How would the Rogun Dam affect water and energy scarcity in Central Asia?

The construction of the Rogun Dam in the Amu Darya Basin to increase upstream energy generation creates potential trade-offs with existing downstream irrigation, due to the different timing of energy and irrigation water demands. The present analysis, based on a hydro-economic optimization model, shows that cooperative basin-wide maximization of benefits would lead to large increases in upstream hydropower production and only minor changes in downstream irrigation benefits. However, if upstream stations, including Rogun, are managed unilaterally to maximize energy production, hydropower benefits might more than double while irrigation benefits greatly decrease, thereby substantially reducing overall basin benefits.     

The Afghan water law: “a legal solution foreign to reality”? 1

In this article the suggested permit and licence systems included in the draft Afghan Water Law of 2008 (superseding those laws of 1981 and 1991) are examined by comparing them with main canal data from two pilot studies within the Kunduz Basin. The comparison highlights the difficulty of making these proposed legal frameworks operative. Overall, it appears that the sections within the law on permits and licences are not implementable within or even useful for the traditional irrigation systems, but mainly play into the hands of the national hydrocracy and please international donors.     

Use of a stable carbon isotope to assess the efficiency of a drinking water treatment method with CO?

CO? gas with a special isotopic signature (δ13C = -35.2‰ vs. VPDB) was used as a marker to evaluate the efficiency of a drinking water treatment method and the effect of an ultrasonic (US) stirrer. This treatment was developed to prevent precipitation and corrosion effects in water-supply systems. The research work was performed using a laboratory-scale pilot plant that was filled with tap water. The stable isotope analyses of δ13C-DIC (Dissolved Inorganic Carbon) in the water samples indicated that the maximum content of added CO? gas in DIC was in the range of 35 to 45%. The use of the US stirrer during the entire experiment decreased the method's overall efficiency by 10%, due to degassing at a late stage of the experiment but accelerated the dissolution process in the early experimental stage.     

Is water security just? Concepts,tools and missing links

ABSTRACT

Both social and environmental justice overlap with water (in)security, but neither fully captures the nuances. This review extends a water justice framework by critiquing and further developing an existing environmental justice framework. Testing a reformulated understanding of water security through a case study reveals added insights derived from inclusion of scale and power dynamics.     

Assessing the economic impact of North China’s water scarcity mitigation strategy: a multi-region,water-extended computable general equilibrium analysis

This paper describes a multi-region computable general equilibrium model for analyzing the effectiveness of measures and policies for mitigating North China’s water scarcity with respect to three different groups of scenarios. The findings suggest that a reduction in groundwater use would negatively affect economic growth and household incomes. A planned water-transfer project would improve economic development and reduce the over-exploitation of local water resources, while water demand management policies would improve water-use efficiency through reallocating water to those sectors having a higher marginal product value. Several important policy implications are drawn from these findings.     

Is Shallow Water a Suitable Surrogate for Assessing Efforts to Address Pallid Sturgeon Population Declines?

It is hypothesized that slow, shallow water habitats benefit larval pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus; however, testing this hypothesis is difficult, given the low number of larval pallid sturgeon present in large rivers. In contrast, relatively large numbers of age‐0 shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus have been sampled, providing a potentially useful baseline to assess the importance of slow, shallow water to age‐0 sturgeon of both species (hereafter age‐0 sturgeon) in the lower Missouri River. Thus, we investigated the potential relationships between the prevalence of shallow water <1.5 m and the age‐0 sturgeon catch rates at multiple scales. Age‐0 sturgeon were usually sampled in water >1.5 m, and catch rates were usually highest in the upper half [i.e. river kilometre (RKM) 400 to 800] of the lower Missouri River study area, whereas the availability of water <1.5 m was usually highest in the lower half (i.e. RKM 0 to 400). Similarly, there was no relationship between age‐0 sturgeon mean catch‐per‐unit effort and ha/km of water <1.5 m at any studied scale. Our results may suggest that shallow water, as currently defined, may not be a suitable surrogate for assessing efforts to address pallid sturgeon population declines. However, it is still unknown if lack of appropriate habitat is currently limiting pallid sturgeon. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. River Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Proposing a solution to India’s water crisis: ‘paradigm shift’ or pushing outdated concepts?

Abstract

This article is a critique of the report of the committee chaired by Dr Mihir Shah on restructuring the Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board of India. It shows that the recommendations of the committee are not based on any sound understanding of the federal nature of water administration in India, water-sector performance or the problems confronting it. The ‘paradigm shift’ in the suggested approach to water management is based on flawed analysis of the performance of surface irrigation systems and outdated concepts of irrigation efficiency, and reflects the professional bias of its members against large water infrastructure and wishful thinking about what schemes like aquifer mapping can achieve.     

Is It Possible to Shift to Hydrological Boundaries? The Ferghana Valley Meshed System

The management of water resources according to hydrological boundaries at different implementation levels (river basin, irrigation system, or water user association) is promoted internationally. This approach to water management, especially for the basin, is starting to be challenged from different perspectives: representation within basins, appropriateness for basins in the south, and the challenges of merging boundaries for surface and groundwater sources. It has been challenged only recently in relation to its appropriateness for indigenously constructed (informal) irrigation systems. To these critiques, this paper adds the historical development and originally intended purpose of engineered irrigation systems and therefore calls into question whether it is always possible to introduce hydrological boundary management in the formal systems in Central Asia.     

The human right to water and foreign investment: friends or foes?

States have a duty to respect, protect and fulfil the human right to water. Water-related foreign investment, governed by international investment agreements (IIAs) that do not yet incorporate human rights provisions, can have both positive and negative impacts on human rights. It is argued here that the right to water could be used as an argument to justify measures taken against water-related investments in disputes between host states and foreign investors. While arbitral tribunals have not yet accepted this argument, it might be accepted in the near future as IIAs incorporate human rights provisions.     

Integrated water resources management: lost on the road from ambition to realisation?

The recognition that water plays a central role in industrial, agricultural, economic, social and cultural development has, over the past half century, led to the development of strategic management approaches based on the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM). This paper assesses the extent to which IWRM theory has been converted into practice and identifies existing "research gaps". We set out our arguments as a critique of IWRM; describing its basic tenets, exploring its value as a conceptual tool, considering its scientific pedigree, questioning its novelty as a resource management paradigm, and suggesting ways of translating the theory into more widespread practice. Finally, we argue that whilst models in their broadest sense can make a significant contribution to IWRM research and practice, a revised assessment of the source of their value is required.     

A holistic water balance of Austria - how does the quantitative proportion of urban water requirements relate to other users?

Traditional water use statistics only include the blue water withdrawal/consumption of municipalities, industry and irrigated agriculture. When, however, green water use of the agricultural sector is included as well as the virtual water use/water footprint (WF), water use quantity statistics become very different. In common water use statistics, Austria withdraws in total about 2.5 km(3) per year, only 3% of available resources (total discharge 81.4 km(3) = surface and ground water). The total water consumption (0.5 km(3)) is less than 1% of available resources. Urban (municipal) water requirements account for 27% of total withdrawal or 33% of consumption. When agricultural green water use (cropland) is included in statistics, the fraction of municipal water requirements diminishes to 7.6% of total withdrawal and 2.5% of total consumption. If the evapotranspiration of grassland and alpine meadows is also included in agricultural green water use, this fraction decreases to 3.2% and 0.9% respectively. When the WF is assessed as base value for water use in Austria, the municipal water use represents 5.8% of this value. In this globalized world, these traditional water use statistics are no longer recommendable. Only a holistic water balance approach really represents water use statistics.     

Firms’ willingness to invest in a water fund to improve water-related ecosystem services in the Lake Naivasha basin,Kenya

A valuation scenario was designed using a contingent-valuation approach and presented to decision makers in business firms in Kenya’s Lake Naivasha basin to test how applicable a water fund might be as a potential financing mechanism for a payment for water-related ecosystem services scheme. The findings indicate that measuring a firm’s willingness to invest in ecosystem services could help determine whether a firm would invest and engage with other stakeholders to pool their investments in ecosystem services. Linking the institutional decision-making behaviour of a firm and its willingness to invest in a water fund is the novelty of this article.     

Simultaneous copper ion removal and hydrogen production from water over a TiO? nanotube photocatalyst

A one-dimensional (1-D) mesoporous TiO? nanotube (TiNT) was successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal-calcination process, and employed in simultaneous photocatalytic Cu(2+) removal and H? production. Under irradiation, Cu(2+) in the wide concentration range of 8-800 ppm, could be reduced rapidly, and the reduction was not severely impacted by co-existing inorganic ions in solution. Simultaneous with Cu(2+) reduction, noticeable H? was produced over the in-situ fabricated Cu incorporated TiNT (Cu-TiNT) photocatalyst, while H? evolution rate was controlled by the Cu(2+) reduction process, due to competition of electron capture between protons and Cu(2+). In addition, H? generation activity of Cu-TiNT depended on the initial Cu(2+)/Ti ratio, and could be depressed by co-existing ions in solution. Fast Cu(2+) reduction and remarkable H? evolution confirmed the feasibility of simultaneous Cu(2+) removal and H? production over a TiNT photocatalyst.     

Is a sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor suitable for textile wastewater treatment?

The textile industry releases highly polluted and complex wastewaters, which are difficult to treat and require numerous treatment steps. Innovative technologies for on-site treatment at each factory would permit cost reduction. For this reason, we ran a laboratory-scale study to assess the suitability of a sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR) for textile wastewater treatment, testing four different types of wastewater. Results demonstrate that wastewater characteristics greatly affect the reactor efficiency. Hence, a pre-study is advisable to define the best operational conditions and the maximum treatment capability for the wastewater under analysis. Nevertheless, SBBGR is a valuable biological treatment, effective in the reduction of pollutant load with stable performances despite the variability in wastewater composition. Tests with ozone integration have demonstrated that it is possible to dose small quantities of ozone to obtain an effluent suitable for direct discharge. However, a dynamic ozone dosage should be used to optimize the process as the correct ozone dose strongly depends on the wastewater composition.     

Hydrosolidarity and beyond: can ethics and equity find a place in today's water resource management?

The notion of hydrosolidarity has permeated international discourses on water management, but it has received little comprehensive review. This paper traces the intellectual origins of hydrosolidarity and it explores how the concept has been applied by water scholars, organizations and in global water venues, like World Water Forums. Evolving conceptions and meanings of hydrosolidarity are presented and its kinship to related, sometimes oppositional terms, untangled. In particular, it explores how hydrosolidarity has evolved to serve as a socio-ethical annex to integrated water resources management. The paper concludes by examining some critiques and addressing the potential of hydrosolidarity in water management.     

Is it safe to eat fish from the Great Lakes? An adaptive modelling-monitoring framework to assess compliance with consumption advisories

In this study, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the spatio-temporal trends of fish contamination in the Canadian Great Lakes. We subsequently formulated consumption advisories that explicitly account for all sources of uncertainty, such as model error, sampling bias, and natural variability of fish assemblages. Our analysis generated exceedance frequency maps of the tolerable daily intakes (TDIs), which showed that mercury (Hg) concentrations are generally at a safer level for consumption, whilst polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) continue to result in restrictive advisories. Specifically, the initial decline in PCBs has transitioned into a steady state, possibly due to the combined effects of external contamination sources and internal abiotic and biotic factors. Our assessment of the PCB decline rates required to comply with TDI thresholds over the next twenty years suggest that a small degree of reduction is needed for Walleye (Sander vitreus) across all sampled sites, whereas much faster decay rates are needed for Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), especially in lower Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. We also detected a distinct Hg gradient whereby the southernmost waterbody, Lake Erie, had the lowest average concentrations, whereas the highest levels amongst the fish species sampled were registered in St. Lawrence River. Finally, we show the ability of our Bayesian approach to fish consumption advisories to produce time-specific, highly customizable, risk-assessment statements that account for the inherent variability in natural fish communities and the variant degree of empirical evidence about the contamination history in different locations around the Great Lakes.     

Why doesn’t every family practice rainwater harvesting? Factors that affect the decision to adopt rainwater harvesting as a household water security strategy in central Uganda

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the reasons householders do, and don’t, adopt domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH). Using a mixed-methods research approach, we collected data in three districts in central Uganda. Factors that emerged as important with respect to uptake of DWRH to address water shortage, especially at the household scale, include the work of intermediary organizations, finance mechanisms, life course dynamics and land tenure.     

Particle counting as a tool to predict filterability in membrane bioreactors activated sludge?

Activated sludge quality is one of the major factors influencing flux decline in membrane bioreactors (MBRS). Sludge filterability is a recognized parameter to characterize the physical properties of activated sludge. Decrease in filterability is linked to a higher number of submicron particles. In our present research we studied whether particle counting techniques can be used to indicate deflocculation of the sludge suspended fraction to submicron particles, causing the aforementioned filterability decrease. A total number of 105 activated sludge samples were collected in four full scale municipal MBRS. Samples were tested for filterability and particle counting in the range 2-100 microm. In 88% of the membrane tank samples the filterability varied between good and poor, characterized by the deltaR20, being 0 < deltaR20 < 1. Filterability varied following the season of the year, stability of the MBR operation and recirculation ratio. The membrane tank filterability can be improved by applying low recirculation ratio between MBR tanks. The applied particle counting methodology generated reproducible and reliable results in the range 10-100 microm. Results show that differences in filterability cannot be explained by variations in particle size distribution in the range 10-100 microm. However, measurable deflocculation might be masked by the large numbers of particles present. Therefore, we cannot exclude the suspended particles as a possible source of submicron particles that are subsequently responsible for MBR sludge filterability deterioration.     

Clean development mechanism: a way to sustainable waste management in developing countries?

The Clean Development Mechanism established under the Kyoto Protocol allows investors in the developed world to invest in the developing world in return for emission credits. The CDM has two goals—to contribute to the reduction of emissions in the developed countries, and to promote sustainable development in the developing country. The objective of this paper is to analyze the project portfolio of 400 published CDM projects in the sector “waste handling and disposal” according to their project and technology characteristics.