scholarly journals WATER CONSERVATION IN DESERT CITIES: FROM THE SOCIOECOLOGICAL FIX TO GESTURES OF ENDURANCE

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRIAN F. O’NEILL ◽  
ANNE-LISE BOYER
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Urban Political Ecology ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
The Moment

Abstract Urban water provision is the archetypal case for the recent wave of urban political ecology, using the concept of “fix” to illustrate belief in technical forms to solve socioecological problems like uneven water distribution and environmental degradation. On the one hand, this paper shows that the risks of water shortages in Arizona, USA are a technical concern. Professionals are dedicated to the promotion of water conservation to “fix” a dysfunctional hydro-social cycle. Yet, environmental organizations raise a critical approach to this “hydrocracy”. They defend local water supplies, river regeneration, and reuse as promoting a low water-use “desert lifestyle”. Building on the intellectual history of “fixes”, we apply Giorgio Agamben’s concept of “gesture”, signaling how, in places of deep water scarcity, water conservation policies remain within notions of growth, such that pauses in water availability leave open future promises of resource abundance so the moment of scarcity can be endured.

scholarly journals Water quota system in China: problems and countermeasures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyang Zhao ◽  
Hongrui Wang ◽  
Shuxin Gong ◽  
Cheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Quota System ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Data Validity

Abstract Water resources are the foundation of economic development, social progress and ecological security, and water shortage is the primary problem facing China. Water quotas have great practical significance for the resolution of water shortages to achieve sustainable use of water resources and sustainable development of the national economy. In this study, to analyse the problems and countermeasures of the water quota system in China, the water quota system progress domestically and abroad, the water quotas problem in China, and the countermeasures for the water quota problem are summarized. The data validity test, spatial correlation test and consistency test are used to test the rationality of water use quota. And the specific countermeasures are presented: improving the water quota system, defining its concept, and revising its scheme, etc. This study provides the support to standardize water quotas and implement the effective water conservation policies of China.

scholarly journals Moving urban political ecology beyond the ‘urbanization of nature’

2020 ◽  
pp. 030913252090335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannis Tzaninis ◽  
Tait Mandler ◽  
Maria Kaika ◽  
Roger Keil
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
Original Formulation ◽  
Urban Political Ecology ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Urban Forms

Urban political ecology (UPE) focuses on unsettling traditional understandings of ‘cities’ as ontological entities separate from ‘nature’ and on how the production of settlements is metabolically linked with flows of capital and more-than-human ecological processes. The contribution of this paper is to recalibrate UPE to new urban forms and processes of extended urbanization. This exploration goes against the reduction of what goes on outside of cities to processes that emanate unidirectionally from cities. Acknowledging UPE’s rich intellectual history and aiming to enrich rather than split the field, this paper identifies four emerging discourses that go beyond UPE’s original formulation.

scholarly journals Study on the organization of water-conservation activities and guiding strategies for urban communities based on public participation in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 538-554
Author(s):  
Binxia Xue ◽  
Tongyu Li ◽  
Xiaohe Hou ◽  
Jiayi Guo
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
The Public ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Human Needs

Abstract Water shortages and pollution in China are severe situations caused by rapid economic development and urbanization. The current water-conservation policies focus on implementing new technologies and management strategies at important spatial nodes while neglecting the significance of the response from the community and the public. In this paper, the elements that influence the public participation of water conservation within the community are analyzed and divided into three levels: the internal world elements of the residents, the different individual characters of the residents, and external world elements. Among these three levels, the internal world element level, including the desire to realize oneself, is crucial, as it will significantly strengthen an individual's participation activity once motivated. Based on Maslow's five-level theory of human needs, to establish a model of public participation in water-conservation communities, economic benefits, environmental improvement benefits, and the self-fulfilling satisfaction of participation will become the motivation for the model to function. In a new project, reclaimed water landscapes are established in the community, and eco-recreational activities with water-conservation themes are organized to guide and encourage public participation to foster water-conservation consciousness and to establish aging water-conservation guiding policies and implementation methods in the community.

Heterogeneous water provision in Dar es Salaam: The role of networked infrastructures and alternative systems in informal areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1215-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L Smiley
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Heterogeneous Systems ◽  
Dar Es Salaam ◽  
Water Network ◽  
Urban Political Ecology ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
Peripheral Areas

Urban waterscapes in developing world cities are notoriously fragmented, resembling archipelagos rather than continuous networks. Graham and Marvin’s concept of splintering urbanism links the collapse of infrastructure networks to this fragmentation. Yet this idea has been criticized for suggesting the absence of these networks is a sign of failed modernity in Southern cities such as Dar es Salaam. Urban political ecology illustrates how social, historical, political, and ecological processes work together to create uneven and unjust landscapes and waterscapes. In Dar es Salaam, the colonial policy of segregation and unequal service provision helped to create the fragmented system seen today. As a result, many residents—especially those in informal and peripheral areas—rely on heterogeneous water provision systems. These systems provide innovative ways to deliver water but do so at a high cost. This paper uses case studies of two informal areas—Buguruni and Vingunguti—to illustrate the divergent trajectories of seemingly similar places. One is more connected to the piped water network while the other relies almost exclusively on informal water delivery providers. In explaining these differences, this paper offers an intra-urban comparison that highlights inequities at a smaller scale. It also acknowledges the role of networked infrastructure in these heterogeneous systems by giving voice to residents who consider the piped water network their ideal source.

A 2050 Vision for Colorado's water supply future

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Rowan ◽  
E. Hecox ◽  
S. Morea
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
The State ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Water Projects ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Local Water

The last decade has brought many changes to Colorado's water supply outlook. Despite the recent economic recession, the state has experienced significant population growth, and Colorado's population is expected to nearly double within the next 40 years. Other pressures on Colorado's water supply include severe drought, a desire to meet multiple needs (i.e., municipal, environmental, recreational) with existing resources, and impacts to agriculture due to water shortages, urbanization, and transfers to new users. To address these challenges, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) has undertaken a visioning process to explore solutions to these future water supply challenges. As part of this process, CWCB has led the state in identifying demand and supply strategies to meet the state's future water needs while considering agriculture and the environment. These strategies have been combined into varying portfolios that include methods such as conservation, local water projects, new Colorado River development, and agricultural transfers. This paper details the development and evaluation of these portfolios and describes stakeholder's efforts to balance meeting Colorado's water needs in the future.

scholarly journals A Multi-Criteria Assessment of Water Supply in Ugandan Refugee Settlements

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Andreasi Bassi ◽  
Iskandar Tange ◽  
Benjamin Holm ◽  
Alessio Boldrin ◽  
Martin Rygaard
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Surrounding Water ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Groundwater Supply ◽  
Water Provision

Water supply challenges in emergency situations have increased in recent years and there is a need for analyses targeting economic and environmental sustainability. Our study investigated the end-user water demand, the capital and operational costs, the carbon footprint, the freshwater availability and the risks surrounding water quality for several groundwater supply alternatives in Ugandan refugee settlements. We compared hand pumps, motorised pumps (solar, diesel and hybrid) and water trucking. The end-users’ survey highlighted the significant variability of water access. The economic evaluation showed that the breakeven year for solar and diesel pumps was greatly affected by the length of the water distribution systems (e.g., pipes, storage tanks), the chosen timeframe and the daily working hours of the diesel engine. When excluding capital investment, most alternatives were economically viable at the existing water fee (0.8 USD/m3), and solar driven pumps were down to 0.09 USD/m3. Finally, the combustion of diesel caused the highest CO2-eq emissions per m3. Water trucking is the worst option in both the economic and environmental analysis at 7–8 USD/m3 and >1 kg CO2-eq/m3. The methodology and the results of this paper will support decision-makers to build and finance sustainable water provision solutions in refugee settlements.

Cooperatives: an alternative to water privatization in Greece

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ifigeneia Douvitsa ◽  
Demosthenis Kassavetis
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Water Privatization ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Viable Solution ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The aim of this article is to investigate the organization of water cooperatives in Greece for the first time, as promoted by a spontaneous social mobilization called Initiative 136. The above attempt appears as an alternative proposition as opposed to the state-driven full privatization of EYATH S.A. Design/methodology/approach – This article presents previous work on water cooperatives and the negative effects of water privatization worldwide, relating it to water privatization in Greek reality through the prism of the current recession. Findings – While full privatization under the pressure of the economic crisis is very likely to yield significantly negative results, a transformation into a water cooperative might provide a viable solution. Research limitations/implications – Water cooperatives provide a solution for water distribution that is friendly for the consumer, the society and the environment. Practical implications – Application of a cooperative method of water provision in Greece could be a springboard for the use of the model in other areas. Originality/value – The article evaluates the privatization and cooperativization attempt of EYATH S.A. based on previous related research and considering Greece ' s current conditions.

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