Topic
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.
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01 Jul 2000
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a thorough exploration of water rights in the context of growing water scarcity and competition using case studies from across the globe to identify: *the range of water right and basis for claims on the resource.
Abstract: This book presents a thorough exploration of water rights in the context of growing water scarcity and competition. It uses case studies from across the globe to identify: *the range of water rights and basis for claims on the resource. *local experiences in negotiating water rights and opportunities to empower farmers in water resource management. The book reviews conceptual framework which can help to better manage and understand conflicts over scarce water. Cases are presented from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Spain and New Mexico. The book concludes with a chapter on implications for research and action. This volume recognizes the growing demands on a scarce and essential resource and argues that only negotiated approaches which involve the water users themselves can ensure equitable, efficient and acceptable outcomes. - This book will be of interest to professionals involved in water resource management, food policy, rural development, irrigation management and property law/property rights as well as agricultural economists and social activists.
170 citations
TL;DR: The use of domestic rainwater harvesting and greywater treatment systems has the potential to supply nearly 94% of domestic water in Irish households as mentioned in this paper, which can help Irish householders achieve significant water savings and avoid the domestic water bills that are due to be reintroduced.
170 citations
TL;DR: A review of water institutional changes in 11 countries: Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Spain, Morocco, Israel, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, China, and India is presented in this article.
169 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that measurement of water scarcity should be redefined physically in terms of the freshwater storage required to address imbalances in intra- and inter-annual fluxes of freshwater supply and demand and abandons subjective quantifications of human environments.
Abstract: Metrics of water scarcity and stress have evolved over the last three decades from simple threshold indicators to holistic measures characterising human environments and freshwater sustainability. Metrics commonly estimate renewable freshwater resources using mean annual river runoff, which masks hydrological variability, and quantify subjectively socio-economic conditions characterising adaptive capacity. There is a marked absence of research evaluating whether these metrics of water scarcity are meaningful. We argue that measurement of water scarcity (1) be redefined physically in terms of the freshwater storage required to address imbalances in intra- and inter-annual fluxes of freshwater supply and demand; (2) abandons subjective quantifications of human environments and (3) be used to inform participatory decision-making processes that explore a wide range of options for addressing freshwater storage requirements beyond dams that include use of renewable groundwater, soil water and trading in virtual water. Further, we outline a conceptual framework redefining water scarcity in terms of freshwater storage.
169 citations
Chinese Academy of Sciences1, Shanghai Normal University2, Southern University of Science and Technology3, Wuhan University4, Lanzhou University5, Hunan University of Science and Technology6, China University of Geosciences (Beijing)7, Tsinghua University8, Beijing Normal University9, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign10
TL;DR: In this paper, an integrated eco-hydrological model, in combination with systematic observations, was used to analyze the hydrological cycle in the Heihe River Basin, a typical endorheic basin in arid region of China.
Abstract: Endorheic basins around the world are suffering from water and ecosystem crisis. To pursue sustainable development, quantifying the hydrological cycle is fundamentally important. However, knowledge gaps exist in how climate change and human activities influence the hydrological cycle in endorheic basins. We used an integrated ecohydrological model, in combination with systematic observations, to analyze the hydrological cycle in the Heihe River Basin, a typical endorheic basin in arid region of China. The water budget was closed for different landscapes, river channel sections, and irrigation districts of the basin from 2001 to 2012. The results showed that climate warming, which has led to greater precipitation, snowmelt, glacier melt, and runoff, is a favorable factor in alleviating water scarcity. Human activities, including ecological water diversion, cropland expansion, and groundwater overexploitation, have both positive and negative effects. The natural oasis ecosystem has been restored considerably, but the overuse of water in midstream and the use of environmental flow for agriculture in downstream have exacerbated the water stress, resulting in unfavorable changes in surface-ground water interactions and raising concerns regarding how to fairly allocate water resources. Our results suggest that the water resource management in the region should be adjusted to adapt to a changing hydrological cycle, cropland area must be reduced, and the abstraction of groundwater must be controlled. To foster long-term benefits, water conflicts should be handled from a broad socioeconomic perspective. The findings can provide useful information on endorheic basins to policy makers and stakeholders around the world.
169 citations