Water management systems of two towns in the Eastern Himalaya: case studies of Singtam in Sikkim and Kalimpong in West Bengal states of India

Abstract This study examines the water supply systems, their sociopolitical dynamics, and the future of water management in two Indian towns in the Eastern Himalaya, Kalimpong in West Bengal and Singtam in Sikkim. The research was centred around issues of demand and supply, water scarcity and stress, equity, water governance, and the sustainable conservation and management of water resources in a climate change context. Methodologically based on surveys, focus group discussions, and key informants' interviews, this study finds that spring sources are drying alarmingly in Singtam, even as demand is increasing dramatically due to a floating population that is more than the number of local inhabitants. The town suffers from the lack of an adequate reservoir facility and the frequent damage of water supply pipes during the monsoon. Kalimpong faces acute water shortages all year round. The political tug of war between the state government agencies and the local government around the management and supply of water, declining water discharge in spring sources, the lack of water infrastructure for repair, maintenance, and supply, and the glaring inequity between the higher, middle, and lower income groups are the immediate issues around water in Kalimpong. The spring sources that supply drinking water to Kalimpong and Singtam need immediate conservation measures to arrest the declining state of discharge. Micro-planning at the local level, reviving drying springs, and the adoption of appropriate soil and water conservation practices on a watershed basis are all important ways forward. The development of water security plans and their strict enforcement through multi-institutional collaboration can contribute to improved water governance and socioecological restoration for sustainable water resources management.

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Safety Analysis in Water Supply Systems

Journal of Konbin ◽

10.2478/jok-2020-0052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 97-114

Author(s):

Barbara Tchórzewska-Cieślak ◽

Krzysztof Boryczko

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Supply ◽

Safety Analysis ◽

Water Supply Systems ◽

Complex Issue ◽

Health Safety ◽

Safety Systems ◽

Supply Systems

AbstractIn the aspect of water management, the Water Directive regulates water management with the principle of sustainable development, in shaping, protecting, using and managing water resources. Analysis and assessment of the CWSS safety is a complex issue, including the analysis of potential threats, their effects and safety systems (barriers). The analysis is performed in terms of the water consumers health safety, threats of lack or deficit in water supply and threats to the environment. This process should include the analysis of the existing condition, possible potential threats and safety and repair procedures.

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Sustainable Water Resources Management: Issues and Principles of Water Governance in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

International Journal of Rural Management ◽

10.1177/0973005219865369 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 198-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Reniko Gondo ◽

Oluwatoyin D. Kolawole

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Resources Management ◽

New Technologies ◽

Water Governance ◽

Local Level ◽

Okavango Delta ◽

Resources Management ◽

Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽

Sustainable Water Resources

In the recent times, there is an increased awareness about the importance of water management as population growth, new technologies, increased food consumption, land use and economic activities, among others, continue to exacerbate competition among water users in their bid to access natural resources. Thus, water governance encompasses the allocation and management of aquatic resources within the context of a multilayered, competing demand for water resources. Employing a critical review of relevant literature and guided by the legal pluralism conceptual framework and situated within the Dublin water management principles, this article examines key principles and pertinent issues in sustainable water resources management in the Okavango Delta, Botswana; the delta is widely recognized as a wetland of international significance. Findings reveal that demographic and socio-economic factors such as age, education, religion, culture, gender and income play significant roles in household water management decision making. The results also show that although the water legislative environment in Botswana is characterized by outdated Water Acts, efforts and commitment from the government are underway to revise these Acts. This article argues that whilst water research scholars and policymakers continue to make advocacy for water governance at different levels, the local-level water governance needs to be accorded more priority in rural areas in Botswana.

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ASSESSMENT OF THE CONDITION OF THE POLTAVA REGION WATER SUPPLY COMPLEX

Labour protection problems in Ukraine ◽

10.36804/nndipbop.37-4.2021.44-49 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 44-49

Author(s):

O. Stepova ◽

T. Hakh ◽

L. Tiahnii

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Supply ◽

Water Resource ◽

The State ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Water Supply Systems ◽

Resource Potential ◽

Water Management Complex ◽

Polluted Waters

Assessment of the state and rationality of the operation of the water management complex (WMC) of the Poltava region is an extremely relevant study of the present, since the WMC was created in the 60s-70s of the last century and actively provides the sectors of the economy and the population with water resources. The study aim is to assess the water resource potential as the basis for the functioning of the water-chemical complex, to determine the levels of technogenic impact on the water resource potential. A review of the sources was carried out using the Google Scholar database by filtering for the period from 2010 to 2021 and mainly revising publications on numerous samples related to monitoring and control of the state of the water management complex of the Poltava region. According to the official report of 2019, the rivers Dnieper, Psel, Sukhoi Omelnik, Uday received an assessment: slightly polluted waters, the Vorskla and Orzhitsa rivers are moderately polluted waters. The main ingredients responsible for the low water ratings as of 2019 are phosphate ions, manganese, as well as nitrite nitrogen, total iron and BOD5. The manganese content was measured in three rivers, and the average estimate ranged from 5.8 in the Psel River to 11.85 in the Vorskla River. According to the Regional Office of Water Resources in the Poltava region, in 2019, 109.8 million m3 were withdrawn from the natural water bodies of the Poltava region, namely underground water bodies, which is 4.6 million m3 less than in 2018 (or 4.0 %), including 69.83 million m3 (which is 3.29 million m3 or 4.5 % less than in 2018). However, the total water intake in the region over the past 10 years has decreased by 2.2 times. A positive trend is that all discharges occur at treatment facilities of housing and communal services. There is no discharge of return water without treatment into surface water bodies of the Poltava region; however, within the boundaries of settlements there is a discharge of under-treated municipal wastewater and runoff from the urbanized territory. Consequently, balancing water use is possible by introducing waterless, low-water and water-saving technologies in all sectors of the economy, maximum use of water in recycling water supply systems; replacement of physically and morally worn out water supply and water protection equipment, etc.

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Water Governance and Management in Indus Basin - Challenges & Threats

Studies of Applied Economics ◽

10.25115/eea.v38i3.3601 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Civil Society ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Policy ◽

Water Governance ◽

Sustainable Use ◽

Water Security ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

The State ◽

Indus Basin

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.

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Analysing inter-relationships among water, governance, human development variables in developing countries

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-16-3791-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (10) ◽

pp. 3791-3816 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

C. Dondeynaz ◽

C. Carmona Moreno ◽

J. J. Céspedes Lorente

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Supply ◽

Human Development ◽

Environmental Concern ◽

Water Governance ◽

Development Aid ◽

Research Centre ◽

Joint Research ◽

Discussion Section

Abstract. The "Integrated Water Resources Management" principle was formally laid down at the International Conference on Water and Sustainable development in Dublin 1992. One of the main results of this conference is that improving Water and Sanitation Services (WSS), being a complex and interdisciplinary issue, passes through collaboration and coordination of different sectors (environment, health, economic activities, governance, and international cooperation). These sectors influence or are influenced by the access to WSS. The understanding of these interrelations appears as crucial for decision makers in the water sector. In this framework, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has developed a new database (WatSan4Dev database) containing 42 indicators (called variables in this paper) from environmental, socio-economic, governance and financial aid flows data in developing countries. This paper describes the development of the WatSan4Dev dataset, the statistical processes needed to improve the data quality, and finally, the analysis to verify the database coherence is presented. Based on 25 relevant variables, the relationships between variables are described and organised into five factors (HDP – Human Development against Poverty, AP – Human Activity Pressure on water resources, WR – Water Resources, ODA – Official Development Aid, CEC – Country Environmental Concern). Linear regression methods are used to identify key variables having influence on water supply and sanitation. First analysis indicates that the informal urbanisation development is an important factor negatively influencing the percentage of the population having access to WSS. Health, and in particular children's health, benefits from the improvement of WSS. Irrigation is also enhancing Water Supply service thanks to multi-purpose infrastructure. Five country profiles are also created to deeper understand and synthetize the amount of information gathered. This new classification of countries is useful in identifying countries with a less advanced position and weaknesses to be tackled. The relevance of indicators gathered to represent environmental and water resources state is questioned in the discussion section. The paper concludes with the necessity to increase the reliability of current indicators and calls for further research on specific indicators, in particular on water quality at national scale, in order to better include environmental state in analysis to WSS.

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Sustainable Water Management in Iraq (Kurdistan) as a Challenge for Governmental Responsibility

Water ◽

10.3390/w10111651 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1651 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Mahmood Yousuf ◽

Nada Rapantova ◽

Jalal Younis

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Surface Waters ◽

Local Level ◽

Environmental Legislation ◽

Eu Member States ◽

State Of Water ◽

Legislative Framework ◽

Local Water ◽

The Eu

During the last few decades, a critical scarcity of water has occurred in the Middle East due to climate change and the mismanagement of water resources. The situation is complicated by the absence of an effective legislative framework at the local level as well as by the incapability and disrepute of the local water authorities. Most Iraqi citizens depend on the surface waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which have their sources in upstream neighbouring countries. Water crises concerning the shared waters urgently require a solution at the international level. Unfortunately, Iraq has faced several wars in a row (1980–2003), which has prevented the country from establishing its institutions. The rapid increase in the population of the transboundary countries on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the high demands on agriculture, are accelerating water exploitation. In this paper, the present state of water management in Iraq from the viewpoint of the legislative framework, water balance, and transboundary issues will be discussed, with special attention to Kurdistan. Many legislative documents have been established or amended by the Iraqi and Kurdistan parliaments since 2003. In 2015, the Kurdistan Government Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, in cooperation with the EU, issued a guide for environmental legislation related to all environmental components such as air, water, and soil. The recommendations on actions needed in the water management in Kurdistan will be presented; they are inspired by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) implemented in EU member states.

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Good water governance and IWRM in Zambia: challenges and chances

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2011.155 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 845-862 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Thomas Uhlendahl ◽

Pritam Salian ◽

Claudia Casarotto ◽

Jakob Doetsch

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Resources Management ◽

Water Policy ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Water Governance ◽

Local Level ◽

Integrated Water Resources Management ◽

Water Sector ◽

Resources Management ◽

Hydropower Production

The implementation of principles for water governance is widely accepted but challenging for the whole water sector of a developing country like Zambia, because of the legal and administrative changes and organizational requirements involved. In February 2010, a revised water policy for Zambia was approved by the Cabinet. The revised National Water Policy 2010 aims to improve water resources management by establishing institutional coordination and by defining roles as well as responsibilities for various ministries. Taking into account the previous political and administration changes, this paper points out the problems and challenges of the implementation of good water governance mechanisms in Zambia. Focusing on the Kafue River Basin, from which water is abstracted for a variety of conflicting purposes (like municipal supplies, industrial use, mining, irrigation of agricultural land, fishery activities, wetland reserves and hydropower production), the gaps in implementing good water governance and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Zambia are identified, as well as the factors causing these gaps in the Zambian water sector. The paper finishes with a overview of the opportunities given by the new water policy through Water User Associations (WUAs) at a local level.

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Data management for integrated water resources management in Central Asia

Journal of Hydroinformatics ◽

10.2166/hydro.2014.097 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 1425-1440 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Iskandar Abdullaev ◽

Shavkat Rakhmatullaev

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Data Management ◽

Central Asia ◽

Information Technologies ◽

Water Governance ◽

Integrated Water Resources Management ◽

Water Sector ◽

Management Tools ◽

Institutional Settings

Information technologies can act as technical artifacts and can facilitate stakeholder communication, supporting decision making in a complex societal context. The water sector is one such example where limited water resources are threatened by climate change and growing competition for resources between sectors, regions and countries. Attempts to improve water governance and management through information technologies have been made by international, regional and national water agencies for the last 20 years in Central Asia. However, early attempts were focused on collection, systematization and analysis of the generic data related to the water sector in the region. There are still significant gaps (technical, human and financial capacities) for application of such technologies at the lower operational levels of water management, i.e. where the full dimensions of variables, interactions and complexities are observed and, most importantly, everyday politics of water are performed. The aim of this paper is to present practical results on improving water management in Central Asia through the application of better data management tools at the operational level across diverse institutional settings, i.e. transboundary, watershed levels in the region.

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Protection and performance of the ancestral water supply system ‘Khettara’ as a sustainable alternative for arid regions

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2013.153 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1452-1462 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. Benqlilou ◽

S. Bensaid

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Supply ◽

Unified Modeling Language ◽

Supply System ◽

Water Supply System ◽

Water Supply Systems ◽

Diagnostic Study ◽

The South ◽

Cultural Aspects ◽

Semi Arid Region

Located in a semi-arid region in the south and east of the country, the Moroccan oases are characterized by severe aridity and scarcity of water resources. However, the ancestral populations have shown a major form of adaptation to aridity constraints through the development of knowledge and heuristic expertise on a traditional water supply system called ‘Khettara’. Currently, the effects of climate change on the one hand and the deep social, cultural and economic transformations on the other, have caused the productivity of traditional agriculture to no longer match population needs with progressive vanishing of Khettara as its consequence. A diagnostic study of the situation of oases conducted in the south of Morocco makes it possible to address the socio-economic, environmental and cultural aspects by developing and using a specific methodology to assess fragile ecosystems (DPSIR: Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response). The main aim of the present work is to provide a methodology allowing the formulation of the required knowledge for the mobilization of traditional water resources techniques such as Khettaras, in order to maintain the national heritage of oases. The modeling formalism of UML (Unified Modeling Language) is borrowed from information technology for the purpose of standardization. The developed methodology enhances these traditional water supply systems by combining traditional and modern techniques to increase their performance in terms of reduced maintenance costs and increased productivity. The developed methodology has been applied to a real case characterized by extreme aridity.

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Water Resources Management, Technology, and Culture in Ancient Iran

10.5194/hess-2021-173 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Masoud Saatsaz ◽

Aboulfazl Rezaie

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Water Governance ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Political Stability ◽

High Water ◽

Water Resources Development ◽

The Past ◽

Resources Development

Abstract. Iran is one of the countries facing high water risk because of its geographical features, climate variations, and uneven distribution of water resources. Iranians have practiced different water management strategies at various periods following the region's geo-climatological features, needs, tools, available resources (surface water and groundwater), political stability, economic power, and socio-cultural characteristics. This study is a brief history of water management in Iran from pre-civilization times to the end of the Islamic Golden Age (1219 AD). This study pointed out geo-climatological features have consistently been crucial intrinsic properties controlling water regime, settlement patterns, and other socioeconomic issues. These factors caused the early agricultural communities to emerge in water-rich regions of northwestern, western, and southwestern Iran. By the 4th Millennium BC, while water access became more difficult as population growth, economic activity, and urbanization progress, water resources' systematic development appeared in west and southwest Iran under the Mesopotamian civilization. However, despite all benefits, Mesopotamian water-based technology and administration could not meet all water demands in Iran's arid regions. For these reasons, qanats were developed in Persia by the First Persian Empire (Achaemenid Empire). No doubt, the Achaemenids (550–330 BC) should be regarded as one of the early civilizations that emerged in a land without sufficient rainfall and major rivers. In this time, idle and marginal lands of Iran and neighboring regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia could be cultivated through the spread of qanat technology, enabling large groups of peasants to increase crop yields and incomes. After a period of recession during the Seleucid Empire (312–63 BC) and the Parthian Empire (247 BC–224 AD), water resources development gained momentum in the Sassanid era (224–651). In this period, the progress of urbanization was expeditious. Consciously, water resources development in Khuzestan plains (Shushtar and Dezful) was crucial for agricultural intensification, economic expansion, and civilization development. The Sassanids wisely adapted Greek watermills to the complicated topography, limited water availability, and variable climate of Iran to produce food. Although the Iranians practiced a new era of water governance under the Sassanid rule (224–651 AD), chaotic Iran in the Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Period led to severe weaknesses in water-related sectors. After Islam's arrival, the Muslim rulers turned their attention from fighting to set up an Islamic civilization to break the socioeconomic stagnation. To achieve the goal, they opened their scientific doors to science and technology centers. Despite all efforts made during the 8th–12th century, the lack of creativity and investment in promoting water technologies, prioritizing political considerations over social benefits, occurring wars, and poor water management have induced the Iranians to lose their power in developing water resources. In today's Iran, the past water-related problems have aggravated by uneven climate change, population rise, rapid industrialization, urban development, and unprecedented changes in lifestyle. Undoubtedly, solving these problems and moving towards a better future is not possible without addressing the past.

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