Development of a Combined Index to Evaluate Sustainability of Water Resources Systems

It is necessary to assess water resources sustainability for development and management of a large-scale water resources system with various components such as reservoirs, inter-basin water transfer, and consumers and stakeholders in various sectors including drinking, industry, fish farming, agriculture, and environment. For this purpose, in the present study, a spatially-distributed model was developed based on the system dynamics approach. Then, a set of individual indexes were utilized to evaluate the behavior of a water resources system by considering quantitative/qualitative environmental, economic, and water productivity aspects. Each of the individual indexes was computed for all system nodes. A combined index was further developed and applied to evaluate the system sustainability. To evaluate the efficiency of the combined index and ensure its proper performance, the new method was compared with the well-known multi-criteria decision making method. The results indicated that the combined index was 15.315 for sustainable development with implementation of an integrated water management policy, while the index for the current condition was 15.361. For other management policies that were not based on the integrated management concept, the values of the combined index were higher than those for the current condition.

     

Pareto Optimization of Water Resources Using the Nexus Approach

The continuously growing population in combination with the escalating urbanization and economic growth increase the pressure on water, energy and food resources of our planet. This entails an urgent need for proper water resources management within the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus concept. The WEF nexus considers water, energy and food as three continuously interconnected sectors, whose complex interactions lead to an increased number of trade-offs and potential conflicts. Computational modeling can be used to quantify these interactions, reduce trade-offs and promote synergies. We investigate the water resources in the Upper Blue Nile River (UBNR) basin, one of the two main sources of the Nile, using the Hydronomeas tool. Hydronomeas is based on the parameterization-simulation-optimization method; optimization is implemented in two levels, using a holistic approach and multiple criteria. We assign various targets, constraints and priorities to the UBNR system of reservoirs, hydropower plants and irrigation projects and derive a Pareto front that contains alternative, optimal solutions, for which improvement of one objective can be achieved only at the expense of another. By visualizing the trade-offs between the conflicting objectives of hydropower and irrigation, we aim to help decision makers understand changes due to different management policies and thus, achieve greater efficiency in water resources management in the Nile region.     

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...     

Vulnerability of Urban Water Distribution Networks under Intermittent Water Supply Operations

The work presented herein investigates the effects of intermittent water supply (IWS) on the condition and breakage rate of urban water distribution piping networks (WDN), by studying the change in the rate of occurrence of failures before, during and after IWS periods, using statistical and survival analyses. The analyses, based on a seven-year dataset (2003–2010) from a major urban center of about 300,000 residents, take into account information related with breakage incidents and with operating system parameters, as well as external factors and vulnerability assessments of the network’s key components. The results show an increase in the number of waterloss incidents during and immediately after the periods during which IWS practices were implemented, and they reinforce the belief that IWS practices negatively affect the vulnerability of WDNs.     

Achieving Urban Water Security: a Review of Water Management Approach from Technology Perspective

Water Resources Management - The term water security (WS) shows an overwhelming superiority in both policy and academic circles. Firstly, the paper reviews the multiple interpretations of WS....     

Water,Energy and Environment Nexus: The California Experience

The paper addresses the local and inter-state connections between water, energy and the environment. Using California and the western USA as a case study, the paper highlights the difficulties of balancing the needs of diverse stakeholders and protecting valuable resources while providing reliable and safe supplies of both water and energy to agricultural, industrial and residential customers. The investigation of these complex relationships is necessary to inform local and national policy decisions regarding the management of water, energy and the environment.     

Human-Water Harmony Index: A New Approach to Assess the Human Water Relationship

Since the explosive economic and population growth, tensions between human and environment, particularly with regard to water, has never eased but intensified in most parts of the world. The pressing need to examine this relationship further is highlighted by the rapid decline in quantity and degradation of water quality around us every day, especially in developing countries. Simple criterions of water supply and pollution are fall short of the requirement of integrated water resources management. The Human-Water Harmony Index (HWHI) method is based on the concept of harmony and offers a more holistic approach. The index employs 27 indicators from three dimensions (development, coordination, and satisfaction) and was applied to five important cities in China- Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an and Nanjing. The results show they are confronted with the disharmony in human-water relationship of varying degrees, and the weaknesses of each city are of distinctly different types according to the dimension scores. The framework provides a common language based on systems thinking, the introduction of subjective indicator surveys, as well as separated evaluation of development and coordination degrees of the human-water system. The HWHI make it possible to point out the weak factors, prioritize the needs for investment, so as to improve the water-related strategies and policies to help built a harmonious human-water relationship. This approach has the potential for application in other areas and scales for monitoring and comparison purposes, and allows for comparison over time.     

城市水资源优化配置方法探讨

以山东薛城为例，从净效益最大的角度讨论水资源系统优化分配的方法，引入边际比的概念，并采用大系统理论，从背景分解协调及数学分解协调两个方面，分别对庞大复杂的城市水资源系统进行分解。     

A New Approach to the Optimal Design of a Reclaimed Urban Water Reuse System

Water Resources Management - It is strategically important to optimize the pipe network used for reclaimed urban water reuse. A large and complex system model is developed, with the minimum total...     

结合熵权的综合水质标识指数法在水质评价中的应用

综合水质标识指数法能定性、定量地对河流的水质进行评价,而评价指标的权重对评价结果的影响较大,因此提出了基于熵权的综合水质标识指数法.利用该方法对广东某河流2个监测站点的溶解氧、高锰酸盐指数、化学需氧量、生化需氧量、氨氮、总磷、石油类、粪大肠菌群等8个主要水质指标的监测数据进行综合评价,评价结果较好地反映了该流域水质的状...     

城市水安全指数及其评价标准

考虑现有水安全定义以及水安全系统的特征,在尝试给出城市水安全定义的基础上,从城市规模、防洪安全、供水安全以及水环境安全4个方面,构建了针对南方湿润地区的城市水安全评价指标体系以及评价标准,并选用层次分析法确定了各指标的权重。借鉴边际效益递减原理,利用指数型功效函数实现了指标的标准化。引入协调度和发展度的概念,用于衡量水安全系统及其子系统发展的有序性、稳定行和协调性。利用该模型对武汉市2003年-2009年水安全状况进行了评价,计算结果表明,水安全目前处于"相对安全"状态,并且有逐年改善的趋势。实例应用结果验证了该模型的可行性与有效性,在城市水安全评价中有一定应用价值。     

资产评估与水市场

资产评估是人类经济活动发展到一定历程阶段，特别是市场经济阶段的产物，是促进生产要素优化配置与经济活动按市场经济规律发展的一项管理技术。在新世纪、新时期，随着水市场建设的进一步发展，水利资产评估将作为一项不可或缺的工作，越来越受到人们的关注，越来越发挥重要作用。     

浙江省城市供水预警指标研究

针对以水库为供水水源的城市,提出水库供水预警库容作为城市供水预警指标,并提出指标的计算公式和方法。以舟山本岛供水区域为例,计算城市供水预警指标,与实际预警发布情况进行对比分析,结果表明该指标可大大提高城市供水预警的预见性和科学性。     

Assessing the Vulnerability of California Water Utilities to Wildfires

Water Resources Management - Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive in California, and it is essential to quantify their potential impacts on drinking water utilities. This study aims...     

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and GIS Approach for Prioritization of Drinking Water Utilities Protection Based on their Vulnerability to Contamination

This work presents the use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) as a decision tool to facilitate the process of prioritization of drinking wells that would need more protection before contamination risk. In this study, three aspects of the protection of the groundwater quality were taken into account: natural, anthropic and technical. From these aspects, elements more representative were selected, which can be quantified with available and easily accessible information. Considering those elements, selection criteria were defined which have been represented by: population distribution indicator, human development index, land use, index for aquifer vulnerability to contamination, well age and well yearly pumping rate. The developed method has been applied to drinking supply wells located in the Toluca Valley aquifer (Mexico), and implied the generation of the thematic maps of the defined selection criteria. For the MCDA, the values of each map were converted to the same scale, each criterion was weighted in function of its importance according to the objective and there were aggregated by the way of a lineal combination. The obtained result is a map that shows the level of protection priority of the supply wells. This map can offer information to the stakeholder in a relative short time and contribute to accelerate the actions aimed to protect the quality of the vital underground liquid.     

An Integrated Framework to Evaluate Resilient-Sustainable Urban Drainage Management Plans Using a Combined-adaptive MCDM Technique

Due to the inevitability of urban flood in presence of the rainfalls exceeding design capacity of urban drainage system, resilience approach has been recently considered instead of the conventional urban drainage management. However, acceptance of resilience approach necessitates considering sustainability in the selection of urban drainage projects due to the various aspect of flood impacts. This paper presents a new integrated framework to show how urban drainage plans are resilient and sustainable. The framework consists of several indicators including technical, economic, social, environmental and planning aspects. On the other hand, the selection of suientropy of the probability distribution p _i . In fact, entropy reduces the effect of plan among available suggested plans is complicated in presence of multiplicity of the indicators. A new combined-adaptive multi criteria decision making technique including combination of Adaptive analytical hierarchical process, Entropy and TOPSIS is here introduced to facilitate the decision making process as well as dealing with uncertainties due to the subjective experts’ preferences. Moreover, presented framework are applied on a part of urban drainage system of Tehran, Capital City. Four urban drainage plans are designed and suggested to be evaluated along with existing system in terms of their sustainability and resilience. The results shows the presented framework provide comprehensive information regarding the behavior of the urban drainage plans against urban floods as well as their sustainability for urban managers. In addition, presented framework facilitates and accelerate the complicated process of decision making. Therefore, it can be employed as comprehensive decision support tool for resilient and sustainable urban drainage management.     

Analysis of the Water-Food-Energy Nexus and Water Competition Based on a Bayesian Network

Water Resources Management - Water competition is a key issue in the study of the water-food-energy nexus (WFEN), which can affect water, food, and energy security and can generate notable...     

The European Community Approach to the Protection of Water

ABSTRACT

The integrated management of a natural resources system such as a river basin requires a through understanding of the system and its people. The development and implementation of such a plan of integrated management are not simple or straightforward. This article shows that such a plan should consist of at least several basic premises. These are; conceptual framework consisting of a vision; an analysis of the state of the environment including various trends; regional quantification; and information needs. Other factors that must be enumerated under these broader headings are; key concepts that must be adhered to; trend analysis of the environment; local partnerships; water rights; and how all these factors and concepts are brought together in the development and implementation of a basin-wide framework to manage a river basin. Two case examples are presented, one on the main stem of the Mississippi River showing that it will be extremely difficult to have a unified management concept that could be implemented on this entire basin. The other case example is on the Illinois River with a drainage area of about 29,000 square miles where such an integrated approach has been developed by a broad coalition of private citizens, local, state, and federal agencies; it shows why such an approach could be successful eventually.     

The Potential for Calculating a Meaningful Water Poverty Index

Abstract

One of the most significant failures in the development process has been our inability to match water demand to its supply. For a large portion of the world's population, this has meant a lack of provision of adequate water for domestic use, resulting in a significant loss of time and effort, especially on the part of women. While science can now provide us with detailed assessments of water resource availability, little to date has been done to link this to our knowledge of human resources and their geographical distributions. In order to manage these resources better, it is essential that they be addressed in a more holistic way. This paper provides a preliminary discussion of possible ways in which an interdisciplinary approach can be taken to produce a more holistic assessment of water stress, in such a way as to link physical estimates of water availability with the socio-economic drivers of poverty. To this end, some approaches to creating a Water Poverty Index are discussed, and it is hoped that this paper will generate interest and debate among a wide range of readers.     

An Integrated Model to Evaluate Losses in Water Distribution Systems

To evaluate non revenue water (NRW) and losses in water distribution networks a methodology is developed by applying “annual water balance” and “minimum night flow” analyses. In this approach the main NRW components such as leakage from reported and un-reported bursts and background leakage, with real or estimated data, enabling assessment of indices of leakage performance are evaluated. Also, a novel procedure is introduced in this paper that can determine the nodal and pipe leakage by using a hydraulic simulation model. Recognising the pressure dependency of leakage the total consumption is divided into two parts, one pressure dependent and the other independent of local pressure, and the hydraulic behaviour of the network is analyzed. A computer code is developed to evaluate all components of water losses based on the proposed methodology. For better representation of the results and management of the system, the outputs are exported to a GIS model. Using the capabilities of this GIS model, the network map and attribute data are linked and factors affecting network leakage are identified. In addition, the effects of pressure reduction are investigated. The model is illustrated by a real case study. The results show that the suggested model has overcome the shortcomings of the existing methodologies by accounting for the leakage and other NRW components in water distribution networks more realistically.