Anticipating the Future in Urban Water Management: an Assessment of Municipal Investment Decisions

Water Resources Management - Municipalities are confronted with future uncertainties when they need to take decisions about their ageing water infrastructure. Previous work that addressed future...     

Comprehensive Understanding of Urban Water Supply Management: Towards Sustainable Water-socio-economic-health-environment Nexus

Water Resources Management - The majority of the cities across the developing countries have saddled water supply and quality management issues. Unfortunately, even cities with adequate water...     

Development of Data and Information Centre System to Improve Water Resources Management in Indonesia

Most provinces in Indonesia will be facing water scarcity problems in the next decades due to increasing water demands resulting from population growth, urbanization and economic and industrial developments. As a consequence, they will also be facing a number of problems with regards water resource management, such as a lack of data and information needed to evaluate the real status of water resources, the unsystematic development of relevant infrastructure and economic instruments, inadequate human resources for the operation and maintenance of water resources, and a lack of interest in improving research and development activities. This paper examines the application of data and information management for improved water resources management in Indonesia through “one door data service system” linked among the related institutions from different sectors and levels both at the central and regional government agencies. One of the key solutions to help solve water resource problems would therefore be to obtain supporting data and information by developing an information system and water resources data centre (WRDC). Rapid developments in information and communication technology (ICT) could be used to support data communication and management requests in order to build capacity of the water resources sector, and as a prerequisite for an integrated water resources management program. Improved efficiency and effectiveness could be achieved by making relevant data and information available, as well by establishing a communication system among related institutions. Further, provinces should also prioritize developing human and social capital through education, service delivery and career development, as well as training for water resources development and management. Data and information such as the hydrological and water quality data, information of water resources potential, irrigation areas, population and economic growth as well as the others related data need to store in both the tabular and spatial formats. The water resources data management and warehouse system is a web-enabled application that permits spatial data to be stored with tabular data in a standard database management system. This system permits a dynamic generation of output from the tabular and spatial data and enables users to generate answers to their queries online, rather than simply presenting static maps and tables from the database. The WRDC applications were developed and chosen by gathering the ideas suggested by users at the ministerial, provincial and river basin levels. Within the resulting inventory system, information was grouped into irrigation scheme system; water resources potential; natural disaster; hydrological data and station networks; and other information. For the users at the ministerial level access the system by using local area network (LAN) connections and other users at the provincial and river basin levels or elsewhere in the world can use the internet for connections and regular browser software for system operation.     

Comfort Value of Water: Natural-artificial Dual-structured Analytical Framework for Comfort Assessment of Regional Water Environment and Landscape System

Water Resources Management - The existing research on water comfort assessment has been limited owing to the lack of understanding of water environment and landscape system (WELs) and its comfort...     

Developing a Model for Decision-Makers in Dynamic Modeling of Urban Water System Management

Water managers may modify many components of urban water systems to minimize water shortage. Since each modification activity has its own positive and negative effects, it is necessary to define an appropriate procedure to predict the consequences of each action. As the parameters of urban water supply and demand system have internal relationships in the time domain, a dynamic model is needed to forecast the result of changes and select the best modification activity. Here the Vensim® is applied as a modeling tool to choose the most effective water management activities in Tehran province. It has been found that the annual increase rate of water tariff by 16.4% and assigning 4.5% of revenue on reducing non-revenue water may be the most effective demand management activity to reduce water shortage in Tehran province. It has also been revealed that, even by implementing the most effective demand management activities in Tehran, the amount of required water in the next 10 years is more than the sustainable capacity of its resources and activities like seawater desalination are inevitable to prevent unsustainable use of water sources.

     

Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water Rights in Palestine

The international community has affirmed the human right to water in a number of international treaties, declarations and other documents. Most notably, in November 2002 the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted General Comment No. 15 on the right to water, setting out general standards and obligations related to the right to water. This paper analyses if and to what extent the UN concept is acknowledged in Palestine while focusing (a) on water rights allocation between Palestine and its neighbour Israel, taking the commonly shared Mountain Aquifer as an example; and (b) the governmental obligations with regard to the human right to water which broadly are to be categorized in obligations to respect, protect and fulfil this right. The paper analyses whether the institutional setting within the Palestinian water sector is appropriate to meet the challenge of the UN concept. The main obstacles and challenges facing strategic and coordinated governmental action towards the UN concept are discussed. While outlining the most important characteristics of the Palestinian water sector, the criteria of the UN concepts are evaluated. Finally, the paper discusses the precondition for the implementation of the human right to water in Palestine.     

衢州市社会经济系统及水环境系统预测

对衢州社会经济系统和水环境系统内部各个子系统进行描述,并按照社会经济系统和水环境系统的整体性与层次性,建立衢州水环境与社会经济发展预测模型。对衢州段流域随着经济的发展污染物排放量做出预测。     

The Use of System Dynamics Simulation in Water Resources Management

In this paper we discuss the use of system dynamics as a methodology with which to address dynamically complex problems in water resources management. Problems in regional planning and river basin management, urban water management, flooding and irrigation exhibit important short-term and long-term effects, and are often contentious issues with high potential for conflict. We argue that system dynamics combined with stakeholder involvement provides an appropriate methodology to address these issues effectively. We trace the theoretical and practical evolution of system dynamics in these areas over the past 50 years. From this review of the literature and selected case studies we identify and discuss a number of best practices and common pitfalls in applications of system dynamics simulation.     

密切值法在水环境质量综合评价中的应用

文章将多目标决策中的密切值法引入水环境质量综合评价,阐述了该方法的原理及计算方法,建立了水环境质量综合评价密切值法的数学模型,并将其用于太原市地下水水环境质量的综合评价。结果表明:该评价方法是可行的、简捷的,而且结果直观、明了,拓展了密切值法的应用范围。     

GEF海河流域水资源与水环境综合管理知识管理系统

GEF海河流域水资源与水环境综合管理知识管理系统是GEF海河项目的核心内容之一,是海河流域水资源和水环境管理信息的存储、管理和共享交换中心;利用先进的3S(GIS/RS/GPS)和IT技术,建设流域水资源与水环境知识共享平台,实现海河流域水利与环保部门之间的信息交流与共享;以遥感监测ET为管理措施、水功能区为管理单元、水权为管理核心、模型为支撑工具、取水许可与排污许可为控制手段,构建海河流域水资源与水环境综合业务管理系统;该系统的建设为加强海河流域水资源与水环境综合管理,促进各级水行政管理部门间的协调合作,改善海河流域水资源与水环境状况提供了重要的技术手段和成功经验.     

GEF海河流域水资源与水环境综合管理知识管理系统

GEF海河流域水资源与水环境综合管理知识管理系统是GEF海河项目的核心内容之一,是海河流域水资源和水环境管理信息的存储、管理和共享交换中心;利用先进的3S（GIS/RS/GPS）和IT技术,建设流域水资源与水环境知识共享平台,实现海河流域水利与环保部门之间的信息交流与共享;以遥感监测ET为管理措施、水功能区为管理单元、水权为管理核心、模型为支撑工具、取水许可与排污许可为控制手段,构建海河流域水资源与水环境综合业务管理系统;该系统的建设为加强海河流域水资源与水环境综合管理,促进各级水行政管理部门间的协调合作,改善海河流域水资源与水环境状况提供了重要的技术手段和成功经验。     

The Economics of Urban Water Demand: The Case of Industrial and Commercial Water Use in Hawaii

The industrial and commercial establishments of the City and County of Honolulu (CCH) have increased their water consumption dramatically in recent years. This study examined water use in the food-processing industry, non-food processing industries, and the commercial sector in relation to price of water and output/sales of the industrial or commercial unit. The generalized least-squares (GLS) procedure was used to estimate the regression equations, although the results of ordinary least-squares(OLS) estimation are also presented. The study results showed sensitivity of water use in relation to price level in the case of the food-processingindustry and insensitivity in the non-food processing and commercial establishments. Analogous results were found with respect to water use and number of employees.     

The Social Sustainable Aquifer Yield: An Indicator for the Analysis and Assessment of the Integrated Aquifers Management

Integrated Aquifers Management (IAM) demands innovative tools and methods that are able to consider as much perspectives as possible. This research is aimed to design, apply and provide an indicator named Social Sustainable Aquifer Yield (SSAY), expressed in units of time that includes pure hydrological variables as well as social ones. The indicator is defined as the relation between the Residence Time, which is the relation between aquifer Storage (S) and Recharge (R) (S/R), and the relation between the aquifer Pumping (P) and the new variable named Aquifer Social Yield (ASY). The whole indicator is defined by this formula: (S/R)/(P/ASY). The assessment of the residence time is essential in aquifers with at least one of the following features: i) high hydraulic diffusivity, and ii) small volume of reserves. Finally, the variable ASY is defined as the average perception from the stakeholders about the maximum acceptable aquifer exploitation. This indicator has been successfully applied in the aquifers located in southern Jaen province (South Spain) belonging to the Water System SE4-Jaén Water Supply. The results probe the high utility of the indicator, especially in regards to the public participation processes.     

Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water in the Arab Countries of the Middle East

The international community has affirmed the human right to water in a number of international treaties, declarations and other documents. Most notably, the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted in November 2002 a General Comment on the Right to Water setting out international standards and obligations relating to the right to water. Based on the UN concept of water as a human right for selected Arab countries in the Middle East (Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon), the paper analyses if and to what extent these concepts are acknowledged. It aims to identify the scale of knowledge of and commitment to the UN concept in the region, and the main areas of concern in each country regarding water as a human right. The paper summarizes the main challenges facing strategic and coordinated action towards the UN concept of water as a human right, identifies what types of processes and institutions need to be developed to meet the challenges of the concept, and provides best practice examples from countries that have shown innovation. Objectives and priority ideas for activities of non-governmental organizations are recommended.

Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water in the Arab Countries of the Middle East

All authors

Simone Klawitter & Hadeel Qazzaz

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900620500036414

Published online:

22 January 2007

Table 1.?Egypt: evaluation of the UN criteria

CSVDisplay Table

Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water in the Arab Countries of the Middle East

All authors

Simone Klawitter & Hadeel Qazzaz

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900620500036414

Published online:

22 January 2007

Table 2.?Palestine: evaluation of the UN criteria

CSVDisplay Table

Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water in the Arab Countries of the Middle East

All authors

Simone Klawitter & Hadeel Qazzaz

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900620500036414

Published online:

22 January 2007

Table 3.?Jordan: evaluation of the UN criteria

CSVDisplay Table

Water as a Human Right: The Understanding of Water in the Arab Countries of the Middle East

All authors

Simone Klawitter & Hadeel Qazzaz

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900620500036414

Published online:

22 January 2007

Table 4.?Lebanon: evaluation of the UN criteria

CSVDisplay Table

     

Coping with Urban & Agriculture Water Demand Uncertainty in Water Management Plan Design: the Interest of Participatory Scenario Analysis

Managing water scarcity is a major challenge for regions all over the world. In the European Union, robust methodologies are needed to establish effective programmes of measures aimed at achieving the “good status” of water bodies according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These programmes often target the current gap between the actual status of water bodies and the “good” status without accounting for uncertainty in water demand. We develop a new methodological framework that enable to account for uncertainty in future water demand and design programmes in order to increase their likelihood of attaining the good quantitative status. The foresight approach enables to construct and quantify future water demand scenarios hand-in-hand with stakeholders during workshops. They consist in identifying drivers, debating pre-constructed scenarios, reconstructing scenarios and estimating water demand. The impact of the co-constructed scenarios is simulated with a resource-demand balance model for all water resources and a cost-effectiveness analysis makes it possible to construct programmes that target the estimated future water deficits at least cost. The methodology is illustrated with an application to Reunion Island (Indian Ocean, France) considering agriculture (Ag) and urban water (Uw) demand. Three combinations of sector scenarios (Uw, Ag) were produced and coherence was eventually ensured by fitting the land use parameter. This solution can accommodate case studies faced with a binding land constraint for housing and agriculture. As each scenario implies significantly different programmes of measure in terms of intensity and spatial distribution, results demonstrate the importance of taking uncertainty on water demand into account.     

Towards Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa: The Role of Self-organisation and Multi-scale Feedbacks for Learning and Responsiveness in the Letaba and Crocodile Catchments

South Africa is acclaimed for its water reform and the adoption of integrated water resources management (IWRM) as the framework for managing catchment water resources to achieve equity and sustainability. The proposed process is inherently adaptive, allowing for reflection and learning in complex, uncertain environments such as catchments. A decade on, attention has now turned to implementation. In this paper we present some key findings drawn from a three-year study in six major catchments in the water-stressed north-east of South Africa which examined factors constraining or enabling implementation. Factors critical for the evolution of tenable and appropriate IWRM include a practice-based understanding of policy, the role of leadership and communication, governance, collective action and regulation, and self-organisation and feedbacks. This paper concerns self-organisation, leadership and feedbacks. Their origins, drivers, development and role in building resilience are examined in two of the six catchments: the Letaba and Crocodile catchments. Self-organisation, leadership and feedback loops exist in both but are highly variable in terms of their contribution to IWRM. The underlying factors contributing to their functionality are identified. Despite good efforts to self-organise and functional feedbacks there is evidence of either vulnerability or of limited impact when processes are confined to a local scale, which constrains learning and transformation at a wider scale. In other instances, encouraging evidence is emerging in which leadership, governance and the ability to self-organise are central to effectiveness. We conclude that self-organisation and responsive multi-scale feedback loops are essential for management in catchments understood as complex systems as they provide the basis for learning and response to an evolving context.