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Pakistan, mostly an arid and semi-arid geographic area, paradoxically harbours significant surface and groundwater resources vital for its sustenance. The nation heavily relies on the intricate network of the Indus River system, one of the largest contiguous irrigation networks globally. Despite this, Pakistan faces mounting pressure on its water resources. Hence, this paper delves into the multifaceted factors influencing Pakistan's water availability, categorizing them into internal and external determinants. The internal factors pertain to elements within the nation's borders, while the external factors transcend its sovereign control. The research underscores the imperative for Pakistan to prioritize addressing internal factors that predominantly impact its water resources. Moreover, a growing realization suggests the need for Pakistan to steer away from securitizing water resources. Such an approach complicates fostering amicable relations with its upper riparian neighbours, crucial for collectively addressing challenges such as climate change. Striving for co-operation rather than confrontation is pivotal for navigating these shared challenges sustainably. Finally, the paper concludes that adopting a desecuritized approach towards water resources, coupled with a nuanced focus on internal factors, presents a promising strategy for mitigating water-related concerns in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the development of a composite index for assessing the risks faced by rural communities because of disruptions in water supply caused by natural hazards such as droughts, floods, and landslides. The various parameters considered for developing the three dimensions of the risk index, namely, hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, the rationale for choosing those parameters, and the manner in which these parameters influence them are discussed. The index uses 29 variables: five for hazard, 15 for exposure, and the remaining nine for vulnerability. The variables are natural, physical, socioeconomic, and institutional or policy-related. The quantitative criteria for assigning values for various parameters and the analytical procedure for computing the sub-indices and the final risk index are also discussed. The paper also presents the results of a mapping of climate-induced risk to water supply in 35 districts of the state of Maharashtra in western India, done using district level data on the various parameters concerned, and identifying the district where water supply systems are highly prone to climate-induced risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framed within policy support for bottom-up community water management in development practice in the global south, this paper explores the institutional barriers that impede effective community management of water infrastructure in waterstressed rural communities in the Upper Manya District and Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern region of Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, using data collection methods such as in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with local government and community water management committees and participant observation across four communities. The findings revealed that irregular and inadequate monitoring, poor financial auditing and transparency, inadequate technical support, and limited community engagement were the institutional barriers confronting sustainable rural water management. The study argues that in community water management, hybrid models are more likely to work better than models that focus entirely on either top-down or bottom-up approaches since the former can strengthen technical capacity, financial accountability, and the experimentation of infrastructure co-design initiatives. The paper concludes that by addressing institutional lapses in Africa's infrastructural management regimes, rural populations can become part of, rather than left behind, in the global quest to ensure water availability and sustainable water management for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balancing water demands with available supplies on a scale that enables sustainable water use constitutes a complex governance challenge. Water managers face the daunting task of balancing water demands amidst variable supplies impacted by climate change and unsustainable extraction leading to drying lakes, depleted rivers, and shrinking aquifers. Traditionally, water managers have focused on bolstering water supplies to meet rising demands. However, this strategy is failing in many regions because of exorbitant costs, alongside environmental, legal, and political obstacles. Despite growing focus, no single solution ensures sustainable water use. Among governance options, capping water extractions holds theoretical promise, but evidence of their efficacy is limited and inconsistent due to shortcomings in their implementation, as detailed in this study. Our paper contributes to the literature on water governance by organizing empirical evidence of different types of caps. We developed a database to analyze 47 cases spanning 14 countries utilizing various types of caps (e.g., volumetric, water level limit, and moratorium) applied to different sources of water (e.g., aquifers, lakes, and rivers). We assess their efficacy in terms of enforceability, adaptability, and performance. We illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of capping as a water management strategy and offer recommendations to enhance its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial development is an important part of economic and social development, and a stable pattern of water resource security can meet the needs of economic and social development. Therefore, correctly handling the relationship between industrial development and water resource security in China is the key to achieving high-quality development. This paper takes 287 prefecturelevel cities in China from 2010 to 2019 as the research object, establishes the evaluation index system of industrial development and water resource security, calculates the comprehensive index of industrial development and water resource security by the entropy weight method, and analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution trend of the two by using the coupling coordination degree model. The results show that the degree of coupling coordination between industrial development and water resource security in China shows an overall upward trend from 2010 to 2019. Optimizing the industrial structure and promoting industrial transformation and upgrading can effectively improve the coupling coordination level between industrial development and water resource security, and the degree of industrial development threatening water resource security is stronger than the degree of water resource security restricting industrial development. The research conclusion has important practical significance for optimizing industrial structure and implementing regional differentiation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the difference in the economic and social development level of each area of the water transfer project, there will be a lack of water resources in some areas, while water resources in some other areas have a surplus, resulting in the imbalance of water resources. However, the transaction willingness of both parties is not strong, and the seller has the psychology of "reluctant to sell". The buyer hopes to make free water allocation through the government. The paper analyzes the feasibility and influence of solving the imbalance of water resources in water transfer projects through the market mechanism by the evolutionary game approach. The water right transaction between Zhengzhou and Nanyang in the middle route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project is taken as a case for simulation. The study shows t: the lower the marginal return of the water resources in the water-rich area is, the higher the water-scarce area is, the easier to promote water rights trading; the higher the environmental and social benefits for both parties are, the easier the water rights trading; the lower the transaction cost of both parties is, the easier the water rights trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By constructing a regional water-energy-food interaction model, from the perspectives of supply and demand, this study has revealed both the coupling and synergistic effects of the three major elements of water-energy-food at the regional level and the interaction between internal and external resources in the region, and explored the sustainable development of the region under the association of the three major elements of water-energy-food. In this paper, the energy supply and demand measurement model and the optimal regional total cost measurement model were used to optimize the regional total cost measurement. This paper briefly introduces the concepts, application scope, and limitations of scenario analysis. Because the future development of society is very uncertain, it is a very useful tool for predicting and calculating the future scenario and sustainable development of the region. Agricultural water accounted for 55% of the total water resources, and industrial water accounted for 18%. This paper took the main grain-producing areas as an example and enriched the existing research on the water-energy-food relationship to a certain extent by analyzing the current situation and influencing factors of the synergistic development of water-energy-food systems, offering reference to the subsequent related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's society is grappling with a critical issue: how to sustainably expand rural ecotourism and make good use of water resources (the following expressions are all denoted by WRs). This paper has analyzed the characteristics of rural ecotourism based on the current situation of WR utilization, starting from the meaning of rural ecotourism, and has taken three tourist villages for research on the utilization of WRs. The results indicated that the WRs used in the tourism industry in rich villages in 2019 accounted for the highest proportion (28.81%) between 2010 and 2019; medium villages reached a maximum of 18.32% in 2017; poor villages in 2014 used the highest proportion of WRs in the tourism industry between 2010 and 2019, accounting for 37.76%. Poor villages have consistently spent the largest amount of water in the tourism industry. It showed that blindly utilizing WRs in the tourism industry could not promote economic development, only rational distribution could achieve sustainable economic growth and sustainable development of tourism ecology. This paper has also discussed the problems of water utilization in rural ecotourism development using this research and provides corresponding solution strategies, hoping to provide a theoretical reference for the sustainable development of rural ecotourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural water resources are water resources that can be used for agricultural production, including surface water, groundwater, and soil water. The sustainable use of water resources is of great significance to agriculture and rural economy. In the context of climate change and the increasing crisis of water resources, how to effectively use forest resources and other natural resources to achieve sustainable management of agricultural water ecosystems has become an increasingly urgent issue. Therefore, this paper proposed a real-time self-organization algorithm for forest cultivation, tea planting, and tea processing for sustainable ecosystem management of agricultural water resources. This paper described the sustainable ecosystem of agricultural water resources, carried out optimization analysis on tea planting and processing technology using the genetic optimization algorithm based on decision tree, and then carried out an experimental analysis on a tea garden. It can be seen from the data that the average monthly temperature of the tea garden cultivated by the algorithm in this paper was between 13.4 and 20.5 °C and the average annual temperature was 16.16 °C. However, the average monthly temperature of the traditional cultivation method was between 11.5 and 16.8 °C and the average annual temperature was 13.64 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, Prague set out its Prague 2030 Climate Plan and Pražské vodovody a kanalizace, a.s., as the operator of drinking water supply and drainage facility in Prague and Pražská vodohospodářská společnost, a.s., responsible for infrastructure management (collectively known as Prague Water) are a natural part of the mitigation and adaptation activities. Both companies committed to reaching a net zero operational CO2 footprint in 2035. The carbon footprint of the company will be certified according to the ČSN ISO 14064-1 standard. The paper presents a roadmap of the early stage of the project, the calculation of the CO2 footprint and the ISO certification process together with planned mitigation activities. The main goal of the contribution is to share know-how about the application of carbon-wise management principles in a large utility company. This makes the paper useful for worldwide utilities at a similar stage of carbon footprint measurement and reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water shortage is a universal resource problem worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The Hami Basin is one of the most waterscarce areas in China, with low average annual precipitation and high evaporation. In order to effectively monitor groundwater problems, this paper proposes a study on the status and change characteristics of groundwater resource pollution in the Hami area based on sustainable development strategies, aiming to study the changes in groundwater in the Hami area and propose corresponding measures to reduce pollution and save water resources. The method of this article is to introduce the groundwater quality evaluation method, analyze the environmental carrying capacity and then study the evolution process of the groundwater environment in the Hami area. The function of the method is to assess the ecological risk of groundwater and the risk of groundwater pollution, and to analyze the changes in the carrying capacity of the local environmental system. This paper uses groundwater detection experiments to detect the current status of groundwater resource pollution and the characteristics of groundwater changes in the Hami area, and establish a groundwater numerical model in the Hami area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional water conservation is the key to maintain water supply. Based on the data of 2000, 2010 and 2020, this paper takes Jingyu County in the Changbai Mountain as the study area. By land use conversion matrix, geostatistical analysis, InVEST model and scenario analysis, this paper aims to find out the variation of water conservation and the its related influencing factors in Changbai Mountain region. From 2000 to 2020, forest and cultivated land decreased, while grassland and developed land increased. The water conservation increased from 2.94 x 108 m³ to 4.83 x 108 m³, with a total increase of 64.29%. Forest has the highest average water conservation, followed by grassland, cultivated land and developed land. Climatic factors were important to 91.92% of the study area, whereas 6.22% of it was influenced by land use. When forest decrease in some areas, the main control factor of 48.71% of the area shifted into land use, that could lead to a sharp decrease in water conservation. Climate determines the overall spatial pattern of water conservation; land use determines the local characteristics by controlling runoff. The increase of water conservation is beneficial to improve the reserves and development potential of mineral water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of an emergency water supply using private wells has been asserted theoretically but not evaluated in detail. This paper aims to consider the effectiveness and shortcomings of emergency water supply based on local wells and to support policy formulation regarding groundwater usage in the event of a disaster. In Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, not only public-operated formal water supply points using water trucks but also informal water supply points using private wells were open to address water outages following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. This study clarified the pattern of appearance and spatial distribution of those points by combining information from local newspapers, Internet archives, and an original questionnaire survey. In addition, the function of informal water supply points was quantitatively evaluated using GIS by comparing cases with and without informal water supply points. Analysis revealed that informal water supply points expanded the size of the serviced population within a 500-m radius of the water supply points by 47%, compared with cases when only formal water supply points were available. However, well water was not necessarily suitable for drinking owing to quality issues. As a policy lesson, the importance of sharing well information is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to objectively evaluate the operation effect of the Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC) collaborative governance of Water Diversion Projects (WDPs), this paper, from the perspectives of SSC and collaborative governance, and according to the existing modes of SSC collaborative governance of WDPs, constructs the collaborative management mechanism of related subjects of WDPs, and then constructs the evaluation model of the collaborative governance capacity of WDPs by using the DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory)-ANP (Analytic Network Process) method. Specifically, in this paper, the indexes at various levels are selected through literature mining and text analysis, and the mutual influence degrees among index are determined with the help of DEMATEL, so that the causality diagram can be drawn. On this basis, we obtain the global weight and the mixed weight of each index by using the ANP method and SD (Super Decisions) software, thus determining the relative importance of each index. The study finds that with regard to the SSC collaborative governance capability of WDPs, the highest requirement is made on Information Collaboration Capability (ICC) which also provides the foundational guarantee. The proportion carried by Subject Participation and Collaboration Capability (SPCC) is the lowest, however, its mixed weight is 1.9077, second only to ICC. Both Water Quantity Collaboration Capability (WQCC) and Water Quality Assurance Coordination Capacity (WQACC) account for a high percentage, which is consistent with the actual situation. The study provides a capability evaluation index system for the SSC collaborative governance of WDPs, enriches the theory of SSC collaborative governance of WDPs, and provides decision-making support for the operation and management of WDPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, and most of its population is concentrated along the coastal line. In recent years, extreme climate events such as floods and droughts have occurred more frequently. Sydney, as the largest city in Australia, requires a reliable water supply. Many solutions have been conducted to secure its water supply. This paper is focused on future water supply for the Greater Sydney area. The analysis supports the concept that in runoff-rich regions like Greater Sydney, there is no water shortage but a lack of water storage. The novel technology, coastal reservoirs, can increase the storage capacity of freshwater in the sea. The average annual discharge at Shoalhaven River mouth is estimated as 1,334 gigalitres. By comparison, the average annual inflow to the Warragamba Dam, which supplies 80% of Sydney's drinking water, is 1,069 gigalitres. This paper discusses how to apply a Coastal Reservoir at the Shoalhaven River mouth to secure additional water supply for ever-growing Greater Sydney. The proposed reservoir with a capacity of 500 gigalitres could supply 1,000 gigalitres of water per year with a reliability of 90%. A preliminary design of the reservoir is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the swift progress of the economy and society and the rapid escalation of urbanization rates, the sustainable examination of individual water or land resources is no longer adequate to satisfy the rational allocation demands of urban development concerning the water and soil resource framework. To enhance the efficiency of utilizing water and land resources comprehensively and the rationality of the joint allocation of these resources, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the eco-economic system of water and land resources, encompassing six key aspects: system emergy flow, water resources subsystem, land resources subsystem, economic subsystem, ecological subsystem, and social subsystem. By considering three types of land use (construction land, agricultural land, and unused land), we constructed a sustainable evaluation index system for the eco-economic system of water and land resources based on the emergy theory. We employ the emergy theory analysis method to provide a comprehensive assessment of the sustainable development status and development trend of the Luoyang City from 2011 to 2020. The results show that Luoyang belongs to the consumer economy and the development of water and soil resources of the ecological economic system in Luoyang is in a critical state of unsustainable and mild sustainability from 2011 to 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological protection of rural water resources is not only related to people’s living environment, but also affects their drinking water safety. Currently, the water environment in rural areas is severely polluted and lacks an effective management system. To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of rural water environment management and to improve the development of rural water resources, this paper conducts in-depth research and exploration on the construction of a rural water environment management system from the perspective of ecological civilization. This article first analyzes the causes, impacts, and current situation of rural water resource pollution. Then, from the perspective of ecological civilization, it analyzes the necessity of building a rural water environment management system, and explores measures to reform the rural water environment management system with the goal of maximizing water resource benefits. To verify the effectiveness of the management system, this article conducted comparative experiments on the construction of water environment management systems from three perspectives: water quality, water pollution level, and water resource utilization rate. The results show that compared with before construction, the water resource utilization rate after establishing a management system has increased by 32.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the accelerated development of population growth and urbanization, water resources are facing increasing pressure. In this context, the sustainable use of water resources has become a top priority. At the same time, the construction of urban green space and public space has also received increasing attention, as they not only enhance the image of the city but also provide services such as leisure and entertainment for people. In this context, how to combine the sustainable use of water resources with the visual design of a water-based landscape environment has become a new research direction. This paper analyzes the visual design of the water-based landscape environment. In terms of whether the water-based environmental visual design can create a different artistic conception for urban green space, 78% of white-collar workers in enterprises, 88% of sanitation workers, and 79% of technicians from different professions thought so. Results showed that in the construction of urban green space, people should pay attention to the interaction between people and the environment to achieve the coordination between people and society, nature, and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting a health assessment of rivers and lakes is a technical approach that enables the accurate diagnosis of water health status and scientific analysis of aquatic ecological environments. This paper focuses on studying the typical rain-sourced water bodies of Huangrigang River and Dishui Lake (DSL) in Lin-gang, Shanghai. The Australian Stream Condition Index and the Analytic Hierarchy Process were used to establish a typical river and lake health evaluation index system. Expert scoring and leastsquares methods were used to determine the weights of each index, and a quartile method was used to establish the evaluation criteria. The evaluation results indicate that the health status of the Huangrigang River is sub-healthy with a score of 72.1, whereas DSL is healthy with a score of 75.7. The low flow velocity of the regional river and the weak mobility of the water body are the main issues affecting the health status of the HRGR. Additionally, the density of phytoplankton in the river is significantly high. Dripping Lake is faced with two major problems: a high risk of eutrophication and a high density of phytoplankton in the lake. This article provides theoretical support for the sustainable use of regional water resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic benefits of tourism are an important indicator for evaluating the tourism economic activities and their impact. In order to maximize the tourism economic benefits, this article studied the economic benefits of tourism from the perspective of agricultural water resource transformation. This paper took the relevant data of Shandong Province from 2010 to 2022 as the object of study and established the evaluation index system of tourism economic benefits of Shandong Province. The coupling relationship between tourism economic benefits and ecological environment (EE) was studied, and the systemic evaluation index system of Shandong tourism economy and EE was constructed. The range method and entropy method were used to calculate indicator weights, thereby constructing a coupled collaborative model between the tourism economy and the EE. Based on the relationship between tourism economic benefits and EE, research has been conducted on the transformation methods of agricultural water resources in EE construction to improve tourism economic benefits. With the continuous improvement of the EE index, the coupling degree between the tourism economic index and the EE index in many cities in Shandong Province has improved, and the tourism economic benefits have greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid and semi-arid areas where available water resources are very limited, the application of unconventional sources of water like the fog is of paramount importance. In this paper, the feasibility of using a standard fog collector (SFC) to collect fog water for complementary irrigation of rainfed wheat in the Abi-beyglu area was investigated. For this purpose, collected water volume was measured on a daily basis during fog time in 2021. The water demand of the winter wheat was estimated by the FAO Penman-Monteith equation under dry and normal conditions. Then the contribution of the collected water to supply the water demand of the wheat and the resultant increase in the yield under two different scenarios, namely complementary irrigation with 30 and 60 mm of collected water, was estimated using the AquaCrop model. Results showed that it is feasible to obtain an average water production of 3.6 L/m²/day over the studied period. Upon irrigation with 30 and 60 mm of collected water under dry and normal conditions, 26 and 34% of the water deficiency for wheat farming was supplied, leading to increased crop yields by 0.6 and 1.7 ton/ha, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research has been undertaken on significant factors associated with transitions between drinking water supply systems (DWSS) ladders. In this paper, we applied panel ordered logistic multinomial logistic regression models to seven datasets of the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (1988-2021), with the SDG6 categorical levels of DWSS (unimproved, improved and piped into dwelling) as transition levels, and various socio-economic and demographic characteristics as covariates. Sex and education level of household head, toilet facility, electricity access, size of agricultural land and wealth index are significant factors. The main implication is the need to address socio-economic disparities in developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermittent water supply (IWS) is a frequent operation approach in developing countries. A number of factors contribute to IWS, such as leakage and water shortage, leading to inequitable water distribution. A way to reduce the inequity in IWS systems is by planning or adapting the network for equitable water distribution, which requires software capable of describing IWS conditions, including not only pressurized flow but also free-surface. In this paper, a new index for equity analysis is presented and compared with the existing indices available in scientific literature. The comparison is based on the EPA-SWMM modelling framework and standard IWS operations, including pipe emptying and filling, have been considered. Results reveal that EPA-SWMM has great potential in simulating IWS systems, especially in the application for equity analyses, as it provides a more realistic description of the pipe filling and emptying operations compared to standard water distribution modelling software. Furthermore, a novel equation called volumetric coefficient was developed which has a significant advantage in identifying the nodes with a higher impact on network equity, and ensuring the fair distribution of supply along the distribution network, considering the relevance of nodal demand, which none of the other indexes in the literature were addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the requirements for water pressure and quantity of drinking water for residents and industrial buildings exceed the capacity of the urban water distribution system, a secondary water supply system (SWSS) is supplied to users by pipelines through storage, pressurization, and other facilities. In China, SWSS has been installed in 97% of residential buildings and the operation of SWSS is directly related to the water pressure and water quality of the users’ tap water. In this paper, the operation optimization objectives for the SWSS with storage facilities were proposed, and deep Q-learning network (DQN) was applied to optimize the control of SWSS. In this study, the pressure, the water age in the roof water tank, and the power consumption of the pumps were selected as the optimization objectives. The equation for the qualitative selection of the key hyperparameter (Gamma) was proposed and verified by the experiments in a community of City S in East China. The results indicated that with the decrease in the volume of the water tank, the larger Gamma value was recommended, and the more future conditions were considered. It is hoped that the result can be used as a reference in SWSS operation optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, China's rural water resources are in short supply and the water pollution situation is severe. Family farms are an important part of China's agricultural modernization, and their development level is an important indicator to measure the degree of modernization of a country and a region. The application of agricultural Internet of Things technology in the field of agriculture is helpful for solving the problem of water shortage in family farms in water shortage areas. Based on questionnaire data, this paper used structural equation modeling (SEM) to study the relationship between family farm water financing willingness and behavior. The results showed that the standardization coefficients of Assumption 1, Assumption 2 and Assumption 3 were 0.332, 0.267 and 0.311, respectively. It can be seen that the water resource financing willingness of family farms was greatly affected by their water-saving technology ability, water management ability and government policy support. However, the standardization coefficient of Assumption 5 was 0.087. It can be seen that the water management capacity had no significant impact on the water resource financing behavior, and the water resource financing behavior of family farms was mainly affected by their water-saving technical capacity and government policy support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining access to a sustainable water resource is becoming increasingly difficult in the midst of the ongoing global water crisis, emphasizing the importance of investing in alternative resources such as desalinated water. Throughout history, the desalination industry has adapted to the specific needs of an era or different environmental conditions by incorporating cutting-edge technologies. The general theme of this paper is the past, the present, and the future of the desalination industry. As such, this research aims to examine the evolution of the desalination industry over time, understand its current state, and ultimately use this knowledge to highlight some important considerations for its future. This review highlighted the immense influence of the energy market on the prevalence of desalination technology in a given region and/or eras. The information gathered here indicates that other sectors, such as agriculture, may need to rely on this unconventional water supply in the future, but there are certain factors ranging from socioeconomic to environmental concerns that need continued and increased research to facilitate the long-term, sustainable development of this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater resources remain under constant pressure due to population growth, economic development, and changing weather patterns. Water supply utilities generally struggle to keep up with the growing demand for freshwater resources and consequently adopt demand management policies to address supply challenges. As water consumers, households can play a major role in water conservation. This paper examines the impact of biographic characteristics on water consumption behaviour and the adoption of water-efficient technologies in the city of Durban, South Africa. Probit regression models are estimated using survey data collected from 300 household heads sampled across the city. Among other results, the study finds income as the most consistent determinant of water consumption behaviours and the adoption of water-efficient technologies. Furthermore, the level of education was also found to be a consistent determinant of the adoption and installation of water-efficient technologies. These results are significant and serve to guide water utilities when implementing demand management water policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the regional economic and social characteristics and high-quality development goals, this paper improves the calculation method of green efficiency of water resources and adopts the SBM-DEA model to calculate the green efficiency of water resources in 35 cities of four provinces in the Huaihe River Basin. The results show that (1) the green efficiency of water resources in the Huaihe River Basin decreased first and then increased from 2011 to 2020. (2) In terms of spatial distribution, the provincial-level divisions of green efficiency of water resources in the Huaihe River Basin from high to low are Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, and Anhui. The elliptical area of green efficiency of water resources keeps expanding, and the efficiency value radiates outward along ‘Yangzhou–Zhengzhou’. (3) At the level of total-factor productivity decomposition, TC (technological change) has a more noticeable impact on factors than EC (efficiency change). TC scale technology changes mainly come from the improvement of MATC (magnitude technical change). (4) Industrial output value has a positive driving effect on the green efficiency of water resources. Government participation, resource endowment, and economic growth rate reflect China’s current incongruity between economic development and water resources green efficiency improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of the vulnerability of water resources contributing to consumer health in the inter-tropical zone. The aim of this paper is to present the state of the art on the protection of water resources in the inter-tropical zone in order to identify gaps in knowledge that improve drinking water supply. To achieve this, a documentary search online was carried out to assess the progression of work over time. What emerges from this literature review is that the method for assessing intrinsic and specific vulnerability in bedrock areas is practically non-existent. A discrepancy exists and reflects the difference in a coincidence of the level of vulnerability when several methods of determining vulnerability are used in the same study site. The issue of validation is still problematic, as it lies in the fact that a property that is not precisely defined cannot be unambiguously deduced from the measured quantity. The characterisation of specific pollutants and their propagation in the saturated or groundwater zone are not taken into account. All the different components of the water cycle are not always taken into account during a groundwater vulnerability study, yet each water resource is part of a closely related component of the water cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resource (WR) is a complex and interrelated system, which integrates human development and environment. Water price research is gradually carried out under the background of resource economy research, which is an important part of natural resource price research. The main goal of the water price mechanism is to solve the problem of water resource allocation under the pressure of water supply and demand and realize the sustainable development of agricultural economy (AE). Faced with the dual pressure of rising water demand and declining water supply, many regions have begun to reform the water price mechanism and use the CGE model for scientific and reasonable resource allocation. To this end, this paper analyzed the drawbacks and the factors of WR pricing mechanism and used the CGE (Computable General Equilibrium for short here) model to study the upper limit of the pricing of resources, and then analyzed the problems of WR CGE model in agriculture, and finally optimized the problems. According to the experimental analysis, the pricing mechanism of WR under the CGE model can reasonably allocate resources, reduce water demand and promote the development of AE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable water supply is one of the key issues for water resources management. The future demand for clean water is putting pressure on the Malaysian government to find alternative supplies and best management practices in managing water resources, such as the use of reclaimed water. This paper evaluates the perceptions and acceptance of the use of treated water for non-drinking purposes in Malaysia from the responses of 1,004 participants. The results show that age and level of education play an important role in the level of community acceptance. Females tend to be more selective than males in their acceptance to use reclaimed water. To guarantee that the public receives accurate information about reclaimed water, social media can be used for disseminating information, especially to younger generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As society develops, water resources management (WRM) should evolve in response to the changing public needs. This study examines the evolution of Japanese management mechanisms since modernization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with decision makers and researchers, and government documents and academic papers were reviewed. We found that the country has developed legislation, financing investments, long-term plans, governance, and science and technology for WRM, and that the water sector contributed to modernization, reconstruction after World War II, and economic development. Japan has become more resilient to natural and biological disasters, more inclusive in providing equitable water services, and more sustainable in protecting the environment. However, issues of inflexible approaches, weak governance, and necessity of applying adaptation to climate and social changes were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Paris climate change agreement, temperature increases of around 1.5 or 2.0 °C by 2050 are bound to increase the amounts of evaporation and evapotranspiration, which are among the losses from surface water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs and dams. In order to reduce these losses and support local water supply, subsurface dam construction projects are at the forefront in many countries, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, even in subtropical climate regions. In the literature, there are classical methodological explanations for underground dams with quite insufficient and restrictive interpretations. In this paper, two very similar but different new alternatives are proposed as longitudinally and laterally supported underground dams with inspirations from historical qanat groundwater subsurface structures. Both types are supported by artificial trenches with higher hydraulic conductivity than the surrounding Quaternary alluvial deposits to increase external and meanwhile to support internal areal recharge possibilities between the trenches and the surrounding natural porous, weathered and fractured layers. It is noticed that trench-supported subsurface dams are more effective, affordable, sustainable and manageable than classical alternatives available in the literature. It is recommended that a more refined subsurface groundwater movement mathematical formulation should be developed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water used for production is the primary consumer of regional water. Water footprint reflects the actual water consumption of each product, which can reflect the intensity of water consumption of each production sector and the flow of water resources implied in the product trade. In this paper, the water footprint of each sector in Henan Province in 2017 was calculated using non-competitive input-output techniques. Furthermore, a dual-objective planning model that minimizes water resource export and maximizes labor compensation was established, based on which the export structure of the sector in the province was optimized. Research findings show that agriculture is the primary consuming sector of water resources from the direct water use perspective. In comparison, the food processing industry is the major consuming sector of water resources from the water footprint perspective. The difference in water resources consumed by sectors from the perspective of water footprint is smaller than that from the perspective of direct water use. Second, most water-intensive sectors have a relatively large water footprint of out-of-province use, which results in 52.75% of Henan Province's produced water being consumed outside the province. Third, the current export structure adjustment of sectors in Henan Province can achieve a Pareto improvement of water conservation and economic development. It is expected to save 14.65% of the province's export water resources and increase Henan Province's total exports by 170.61 billion (170.61 - 109) yuan and increase labor compensation by 39.76 billion yuan. This study can be used to optimize water allocation and improve sustainable water use in water-scarce regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water supply is one of the important functions provided to humans by the ecosystem. Water supply by the ecosystem leads to sustainable economic development, ecological restoration and food security for human societies. Therefore, the evaluation of the water supply capacity of the ecosystem and the analysis of its spatial distribution features play an important role in the implementation of the plan for the protection and exploitation of water resources. Evaluation of ecological economic balance is of great importance in sustainable ecosystem management. This paper was conducted to develop the ecological economic balance structure based on the water supply and land cover changes. Land use was considered in four time periods from 2000 to 2021 with seven-year intervals to evaluate the process of land cover change and water availability. The results showed that the southern and eastern regions addressed a negative trend in the ecological economic balance. These areas have been affected by population growth and urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard cuckoo search algorithm (SCSA) is an intelligent population optimization algorithm, which is also a heuristic search algorithm. The advantages of the SCSA (such as its convenient operation, heuristic searching, etc.) make it easy to find an optimal solution and maintain a wide searching range. However, the SCSA also has some drawbacks, such as long searching time, and the ease of falling on a local optimum. In order to solve the problems existing with SCSA, in this paper, an improved standard cuckoo search algorithm (ISCSA) was studied, which includes chaotic initialization and a Gaussian disturbance algorithm. As a case study, taking economic, social and ecological benefits as the objective function, multi-objective water resources optimal allocation models were constructed in Xianxiang Region, China. The ISCSA was applied to solve the water allocation models and a multi-objective optimal water supply scheme for Xinxiang region was obtained. Water resources optimal allocation schemes for the planning level year (2025) for 12 water supply sub-regions were predicted. A desirable eco-environment and other benefits were achieved using the studied methods. The results show that the ISCSA has obvious advantages in the solution of water resources optimal allocation and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes to optimise the operation of the A Vuong reservoir using the dynamic programming technique. The A Vuong is a large reservoir in Vietnam serving multiple purposes, including power generation, flood control, and downstream water supply. First, different flood control storage capacities (Vpl) are investigated, and the best one is chosen based on the criteria of power output and the reservoir's ability to fill up after each regulation cycle. That option is for Vpl to be 50, 30, and 10% of the active storage capacity in September, October, and November, respectively. The study also proposes new operating rule curves with various scenarios of different beginning water levels, ranging from 368 m to 380 m. The average lines of the operating rule curves are also suggested for easier and more efficient operation. Recommendations for using this operating rule curve, as well as its advantages compared to the current one, are also discussed. The results show that the proposed operating rule curves provide much better performance compared with the current in terms of increasing the power output, with a 3.1% increase, while also protecting other water uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]