scholarly journals Anthropogenic and geogenic influences on peri-urban aquifers in semi-arid regions: insights from a case study in northeast Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1261-1278
Author(s):  
Theresa Frommen ◽  
Maike Groeschke ◽  
Maximilian Nölscher ◽  
Paul Koeniger ◽  
Michael Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Planning Strategy ◽  
Quality Aspects ◽  
Management Concept

AbstractRapid urbanization has exerted considerable pressure on groundwater resources in Jaipur, India. Peri-urban areas are particularly affected as the public supply infrastructure often does not reach this fast-growing fringe, which often lacks a planning strategy, leading to an informal water supply based on groundwater. At the same time, the hills and historic reservoirs located in these areas are important for groundwater recharge and, therefore, critical for sustainable groundwater-resource management. To understand the local hydrogeology and the role of anthropogenic influences, a 2-year field study was carried out in northeastern Jaipur. The aim was to develop a conceptual model on which a management concept can be built. The study comprised hydrochemical and stable isotope analyses of water samples, depth-to-water measurements, a leveling survey and geophysical investigations. The study revealed that the groundwater from both the Proterozoic hard rock and the overlying Quaternary alluvial aquifer generally does not meet the Indian drinking water thresholds for nitrate concentration and/or total dissolved solids (TDS). While anthropogenic activities are the main source of quantity problems (declining groundwater levels through overabstraction), the biggest quality problems (nitrate up to 550 mg/L and TDS >500 mg/L) are most likely of geogenic origin and only enhanced by anthropogenic impacts. Quantity and quality aspects improve significantly in areas influenced by recharge from the historic reservoirs, leading to the conclusion that artificial recharge structures may be the way forward to improving community water supply and that groundwater protection should be given priority in these areas.

scholarly journals Regional hydrogeology for groundwater resource management policies. The Latium volcanic domain (central Italy)

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Mazza ◽  
Lucia Mastrorillo
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Hydrogeological Model ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Regional Hydrogeology ◽  
Conceptual Hydrogeological Model ◽  
Set Up

Growing urban areas in the Latium volcanic domain has resulted in the increase of water demand. The uncontrolled increase in water withdrawals cause an inexorable reduction of springs discharges and progressive drawdown of groundwater levels. This emergency needs an urgent rationalization of groundwater management thorough understanding of qualitative and quantitative features of the aquifers. The main aim of this paper is to emphasize the importance of the method of study and the results obtained by researchers belonging to the Laboratory of Quantitative Hydrogeology (University of Roma Tre) to support the use and protection of groundwater resources. Therefore, we propose a summary of methods applied in previous hydrogeology studies that have contributed to legislation on groundwater resources management in the volcanic aquifers. The study area corresponds to the Latium volcanic domain and covers approximately 6500 km2. About 3000 stratigraphic data and about 2600 water points have been collected in order to set up a conceptual hydrogeological model. The conceptual model has been validated by the resolution of the hydrological budget. Detailed evaluation of the water supply is essential for the correct setting of the hydrological budget, in fact it represents the main output of the budget. These analysis highlight the condition of the resource. Critical areas have been identified for reshaping of water supply in order to increase environmental remediation and economic development.

scholarly journals Causes and consequences of long-term groundwater overabstraction in Jordan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Brückner ◽  
Rebecca Bahls ◽  
Mohammad Alqadi ◽  
Falk Lindenmaier ◽  
Ibraheem Hamdan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Contour Lines ◽  
Hydraulic Conditions ◽  
Groundwater Basins

AbstractIn 2017, a comprehensive review of groundwater resources in Jordan was carried out for the first time since 1995. The change in groundwater levels between 1995 and 2017 was found to be dramatic: large declines have been recorded all over the country, reaching more than 100 m in some areas. The most affected areas are those with large-scale groundwater-irrigated agriculture, but areas that are only used for public water supply are also affected. The decrease of groundwater levels and saturated thickness poses a growing threat for drinking water supply and the demand has to be met from increasingly deeper and more remote sources, causing higher costs for drilling and extraction. Groundwater-level contour lines show that groundwater flow direction has completely reversed in some parts of the main aquifer. Consequently, previously established conceptual models, such as the concept of 12 “groundwater basins” often used in Jordan should be revised or replaced. Additionally, hydraulic conditions are changing from confined to unconfined; this is most likely a major driver for geogenic pollution with heavy metals through leakage from the overlying bituminous aquitard. Three exemplary case studies are presented to illustrate and discuss the main causes for the decline of the water tables (agriculture and population growth) and to show how the results of this assessment can be used on a regional scale.

scholarly journals Urban Heat Island and Its Interaction with Heatwaves: A Review of Studies on Mesoscale

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10923
Author(s):  
Jing Kong ◽  
Yongling Zhao ◽  
Jan Carmeliet ◽  
Chengwang Lei
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Urban Heat Islands ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Pollution Dispersion ◽  
Vegetation Fraction ◽  
Holistic Review ◽  
Urban Heat

With rapid urbanization, population growth and anthropogenic activities, an increasing number of major cities across the globe are facing severe urban heat islands (UHI). UHI can cause complex impacts on the urban environment and human health, and it may bring more severe effects under heatwave (HW) conditions. In this paper, a holistic review is conducted to articulate the findings of the synergies between UHI and HW and corresponding mitigation measures proposed by the research community. It is worth pointing out that most studies show that urban areas are more vulnerable than rural areas during HWs, but the opposite is also observed in some studies. Changes in urban energy budget and major drivers are discussed and compared to explain such discrepancies. Recent studies also indicate that increasing albedo, vegetation fraction and irrigation can lower the urban temperature during HWs. Research gaps in this topic necessitate more studies concerning vulnerable cities in developing countries. Moreover, multidisciplinary studies considering factors such as UHI, HW, human comfort, pollution dispersion and the efficacy of mitigation measures should be conducted to provide more accurate and explicit guidance to urban planners and policymakers.

scholarly journals Transboundary Basins Need More Attention: Anthropogenic Impacts on Land Cover Changes in Aras River Basin, Monitoring and Prediction

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 3329
Author(s):  
Sajad Khoshnoodmotlagh ◽  
Jochem Verrelst ◽  
Alireza Daneshi ◽  
Mohsen Mirzaei ◽  
Hossein Azadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Kappa Index ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
The Past ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Aras River

Changes in land cover (LC) can alter the basin hydrology by affecting the evaporation, infiltration, and surface and subsurface flow processes, and ultimately affect river water quantity and quality. This study aimed to monitor and predict the LC composition of a major, transboundary basin contributing to the Caspian Sea, the Aras River Basin (ARB). To this end, four LC maps of ARB corresponding to the years 1984, 2000, 2010, and 2017 were generated using Landsat satellite imagery from Armenia and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The LC gains and losses, net changes, exchanges, and the spatial trend of changes over 33 years (1984–2017) were investigated. The most important drivers of these changes and the most accurate LC transformation scenarios were identified, and a land change modeler (LCM) was applied to predict the LC change for the years 2027 and 2037. Validation results showed that LCM, with a Kappa index higher than 81%, is appropriate for predicting LC changes in the study area. The LC changes observed in the past indicate significant anthropogenic impacts on the basin, mainly by constructing new reservoir dams and expanding agriculture and urban areas, which are the major water-consuming sectors. Results show that over the past 33 years, agricultural areas have grown by more than 57% from 1984 to 2017 in the study area. Results also indicate that the given similar anthropogenic activities will keep on continuing in the ARB, and agricultural areas will increase by 2% from 2017 to 2027, and by another 1% from 2027 to 2037. Results of this study can support transboundary decision-making processes to analyze potential adverse impacts following past policies with neighboring countries that share the same water resources.

scholarly journals Spatial Assessment of Urban Climate Change Vulnerability during Different Urbanization Phases

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng He ◽  
Liguo Zhou ◽  
Weichun Ma ◽  
Yuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Urban Climate ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Vulnerability Framework ◽  
The Relationship

In urban areas, concentrated populations and societal changes intensify the influence of climate change. However, few studies have focused on vulnerability to climate-related risks on the scale of a single urban area. Against this backdrop, we reconstructed a spatial vulnerability framework based on the drivers-pressures-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model to reflect the complex interactions between urbanization and climate change and to integrate the natural and socio-economic factors of urban areas into this framework. Furthermore, to explore the relationship between rapid urbanization and climate change, we studied data from two years that represented different stages of urbanization. The results showed that the index framework was able to reconcile these two concepts to reflect the complex interactions between urbanization and climate change. The assessment results indicate that the overall degree of climate change vulnerability exhibits a generally increasing and dispersing trend after rapid urbanization. The increasing trend is influenced by an increase in low-vulnerability areas, and the dispersing trend is influenced by anthropogenic activities caused by rapid urbanization. The changes are reflected in the following observations: 1. The suburbs are affected by their own natural environmental characteristics and rapid urbanization; the vulnerability level has risen in most areas but has declined in certain inland areas. 2. High-vulnerability regions show minor changes during this stage due to the lasting impact of climate change. Finally, the main environmental problems faced by high-vulnerability areas are discussed based on existing research.

How geomorphology can shape policy - Advances in system understanding of the Mekong delta reveal large anthropogenic impacts and drive policy change 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip S.J. Minderhoud ◽  
Sepehr Eslami ◽  
Gualbert Oude Essink
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
River Channels ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Delta System ◽  
Geomorphological Changes

<p><strong>Deltas</strong> have been a focal point for geomorphologists for decades, as these geologically young and transient landforms are formed and influenced by the <strong>interplay</strong> of many Earth surface processes. Hence delta systems are highly dynamic with sophisticated couplings and feedbacks that often span across multiple <strong>scientific domains</strong>. <strong>Climate change </strong>(including sea-level rise) and upstream damming alter the boundary conditions that determine how deltas form, grow, or shrink, however, the <strong>impact of human pressures</strong> within the delta system is becoming increasingly dominant in <strong>driving environmental change</strong>. Rapid economic development and urbanization of the world deltas often lead to overexploitation and exhaustion of natural resources, such as fresh water and sand. The impacts of such <strong>human-induced overexploitations</strong> have recently been shown to be dominant in driving the current geomorphological changes witnessed in the Mekong delta. The overexploitation of fresh <strong>groundwater</strong> is caused wide-spread decrease in groundwater levels in the aquifer-system, which leads to <strong>accelerated rates of land subsidence and salinization of fresh groundwater resources</strong>. The extraction of <strong>riverbed sand</strong> and upstream impoundments deepen the river channels which changes the fluvial and tidal dynamics leading to <strong>increased riverbank erosion and surface water salinization.</strong></p><p>Recent <strong>advances in geomorphological system understanding</strong> of the Mekong delta have revealed its critical state and show its disastrous trajectory towards which it is going when current business-as-usual practices are continued in the next decades. The scientific findings from several research groups have been instrumental to the quick increase in awareness and sense of urgency within governmental bodies and has laid the foundation for the development of more <strong>system-inclusive delta policy</strong>. Although the road towards effective mitigation of the root causes is still long, multi-disciplinary geomorphological research was effective in quantifying gradual but crucial human-induced changes in the delta system. This talk highlights some of the <strong>key scientific findings</strong> in the Mekong delta and elaborates on how science was instrumental to make the issues visible to a larger community of stakeholders and policymakers.</p>

Hydrogeological setting and hydrogeochemical characteristics of the Durban Metropolitan District, eastern South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-316
Author(s):  
M.S. Ndlovu ◽  
M. Demlie ◽  
M. Butler
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
The State ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Environmental Isotope ◽  
High Concentrations

Abstract Population and economic growth within the Durban Metropolitan region in eastern South Africa have increased the demand for water supply. Though the region’s water supply comes mainly from surface water sources, the ever-increasing demand means that all available water supply sources including groundwater will be looked at, particularly in the peri-urban areas. However, the state of the groundwater resource in the region is poorly understood. This study aims to contribute towards improved understanding of the state of groundwater resources in the Metropolitan District through an integrated hydrogeological, hydrochemical and environmental isotope investigations. Results of the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical characterization identified at least five hydrostratigraphic units of varying hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics: the weathered and fractured basement aquifers of the Mapumulo Group, Oribi Gorge, Mzimlilo and Mkhomazi Suites characterized by average borehole yield and transmissivity (T) of 1.2 l/s, and 3.9 m2/day, respectively, and hydrochemical facies of Ca-Mg-HCO3;the fractured Natal Group sandstone characterised by average borehole yield and hydraulic conductivity (K) of 5.6 l/s and 2.8 m/day, respectively and with Na-Mg-HCO3-Cl dominant water type;the fractured aquifers of the Dwyka Group diamictite and tillite characterized by average borehole yield of 0.4 l/s, transmissivity of 1.3 m2/day and Na-Cl-HCO3 dominant water type;the Vryheid Formation of the Ecca Group characterized by average borehole yield of 2.5 l/s, T of 4.9 m2/day, K values 0.17 m/day, and Na-Cl-HCO3 water type. The Pietermaritzburg Formation of the Ecca Group is characterized by a shale lithology with very low borehole yields and average transmissivity of 0.28 m2/d with Na-Ca-Cl dominant water type. It is considered as an aquiclude than an aquifer;the intergranular aquifer of the Maputaland Group which comprises the Bluff, Berea type sands and harbour beds (recent alluvium and estuarine deposits). These units collectively have average borehole yield of 14.8 l/s, transmissivity of up to 406 m2/day and a mainly Na-Cl-HCO3 hydrochemical signature. The region receives mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 935 mm/yr of which an estimated 6.6% recharges the various aquifers. Environmental isotope data (2H, 18O and 3H) indicated that groundwater is recharged from modern precipitation. High concentrations of tritium, as high as 92 T.U., measured around landfill sites, indicates groundwater contamination from leachate leakage posing a risk to human and environmental health.

scholarly journals Recent land subsidence caused by the rapid urban development in the Hanoi region (Vietnam) using ALOS InSAR data

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 657-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Dang ◽  
C. Doubre ◽  
C. Weber ◽  
N. Gourmelen ◽  
F. Masson
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Land Subsidence ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Surface Deformation ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Multi Temporal

Abstract. Since the 1990s the land subsidence due to the rapid urbanization has been considered a severely destructive hazard in the center of Hanoi City. Although previous studies and measurements have quantified the subsiding deformation in Hanoi center, no data exist for the newly established districts in the south and the west, where construction development has been most significant and where groundwater pumping has been very intensive over the last decade. With a multi-temporal InSAR approach, we quantify the spatial distribution of the land subsidence in the entire Hanoi urban region using ALOS images over the 2007–2011 period. The map of the mean subsidence velocity reveals that the northern bank of the Red River appears stable, whereas some areas in southern bank are subsiding with a mean vertical rate up to 68.0 mm yr−1, especially within the three new urban districts of Hoang Mai, Ha Dong – Thanh Xuan and Hoai Duc – Tu Liem. We interpret the spatial distribution of the surface deformation as the combination of the nature of the unsaturated layer, the lowering of groundwater in the aquifers due to pumping withdrawal capacity, the increase of built-up surfaces and the type of building foundation. The piezometric level in Qp aquifer lowers particularly after 2008, whereas the groundwater level in Qh aquifer remains steady, even if it loses its seasonal fluctuation in urban areas and drawdowns in neighboring water production plants. The time evolution deduced from the InSAR time series is consistent with previous leveling data and shows that the lowering rate of the surface slightly decreases till 2008. The analysis of groundwater levels in instrumented wells shows a correlation between the behavior of groundwater with the urban development and the acceleration of groundwater withdrawal. Also, the time variations suggest that the deformation became non-stationary, with upward and downward transient displacements related to the charge and discharge of the aquifers.

scholarly journals Elevated Urbanization-driven Plant Accumulation and Human Intake Risks of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Crops of Peri-urban Farmlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anping Zhang ◽  
Xintao Ye ◽  
Xindong Yang ◽  
Jiacheng Li ◽  
Haofeng Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Plant Accumulation

Abstract As a ubiquitous carcinogen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are closely related to anthropogenic activities. The process of urbanization leads to the spatial interlacing of farmlands and urbanized zones. However, field evidence on the influence of urbanization on the accumulation of PAHs in crops of peri-urban farmlands is lacking. This study comparatively investigated the urbanization-driven levels, compositions, and sources of PAHs in 120 paired plant and soil samples collected from the Yangtze River Delta in China and their species-specific human intake risks. The concentrations of PAHs in crops and soils in the peri-urban areas were 2407.92 ng g−1 and 546.64 ng g−1, respectively, which are significantly higher than those in the rural areas. The PAHs in the root were highly relevant to those in the soils (R2 = 0.63, p < 0.01), and the root bioconcentration factors were higher than 1.0, implying the contributions of root uptake to plant accumulations. However, the translocation factors in the peri-urban areas (1.57 ± 0.33) were higher than those in the rural areas (1.19 ± 0.14), indicating the enhanced influence through gaseous absorption. For the congeners, the 2- to 3-ring PAHs showed a higher plant accumulation potential than the 4- to 6-ring PAHs. Principal component and source analyses show that the PAHs in the peri-urban plants predominantly resulted from urbanization parameters, such as coal combustion, vehicle emissions, and biomass burning. The mean values of estimated dietary intake of PAHs from the consumption of peri-urban and rural crops were 9116 ng d−1 and 6601.83 ng d−1, respectively. The intake risks of different crops followed the order rice > cabbage > carrot > pea. Given the significant input of PAHs from urban to farmland, the influence of many anthropogenic pollutants arising from rapid urbanization should be considered when assessing the agricultural food safety.

Urbanization and Changes in Cropping Patterns at Kathmandu Valley

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj Man Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Considerable Change ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Agriculture Land

The increase of population in Kathmandu valley is bringing a considerable change in cropping system. Rapid urbanization and introduction of new agriculture technology have encouraged the valley’s farmers to change their cropping patterns from traditional (low value crops) to new crops (high value crops). According to numerous studies made in Nepal, the change is seen considerably in winter crops than in summer crops and the land under cultivation of green leafy vegetables is increasing rapidly in the urban and semi-urban areas. An average growth of population at 3 % in the valley during the period 1951-2001 has resulted in the rapid expansion of area under urban coverage (24.6 % growth per year from 1984 - 2000) has made agriculture land of Katmandu valley to decline per year by 2.04 % (836.27 ha per year). If this trend of decline in agriculture land in Kathmandu valley continues in future too, it is expected that there will be no agriculture land left over by two and half decades in the valley. The planners should take note of this fact that if fertile land of Katmandu valley is to be preserved for agriculture necessary planning is urgently needed. <i>Nepal Journal of Science and Technology</i> Vol. 7, 2006

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