Water scarcity

About: Water scarcity is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 11579 publications have been published within this topic receiving 228756 citations. The topic is also known as: water shortage.

The global challenge for adequate and safe water

Abstract: This paper was presented as a lecture for the 2005 Clarke Prize. It addresses the global challenge for adequate and safe water through several cases involving water scarcity and quality. The first case, in Namibia, exemplifies water scarcity and the harnessing of water science and technology to extract water for potable use from a nontraditional source – domestic wastewater. The second case focuses on water scarcity and the implications for national stability and regional peace, illustrated by Israel and its neighboring countries. The third discussion is related to water quality, specifically the lack of safe drinking water in the developing world. Drawing from these cases, it is shown that global water scarcity and quality problems involve complex technological, societal, cultural, economical, and political aspects.

System Dynamics Analysis for Managing Iran’s Zayandeh-Rud River Basin

Abstract: Within river basins different social, economic, political and physical subsystems interact. When making decisions, policy makers should be aware of such interactions as any new policy will affect more than one subsystem. To determine the adequacy of a specific management policy, an integrated study is needed of a complicated water management system in the basin considering major physical, social, economic and political aspects. The Zayandeh-Rud river basin, in central Iran with a semi-arid climate and large agricultural, industrial and domestic water uses, is an example of a complicated watershed system where the lack of complete knowledge about all the interacting subsystems has led to failure of the policy makers in addressing the water shortage in the basin. Although water shortages occur fairly soon after completion of each new water source, transbasin water diversion is still the major policy of water planners to address ongoing shortages. System dynamics provides a unique framework for integrating the disparate physical, socio-economic and political systems important to watershed management. This approach is used to comprehend the interactions of different drivers of the problem and to convey the experiences, lessons learned, and perceptions gained during the model development process. A simulation model, built based on causal loop diagrams of the problem, shows that transbasin diversion is not the best and only solution to the problem. The results of the model for different scenarios suggest that various options of demand management and population control can be more effective in addressing the water crisis of the basin when combined with transbasin water diversions, increasing water storage capacity and controlling of groundwater withdrawal.

Coping with water scarcity : addressing the challenges

Abstract: Foreword iii 1 Introduction 2. Water scarcity concepts 2.1. Concepts 2.2. Coping with water scarcity 3. Physical characteristics and processes leading to water scarcity 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Climatic conditions 3.3. Hydrologic characteristics 3.4. Climate change and its impacts on water scarcity 3.5. Meteorological and hydrological data collection and handling 4. Droughts and desertification 4.1. Droughts 4.2. Desertification 5. Conceptual thinking in coping with water scarcity 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Social value of water 5.3. Environmental value of water 5.4. Landscape and cultural value of water 5.5. Economic value of water 5.6. Priorities for water allocation 5.7. International issues - treaties between sovereign states 5.8. Conclusion 6. Surface water use and harvesting 6.1. Large and small scale projects 6.2. Reservoir management 6.3. Control of water losses and non beneficial uses of water 6.4. Water harvesting 6.5. Environmental and health issues 6.6. Conclusion 7. Groundwater use and recharge 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Major aquifers and well fields 7.3. Minor aquifers of local importance 7.4. Environmental, economic and social impacts of aquifer overexploitation 7.5. Artificial recharge 7.6. Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater 7.7. The use of groundwater in coping with water scarcity 8. Using non-conventional water resources 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Wastewater use 8.3. Use of brackish, saline and drainage waters 8.4. Desalinated water 8.5. Fog-capturing, water harvesting, cloud seeding, and water transfers 9. Water conservation and saving. Concepts and performance 9.1. Concepts 9.2. Water use, consumptive use, water losses, and performance 9.3. Water use performance indicators 9.4. Water conservation and saving to cope with the various water scarcity regimes 9.5. Implementing efficient water use for water conservation and saving 10. Water conservation and saving measures and practices 10.1. Water conservation and saving in urban systems 10.2. Water saving in domestic applications 10.3. Water conservation and saving in landscape and recreational uses 10.4. Water conservation and saving in industrial and energy uses 10.5 Water conservation in dryland agriculture 10.6. Water saving and conservation in irrigated agriculture 10.7. Supply management 10.8. Concluding remarks 11. Social, economic, cultural, legal and institutional constraints and issues 11.1. Local communities 11.2. Urban centres 11.3. Rural areas 11.4. User groups 11.5. Administration of water use - public and private organizations 12. Education 12.1. Need to change attitudes to water 12.2. Education and training 12.3. Need for new developments and research 12.4. Development of public awareness of water scarcity issues 12.5. Conclusion Bibliography Index