Water Reuse for Irrigation in Rural Areas in Japan Experience from Japan to Central Asia

Due to water scarcity, which is worsening due to climate change, rural areas often face the challenge of rural exoduses. Limited water resources restrict local farmers as the opportunities for cultivation in the fields are reduced. This makes rural areas increasingly unattractive. To strengthen rural areas, sustainable water management with a focus on water-reuse is required. Since treated wastewater is a daily resource with calculable quantities available, reused water can contribute to the sustainable strengthening of a region. Therefore, an analysis of water-reuse potentials must be conducted to develop a water-reuse concept and thus increase the application of reused water. For this purpose, a case study of Wuwei as a rural and water-scarce region in China was chosen. By using a geoinformation system, the unfulfilled water-reuse potential can be identified by intersecting the results of the analysis regarding the current water supply and disposal situation with spatial and regional information, such as population data. Hence, the study presents the potential to increase wastewater treatment and water-reuse for, e.g., agricultural irrigation. It is shown that, in the best case, reused water can be increased from 5479 m3 per day to 207,461 m3 per day. Resource efficiency can be further increased by combining water-reuse concepts with land-use strategies adapted to climate change. This will ensure a more sustainable water supply in the future.

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Light or Dark Greywater for Water Reuse? Economic Assessment of On-Site Greywater Treatment Systems in Rural Areas

Water ◽

10.3390/w13243637 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 3637

Author(s):

Eduardo Leiva ◽

Carolina Rodríguez ◽

Rafael Sánchez ◽

Jennyfer Serrano

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Central Zone ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Operating Costs ◽

Small Scale ◽

Capital Costs ◽

The Impact

Water scarcity is causing a great impact on the population. Rural areas are most affected by often lacking a stable water supply, being more susceptible to the impact of drought events, and with greater risk of contamination due to the lack of appropriate water treatment systems. Decentralized greywater treatment systems for water reuse in rural areas can be a powerful alternative to alleviate these impacts. However, the economic feasibility of these systems must be thoroughly evaluated. This study reports an economic analysis carried out on the viability of greywater reuse considering scenarios with light greywater or dark greywater to be treated. For this, data obtained from the assembly and monitoring of greywater treatment systems located in the north-central zone of Chile, supplemented with data obtained from the literature were used. The results showed that both scenarios are not economically viable, since the investment and operating costs are not amortized by the savings in water. In both evaluated cases (public schools), the economic indicators were less negative when treating light greywater compared with the sum of light greywater and dark greywater as the inlet water to be treated. The investment and operating costs restrict the implementation of these water reuse systems, since in the evaluation period (20 years) a return on the initial investment is not achieved. Even so, our results suggest that the best alternative to reuse greywater in small-scale decentralized systems is to treat light greywater, but it is necessary to consider a state subsidy that not only supports capital costs but also reduces operating and maintenance costs. These findings support the idea that the type of water to be treated is a factor to consider in the implementation of decentralized greywater treatment systems for the reuse of water in rural areas and can help decision-making on the design and configuration of these systems.

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THEODORE LEVIN, The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York) (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1996, repr. 1999). Pp. 335.

International Journal of Middle East Studies ◽

10.1017/s0020743801362062 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 320-322

Author(s):

OWEN WRIGHT

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Central Asia ◽

Rural Areas ◽

The South ◽

Indiana University ◽

General Introduction ◽

Impossible Task ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

Soviet Central Asia ◽

Travel Accounts

As the first general introduction to the musical worlds of the successor states to Soviet Central Asia, this admirable work fills an important gap. Moreover, it does so in an individual and highly attractive way, eschewing the would-be objectivity of a dryly analytical monograph in favor of a looser framework of travel accounts, each rich in specific and revelatory detail but, at the same time, developing a series of thematic constants. To cover all of Central Asia in this way would have been an impossible task, however, and what we are presented with is in essence an exploration of widely separated and contrasting urban and rural areas of Uzbekistan supplemented by forays into northern Tajikistan. Beginning in Tashkent, the itinerary proceeds successively through Bukhara, Surxandarya, and Qashkandarya in the south, and Khorezm; then to Tajikistan (the Upper Zaravshan and Yagnâb, and Shahristan); and finally (following the fortunes of Bukharan Jewish émigré musicians) to New York.

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“Greenhouses and Workers’ Dormitories”: Migration from Central Asia and China to Rural Areas of the Southern Urals

Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University Geoarchaeology Ethnology and Anthropology Series ◽

10.26516/2227-2380.2021.37.74 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

pp. 74-84

Author(s):

A. A. Avdashkin ◽

◽

E. I. Salganova ◽

N. A. Gafner ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Population Decline ◽

Southern Urals ◽

The Southern Urals ◽

Migration Flow ◽

Chelyabinsk Region ◽

The Impact ◽

Depth Interviews

The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of migration from Asian countries on the rural areas of the Russian region using the example of the Chelyabinsk region. Addressing this problem allowed us to answer the following questions: what objects in rural areas are labeled as “migrant” and what are the assessments of this phenomenon by the public? Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural population decline is growing. Restricting international migration has shown that migrants are very important for the Russian agricultural sector. The decline in the population in rural areas of Russia, the deterioration of the ecological situation in the Central Asian region shows the need for research on migration to the countryside. There is a high probability that after the removal of several restrictions, we will see an increase in the migration flow to some areas of the countryside (greenhouses, workers' hostels, empty villages). For this study, we applied a set of ethnographic and ethno-sociological methods: participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and massive ethno-sociological survey conducted within the framework of the RFBR and Chelyabinsk region project “Asian vector of migration to the Chelyabinsk region: historical retrospective, forecasts and risks”. In total, during the project, 150 hours of included observation were implemented. In 2021, 49 in-depth interviews were collected with residents of the Chelyabinsk region and 37 with migrants from Central Asia. The sample of objects for observation and establishment of contacts with informants included: greenhouses for growing vegetables, garden associations, settlements in the study areas, rural shops, etc. The focus of xenophobic sentiments may shift from large cities to suburbs and villages, where new objects are being built, labeled as “migrants” (greenhouses, dormitories for migrants). "Chinese" greenhouses are no longer perceived as objects directly related to the presence of the Chinese, but are associated with migrants in general. Greenhouse complexes, where the main contingent is made up of migrants from the Central Asia, seem to be perceived as "Chinese" by inertia. All negative characteristics and parameters that were attributed to them are automatically extended to all greenhouses where there are “others”.

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25 Years of Rural Development in post-Soviet Central Asia: Sustaining Inequalities

Eastern European Countryside ◽

10.2478/eec-2018-0004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 63-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Max Spoor

Keyword(s):

Rural Development ◽

Central Asia ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Growth Models ◽

Sustainable Growth ◽

Capital City ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Soviet Central Asia ◽

Energy Dependent ◽

Natural Resource Wealth

Abstract To show that post-Soviet rural development in Central Asia has been confronted with sustained inequalities, three particular factors are analysed in this paper have being viewed as fundamental in influencing national and rural development. Firstly, most countries have based their growth models on economic nationalism (not only creating borders and national institutions, but also choosing inward-looking strategies), while leaning one-sidedly on their natural resource wealth (carbohydrates such as oil, natural gas and minerals, but also industrial crops like cotton). Secondly, and related to the first explanatory factor, the region has been struck by hidden and open resource-based conflicts, in particular on land and water. Inter-state tensions have emerged, in particular between downstream (irrigation water dependent) countries, such as Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the upstream (hydropower energy dependent, and carbohydrate-poor) ones, such as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Thirdly, all the countries analysed here have followed a rather unequal capital city-centric growth model, using the proceeds of exports of mineral wealth (or cotton) for rapid urbanisation with little or no investment in rural development, resulting in a growing urban-rural divide and increasing rural-urban and cross-border migration. While it is recognised that this region is indeed a bridge between West and East (also re-emphasised by the Chinese ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative), it is argued in this paper that there is a need to reduce these inequalities and unbalanced growth, being that they will be an obstacle to the sustainable growth and development of rural areas.

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Safe greywater reuse to augment water supply and provide sanitation in semi-arid areas of rural India

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2010.414 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 62 (6) ◽

pp. 1296-1303 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

S. Godfrey ◽

P. Labhasetwar ◽

S. Wate ◽

B. Jimenez

Keyword(s):

Water Supply ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Open Defecation ◽

Fourfold Increase ◽

Semi Arid ◽

Greywater Reuse

Water reuse is recognized as a tool to increase water supply in peri-urban areas of semi-arid and arid regions of the world. However, it is an option rarely explored for rural areas in developing countries, and has not been documented extensively in the scientific literature. This paper presents results from 6 greywater reuse systems which were built with the objective to augment water supply and to provide sanitation in rural low income areas of Madhya Pradesh, India. The systems are based on reclaiming greywater from bathing for the use in toilet flushing and kitchen garden irrigation. The reuse systems were implemented based on the scientific rationale presented in the WHO (2006) guidelines. The paper presents evidence from the operation and evaluation of the greywater treatment plants under field conditions between 2005 and 2008. The paper concludes that greywater is a highly cost effective solution for water scarcity. In this study, reusing greywater resulted in a 60% increase in water availability, a reduction in open defecation and a fourfold increase in food availability.

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Urban water recycling

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2005.0232 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 51 (8) ◽

pp. 83-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

T. Asano

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Integrated Water Resources Management ◽

Resources Management ◽

Vital Component ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

Increasing urbanization has resulted in an uneven distribution of population, industries, and water in urban areas; thus, imposing unprecedented pressures on water supplies and water pollution control. These pressures are exacerbated during the periods of drought and climatic uncertainties. The purpose of this paper is to summarize emergence of water reclamation, recycling and reuse as a vital component of sustainable water resources in the context of integrated water resources management in urban and rural areas. Water quality requirements and health and public acceptance issues related to water reuse are also discussed. Reclaimed water is a locally controllable water resource that exists right at the doorstep of the urban environment, where water is needed the most and priced the highest. Closing the water cycle loop not only is technically feasible in agriculture, industries, and municipalities but also makes economic sense. Society no longer has the luxury of using water only once.

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III. “Geographic Perspectives on Soviet Central Asia”*

Nationalities Papers ◽

10.1080/00905999308408283 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 150-153 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robert A. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Indigenous Population ◽

Central Government ◽

Economic Conditions ◽

Population Increase ◽

Current Growth ◽

Working Age ◽

Soviet Central Asia ◽

Political Economic

A dramatic population increase coupled with a reduction in per capita investment is producing a “demographic cauldron” in Soviet Central Asia. This was the focus of Professor Lewis's December 7 lecture. In his presentation, Professor Lewis outlined the political, economic and social conditions that frame a grim picture for Central Asia. The region is plagued by an unfavorable convergence of factors: a rapidly growing rural population, especially the indigenous population which is concentrated in rural areas, labor surpluses, relatively little rural or northward out-migration, deteriorating economic conditions especially in rural areas and environmental degradation, along with significant social development and, thus, rising expectations and national awareness. At current growth rates, the indigenous, the rural, the total, and the rural working-age populations will double about every generation or less. Besides, there has been little effort on the part of the central government to shift investment and resource allocation priorities to accommodate the demographic changes.

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Lessons learnt on Ecosan in Morocco: case of the urine-diversion dehydration toilets

Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination ◽

10.2166/wrd.2013.050 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 55-68

Author(s):

Youssef Abarghaz ◽

Mustapha Mahi ◽

Najib Bendaou ◽

Mohammed Fekhaoui ◽

Christine Werner

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Rural Population ◽

Water Reuse ◽

Rural Village ◽

Ecological Sanitation ◽

Urine Diversion ◽

Lessons Learnt ◽

Sanitation Systems ◽

The Village

‘Lessons learnt on Ecosan in Morocco’ is a short analysis of experience gained in Morocco especially in rural areas where people do not have adequate systems of evacuation of their wastewater. The rural population cannot afford conventional sanitation systems. In response to this, we have thought to promote ecological sanitation that recognises wastewater not as a waste but as a resource. The first Urine-Diversion Dehydration Toilets (UDDTs) were introduced in a rural village called ‘Dayet Ifrah’ in Morocco in December 2009. Since then, households are starting to see the advantages of UDDTs and the systems are becoming more and more accepted. The UDDT systems implemented in the village could be used as a model for Moroccan rural areas. This paper sets out how the Ecosan approach was successfully introduced in Morocco where people are motivated by reasons to improve this approach such as no smell, safety, comfort, privacy and water reuse. Results reveal that the users are satisfied with the Ecosan approach to cleanse their wastewater. Although Ecosan is relatively new to Morocco, it seems that it can succeed in very poor populations. The paper contains information on general experiences in the different countries and also lessons learnt on Ecosan in each country.

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