Conflicts over Water Resource Management in Brazil: A Case Study of Inter-Basin Transfers

Developing countries such as Brazil, with limited track-records in dealing with environmental conflicts on a participatory basis, or whose legal frameworks establishing water resource management practices have been introduced only recently, need mechanisms that streamline and strengthen democratic negotiating and decision processes. Increasingly common worldwide, transferring water is developing into a specific source of disputes whose solutions are becoming significant, particularly in the developing countries. This paper analyzes the application of the strategic choice methodology in a dispute over transferring water between two river basins, which is a situation not covered by specific legislation in Brazil. This analysis leads to the conclusion that the application of this methodology is particularly relevant in cases such as this, where decisions are taken on an incremental basis over time, within a context of political, administrative and legal uncertainties.     

Water Diversion Conflicts in China: A Hierarchical Perspective

To address China’s large population and uneven distribution of water storage, the South-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) aims at transferring water from the Yangtze River (Changjiang) Basin to the North China Plain. This project is being implemented over three different routes, referred to as the Eastern, Central, and Western routes, each of which is giving rise to strategic conflicts. In this paper, the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) is used to systematically investigate these conflicts and obtain strategic insights into them. The Chinese Central Government is involved in each conflict, together with local decision makers, making the entire conflict hierarchical. The conflict is analyzed both as an overall graph model and as three local conflicts, and the resulting equilibria are compared. The Central Government’s preferences, which can be fully elaborated in the single or overall model, account for the differences in equilibria between the overall model and the three local models. The Central Government, which utilizes different strategies in planning, modifying, and building these routes, may be able to control the overall project as it wishes, thereby reaching separate agreements with the relevant decision makers along each route.     

基于熵权法的流域水资源脆弱性评价——以淮河流域为例

流域水资源脆弱性评价可以量化表现出水资源的脆弱性程度,客观地反映研究区的水安全状况。根据水资源脆弱性的表现形式及成因,设置了水量、水质、洪涝灾害、旱灾4个一级指标,自然因素、人为因素、承载因素3个二级指标,分级构建了水资源脆弱性评价指标体系,在线性加权法的基础上采用熵权法构建了水资源脆弱性评价模型。以淮河流域为例进行实证分析,从时间、空间2个维度上对2003—2012年淮河流域整体及流域内的4个省份进行水资源脆弱性评价。结果表明时间上,10 a间淮河流域整体水资源脆弱度数值逐年减小,水资源脆弱性呈现好转趋势,流域内河南、安徽、江苏、山东4省的水资源脆弱性在10 a间均有所缓解;空间上,淮河流域水资源自西向东越来越脆弱。研究结果表明目前淮河流域水资源脆弱性状况呈现好转趋势,但仍然存在一些问题,有待进一步管理和调控。     

基于AHP-Fuzzy法的汉江流域水资源承载力评价与预测

水资源承载力作为评价地区水资源安全与否的一个基本度量,其理论与应用研究意义重大。根据DPSIR框架展开水资源承载力因子分析,得到一个4层递阶结构的指标初选框架,并构建了一套全面的水资源承载力指标体系。以汉江流域为例,采用层次分析-模糊综合评价法(AHP-Fuzzy)展开水资源承载力评价与预测。分析结果表明不调水情况下,江汉流域3级分区中,丹江口以上分区水资源承载力优于其他2分区;实施调水后,各分区水资源承载力受跨流域调水的影响而发生变化,均可认为已达到基本可承载状态。     

拓宽思路,科学评价水资源量——以渭河流域蓝水绿水资源量评价为例

对蓝水和绿水的内涵进行了梳理,并对其评价方法进行了综合分析,认为水文模型法是同时评价蓝水和绿水资源量时空变化特征的有效方法。在此基础上以渭河流域为例,构建了渭河流域分布式水文模型SWAT,并采用SUFI-2算法进行参数敏感性分析、参数率定、模型验证以及不确定性分析。根据模型输出结果,分别在水文响应单元、控制流域以及城市/地区尺度上对渭河流域近50年来的蓝水资源量、绿水流和绿水储量进行了综合评价,以期为西北干旱缺水地区的水资源规划与管理以及水资源高效利用提供科学依据。     

A Numerical Simulation Model for Conjunctive Water Use in Basin Irrigated Canal Command Areas

Basin irrigation is a common practice for growing water intensive crops like paddy. Irrigation water, when supplied through a network of canal, is often found to be inadequate to meet the crop water requirement uniformly throughout the irrigated command area. The most deprived are the cultivators of the lower end of the command, who resort to supplementing the crop water requirement by extractions from the ground. This practice is noticeable in irrigation system without a proper canal water distribution schedule and often result in water logging in the upper command regions contrasted with excessively depleted groundwater table in the lower commands. The present contribution attempts to model the conjunctive water use of such a canal irrigated command using physically based numerical sub-models for simulating surface flow, groundwater flow and the interlinking process of moisture movement through the unsaturated zone for a given quantum of supplied water and crop water demand. Individual models are validated to demonstrate their applicability in an integrated framework. Various plausible conjunctive water use scenarios are tested on a hypothetical command area practising basin irrigation to identify the best possible water distribution strategy under given constraints.     

Evidence of Land-use Controlled Water Storage Depletion in Hai River Basin,North China

Although critical for human sustenance, irrational land use could cause land resources depletion, environmental degradation, food insecurity and social instability. This study uses Landsat images (06/09/1979 and 12/08/2009) with historical precipitation data (1955–2012) to analyze land use change in relation to surface water storage change in Hai River Basin, North China. Based on analysis in ENVI (Environment for Visualizing Images) and ArcMap, land area under water in 1979 is 1.8 % and that in 2009 is 0.6 % of the 23 826 km² study area. Although the rate of precipitation decline in 1955–2012 is 4.41 mm/year, it is almost the same for 1979 (582 mm) and 2009 (564 mm). This suggests that drought or flooding has no significant effect on the water storage change. For 1979–2009, land area under forest and grass decreases respectively by 54.2 % and 70.7 %. Then that under settlement, farmland and others increases respectively by 64.8 %, 56.0 % and 63.6 %. The loss of land area under water is 64.6 %, which is more the effect of land use change and the related water use in the region. Irrespectively, more water-efficient land use measures could ensure the sustainability and availability of water resources for future use in the predominantly agrarian semiarid region.     

Redefining the Game in Local Water Management Conflict: A Case Study

The article intends to bring a new perspective on conflict and cooperation analysis addressing a case study of Yoshino river weir conflict (Japan) by the use of drama theory approach. The confrontation arose when the Governmental agency proposed to remove and replace the old weir by a movable modern dam (kodazeki) to prevent future flooding. The Opposition group’s main arguments were that the new weir may not be as effective as compared to the cost of constructing the new renewal project and damage of water quality and ecosystem. Thus, both players are playing the game where their interests are different. Rather than adopting the conventional approach of modeling the conflict using game theory, we propose the alternative approach to describe how the situation evolved and how game can be changed in the context of player’s threats and promises. This also emphasizes that future can be created cooperatively by a group, rather than by way of confrontation in the conflict. This model may bring an effective methodological leverage in conflict and cooperation analysis where we can change the game.     

南水北调中线工程渠堤砂土加筋技术研究

针对南水北调中线某标段施工中,缺少壤土筑堤材料的实际情况,提出了墙后砂壤土式黏土斜墙、改性土斜墙及墙后砂土加筋式黏土斜墙3种替代方案,通过几种方案与原设计方案在原理、施工工艺、投资、施工难度等方面的综合比较表明,墙后砂土加筋式黏土斜墙方案投资少、需征地相对较少,能满足工期要求,是合理可行的方案.     

太湖流域节水工人研究

太湖流域地处长江三角洲南缘,气候宜人,降水丰沛,是我国著名的水乡、鱼米之乡,素有“人间天堂”之美称。流域多年平均降水量约1141mm,当地多年平均水资源量约162亿m~3,其中地表水资源137亿m~3,因流域北靠长江,有大量过境水资源可资补充。流域内水域面积5550km~2,其中河网总长度12万km、面积2390km~2,湖泊水面积3160km~2,是一个典型的平原水网地区。     

Appreciating Institutional Complexity in Water Governance Dynamics: A Case from the Murray-Darling Basin,Australia

Water managing systems are becoming more complex as new institutional arrangements are created in response to a changing climate. Our inquiry centred on the ‘water managing system’ within a nested set of Australian water governance regimes, including relevant local, regional, state and national governance regimes. New institutions in national and state systems, seemingly intended to reduce complexity through centralisation or integration, only increase complexity by adding to the existing mix of institutional arrangements. This complexity can reduce the effectiveness of water managing organisations by increasing administrative burden, creating high costs of entry for new staff and leading to confusion in communications with external stakeholders. Regional water managers deal with this complexity by drawing on relational capital built from long-term engagement in the water managing system. However, relational capital is difficult to build and easy to destroy, thus this ‘soft’ capacity is under threat from shifts in decision making power and of resources out of regional water governance systems. Institutional innovation is therefore required to create opportunities to build relational capital in order to effectively manage natural resources at the regional level as coupled socio-ecological systems.     

Water Pricing for Multi-sectoral Allocation: A Case Study

This paper presents a case study for the allocation pattern of available water resources within and among competing sectors that would achieve the highest economic return from water use. For this purpose, an optimization model using linear programming was developed. Considering constraints on greenhouse area, crop production and seasonal per capita water requirements along with the area-specific conditions and potential growth, the optimal water allocation pattern between the prevailing and future consuming sectors was determined. The results indicated that, at present, water resources are misallocated as well as under-priced; current municipal and agricultural water prices represent 61% and 69%, respectively, of the actual water cost. With the development of tourism in the area, the agricultural sector is expected to diminish as more profitable uses of water evolve.     

Shifting Paradigms in Water Provisioning Policies: A Trinidad Case Study

In most developing countries, planning was initially concerned with economic growth. Upon gaining political independence, post-colonial countries set about addressing the unmet backlog of physical and social infrastructure problems, low rates of economic growth, and poverty. Since the post-independence era, development in non-industrialized countries has undergone significant changes in both scope and approach and has arisen from shifts in international agency policies as well as from local factors. These transformations are reflected in issues such as the provision of infrastructure, of which water supply is a prime example. The aim here is first to provide a schematic presentation of five periods of shifting paradigms in water provisioning policies globally and give their impact on Trinidad's water policies. Second, it seeks to analyse the genesis of government ideology of water as a public good. Finally, it identifies the new concepts in water supply that have emerged since the 1990s and gives their impacts internationally and locally.     

Optimal Use of Irrigation Water in the Jordan Valley: A Case Study

Water shortage is a serious problem in most countries in theMiddle East. Irrigation water consumes about three-fourths of theavailable fresh water resources in Jordam and many othercountries in the region. This article presents a practical approachto manage and optimize the irrigation water use in the region.The ultimate objective is to minimize the outside water and tomanage the irrigation water use under geographic,socio-economic, and demographic constraints. This approach usesthe added value (net revenue) of one cubic meter of waterconcept in evaluating different irrigation water use management.This concept has been demonstrated, based on a case study in theJordan Valley.This case study shows that water scarcity can be incorporated inirrigation water management by proper choice of crops andfarming patters. The objective function is to maximize the netrevenue from the agricultural production process subjected tolimitation on water and other production and marketing factors.Results of analysis showed that a net water saving of about9%occurred if the objective function is to minimize water useunder the same level of profitability. This example shall beuseful for water and agricultural planners. Sometimes virtualwater is widely exported in form of crops that consumes largeamounts of water without full economic consideration to theadded value of water. In some cases, food imports may be afeasible option in water-poor countries instead of water import.     

Strategic Water Resources Planning: A Case Study of Bangladesh

Many agrarian countries have heavily invested in large-scale water projects to promote their agricultural development. There have been, however, few attempts to devise strategic water resources planning accounting for the macroeconomic linkages ofagriculture. This article presents such a strategic water resourcesplanning framework for Bangladesh. First, a dynamic costminimization model is solved to compute the optimal investmentneeded in various water projects such that an agricultural growthtarget can be met. Next, the minimum cost solution is againderived accounting for the macroeconomic linkages of agriculture,which, under different macroeconomic scenarios, results innoticeably different policy implications for optimal waterplanning. These results suggest that the traditional sectoralapproaches of planning water investment projects are generallyinconsistent with the broader macroeconomic reality of Bangladesh.     

流域水资源产权的基本特性与我国水权制度建设研究

水资源是一种具有多重特性的稀缺资源。它的外部效应特性、共有资源属性以及水资源使用者的长期合作博弈性质,要求将水资源的产权安排充分反映出来,并在此基础上建立水资源管理的基本制度———水权制度,以使水资源配置真正达到帕累托最优。     

Assumption-Simulation-Feedback-Adjustment (ASFA) Framework for Real-Time Correction of Water Resources Allocation: a Case Study of Longgang River Basin in Southern China

Water resources allocation is subject to uncertain future conditions and therefore needs real-time correction. This study develops a framework of “assumption-simulation-feedback-adjustment” (ASFA) for real-time correction of water resources allocation. The assumption component constructs a water resources allocation model and generates initial allocation solution (IAS); the simulation component applies IAS in a real-time hydrological scenario; the performance information is input into the feedback component. Three feedback functions, including gain function, correlation function, and least square function, are employed to deal with the information, and the value of output gain is determined for the adjustment component. The result then is a feedback allocation solution (FAS). This study applied ASFA to Longgang River basin, China, as a case study, compared FASs generated by three different feedback functions as well as IAS. Results showed that FAS generated by the gain function (FAS_GF) performed better with a higher assurance rate and less risk of continuous water shortage. Results also showed that to achieve the same management requirement, FAS_GF had a lower requirement of the amount of diverted water, indicating that the ASFA framework can make better use of water resources and reduce the pressure of diverted water. The ASFA framework builds a feedback mechanism for real-time correction of water resources allocation, provides a novel perspective for addressing the challenge of future uncertainty, which significantly improves the solutions of water allocation.     

Turbidity Prediction in a River Basin by Using Artificial Neural Networks: A Case Study in Northern Spain

Chemical and physical-chemical parameters define water quality and are involved in water body type and habitat determination. They support a biological community of a certain ecological status. Water quality controls involve a large number of measurements of variables and observations according to the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). In some cases, such as areas with especially critical uses or points in which potential pollution episodes are expected, the automatic monitoring is recommended. However, the chemical and physical-chemical measurements are costly and time consuming. Turbidity is shown as a key variable for the water quality control and it is also an integrative parameter. For this reason, the aim of this work is focused on this main parameter through the study of the influence of several water quality parameters on it. The artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been used in a wide range of biological problems with promising results. Bearing this in mind, turbidity values have been predicted here by using artificial neural networks (ANNs) from the remaining measured water quality parameters with success taking into account the synergistic interactions between the input variables in the Nalón river basin (Northern Spain). Finally, the main conclusions of this study are exposed.     

南水北调配套工程廊涿干渠通信系统设计

廊涿干渠通信系统共包括1个管理处和7个现地阀站。管理处和现地阀站之间采用链型光纤组成自愈环通信方式,以全数字一体化通讯管理平台实现基于以太网的视频、监控数据的传输。