduction (21.7%). Notably, while total runoff showed no significant trend, the runoff coefficient decreased significantly, indicating fundamental changes in the rainfall-runoff relationship. Climate change emerges as the dominant driver: temperature increased by 0.34°C/decade, relative humidity decreased by 1.04%/decade, leading to a significant increase in atmospheric evaporative demand, as indicated by a 21.5 mm/decade rise in pan evaporation. This heightened evaporative demand has exacerbated soil moisture deficits, thereby altering the rainfall-runoff relationship and reducing the proportion of precipitation converted to runoff. Concurrently, land use changes and human activities have also influenced surface runoff capacity.

Abstract Water and food security are integral to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 and SDG 6). Lack of water and food can severely affect human health and well-being, hampering SDG progress. Climate change-related extreme events further add spatial and temporal uncertainties in water and food availability. Multiple studies have so far focused on assessing water and food security at broader spatial scales, such as state or district levels; however, the lack of finer-resolution socio-economic data limits well-informed decision-making at the local level. In this context, the present study develops an indicator-based approach for assessing water and food security at the sub-district level in Maharashtra State, India. The literature review-based assessment framework consists of four key dimensions: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability. The water security index (WSI) was calculated using nine indicators, whereas the food security index (FSI) was calculated using twelve indicators. The water-food security index (WFSI) was developed by integrating WSI and FSI.
The results show significant spatial disparities across the state. Sub-districts in the relatively water-abundant Konkan and parts of the Pune division have consistently higher composite security levels. Many districts, including Dharashiv, Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, and Washim, which were selected as part of the Government of India's Aspirational Districts Programme, demonstrate persistent vulnerabilities in terms of both food and water security indices. WFSI reveals that 100% of sub-districts in Dharashiv and Washim, and 50% in Gadchiroli and Nandurbar, fall into the low category. The high prevalence of low WFSI scores in water- and food-insecure regions underscores the pressing need for targeted, location-specific interventions. The findings will provide policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and development partners with robust, data-driven evidence on the current state of food and water security, while helping researchers and practitioners better identify high-risk sub-districts, thereby facilitating informed decisions about priority research and targeted interventions in vulnerable regions

With the growing demand for sustainable and efficient energy solutions, optimizing solar water pumping (SWP) systems has become a priority. This study evaluates the thermal performance of a hybrid nanofluid (HNF) composed of AA7075–Ti–6Al–4V/ethylene glycol and compares it with a mono-nanofluid (AA7075/EG) for cooling applications. Considering the environmental impacts of conventional pumping systems, including high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the research investigates the heat transfer and flow characteristics of these advanced fluids. The mathematical model incorporates thermal radiation, heat generation, viscous dissipation, porous media effects, and viscoelastic properties, formulated as coupled non-linear partial differential equations. Numerical solutions are obtained using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta (RK4) method, yielding precise profiles of dimensionless velocity, temperature, and entropy generation. Results show that the hybrid nanofluid outperforms the mono-nanofluid in thermal conductivity and heat transport. Sensitivity analysis highlights the trade-offs between cooling efficiency and system irreversibility. By optimizing key parameters, including nanoparticle volume fraction, suction/injection rates, and Deborah numbers, this study provides a framework for designing more efficient, durable SWP systems, enhancing water and energy security in remote regions.