Water resources

Will water finally make it onto the climate agenda in Durban?

by Mike Muller

waterwarsinthenearfuture wouters sherk and rochford

by Patricia Wouters

The Legal Response to International Water Conflicts_Post Print

by Patricia Wouters

Lessons from South Africa on the management and development of water resources for inclusive and sustainable growth

by Mike Muller

This paper traces the way in which water development has accompanied and supported broader economic and social... more This paper traces the way in which water development has accompanied and supported broader economic and social development and how South Africa has dealt with its water resource constraints, with its growing emphasis on environmental sustainability. It identifies key initiatives that provided the foundation for present developments as well as the political economy of their adoption.

It served as a background paper to the European Report on Development 2011/2012: Confronting scarcity: Managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth. The European Report on Development was prepared by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in partnership with the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM).

Water management, water security and climate change adaptation: early impacts and essential responses

by Mike Muller

International Farm Trade in Latin America: Does it Favour Sustainable Water Use Globally?

by Insa Niemeyer

International agricultural trade has been growing significantly during the last decade. Many countries rely on imports... more International agricultural trade has been growing significantly during the last decade. Many countries rely on imports to ensure adequate food supplies to the people. A few are becoming food baskets of the world.  This process raises issues about the food security in depending countries and potentially unsustainable land and water use in exporting countries. In this paper, we ask whether farm trade can help the world to feed itself more sustainably. We analyse farm exports and imports of five Latin America countries (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Chile). A preliminary analysis indicates that virtual water imports can save valuable water resources in water-short countries, such as Mexico and Chile. Major exporting countries, including Brazil and Argentina, have become big exporters due to abundant natural resource endowments. The opportunity costs of agricultural production in those countries are identified as being low, because of the predominant green water use. It is concluded that virtual water trade can be a powerful tool to alleviate water stress in semi-arid countries. However, for exporting nations a sustainable water use can only be guaranteed if environmental production costs are fully reflected in the commodity prices. However, there is no basis for erecting environmental trade tariffs on exporters. Setting up legal foundations for them in full compliance with WTOs processes would be a daunting task. There is a need to evaluate the impact relationship of water scarcity and trade, and establish the causality.

Nuclear self esteem

by Antonio Barroso

Reform of water institutions: review of evidences and international experiences

by Eduardo Araral

Water Magic

by Richard Wilk

Published as
2012 “Water Magic.” in People at the Well: Kinds, Usages and Meanings of Water in a Global Perspective, edited by Hans Peter Hahn, Karlheinz Cless and Jens Soentgen, Campus Verlag, Frankfurt.

Human beings always seem to be looking for new ways to contain, channel and domesticate water; science and technology... more Human beings always seem to be looking for new ways to contain, channel and domesticate water; science and technology define it, manipulate it, and keep it in place. But there is something in water that seems to defy our every effort to pin it into a specific place, to keep it within boundaries and make it predictable. Sooner or later channels and containers always overflow or dry up, and no matter how tame it appears at a given moment, the flow of water always carries a potential for chaos.

ECOHEALTH AND WATERSHEDS: Ecosystem Approaches to Re-integrate Water Resources Management with Health and Well-being

by Martin Bunch

Parkes, M.W., Morrison, K.E., Bunch, M.J., and Venema, H.D. (2008) Ecohealth and Watersheds: Ecosystem Approaches to Re-integrate Water Resources Management with Health and Well-being. Network for Ecosystem Sustainability and Health (Publication Series No. 2) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development,Winnipeg, MB. Available online at http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2008/ecohealth_watersheds.pdf.

Executive Summary

The links between ecosystem approaches to health, natural resource management and poverty... more Executive Summary

The links between ecosystem approaches to health, natural resource management and poverty reduction are being identified as important and relevant across an increasing number of disciplines and institutions. However, specific implementation guidance is scant. One promising approach to addressing this gap is the integration of two emergent approaches to environmental management: Ecohealth, which argues that human health and well-being are not only dependent on ecosystems but are also important outcomes of effective ecosystem management; and Watershed-based integrated water resources management (IWRM) which is based on the premise that watersheds are appropriate units for managing ecosystems.

Over the past century, the dominant scientific approach to environment and health relationships has been to examine cause and effect relationships between “proximal” environmental exposures and their health effects. Much progress has been made with this kind of work, but the complex, reciprocal interactions among ecosystems, society and health demand a more integrated and systemic approach. Recent convergence of research, policy and practice that re-links the social and ecological context for health lead us to understand that: in coupled social-ecological systems the same driving forces can result in combined social and environmental health inequities, hazards and impacts; policies that decrease social inequities and improve social cohesion have the potential to improve health outcomes and also to minimize and offset the drivers of ecosystem change; and linked social-ecological actions that address both biophysical and social environments have the potential to create a “double-dividend” that improves health by addressing both its socio-economic and environmental determinants, while also promotingsustainable development.

Traditionally, our understanding and management of human health has been organized spatially on the basis of human constructs such as municipalities, counties, health authorities, and provinces or states. While these boundaries do influence environmental and resource management, they often overlook the structure and function of ecosystems, and create a disjuncture between the objects of management and biophysical processes (e.g., between health and nature). A wide range of international reports have now created a demand and imperative to identify specific ecosystem-based contexts in which linkages among health, ecosystems, development and poverty alleviation can be operationalized.

One response to these challenges has been to recognize and prioritize watersheds as appropriate spatial units around which to organize management for natural resources and health.Watershed management and ecosystem approaches offer useful approaches to water management within the physical “place” of the watershed or catchment. Using key management concepts such as resilience, such approaches have the potential to improve our ability to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards, maintain ecological flows of water and the provision of other ecological services, and to promote the long-term sustainability of coupled human and natural systems. Ecosystem approaches and IWRM almost always cite collaborative decision-making and adaptive institutions as central to their approach.Mechanisms to operate such approaches must navigate overlapping jurisdictions, conflicting mandates and multiple interests, while at the same time adapting and responding to new information and operating in contexts of uncertainty.

The challenge remains to establish frameworks and processes that speak not only to public health professionals, but also to ecologists, water managers, planners and the development community. Despite the potential value in explicitly addressing concerns about human health and well-being on a watershed basis, a myriad of challenges exist—many of which reflect the limitations of restricting focus on separate parts of social-ecological systems rather than the interconnections of human and natural systems. These include the challenges of working across jurisdictions and sectors; of integrating academic disciplines and multiple worldviews; of spatial-temporal scale and the relationship between systems defined at different scales; and of the complexity of issues pertaining to each aspect of these social-ecological systems (including climate and atmospheric processes, land uses, ecological processes, social networks, livelihoods and lifestyles). The table below summarizes key issues identified by this report and offers directions for further work.

Gestión integrada del agua y la salud desde una visión ecosistémica ("Water for life, health and sustainability: An ecosystem approach to reintegrate water resource management with the determinants of health")

by Martin Bunch

Parkes, M., K. Morrison, M.J. Bunch, H. Venema and P. Howitz (2008) Gestión integrada del agua y la salud desde una visión ecosistémica. 2 July 2008. Expo Zaragosa 2008: Water and Sustainable Development. Jun 14, 2008 - Sep 14, 2008 PLaza e España, Zaragoza, Aragon Spain.

The relationship between water resource management and the ‘upstream’ determinants of health is emerging as a new... more The relationship between water resource management and the ‘upstream’ determinants of health is emerging as a new portfolio of research, policy and practice. This development is informed by growing attention to ecosystem management in the context of catchments (also known as watersheds or river basins) and the potential ‘win-win’ of integrated strategies that improve both health and sustainability within these settings. Sustainable and equitable watershed management can be seen as an upstream driver of the determinants of health – with influences ranging from livelihoods and poverty, to cultural values, food security and lifestyles, as well provision of basic water services and infrastructure. Drawing on an integrated framework and the key concepts of ‘living systems’, ‘livelihoods’, and ‘linkages’ between ecosystems and equity, this paper examines integrated catchment management as the basis for an ecosystem approach that promotes water for life, health and sustainability. These concepts will be examined in the context of a community catchment health project in New Zealand, with cross-reference to initiatives in Hawai’i, Ecuador, Canada and the Philippines. Implications will be discussed in relation to capacity building for governance, research and education that values catchment management as a collaborative, cross-sectoral initiative with interrelated benefits for health, ecosystems and society.

Modeling Passive Solar Distillation Production in Las Vegas, NV

by Noe Santos

Final thesis

A study has been performed to examine the effects of daily weather on the performance of commercial solar distillation... more A study has been performed to examine the effects of daily weather on the performance of commercial solar distillation basins (solar stills). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the long term performance of solar stills, to instrument two solar stills and record sub-hourly thermal properties, to evaluate existing heat transfer modeling methods for hourly production, and to create new models to predict daily production using experimental distillate production and local weather data by utilizing artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, and multivariate regression. A system dynamics model was also created to determine the required basin area and storage volume to produce enough water to meet year round potable water demand.

Solar still production was measured between January 2011 and September 2011. The average daily yield of solar still #1-A (SS1-A) and solar still #1-B (SS1-B) ranged from 2.11 ± 0.35 L/m2 and 2.00 ± 0.46 L/m2 (winter season) to 5.53 ± 1.01 L/m2 and 5.64 ± 1.06 L/m2 (summer season), respectively.

The artificial neural network model performed with a mean absolute error as low as 9.4% with up to 92.4% of production predictions within 0-20% of the actual daily production. The genetic algorithm model performed with a mean absolute error as low as 11% with up to 91% of production predictions within 0-20% of the actual daily production. The multivariate regression model performed with a mean absolute error as low as 9.7% with up to 94.1% of production predictions within 0-20% of the actual daily production.

Analysis of the sub-hourly performance data indicated that large distilland volumes resulted in a greater proportion of production occurring during the night compared to smaller distilland volumes. Hourly temperature data was used to calculate heat transfer coefficients which could predict hourly distillate production with a mean absolute error between 26% and 53%.

Water Consumption and Conservation Among College Students

by Bethany Cutts

First author is Allyn Knox

Spanning Boundaries in an Arizona Watershed Partnership Information Networks as Tools for Entrenchment or Ties for Collaboration

by Bethany Cutts

Muñoz-Erickson, T. A., B. B. Cutts, E. K. Larson, K. J. Darby, M. Neff, A. Wutich, and B. Bolin. 2010. Spanning boundaries in an Arizona watershed partnership: information networks as tools for entrenchment or ties for collaboration? Ecology and Society 15(3): 22. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss3/art22/

The need to develop successful collaborative strategies is an enduring problem in sustainable resource management. Our... more The need to develop successful collaborative strategies is an enduring problem in sustainable resource management. Our goal is to evaluate the relationship between information networks and conflict in the context of collaborative groundwater management in the rapidly growing central highland region of Arizona. In this region, water-management conflicts have emerged because of stakeholders’ differing geographic perspectives and competing scientific claims. Using social network analyses, we explored the extent to which the Verde River Basin Partnership (VRBP), which was charged with developing and sharing scientific information, has contributed to collaboration in the region. To accomplish this, we examined the role that this stakeholder partnership plays in reinforcing or overcoming the geographic, ideological, expert, and power conflicts among its members. Focusing on information sharing, we tested the extent to which several theoretically important elements of successful collaboration were evidenced by data from the VRBP. The structure of information sharing provides insight into ways in which barriers between diverse perspectives might be retained and elucidates weaknesses in the partnership. To characterize information sharing, we examined interaction ties among individuals with different geographic concerns, hierarchical scales of interest, belief systems (about science, the environment, and the role of the partnership), and self-identified expertise types. Results showed that the partnership’s information-sharing network spans most of these boundaries. Based on current theories of collaboration, we would expect the partnership network to be conducive to collaboration. We found that information exchanges are limited by differences in connection patterns across actor expertise and environmental-belief systems. Actors who view scientists as advocates are significantly more likely to occupy boundary-spanning positions, that appear to impede the success of the partnership. This analysis challenges widely held assumptions about the properties that separate successful collaborations from those that are less successful. It has implications for our understanding of the factors that constrain information processing, knowledge production, and collective-action capability in institutions.

Abrupt climate change and security in Peru (DOE)

by Chad Briggs

Authored by Jennifer Gonzalez, October 2009, publicly released January 2011. Background briefing paper on abrupt climate change security impacts for Peru.

Collaborative Water Planning in the Gulf of Carpentaria

by John Mackenzie

This report reviews the water planning process in the Gulf of Carpentaria undertaken between 2003 and 2007 by the... more This report reviews the water planning process in the Gulf of Carpentaria undertaken between 2003 and 2007 by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water.

The context of the water planning process for the region is briefly summarised, through reference to the social and economic profile compiled as part of the planning process and other profiling processes for the region. The history of cultivation of water resources in the Gulf is then examined. A description of the water planning process is also provided. This process is then evaluated in section four against a series of criteria derived from recent literature on the evaluation of collaborative processes, examine the effectiveness of collaboration:

    * as a mechanism for improved decision-making, including governance arrangements, due process and the reconciliation of competing knowledge claims;
    * as a facilitator of social process; including improved relationships, conflict resolution
    * as a means of obtaining improved outcomes, including efficiency, equity, and wider social perception of the process; and
    * as a pathway for catalytic changes in the community.

The analysis found that water resource planning in Queensland is conducted according to a clear, transparent and well-articulated framework that is defined by both the legislation and supporting policy documents. After more than a decade of an adaptively managed planning program which has been subject to internal and external review, current water planning attempts to accommodate the best available scientific and technical analysis, comprehensive information provision and policy considerations to the production of water plans.

Through this planning program, the scope of public participation is delineated, and considerable effort is made by the state agencies to render the outcomes of the stakeholder input apparent to all stakeholders. In the conduct of the Gulf water resource planning process, the legislative requirements for public participation and due process were observed, and in a number of facets the planners involved in the preparation of the water resource plan exceeded the requirements of the legislation to facilitate public involvement and stakeholder contribution.

However, due to the fact that the WRP process has been developed primarily to address issues of water resource planning in the southern regions of Queensland, the planning framework itself is less suited in application in Northern Australia. This created a number of issues with regards to its effective application to the distinct environs of Northern Australia. Firstly, effective participation was constrained by the scope of the planning area and the logistical difficulties in undertaking a planning process for an area larger than the State of Victoria, with limited human resources.

Secondly, the different hydrology of Northern Australia meant that heavy reliance upon hydrological modeling and other technical assessments as decision-support were not as suited, particularly in the notable absence of appropriate data and information upon which to make apposite planning decisions.

Thirdly, the water planning framework had been developed to correct the legacy of over-allocated systems and state investment in water resources. In the Gulf, where there has been limited cultivation of water resources, and where the majority of the major water supply infrastructure has been privately funded, the application of the framework was not as appropriate.

Seasonal Evapotranspiration Mapping Using Landsat Visible and Thermal Data with an Energy Balance Approach in Central Nebraska

by Baburao Kamble

Operational Remote Sensing of ET and Challenges

by Baburao Kamble

Assessing and Modeling the Cyclic Behavior of Monsoon Rainfall for Climatic variation

by Baburao Kamble

GIS Based Water Balance Study of Koyna River Basin

by Baburao Kamble